Flower

There this flower in the garden. Maam telling me name. she say it buganvilla. Actually the flower so very small. But the leaf is colour so the leaf is look like flower. Sometime the plant is full pink. Sometime full white. But in maam garden there is one buganvilla. it having both pink and white leaf in same plant. It like husband and wife is together in one plant. Like they married. but it happy marriage I think. Because the plant is growing so beautiful.

Even when housemaid coming to work for her employer it like marriage. but the marriage is not like you falling in love and get marry. it more like arrange marriage. Housemaid is come to house and she living there. both side having to work hard to make it happy marriage. Sometime marriage is happy. sometimes it is divorce. Imagine housemaid is not know who she go work for. Like sometime in arrange marriage girl is not know her husband. She so nervus. How her family will be? Will they be nice? will they be mean? Maybe even the sir and maam is thinking how housemaid will be. But if sir and maam not like housemaid they is able to cancel her visa.

And in arrange marriage husband and wife is become family. In housemaid situation maybe she thinking she part of family. but she always only the maid. She not having any right in the family. housemaid is look after children but she not children mother. Housemaid is look after house but she not the maam of the house. She can never be the mother or the maam.

How I start talking about this? Sometime my mind is going so far away I not knowing how I think like this. I was telling you about flowers.

Maam showing me yesterday that date is coming in the date trees. I looking at the tall palm tree. The date is look like its small child. So many small small child in big tall tree. The palm tree is moving in the wind. Its like it waving to me. It saying Hi sally look my children have come again. my children are back.

I telling maam we must put net on tree so bird not eating date. Maam say Sally what I do with so many date. It better if the bird eat the date. Bird be happy. Every tree I looking at having so many date. In summer month the date is fall on ground and make so much mess. I cleaning outside and all date is fall there. then the bird come and eat from ground. The bird is do mess on porch. Then I having to clean again. Maybe bird be happy if maam not put net. but I not happy.

But garden work make me happy. Gardener is coming every day. but I like to put flowers and make it grow.There is this plant I am putting in pot outside house. It is small stick when I putting it in. Few day back a baby flower is grow on it. I put water everyday. I talking to it. Sometime I even give it a name. No laugh at me. It like the flowers are my friend. That why maam say my thumb is green.

Today the small baby flower is become big flower. Maam saying it desert rose. Its petal is open and I can see what is inside. It so beautiful. I wish it can be there forever but I know in few day it will fall on ground.

So many thing is like that flower. Marriage is like flower. Even arranged marriage is like flower. If there is love it will grow. If there is happiness the flower will come on the plant. I think a person life also like that flower. Sometimes the person is beautiful inside her heart. Sometime when she open the petal of her heart you see the inside beauty. Like the open flower.

But always the flower will fall to the ground. Always there is the end. My blog also like that flower. When its petal is open I hope you see beauty. and I hope it not fall on the ground too soon.

Bad haircut

Past few days all housemaid is very excite at park. There this new housemaid who is come. Her name Rhona. She tell us that in Manila she doing hair cut job. She real hair cutter. Not like how Lilibeth cut my hair but she really can do proper hair stile. All housemaid is crowd her. We asking will you cut my hair? will you do hair colouring? will you do my curling? We all thinking how where we can do this? when we can do this?

Rhona saying I cut all your hair. in park. Only 20 dirham for one person. But she say we have to look after her maam children when she cutting. Her maam having two children. Isa is 6 month. full time in pram. Other Samy is three or maybe four. He running around lots. but there so many housemaid to see him. Such good idea. so cheap haircut no one is mind look after Isa and Samy. 

So we all writing name on piece of paper. then Rhona is making order who going first. She say I do only one haircut everyday. Next two week everyone haircut is done. We all so excite we hoping she do our name first. First haircut is for Diana. I thinking how Diana always having so much good luck.

Next day Rhona is bring her scissor and all comb and water spray in bag. Everyone is looking at all her thing. Rhona is tell Samy she give him chocolate if he not tell his mother she doing haircut. Samy very happy. He taking chocolate from Rhona and is eating it. Diana is sitting down on grass. All housemaid is look at Diana and Rhona. No one is look at Isa and Samy. No one is look at Diana maam children. Or other children. Everyone only looking at haircut.

