My domestic helper, Ana, told me last evening that she doesn’t want to go back home this March. Despite the fact that I’ve planned to let her off for two weeks. She’s just not confident that she’ll want to come back to work again if she heads back home.
Well, I can understand the feeling. After all, she has been working for two years away from home, and saying that she misses her home is just an understatement. The fact that she is single however, simplifies matters. If she has a husband or a child waiting for her at home, that would be tough.
Frankly those maids who are mothers, but are here working as a surrogate, really have the worst bargain. At the end of the day, the kids they care for are not theirs, and when it’s time for to say goodbye, I am sure the maids feel sad. On the other hand, they have to spend like two years or even more separated from their own children, and by the time they return to their hometown, their own kids may not even recognise them. Just how tragic is that?
Which is one of the reasons I only hire maids who are single. I think it’s cleaner, emotionally. I also find that younger maids are more enthusiastic and energetic with younger children. Some of the older ones could already be jaded with caring for their own.
So Ana is going to continue with us for another two years, uninterrupted. Which is good news for us. Seriously, I was worried that the dynamics would all go wrong after a trip back home. My mind is definitely at ease now that she has made up hers. I’ve also decided to give her a bonus to send back home. I suppose this is probably the best I can do for her given her decision.
Wow..! that’s really good news..!
Comment by Mama BoK — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 @ 7:43 pm
That’s great!
My maid is single too, been with us for 7yrs, but b’cos she doesn’t have any kids who depends on her, to her the money is not that important. She always wanted to terminate her contract after she’d completed 2yrs. She said she didn’t need the $.
Went back, got bored at home, started applying to come back to M’sia again. So happened we needed a maid, so we took her again. This happened twice.
Last year, she decided to stay with us because I have Zara and told her to do us a favour at least till Zara is slightly older.
Now her contract of 1yr is ending, and she’s again thinking of returning home w/out coming back.
Aigh.
Comment by zara's mama — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 @ 9:20 pm
It’s true that a maid who is single, won’t think too much about her family or kids, and won’t be so sian about looking after kids too. However, I had better luck with married maids though.
Comment by Ange — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 @ 9:24 am