Over a month or so ago we hired a new helper here at the house. We used to just have 2 people coming over everyday and they’re staying out. But since we have Nicole now, our niece, who’s living with us now and studying here, I have to have somebody who will prepare her lunch and all her stuff early in the morning. During Monday Nicole will go to school very early. While the helper prepares Nicole’s stuff she’s also preparing for the kids’ breakfast. It’s a busy morning here in my household during weekdays. I usually get up like around 4am or before that. I usually check if the laundry lady prepared the uniforms and stuff for the kids for their next day’s wear. It might be the P.E uniforms or basketball/volleyball uniforms for the kids and my niece. I don’t want to be digging anywhere for the stuff the next day. Everything has to be prepared the night before. My new helper now is good at making sure the kids has breakfast and also reminding the laundry lady for the kids uniform for the next day. Pretty soon I might have her trained by my nephew to bring Nicole to school just in-case my nephew had some errands to do.
We had a stay out lady right now, who is helping the maid inside the house and twice a week will do our laundry for us. I just like it that our kitchen, she always makes sure its clean. She’s just so amazed by the food that we are cooking. Everything is really new to her. She was raised in GenSan to very poor parents. She was sent to school and quit later because they just don’t have the money to afford for a lot of school projects and other school fees. So she quit and worked as a waitress at the age of 16. Found a guy there and she was living with him for awhile. The parents of the guy don’t want her, reason being her family is so poor. She got pregnant by the guy. The guy’s parents disowned her and the baby. So she went back to her parents and they accepted her and took care of her and the baby.
She can’t really just rely on her parents because her parents also had so many kids to take care of. So she then try to get a waitress job again, she really find out having no education was hard to be working in dealings with people. She’s thankful that here at the house we are teaching her a lot about cooking different dishes and herbs. She’s learning a lot also about all kinds of kitchen gadgets and utensils. She’s just thankful that we are sharing our knowledge to her. We also are giving her extra stuff and for her baby.
After giving birth she got sick. She said because of lack of food. She’s just thankful that her brother and her father has a decent job now to support the family. Before coming here to work for us, her brother was the one buying the milk for the baby. She asked the father of the baby, but the mom of the guy refused to help out. So she’s now left by the guy to raise the kid. Thankfully her mom was there to take care of the baby while she’s working here. To be honest I really hope that this new helper will succeed in life later. She’s a hard worker. She really wants to give a better life for her daughter than what she had when growing up. I know it’s hard for her because she’s away from her baby. But her mom is good with her baby anyway.
A couple of weeks ago, we ordered pizza for dinner. Not sure if some of you guys were familiar with the big pizza here that can be up to 60 slices. We ordered one of those for all of us here at the house. While we were eating one of the kids asked our new helper what does she think of the big pizza? She answered back that to be honest with you I don’t really know what the pizza tastes like until tonight. We just didn’t ask her for more explanation. The next morning she told me why they didn’t have pizza, for one reason its expensive to buy a whole pizza. If she will then buy a slice it usually cost like a hundred pesos. She said that she would rather buy something for the whole family can enjoy. So I just didn’t say much, instead, I told her that if we have food here and its new to her for her to taste it and enjoy. She’s just so amazed of the food that she tasted just for over a month that she’s here. It’s really fun teaching somebody that’s willing to learn and not embarrassed to ask what to do. Really me and my family really hope for the good future of our helper and her baby someday.
On the other note: Please know who you hire before getting somebody for a helper. We just had an incident last month with another maid. I don’t want you guys to experience it. The police just told us that theirs a group right now of maids, taxi driver and house boy and a leader, its like a gang. The really active right now are the people from Santa Maria and Malita area. Lots of employers reported the crime from the workers that came from that area. I will write more about it later.
Reminds me of our house-girl when we lived there; she was from the mountains of Bukidnon and was always so awed by new experiences. How blessed we are as Americans, I tell people- even the poorest of America have more than the poor in the P.I…..
Hi Yvonne Ramirez – Yes people from the outskirt of the province really don’t know any worldly things. It’s nice teaching them something that makes their eyes twinkle. And yes the poorest in America lives better than the poor here. But the people here just had the smile in their faces even with the hardship in life.