Rhona cut so good. So quick. We all so impress.  Diana is bring her camera. We taking pictures of Diana getting haircut. We all excite when our turn will come. When she done Diana look so good. Everyone is clap. Some children in park is also watching. They also clapping. I looking where Isa and Samy is. I am wanting to see what they doing.

Isa in her pram. Samy is hitting other child in park. They both hit and punch. No one know how long they doing that. Both is crying and hitting crying and hitting. All housemaid is so busy watching haircut no one is watching children.

Rhona is run to Samy. Then Rhona is doing stupid thing. She pinch Samy. She pull him. She shouting. She say what you doing Samy? You not letting me do my work? Now Samy is crying. He say I tell my mother you pinch me. Now Rhona get worry. She changing her attitude. She become all sweet and say what you saying Samy? I not pinch you. I only pulling you from fight. Because I not wanting you to get hurt. But Samy crying loudly and say I not like you Rhona. I tell my mother that you pinch me. I tell my mother that you cut hair in park. I tell my mother you give me chocolate to not tell her.

Rhona is taking Samy and Isa home. Full mood in park is become like depress. Rhona pinching Samy because she say he not allowing her to do her work. To cut hair. She forgetting that haircut not her real work. Her work is looking after Samy and Isa. I am having feeling that Rhona be in trouble after this pinching. I think I am lucky that in my work I not having to take Rayan and Sara to park with me.

We all going home. Lilibeth is phone me in night. She saying that Rhona not cutting hair again. Her maam is find out that she pinch Samy. Might be she cancel her visa. I thinking Rhona doing wrong thing. If she not pinch Samy her maam is not find out and we all having hair cut. And Rhona not having to worry about her job. And she getting some extra money also. She missing good chance because of one pinch. Why she not thinking? She not so clever. She so stupid. Because of Rhona now I not getting good haircut. Only that lucky Diana is get good haircut.

In Philippine when baby is born we believe it not good luck if we do baby hair cut before baby is one years old. When baby having first hair cut we putting hair inside a very big book. so baby become clever. We even making most clever person cut the hair so baby become clever. We doing all this so baby be clever and having good luck.

I thinking maybe when Rhona is born her mother is forget to do all this. Maybe she forget to put Rhona hair inside big clever book.That why maybe Rhona so stupid to pinch Samy.

Mother

There is this bird. It make nest outside house maybe few month back. Every few day maam and children is go look at nest. Maam say Sally no remove this nest. Poor bird is work so hard to make it. Rayan and Sara is waiting so much time to see bird coming inside nest. But they never seeing it. 

Yesterday everything is change. Gardener is coming. Same gardener who always call me Mary. Children and maam is inside house. Gardener is remove nest. Suddenly maam is see what he doing. She running outside. She saying why you remove this? Sara asking gardener if there egg inside nest. Gardener is show nest to her. It empty. Sara is saying poor bird. this mean man is remove its home.

Then maam is get camera and take picture of nest. She showing children. She showing me also. Nest is like home for bird. There is grass. Lots of grass. And leaf. At bottom there cotton ball and tissu paper. Imagine. Bird make a soft baby bed for its baby. Bird is want to protect its baby so it putting soft cotton and paper in nest.

Sara is crying. She saying now the birdy coming to lay egg and not finding nest. Maam is saying no Sara this nest has been here so much time. I think the bird already lay its egg and baby is born. This now empty nest. Baby bird is fly away. 

I not knowing if that true or not. I think Maam telling Sara this story so she protect Sara. She protecting her baby by doing lie. Maam also making soft baby bed for her baby.

See how life is. Bird and person all is same. Bird and person both want to protect their child. In my home country we thinking it good to have lot of child. So all the child can also protect mother when she is old. So the nest is never empty.

But sometimes child growing up and flying away. And sometimes mother flying away from child to do work in other country. Then the mothers heart is empty. Just like empty nest of the bird.

Today maam is tell me it mothers day. But not for the bird. And not for me.

stay or go

Past few days I am thinking lots about if I should renew visa. Some people is give me advise on my blog. My friend is give me advise in park. Best thing Lilibeth is tell me. She say Sally you make list of everything you liking and not liking about your maam. Then you see if there more like or more not like.

