sleep is cut

Few day back I am reading in paper this story that this person is getting a fine for sleeping on train. On metro train. It so funny. Everyone feel like fall asleep on a train. Why this fine? I am then reading that the fine for sleep on metro is 300. But the fine for carrying gun or knife on metro is 200. how that can be correct? How sleeping on metro is worse than carrying a gun or knife? Sometimes I not understand how they write these rule.

So many rules. I not know all these rule. Like I not know you can get fine 100 dirham for eating or chewing gum on metro. or 100 dirham fine for causing disturb. I not have money to pay these fines. I am thinking now that it good that I not go on metro too much. Maam house is very far from station. It too difficult to reach station. I have to take bus or car lift for station. Then I have to take train. Then again same thing. Bus or car lift. So it better I take only car lift when I have to go for my holiday. I get pick up from home and drop at home.

My friend Susan is lucky. Her maam is drop her to MOE and pick her up in evening. But maybe she not so much lucky. Because she always worry her maam waiting. She always having to finish quick and run to station. I remember when I am first coming to this maams house I asking maam to give me car lift and she not liking. She say Sally you go your holiday so early in morning. I am not waking up so early. I need to sleep for my beauty. I not like cutting my sleep.

See how she is? she wanting me to cut my sleep and put food in slow cooker before I go for my holiday. But she not want to cut her sleep. She not thinking that if she cut her sleep my money is save. But she not understand all that. Because she not in that situation. Because little money not so important thing for her.

When I am doing vaccum I am always so bored. Sometimes I make up story in my head. Like dream but I am awake. Not sleeping dream. Day dream. Sometime it is funny. Sometime it is sad. But it always make me think of life. I give you example.

Imagine. It is Friday. I am waking up early for slow cooker before my holiday. I am cutting vegetable. Maam is get disturb. She cut her sleep and wake up. she say she give me car lift to station. She say Sally lets go quickly we will be late. I so excite that I save little money. Instead of putting knife in dishwasher I put knife in my bag. Then maam say Sally today we will go together for holiday. Maam is get on metro with me. After few minute she say Sally you wake me up so early. you cut my sleep I feeling so sleepy. She fall asleep on metro. When the inspector is come he give her 300 dirham fine. He also give me 200 dirham fine for knife in bag.

It is just silly dream story. But it make me think. Both of us would have to pay fine. Her 300 dirham sleep fine is more than my 200 dirham knife fine. But even if her fine is more it will mean less for maam. and even if my fine is less it will mean more for me. Maam will just pay 300 dirham. no problem. For me the 200 dirham fine will be like the knife in my bag. It will hurt. It will make me bleed.

Yes it is better I not go on metro. Then I not have to worry about fine or chewing gum. I not have to worry about knife or sleep. or cutting maams sleep. 

Sea of life

This story is the 100th story on this blog. 100 stories of my life. 100 stories about my days. my boring days. Just think. Full day I do so boring things. I cook. I clean. I wash. I iron. I do laundry. and then I do it all again next day. Maybe sometimes I do something different. Like if maam is taking me to mall to see fountain or something like that. But mostly every day of my life is same. 

Before I start this blog my life was so boring. everyday. same boring day. After I start writing this blog I feel like my life is change. I see same thing. but it have different meaning. new meaning. I feel like everything in my life is now having some meaning.

I hope my life also having some meaning. to other housemaids. to all other person who think he is too small to do anything big. I want this story to tell you that you can be so very small but you can still have very big dreams.

I want to celebrate this 100th story. So I am doing something new on this blog. Because this blog make me see everything like it is new. I am writing a poem. About life. My first time to do this. I hope you like it.

Sea of Life

I am swimming

I am floating

I am drowning

The waves they come and they go

Sometimes they are high. sometimes low

I move with the water. fast or slow

Where is the boat to make me cross this sea

Who is the light that will guide me

Where can I put my anchor permanently

Every second of my life is like salt in this sea 

Small moment that change the taste of life for me

The stories of my life like water drops in this sea 

I want my mind to be deep just like the sea 

My heart to swallow you up if you let me

I want the light of the sun to shine in me 

I want to rock you in my arms when we meet

I want to pull the sand from under your feet

I want to make this life of ours complete

I know there is an end to this sea

Where the sky touch the sea. where we are free

Is it heaven or hell? it all depend on me

I know there is end to the sea of life. But I not want anything to end just now. I not want to stop my big dreams. My dreams are like castles of sand on the beach. Castles that my sea of life keeps eating up. But I always build the castle again. Because I never want to stop my dreaming.

Fine

Today I am reading in paper that there is this one housemaid who is winning case. Her maam is not pay her for 5 years. Imagine. How she is going on working without any pay? Why she wait 5 years before she do complain to consulate? Now she getting her 5 year pay and also one year extra. So everyone think all is fine. But I not think it all fine. I tell you why.

