stranger danger

Few days back I am seeing this picture in the paper. It is remind me of what maam always telling Sara and Rayan. Maam always saying stranger danger. She always tell them do not go with anyone who is stranger. She is even giving them password to remember. So if someone come and say your mother is calling you come in my car then they can ask the person what is the password. 

Sara is saying mummy I am not stupid girl. of course I am not going with stranger. And she say Mummy I can always phone you and ask. She is correct. But sometime she leave her mobile at home. Then how will she phone? Maam is getting so angry with Sara when she is not taking phone. She say Sara why I have got this phone for you if you leave it at home. Then she is taking away her phone for punishment. Then Sara does not have her phone again. Sometimes I am not understanding the punishment that maam is giving to Sara.

Anyway before I forget I tell you what I am seeing in paper. It is this picture of prince of Abu Dhabi. He is seeing a girl sitting outside her school and tell her he will drop her home. The girl say no because he is stranger. The girl is knowing he is the prince but still she is saying no. because even if he is prince he is still stranger to her. I think this is very sweet story. The prince is so kind. The girl is so smart. Everyone is happy. This story of a stranger has a happy ending.

For me when I come to Dubai everyone is a stranger. Except my cousin Luena. Everybody I am talking to is a stranger. If there is a stranger danger I do not know before I take the job. Then I come into a strangers house. I live in a strangers house. I eat in a strangers house. I sleep in a strangers house. I look after a strangers children. I hope the stranger becomes my family. 

And it is same for the maam and sir. She is taking stranger in her house. She is letting stranger sleep in her house. Eat in her house. live in her house. look after her children. She is teaching her child about stranger danger. But she is letting stranger come inside her life.

And not all storys of strangers have a happy ending. 

maya

Maya is a bird in my home country. It is a small bird and when I am growing up my father tell me that it is national bird of my home country. Now the eagle is the national bird. Poor maya is now the forgotten bird.

Last month I am learning new meaning of the word Maya. Many years ago there are some people called maya who are saying that the world is ending on 21 dec. They have a calender and this calender is saying this. Lot of people are talking about this maya calendar. Even in the paper they are putting story about world is ending.

In this new house I have many new friends. One of them is Sita. She is from India. She say that in her home country the word maya is meaning something that is not real. Like a dream. Like a ilusyon. illusion. I am one time seeing this movie called Ilusyon what you see is not what you get. It is about this man who is pretend to be someone else to impress girl. I am now thinking of this movie

Sara is having a friend. Her name is also Maya. I ask her what her name is meaning. She tell me it means mother in one language and water in other language. Maam is hearing all this. She is asking me why I am asking.

I tell her maam Maya mean so many thing. I explain all the meaning. Maam say Sally I am surprised that you think so much.  I tell her maam maybe you have maya that I do not think. Maam say Sally go do your work. But she is smiling.

21 Dec is coming and going and the world is not ending. The year is ending but the world is not ending. I am happy it is not ending because if it ends I will never see my son again in this world.

So many meanings for one word. Maya is no more the national bird in my country. But the maya birds life is not ending. Maya calendar says the world is ending. But the world is not ending. Maya mean mother. And mothers love is never ending.

Maya means water. This is the most important for life.  Few days back I am reading in paper that so much water is wasting that one day we have no water in UAE. They say it is like crisis. Even I am everyday wasting so much water. I have to do change in my life also. Because no water means no life. Maybe the maya people know that the water in this world is ending one day? If water ends the maya bird will end. the world will end. everything will end. Even never ending mothers love.

Maya means illusion. I am thinking that it is biggest illusion that water will not end. I think we all have to  remove this illusion. remove this maya. Otherwise what the maya people say will be true. The world will be ending. 

remove comment

Lot of people leave comment on my blog. I love seeing the comment. But since few months I am getting a lot of rubbish comment. Like someone will say go fishing in dubai. or go on dhow cruise. It is having nothing to do with my blog story. It is all nonsense. So now I am checking every comment before I am letting it come on my blog. If it is rubbish comment then I am removing it. 

But few days ago someone is leaving comment that is really disturbing me. It say Sally I want to f you. I dont even want to write the f word on my blog. I tell you why it is disturbing me. Because lot of people think that because I am a housemaid they can do anything with me. Because people think I am a maid I can be used however they are wanting. Like a toy for them.

There is something called stats on my blogspot when I am login. In that I can see something called search keyword. I remember Lilibeth tell me that search keyword is what people are using to find my blog. I like to see that sometimes. It is interesting. Usually it is like filipina maid. or Dubai maid. or dubai maid blog. or filipina maid blog. or just dubaisally. But some people are looking for filipina maid sex. or filipina dubai massage. or filipina maid and that f word. or filipina call girl dubai. or something like that. It is making me angry. It may not make you angry but it is making me upset that people think all filipina maid is only good for things like this. They are not good people these people who are looking for things like this.

There is a story last month in paper about this employer who is accuse his filipina maid of molesting the employers 8 year old son. The maid is deny the story. If this is true story then this maid needs to go to jail for ever. If it is true. I really really hope it is not true. 

But we will never know the true story. Because this is happening in her employers house we will never know who is telling true story. If it is true it is so sad. Because this maid if she is doing this thing is so bad person. And because people will only remember this story. And think all filipina maid is doing bad thing. If it is not true then it just show you how much power employer is having on the life of a house maid.