I liking this idea. Then I thinking I showing my list here and you tell me what to do. But I asking you to tell truth. What you really think. Because this is my life.

What I am liking about my maam is this.

She never hit me. or never throw anything on me. or never calling me bitch.
My sir never look at me in bad way.

She always talk softly to me even when she angry.

She letting me go on holiday on Friday. Only she not let me stay out at night.

She letting me go everyday to park to meet friend or for jog. but only if I am finishing my work.

She always respect my private. She never looking in my room or my bag. Even when I coming from holiday she not asking any question on where I going. only when I not telling her if I going then she getting upset.

She letting me talk on mobile any time I am wanting.

She asking me about family and my son.

There not so much work in this maam house. 

She sometimes giving me her clothes and shoe. They always nice even if they not fit me.

What I am not liking about my maam is this.

She getting angry on small thing like if I go out without tell her or if I not clean toaster or if I do small lie.

She too much particular about kitchen cleaning. always worry about salmonel

She not let me stay out at night even if I am telling her I having important work like pack my box. She thinking I stupid. that I coming back home pregnate. She not trust me

She lazy. Sometime she say she getting something I am needing like buying garden hose and then she not getting it for long time. But if it for herself she getting it fast.

She proud.

She think I not know computer. She not want me to progress.

She always saying Sally respect my private. no ask so many question. no look inside my bag and thing.

She not liking if I am throwing something like Rayan picture but I only doing it to clean house.

She not giving me house key.

She not take me out for movie or when they going to mall. Only when she having to go carefour. But atleast she taking me one time in week to mall.

She having so good thing and I having so few thing.
She so lucky. Sometime I jealous of her.

She lie sometime so she not having to give me something like du connecshin.

I thinking this good that I write all this. It help me think of everything. Now I thinking if I not renew visa and go to new maam suppose I not getting to use computer at my new maam house. Suppose my new maam not go out so much? Then how I will write my story? Suppose I am not able to get her password? Suppose my new maam is hit me? Suppose she is mean or call me bitch? Suppose my new sir have bad eye and do bad thing to me? Suppose my new house too big and there so many children? Suppose I having to wake up in the morning at 5 and sleep at 12 midnight like my before maam house? Suppose my new maam not let me go for holiday on Friday? suppose she not let me go to park? Suppose she not let me talk on mobile?

Maybe it better I stay with this maam. But now I get worry. Suppose she not want me to stay? 

versatile

I am winning Versatile Blog award from one lady. I am so excite. It my first award. I am wanting to say thank you to this lady. Her name Mrs Dubai. I know that not her real name. She also writing her own blog story. I am wanting to read her full blog but I not getting that much time. But little bit I am reading is very good story. You also read it. mrsdubai.wordpress.com

I not knowing what versatile mean. I asking maam. She saying Sally why you needing to know this big word? where you hearing it? I getting little upset on her. What she thinking? That I not know big words? That I stupid. That I not having brain in my head? See. She still not wanting me to progress. Then she saying Sally versatile mean you can easily do many thing in many different way. I thinking this good description for me. I like it.

This lady who give me award is saying that I must tell 7 thing about me. But you all knowing everything about me already. Only thing maybe you not knowing is that when I small I am dreaming that I am going to live in america. land of milk and honey. So many filipino is dream like this. For some it coming true. But I have to be satisfy with whatever milk and honey my maam is give me.

Also Mrs Dubai is saying that I must pass award to other blog writer but I not read any other blog. I not have time. If I having time I using to write my own blog story. or learn something about computer or twitter or something like that. If I start reading other blog then my computer time get all use up and my maam is come back home. 

I thinking maybe I can give this blog award to all person who write blog because they all telling some story. They think it important that why they sharing with world. They all sharing some opinon on things in their life. Maam always telling Sara that it important to have opinon. and to share opinon. She say that there no right or wrong opinon. that opinon tells other person that you are thinking and not just repeat what other person is saying. that you having your own mind. If maam is knowing I am doing blog maybe her opinon of my mind also is changing.

I saying thank you to Mrs Dubai because she so nice to give me award. Because she thinking my opinon is important. Because she not mind if I progress.  I wish she was my maam.