First- the maid is Filipina but her salary is only 600 dirham. It is suppose to be 1400 or 1500 dirham. How she is work for so less pay? In newspaper they write that consulate is agree that it little bit low but it is in the contact. so it ok. I am thinking that it not just little bit low. 600 dirham is more than half lower than 1500 dirham. How she sign contract for so less pay I am not understanding. Why they not make agency and employer pay fine when they find out that salary is not correct? Why there is no one appoint from consulate who look at all housemaid contracts and check that the salary is ok? But then I think atleast now she get 600 dirham. It better than 0 dirham which is what her salary is for so many years.

Second- I think the maam should be punish for not paying salary. She pay what she is owe the maid and little more. But no fine. No other punishment. Why they not put ban on her from keeping another maid? Just like they are banning the maid if she do something bad. sometimes they should put some ban on employer also. Like if the employer is beat maid then he should get ban. If he is not pay maid then he should be ban. If he having complain from maid of abuse then he should be ban. If not ban then at least fine? What you think?

When maid do something wrong she get ban and deport. No one want to listen also to what she say. I think that even the maam who do wrong things to maid should be ban. or pay some fine. Then maybe it will all be fine.

Thunder

Yesterday I am waking up in morning and there is thunder. And rain. You all know how much I like my lucky rain. But I am not liking thunder. My grandmother tell me that when it thunder God is angry. Rayan is also not liking thunder. Lot of children is not like thunder.

One time when I am at my before sir house there is rain and thunder. in middle of night. the girl J is coming in my room. She is 4 year old. She tell me Sally I am scare. I sleep in your room. I quickly get out of my bed. I give her hug. I tell her it only thunder J you no worry. But I getting worry. Not because of thunder. Because I know my before maam get so angry that J come to my room. I know she get angry if J sleep in my bed. I tell J that she have to go in her bed. Now she start crying more. I am worry my before maam will get disturb. So I go in her room and I sleep on the floor. I hold her hand. so she is not scare. J tell me I love you Sally for sleep with me in my room.

In morning I am telling my before maam. That J getting scare of thunder. That I sleep in her room. She get angry with J. She say J how many time I tell you not to be scare of thunder? To sleep in your own bed? Not to disturb me at night. I want to laugh because J is not disturb her. J is disturb me. But it ok because she is so small child and she need comfort. I happy I able to comfort J.

I know my before maam did not like that J is come to me for comfort. Maybe she feeling jealous? like she not good mother. She getting angry with J for that. She getting angry with J for want to sleep in my bed. Full day my before maam is worry that she do this again. She keep telling her J no get scare of thunder. J Stay in your room next time. I not want you to disturb anyone. J is looking so scare like she do some big mistake. I want to hug her again. to comfort her again. but I know my before maam not like it. 

Why my before maam not hug her? and say it ok J. Why she not tell her J you not worry? I there for you when it thunder. You come to me when it thunder. Why she not comfort her and make her feel better? I getting upset. Now I know why J not go to her room. why she come to my room when it thunder. It good that rain and thunder is very less in Dubai. So she not have to come to my room again. So she not have to cry in her bed if she is scare. 

Yesterday I think so much of J. My before maam and J is move to a country where there is lot of rain and thunder. I hope J is not scare of thunder anymore. And I hope her mother is comfort her when there is thunderstorm.

Memories

Today Sara is playing piano. She play so nice. She is practicing her new song. When I am small girl my daddy always singing this song for me. I am feeling sad. I miss my daddy. He is gone from my life for so long. Not just die but even before that he leave my mother. He leave us and that is when my life is fully change.

I think how this one song is make me remember my childhood day. Always it happen like this. I am hearing some song it is make me feel sad. or happy. or remember Richie. or my son. or my father. or the rain. or eating kwek kwek. 

I dont know how I suddenly think of this kwek kwek. You know what it is? It is egg of kwail that we are frying. It is so delicious. I remember one time it raining lots. I must be maybe 10 or 11. So many year ago. But I remember it like it happen today. My father is bringing kwek kwek from the booth. We are all coming home from school full wet. but we are having so much fun. My mother make for us hot salabat. ginger tea. And we eat kwek kwek. All of us laughing and happy. Until now this memory is lost in my brain. And today I am remembering it because of the piano song.

We did not have money. We were not rich. But we had so much fun. I have so many memories like this kwek kwek day. Memories that I have lock in my brain. Today when I hear the piano it was like I find the key. to my lost treasure of memories.

Happy memories that make me sad. Because those days are gone forever. I want to go back to that time. to that place. But I cannot find my way.

We did not have money but our lives were rich. Rich with fun and laughter. Until my daddy left us.