People think that just because we are housemaids we are the property of the employer. This is because once we go into employers house no one is knowing what is happening to maid. The maid is at mercy of employer. If he is good then her life is good. If the employer is bad then her life is bad. If he accuse her of stealing then she is ban. even if she is not stealing. If he accuse her of doing sex with gardener then usually no one is believing the maid. because the employer is having more power. It is because the maid is on employers visa and he is having full power on her. I know some maids are doing bad things but not all maids are bad. And lot of maams and sirs are good but not all maams and sirs are good. But we never know the true story of what is happen inside the house. 

There is another story in National newspaper that is making me angry. It say Dubai maid is treat with affection. I am very happy for this maid. but why this story is in the paper? Why this story is so important story? Maybe because all maid story is not having a happy end like this one. In the same paper on same page is a story about two maids who are treated like slave.

So today I am protesting all these comments. I am protesting people thinking that maid is their toy to play with. I am protesting maid who do bad things that make people think all maid is bad. I am protesting the power that employer have on the maid. I am protesting that not all maid is treated with affection. 

I wish I can remove all these bad things like I am removing the bad comments on my blog.

Christmas wish

Before Christmas maam is bringing Christmas tree. She tell me Sally when we are moving to Dubai they are not letting me bring Christmas tree in my luggage. they say it is not allow. She say she have very big Christmas tree with lights and she is giving it away to her friend. Now in Dubai she is having smaller Christmas tree so she is not happy. She say Sally how I wish I have my big tree. But even her small Christmas tree is bigger than me. Her big Christmas tree at home must be like the tree I am seeing in the mall. 

So many days before Christmas when we are going to mall we are seeing the big Christmas tree. And listening to music about santa and snow. It is like Christmas is starting in November. But for me Christmas is starting on December 16 when simbang gabi is starting. In my home country we are going to church for nine days before Christmas. That is simbang gabi. We go in the morning very early and make wish for all nine days. If you do this then your wish come true. Over here in Dubai there is no chance for simbang gabi. But every day I am praying and making my wish.

Maam is making Sara and Rayan make their Christmas list for Santa. She call it Santas wish list. Rayan is still believe that Santa is coming. Sara is knowing that Santa is really maam and sir. Maam tell Sara that if she tell Rayan there is no Santa then Sara not getting any gifts. So Sara is also doing pretend for Rayan that Santa is coming.

On Christmas day one of the gift that Sara is getting this really big headphone for her ipod. Beat headphone she is calling it. She is so happy full day she is wearing the headphone and singing so loud my head is paining. And Rayan is getting speaker for his ipod. Now you imagine this situation. Rayan is playing music on ipod speaker and singing loud. Full day opa gangman style. Then Sara is singing loudly I'm going to scream and shout and let it all out. Both singing different song. My head is paining so much. Maam is laughing and saying oh no Sally what I have done. both these children are going mad. I want to tell maam even I am going mad.

Maam is giving me cash this year. She say Sally you buy what you want I do not know what to give you. I want to tell maam to buy ear plug for my ear. And panadol for my headache. But I am quietly putting the money away. 

I know I will not buy anything. I will keep it. Save it. Maybe then my simbang gabi wish of living with my son in my own house in my home country can come true. Maybe one day.

rain and sun

Last week it is raining here in Dubai. Not little rain. Lot of rain. Rain like I am seeing in my home country. Everyone is getting so excited. Children are running outside. Rayan is singing song about rain. Its raining its pouring the old man is snoring. Rain rain go away come again another day. Everyone is so happy. Then I am going to my room. There is water everywhere.

I am leaving my room window open. All the water is coming inside my room. My full bed is wet. The floor is wet. The wall is wet. I dont know what to do. Maam will be so angry with me. I quickly start doing mopping. I put the fan on for my bed to be dry. It is so cold but I am scared to go outside the room. If I go outside and maam maam is finding out I am dead. 

Then maam is shouting Sally Sally come quick I need you. I am running out of my room and going upstairs. Maam is having fit. Her ceiling is leaking. There is water everywhere. Maam is saying this stupid new house so many problem. in our old house there was no problem like this.

I am doing mopping. Maam is putting bucket under the water. Then she see water falling somewhere else. She is moving bucket there. Then the old spot is leaking again. She is moving bucket. Then she say Sally I give up. thank god it does not rain often in Dubai.

I tell her maam even in my room the water is coming in because I leave window open. She say dont worry Sally we will dry everything. I tell her my bed is wet. She tell me tomorrow it will be so sunny again and you can put your mattress in sun to dry and everything will be ok. I am surprise maam is not more angry that I am not closing the window in my room. 

Next day in paper there are so many picture of rain. Everywhere there is water. Like flood. Because Dubai not getting much rain if it rain little bit more everything get flooded. I am thinking instead of building the taj mahal in dubai they have to put better gutter and drain. So it does not flood. But who will listen to my idea? It is only raining one time in a year in Dubai. taj mahal will make lot of people come to Dubai every day to see it. taj mahal idea will win. I think it is stupid idea.

The rain is now gone. Maam is calling man to fix leak in her room. He say everything have to be full dry before he can do any work. Maam laugh. She say to him there is lot of time to fix it. It will not rain like this again for so many years.

My lucky rain is coming and giving problem for maam and me. But I still feel my rain is still lucky for me. Because maam is not angry with me when I am leaving window open. Because after the rain the sun always shine. and everything will be ok again.