Birdie (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} oli_birdie) wrote,@ 2005-11-25 14:58:00 |
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Hong Kong Stories
For those who don't know, Hong Kong is a home to a lot of domestic helpers - mainly Thais, Indonesians, and Filipinos. During the week, they are usually confined to their masters' house taking care of the kids, watching the elderly, and cleaning the apartment. But every Sunday, these domestic helpers congregate in certain spots. Causeway Bay's Victoria Park becomes crowded with Indonesians, while Central's park transforms into Pinoy Central.
Sundays for Filipino maids means a day to lie in a banig, play some pusoy, listen to the guitar, and celebrate mass (no churches, no bread and wine - just bible readings and some music). What's even more interesting is that there some little Pinoy concerts every now and then. I was lucky enough to chance upon one last weekend where they began singing and dancing the Otso-Otso and the Spaghetti.
It was truly fascinating seeing everyone dancing the Otso-Otso and doing so proudly - the Chinese locals could only laugh and take pictures.
The most striking part of the day though was when I was riding a tram from Central going back home. Seated beside me where some Filipino maids who were comparing the worklife in Saudi and in Hong Kong.
In Saudi, they said, your salary might be lower, but everything else is good. Everything you need from food to toiletries are provided for you. You can be chauffeured to the market if you are asked to buy the groceries. The house is always cool with airconditioning. And if you were hired to look after the kids, you won't be asked to cook, clean, or to look after the old ones. One thing Saudi didn't have though was a weekly holiday like Hong Kong's Sunday. If you wanted to go out, you had to ask permission first, and it might be denied.
Now in Hong Kong, the salary is much higher. However, you have to pay for everything you need. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner comes from your own salary. Shampoos, soaps, toilet paper - everything. In the end, even if you do have a higher salary, you never get to save up. And to make matters even worse is that the Chinese families will ask you to do everything from cleaning up the house to watching the kids to cooking the food - you are at their beck and call 24/7.
As I continued to listen to them, they came into the same conclusion, "Ewan ko ba kung ano nang gagawin ko sa buhay ko."
It's sad really. Here they are in a land truly rich and bustling with economic activity, but at the end of the day, it's like climbing up Baguio on a skateboard. That feeling of powerlessness and despair creeps up to you whenever you think of the thousands of Filipinos living like this both at home and abroad.
As I continued to eavesdrop on their conversation, I felt an urge to just turn around and greet them in Filipino. Maybe it was a desire to just connect with fellow countrymen. Or maybe I just wanted to cheer them up or something.
But I decided to hold my tongue. It was Sunday after all. It was their time to talk before another week of mute laboring.
For those who don't know, Hong Kong is a home to a lot of domestic helpers - mainly Thais, Indonesians, and Filipinos. During the week, they are usually confined to their masters' house taking care of the kids, watching the elderly, and cleaning the apartment. But every Sunday, these domestic helpers congregate in certain spots. Causeway Bay's Victoria Park becomes crowded with Indonesians, while Central's park transforms into Pinoy Central.
Sundays for Filipino maids means a day to lie in a banig, play some pusoy, listen to the guitar, and celebrate mass (no churches, no bread and wine - just bible readings and some music). What's even more interesting is that there some little Pinoy concerts every now and then. I was lucky enough to chance upon one last weekend where they began singing and dancing the Otso-Otso and the Spaghetti.
It was truly fascinating seeing everyone dancing the Otso-Otso and doing so proudly - the Chinese locals could only laugh and take pictures.
The most striking part of the day though was when I was riding a tram from Central going back home. Seated beside me where some Filipino maids who were comparing the worklife in Saudi and in Hong Kong.
In Saudi, they said, your salary might be lower, but everything else is good. Everything you need from food to toiletries are provided for you. You can be chauffeured to the market if you are asked to buy the groceries. The house is always cool with airconditioning. And if you were hired to look after the kids, you won't be asked to cook, clean, or to look after the old ones. One thing Saudi didn't have though was a weekly holiday like Hong Kong's Sunday. If you wanted to go out, you had to ask permission first, and it might be denied.
Now in Hong Kong, the salary is much higher. However, you have to pay for everything you need. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner comes from your own salary. Shampoos, soaps, toilet paper - everything. In the end, even if you do have a higher salary, you never get to save up. And to make matters even worse is that the Chinese families will ask you to do everything from cleaning up the house to watching the kids to cooking the food - you are at their beck and call 24/7.
As I continued to listen to them, they came into the same conclusion, "Ewan ko ba kung ano nang gagawin ko sa buhay ko."
It's sad really. Here they are in a land truly rich and bustling with economic activity, but at the end of the day, it's like climbing up Baguio on a skateboard. That feeling of powerlessness and despair creeps up to you whenever you think of the thousands of Filipinos living like this both at home and abroad.
As I continued to eavesdrop on their conversation, I felt an urge to just turn around and greet them in Filipino. Maybe it was a desire to just connect with fellow countrymen. Or maybe I just wanted to cheer them up or something.
But I decided to hold my tongue. It was Sunday after all. It was their time to talk before another week of mute laboring.
