GONDOLIERS ON TV - Jobs Around the World - Singapore

Bryan Wong & Lorenzo Brunello on Jobs Around the World

(Venice, Italy) In July of this year, I helped to coordinate a television show called Jobs Around the World starring Bryan Wong for MediaCorp in Singapore. We did a lot of preparation and negotiating beforehand, with both sides expressing their objectives clearly and honestly, which created a working atmosphere that was sublime. It was a great experience, and it would be refreshing if everything in Venice functioned that way.

You can read the post I wrote about the experience here:

Venice Gondoliers on TV in Singapore

 

Now the television show has aired, and a video is available over on MSN. It is in English with Chinese subtitles when English is spoken, or it is in Chinese with English subtitles when Chinese is spoken. It is not in Venetian or Italian at all, which, of course, is a little strange since gondoliers are Venetian, and normally speak either Venetian or Italian. In any event, both Bryan Wong and Lorenzo Brunello, the gondolier, speak good English; each has his own unique way of expressing himself in a language that is foreign. It is fascinating to watch them communicate with each other, and how they both seem to know what each other means even if the words aren't perfect. Plus, you get an inside view of what the life of a gondolier is really like. Here are a few snippets:

Bryan: Which is your gondola?

Lorenzo: This one.
Bryan: This one!

Lorenzo: The name of my gondola is Monica. That is the name of my wife.

Bryan: Ay, yay, yay. That is so romantic.

Bryan: To be a gondolier, do you have to go through formal training?

Lorenzo: It's a kind of training that normally takes five years. If you are ready, you will pass to a school where you will learn the history of Venice, the rules of navigation, normally. The father chooses to pass his license. It's a family contract.

Bryan: So what about you? 

Lorenzo: I am the sixth generation.

Bryan: You are the sixth generation?!

Lorenzo: Pietro is the seventh.

Bryan: And your son is how old?

Lorenzo: Eight years old.

Bryan: Are you thinking that one day you would like to pass your license to him?

Lorenzo: My wife and I, we said that we had to use a kind of philosophy. (Lorenzo puts down his oar and mimes a bow and arrow). The parents are only the arch that sends the son to the future. He will decide what he wants to do.    

   

At the end of the video, Bryan says that Lorenzo taught him one thing, something I have believed ever since I was a child:

If we treat our job as a job and nothing else, we won't be happy. To be a happy person, you must have passion for your job. 

---Lorenzo Brunello 

I tried to embed the clip into this blog, but apparently it's not possible, so if you would like to see it, you will have to make a small effort and click the link below. There is a short commercial in Chinese at the opening. Enjoy!

 

 Check out this great MSN video - Jobs Around The World Episode 11

Ciao from Venezia,
Cat
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog