overtime

Few days back I am reading in paper that one man is falling from building construction. He fall down and die. So sad I feel for this man. He is not getting his overtime pay for two month but still he working overtime. So he can send money to his family. Poor man. Now the only overtime he is doing is in heaven. I feel very sad when I read story like this.

Maid is not get overtime pay. Because we not have any fix time to work. Like some day I work till 8. Some days my work get over at 7. Some days 9 or even 12 midnight if maam is having party. Like that  there no fix time. so how we can get overtime? But so many time I wish I get overtime pay.

Like one time I am suppose to go for my holiday on Friday. Maam say Sally you have to work this Friday because I am having big dinner in house. So full Friday instead of going out I have to stay home and cook. This is overtime work but I not get any extra money. Sometime when maam is having guest in house I have to do double work for so many day. Like double laundry. Double cooking. Double washing. But no double pay. Overtime work but no overtime pay.

I tell my friend Maria that it would be so good if all maid get overtime pay. Maria is always think how to make more money. She say Sally if you want overtime pay why you not do part time work somewhere? Like ironing or cooking in afternoon. When your maam is not at home. Maria always have some solution like this. But if I get caught doing part time work then I can be deport. Forever ban from Dubai work. Bye bye Dubai. So for me that is not good solution.

It better I not think of this overtime. It better I not do part time work for overtime pay. Because then it will not be overtime but time over for me in Dubai. Like the poor man who fall from building. Time over. Forever.

cold

It is so cold. I am wearing two coats but I am still feeling cold.  Rayan is saying it is so cold maybe it will snow. Maam is laughing and saying no snow Rayan we live in desert. In the morning when I wake up I have to wear so many thing before I go out to get paper. I wear my socks. My coats. My scarf. Then I run out and get paper. Then I have to come in and take socks off. Take scarf off. Take coat off. Then when I go out to hang clothes again same thing. I not like this cold.

One time in my Oman sir house it is cold like this. My Oman maam is buying heater for her room. For childrens room. For dining room. For all room but not for me. I tell her maam my room is so cold in night. But she not give me heater. She not even give me blanket. she only say Sally if you cold you wear coat. In the night I am so cold I have no choice. I am taking the heater of the dining room in my room. Then in morning I put it back before my Oman maam wake up. Like that I do for 2 or 3 night.

But only for few nights because one time when I am putting back the heater my Oman sir is seeing me. He say Sally what you are doing? You stealing heater and put it in your room? If you do again I cut your salary. After that I dont take heater again. I think it is better if I am cold. At least I get my salary.

Yesterday maam give me warm blanket for sleeping. She say Sally you keep warm. I know in Philippines it not get this cold so you not use to it. 

Two days back my maam cut my heart out because she not appreciate my work. But when she give me this warm blanket she make my heart warm again.

coffee morning

Today morning some ladies is coming to our house for coffee morning. Why they call it coffee morning I not understand. All of them drinking tea or juice. They should call it tea or juice morning. Maam is tell me that they have to plan school party. But full time they talk about other thing. Full time they laughing so loudly. It not look like they do work for school party. It look like they are having party.

After they go home maam tell me that was good coffee morning Sally. We get so much work done. I know how much work they do. But I not say anything to her. Then she say ok Sally now you have to help me.

She give me lot of red and pink paper and heart shape. She say Sally I want you to cut out 100 red heart and 100 pink heart. It is for valentine party at school next month. Now I know. All coffee morning work is come to me. That is how they get so much work done.

Full morning I am cutting red and pink hearts. My hand is hurting I am doing so much cutting. Maam go out and come back. Still I am cutting. Finally it is over. When I give her the hearts maam only say Sally put it in a zip bag. She not even say thank you for doing my work. 

In the evening maam is talking on phone to her friend. She is telling her that all the heart is cut. But maam not say that Sally has cut all the heart. She act like she is the one who spend full morning to cut the heart. I feel so bad. 

Maam not cut out even one paper heart. But I feel like she cut my heart out.

rainbow and puzzle

Few days back one little baby is coming to our house. She is baby of maams friend. She is so cute. so sweet baby. She is so small but all of us watching this baby. What she is doing I tell you. The sun is shining through the glass and making rainbow on the floor. Baby is trying to pick up rainbow. Everyone is laughing. But baby not laughing. She keep trying to pick it up. Then she making sad face because she is not able to pick up rainbow. She start crying. She go to her mama. Her mama is give her some toy so she get distract from rainbow. Baby is happy again. She forget about rainbow. So simple. For children life is always simple.

Like yesterday. Rayan is playing with puzzle. He make full puzzle but one piece missing. He start crying. He say Sally you put away puzzle so you have the piece. I tell him no Rayan I not having any puzzle piece. but he is like the baby and the rainbow. He start to cry because he not able to finish his puzzle. Now maam say Rayan why you crying? Rayan tell her Sally is lose my puzzle piece. Maam say Sally where it is? Now you tell me what I am suppose to say to this question? I tell her maam maybe it is in another puzzle box. Maam say ok Sally you look for puzzle and Rayan you go play on your DS.

Then for so much time I look in all puzzle boxes. All my work of kitchen is have to wait. I have to find one puzzle piece. Rayan have so many puzzles. I take out one box and count all piece. If number count  is correct then I check other box. But it not so easy. Some box have more piece. Some box have less piece. Some puzzle piece is all mix up. I tell Rayan we have to make all puzzles so that we know what is missing. Rayan is already playing with DS. He say Sally you make all the puzzle I am playing on DS.

That is how children are. Their life is so simple. If children not get something they cry. Then they get something better. And forget they want first thing. When you are child if you cannot have the rainbow your mama give you something else. If you cannot finish the puzzle it is ok. someone else will find the missing piece.

When you grow up there are so many rainbows that you cannot get. There are so many pieces missing from your life puzzle. Maybe sometimes you cry. But that not help you find what you are looking for. Maybe sometimes you get distract by something else. But that not help you find what you are looking for. 

The only way you find it is to never stop looking. For the rainbow. or for the puzzle piece.

long way home

My grandmother cannot read. But she can tell story. Lots of stories. All of them are in her head. One time she tell me this story about this man who takes more time to reach home when he goes fast. And he takes less time to reach home if he goes slow. How that can be? I tell you. He is taking a big basket of coconuts with him up a big mountain. So when he go fast all the coconuts fall down and he have to pick them up. That is how when he goes slow he reaches home quickly. Because he does not drop the coconuts.

I think of this story yesterday. Maam is going to her friends house for lunch. I tell her maam I want to go to mall which is coming in middle so can you give me car lift to mall? Maam telling me Sally my friend is telling me different way to go. It is like a short cut. I going to try it out. So I not able to drop you to mall. I thinking why she have to try this new way today? Then I think maybe she not going to her friends house and going somewhere else. And she not want to take me. or tell me.

When she come back I ask her how her short cut is. she say Sally I getting so lost I have to  do u turn and come back. and then go usual way. I ask her why she not using her gps. She say Sally gps is useless because road is changing every day. Then she say gps is only good to find way back home if I am very badly lost. 

I feel little bad because why she not drop me to mall if she do u turn and come back home? but I not say anything to her. What the use? If I tell her I still not will not be able to go to mall today. But I tell her maam your short cut is become long cut. Maam laugh and say at least I am reaching my friends house before lunch is over.

For maam short cut is a long cut. For the coconut man the fast way is slow and the slow way is fast. But maybe sometimes in life it is better to take the slow way like the coconut man. or the long way like maam. Because sometimes the slow long way is better than the fast short way. Because in the end you reach your home in the best way. Without help of any gps. With all the coconuts in your basket.