I was standing at the queue for ladies in Enjaz/Western Union branch in Umm Al Hammam when a woman came towards me, smiling. She asked, “kabayan?”. I nodded and smiled back. She stood behind me as we both patiently wait for our turn.
As I was holding the form that I filled up in order to send the remittance to Philippines, the woman behind me read the name on my form loudly. I knew she wanted to start a conversation, so I just replied politely. She asked me several questions like from where I was in the Philippines, and she started telling me stuff about her too.
She told me that she came to Saudi Arabia last year as a household service worker and she regrets it. She said that her “madam” (female sponsor) is kind but she is not good. I could not comprehend what she meant by being ”kind” but not “good” (in tagalog- mabait pero hindi mabuti). Then she explained to me by giving a lot of examples. She said that she thinks that her madam (boss) is a kind woman because she is giving her salary on time. However, she shouts at her and humiliates her in front of her friends and relatives. She also told me that the madam keeps the food in a locked room and she was neither given any food for free nor invited to taste any food for the Arab family. She went on and on, telling me stories about her madam and I realized that I had to agree that she was right.
From then on, I started thinking about people around me and those who I’ve met and some of whom I thought were my friends. Before I met that woman, I never thought of how a person could be kind but not good. It is often hard to judge a person without knowing his/her intentions. Boy I was glad to learn something significant from a stranger so unexpectedly.
I wished I could have asked for her name or her number. But would that be really important?
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HappinessWhat makes me happy?
People. Everyone around me who believes and inspires me- my family, my husband, my two beautiful girls, my friends and colleagues. Life itself is a happy experience. The world is a happy place. I had my own share of struggles, life was not easy for us back then but my Dad taught me how to believe in myself, work hard , be kind and to be strong. He inspired me to go out of my comfort zone. He used to tell me that the possibilities in life are endless and so I believed him. l Iost him quite a few years ago but he has left me with so much inspiration to follow my dreams - to visit places I have only dreamt of or have seen in the movies when I was little and to do things I thought were only for the privileged few. Wherever I go, I always remember my Dad, wishing he could see me from afar and somehow be proud of me as I have always been so proud of him. Life is short and I promised him that I would make the most of mine. Travelling makes me happy and in all other things, I choose happiness. We all should- always.. Memen ![]() Archives
May 2022
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