GREATEST SACFRICE....!

I was talking to our nannies last night and somewhat shared few  on the things I loved, places  I’ve been at so many things,  I see it  in their eyes the interest, their  smiles--  it’s like heaven hearing every details of it..  I continued yet noticed their silence….

 I was like,  “ Hoy, ate! Palaka ano nangyari sayo at natahimik ka?”, ( hey! Sister.. Frog… what’s wrong why you suddenly become quiet?!)

One nanny suddenly reseated and said: “ Um!! Buti kappa.. kami nde na namin papangarapin yan, sa pamilya nalang namin sa pinas!”,  ( Good for you but  we wont dream it, everything is for our family in philippines instead” ,

at that very moment, I thought, am I being insensitive, or is it  right to talk to these people with things I ought to boast??!!   Maybe not!!...   

with that fast phase running into my mind, I told them,  “ oi!! Hwag namang ganyan, nag uusap lang naman tayo?!.. ( hey! Not like that, we’re just talking…) ,  I saw them smiled and said: “ salamat te! Kasi, nafefeel namin na pamilya kami at nakakpagusap tayo!”  ( Thanks,, because  we feel we are family and you are able to talk to us with things)

Just a brief background, 

Our 1^st nanny works for a  wealthy Kuwaiti family, she’s all around household worker and for the last 6 months of  working  she only got 3 months of her salary because “ THE WIFE”  is getting her salary  and spent it all for herself,   sadly, it is also a reality that some arab wife is not working  and only getting an allowance from her husband, if not contented with the allowance she’ll take the maid’s salary and not telling the husband.. until the maid fed up and run away, I remember our nanny saying this:   “ what’s the used of working 12 hours with no salary, my family is hungry in Philippines &  I can’t buy good clothes because my madam is not giving me my salary”  - and for the last 2 years she stayed with a Filipino employer till we found her and provide her with the iqama, she’s been with us ever since

Our 2^nd nanny been in a  Bidoon family for  1 year and 6 months, the family is not wealthy  so it add up to her burden, she eats on a disposable plastic plate and cups, again, “DISPOSABLE”  but she have same plate & cups on every meals  for the last 540days of her stay!!  She eats once a day with kubos and yogurt, slept next to the shoe cabinet with no mat or bed at all,  and almost harassed/raped/abused by her employer, so decided to go back to her agency  unfortunately sold her again to another employer until she decided to run away found herself in the embassy, we  have arranged to fix her case and now, she’s with us.

I know, I should not be talking about this, but I guess, it’s worth a try,   let’s face it!!...  do we feel a little compassion with them when we got home , do we offer them at least a water while they are on sweat scrubbing the floor?? Probably not to this country!! I’m not judging all but  middle east I assumed, have the largest number of household workers as well as abused workers of different nationalities, I read, heard and seen so many cases of abused and I could not sometimes  read news paper as this are like the bread and butter of the daily news, it’s harsh / sad to see my fellow nationality holding loads of bags, running after the kids and seated away in an empty table while her employer is feasting..!   they offer her nothing not even water…. I feel pity, hate, angry and so many things, it’s mixed emotion but I cannot do anything but to stared at them and hope that they can read my eyes, saying: “ it’s ok, don’t give up for your family “ 

When I was little, I always asked my grandma if my mom truly loves me??!, she’ll always answer me,: YES!! Of course!” only that she needs to be away because she wants the best for you”!,   for  years, I hated the scenario of   family day, birthdays and graduations, I left alone no parents to hug!  But over the years, I graduated from college,  landed a good job in kuwait seeing my mom for the first time, I realized something….  

All good sacrifices and pain ends up with greatness,  If people asked,   given a chance to change something in the past, I would rather NOT change anything,  you know why?!! my past is part of my mom’s sacrifice, I will not be who I am today  without this events in my past life, every episode, every pain are just an added value to my self-asset..!  my mom is my greatest hero,  and I would always asked myself “  where I am today if mom gave-up??!” could I be landed on same job??!! Nor  have a life I define as happy??! , 

This so called” KADAMA”/ “HOUSEMAID”/ HOUSEHOLD WORKERS  are just few of  many who works hard in the name of family,  they have different reason of accepting the risk/chance ,  do we blame them for sacrificing?? Do we blame them for being poor? Do we blame them for giving the best for their family and specially their kids??, do we sometimes compare our 8 hours work sitting in-front of the PC and have better salary than working almost 12hours non-stop with no benefits and salary not even reaching half of ours?? few of us may understand, but  I do not understand why these people continue to abuse, hate , showing-off their nannies in uniforms just to tell the world I HAVE SLAVE! and maltreated  this poor human being..  I know, they been paid but it is ENOUGH?!  just because you are rich is that make you better person than them or anyone else?! either gives you the right to treat them like animals??
     THEY ARE also PEOPLE just like YOU & ME for Christ sake!!!!  have a heart.... !