Thank you so much for stopping by. Keep reading.
Take care!
you really have a good heart, Feyma! continue to share your blessings, be it on material things or just on emotional. God Bless!!
Thank you so much Myra. It really is a good feeling to help out and seeing the big and happy smile. You take care!
Mrs Feyma,
Good heartwarming story. You continue to do so much to help people in any way you can. You and your family are a great example of other people to follow. God Bless and be safe.
Hi Papa Duck – Thank you so much. I think that’s really what life is all about helping others too. I hope we can help out more. I’m thankful to all our LIP family for helping out too during the holidays. Highly appreciated.
Good to see you again. Thank you for the kind words Papa Duck.
Take care!
Hi Feyma,
How’s it going ? (This is my first post on this site – I normally just read and keep my comments to myself but decided to finally speak up)
first of – the young lady you recently hired certainly finally found a little luck in her life – which started the day you hired her and hopefully things will continue as they are and she will be employed for a while, obviously eventually you will no longer have a need for her and at the same time ideally she will find better employment, not there is anything wrong with what she has now but I always hope for something better for every body (that deserves it of course)
Thanks to you Feyma she is now able to have a bit of joy in her life, It’s obvious you feel for
her and treat her with respect and kindness. Thank you for doing that.
Now I have to comment on her ex BF – what a lowlife, wimpy @#$% he is, getting a girl pregnant and then simply abandoning her. So what if his parents do not approve of the girl ? Doing his part to care for her and the baby is his responsibilty whether he likes it or not
and it is irrelevant how his parents feel about it as well. How can his parents simply disown her and her baby and the lowlife goes along with it ? I have read other articles that say that it is fairly common for men in the Philippines to get their GF’s pregnant then simply walk away,
leaving the girl to take care of the baby by herself, as if her life is not already very difficult.
I apologize to you Feyma and everyone else who happens to read what I wrote for ending
my note in a negative way, What you are doing for that lady is wonderul – one can only imagine how many times stories like hers are repeated over and over again by so many unfortunate souls.
Hi Robert – Thank you for sharing your thoughts here. I think almost all of us wanted to give better life for our workers. Like I always said to our helpers the previous and now, to really learned all they can so that they will gain some knowledge and they can apply to the next employment or just just by living day to day. I taught them a lot of stuff in the kitchen, most of them don’t know any kitchen utensils, gadgets, table arrangements, and the ingredients for cooking. I had a cook and a student of hotel and restaurant management, and they told me that they learned a lot from me.
I just hope though that someday soon the ex boyfriend will be man enough to own up what he did and support the kid. I just hope that our helper will not go back to the lowlife ex boyfriend of hers.
Thank you so much for dropping by. Keep reading.
Have a great day!
Hi Feyma: Excellent article. Thanks for sharing your experience. What is the standard salary for a live-in maid vs. a non live-in maid who goes home everyday in Davao? Thanks in advance.
Hi Roselyn – Thank you very much. Starting salary I think its 2k-2,500. Most employers would not give free personal necessity, but we do. We give lots of free stuff.
Take care!
So nice a story. It is nice you treat your helpers well. Not all treated like that.
There is so much that many filipinos have not experienced, even simple things like pizza.
Hi Cheryl,
Thank you very much.
Take care!
Hi Feym,,i wish that for her too:) <3
Hi Dhay – Thank you… How are you?
Take care!
Hi feyma ,you always amaze me at what you and bob do for the less fortunate , i to hope that your new helper does well in the future for herself and her child ,all the best to you and your family feyma
chris
Hi chris – Thank you so much for the nice thoughts. We highly appreciate very much.
Good to see you here again.
Take care!
Hi Feyma, Great article. You and your family will have given the young lady some pride back into her life, and I am very sure she appreciates all you are doing for her.
We know two young ladies who were left to bring up a child with no support from the father. One found out she was not his only victim there was two or three more. Although its just not in the Philippines were there are men who will not face their responsibilities.
Keep up the good work.
Marjorie.
Hi marjorie – Thank you. I am happy that we could helped her even just a little. It’s another unending cycle going here in the Philippines too.
Good luck to the ladies that you know. I hope they will move on and forget the lowlife guy.
Nice to see you here again.
You take care!