I am back

Many of you who is my regular reader must be thinking why I am not writing for so many day. I will tell you my full story. My contract is getting over. So I am thinking I will go back to Philippines. I think it is good time for me to be with my son. I tell my maam I am going back home. because my son is needing me.

Maam is not happy with me. She say Sally I treat you so nice and you are leaving us. For many days she is not talking to me. I feel bad but I feel I have to go and be with my son. So I am leaving Dubai. I go back home. With all my things. I think Dubai is finish. Khalas. This is in August end. 

I go back home to Davao. I meet everyone. I am so happy. My son is so happy. My brother and sister is so happy. I am even getting engage to Richie. That is long story. It is good news. But I will tell you my romance story on another day. Today I have to tell you about how I went home.

My mother for two days is happy. Then she is tell me Sally what you have done? How you have leave your job? Your maam is so good and you are leaving her? Who will pay for us to eat our food. Your son who will pay for him to wear clothes. Your brothers and sister who will pay for their books? She make me feel so guilty. 

I tell my mother that Richie is doing some job as house painter. He will pay for us. She laugh. She tell me what Richie will pay for with that money. Maybe he can pay for you and your son. But what about your brother and sister? And me? Who will pay for me? You have to do more work. You better go back to your maam before she find someone else.

I look at my mothers house. Everything in the house is coming from money I am sending. All from the dirham I am earn. We have new fridge. Before this the fridge door is broken I have to hold the door with my knee when I am taking out the food. Now my mother have new fridge. From my dirham. We have new tv. Maam is sending her old microwave for my mother. It is still working but maam getting new one she give me old one. We have toaster. We have mixer.  

My mothers house is small but it have everything. What more she is needing? Why I have to go back? And what about my mothers husband? why he not pay for anything? I tell you why. Because full time he is drinking. full time he is sleeping. He is not good man.

For many days I am thinking thinking what I must do. I am so happy to be with my son. And Richie he is also improve so much. Everyone tell me that he really love me. Everyone tell me he really miss me. That he is grow up and become man. I ask him Richie what I should do? He tell me Sally you go back for two more years. Then we will get marry.

So I call my maam. I am so scare that she already find new housemaid. If I have to go to new house with new maam and sir I feel that I will die. But I am lucky. She is not finding anyone full time. She is using agency maid to come and clean house. She is doing cooking by herself. 

She is little bit angry that I do all this drama. But I can tell in her voice she is also happy. But she say Sally I dont know. I bring you back and after one or two year again you do this? I not tell her that I am engage to Richie. If I tell her maybe she think I will leave again soon.

Anyway she is doing my visa again. And that is how I come back to Dubai. I am homesick again. I miss my son. I miss Richie. How I will pass two years?

Maam is happy I am back. I dont know what she will say when she find out that I am engage. that one day I will really go back forever. I am happy she take me back. But I just want to go back home. 

7 comments:

Jeanette said...

oh Sally you poor poor thing. I hope you find happiness in your life. It sounds like Richie has really settled down. But maybe it is time that you cut the apron strings from your mother. Do you know what that means? It means that you need to break away from your mother. It is hard but it is time. She is using you.

Good luck. Hope the two years pass soon and you can really go home for good.

Laurie said...

Sally- I came across your blog on expatwoman.com website. It is an interesting perspective of life on the other side. I am a "maam" to a wonderful lady from Philippines. I cannot imagine my life without her. Good on you for doing this. I read your disclaimer and I am amazed how much in character Sally is. You should convert your blog into a book. I would buy it.

ruth_ramos said...

Hi Sally,we Filipinos are made like that. We will leave our family in Philippines to earn money then send money every month so they can survive. We are Hero of the new generation because we need to feel the loneliness away from our loved ones to provide for them and save money for their future.

On my perspective, your decision in going back here is the best decision. Yes, you missed your family, you missed your son. But after hugging them then spending all your money, you will then realize that you need to find a job so you can provide for them to live. Then you will apply to our country as a housemaid or factory workers then you will complain because the salary is not the same salary you are earning here in Dubai. Until you will miss the life here that even it's hard aaway from home, you know that in the future, your son and family will thank you for the effort that you gave to them. For working for them.

Vacation for 1 month is enough. I know that it's not enough to spend time to your family because you want to have them forever, but since you have a good boss compare to other wherein they are treating their housemaid as a slave and sometimes they are not letting them to go home for Vacation, not providing the ticket..... In two years time, if you have a good savings which can help to open business there like a small sari-sari store or eatery business... then I can support you on your decision to go home.

Anonymous said...

Sally - You're a brave and strong woman for leaving home to a foreign country and supporting your family all by yourself. I think if you want to go home you should because it's your life and your choice and your mother shouldn't make you sad if she loves you. And your son misses you and you cannot see him growing up if you are in another country. I think your son wants to see you everyday too instead of having money.

Maria Abellanosa said...

Sally, I am OFW too and I am going home for good by September 2014.

If you can head over to my blog and read about saving, investing and how to say no to your family's request.

bigozt said...

Hi Sally, your employer is very fortunate to have you coz there a lot of young women nowadays, not only from Ph, but also from Indon, Myanmar etc who go overseas to work and are not serious and do not finish their contracts and change employers or go home. Of course there are abusive employers. I like that you try to understand your employer and that you stay on your contract. The only people who benefit when employer & housemaid do not agree are agents and bureaucrats like POLO. Their services are absolutely useless and they make their money off both sides because they can.

Anonymous said...

Sally, you are so courageous for expressing how you feel and for that may God Bless You. I hope that you will figure out soon how to use part of your income into an investment. It is the only way to get out of this situation that you are in.

I believe there are traditions in life that should be left untouched, however, if there is something that should be change TODAY is this continues strain that the family impose to member's of the family: the expectation to return the favor of which you had no part of nor made aware of when the favor was made. This cycle has to be broken sooner rather than later, because it is a never ending solution. It goes on and on and on from one generation to the next.

It bothers me so much that the Philippine government enjoys the GDP effect based on the overseas remittance from the people who work overseas just like you and, with some, if not many, very undesirable predicament. Again, may God Bless You and please find a way to save some money for you first and find a way to invest it.

I will pray for all of you

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