Maid In Heaven..
Written on 5/27/2004 01:53:00 pm by sikapitan
My maid of ..i don't remember but it's more than 4 i think..years is going to leave us in a couple of weeks time.A new maid has just arrived a few days ago, and she'll be tutored on the ways of the House before my current maid leaves. In light of recent developments concerning maid abuses, i would like to add my 2 cents worth on the issue.
I've had maids ever since i was a baby.The fact that both my parents are working in KL while their families are based in Penang made it necessary for them to hire these maids.Unfortunately, our experience with maids are far from pleasant.I remember vividly the incident that occurred when i was about 4 years old.At that time, most maids are locals. This maid of mine took me out at 12 noon,in the middle of a blistering dry season, for a walk to a phone booth located 2 kms away. Now this might seem trivial to us adults,but to a 4 year old, it's like a marathon!She needed to call her 'pakwe'..and i sat there for ages while she talked.Later that evening, my temperature went off the roof, and my parents were shocked to find me hotter than boiled water.
The maid was sacked,naturally, and we got a new one whom i called 'makcik'. She's one of the best maid i've ever had, and as she was old she don't have any 'pakwe' to call. The only problem was that she indulged my sweet cravings too much. As soon as i got back from school she would present me with a bottle of the sweetest Milo you'll ever taste.That's why i was sooo chubbyyy (but at that time,it was cute) but the consequences remains till today.After her we hired foreigners for the first time, and we also experienced our first and only run-away.She went off in the middle of the night while the whole family was upstairs watching tv.We've had countless maids ever since, even one indonesian who brought GUYS in at night while we were asleep so she could satisfy her amorous needs!Imagine our shocked when we found that out.The danger to my family was ever-present.The last two maids have been great with the latest one being the best of all.
I'm sorry to say but the best maids are the not too clever ones.If they're too clever they'll find ways to sneak out at night, or make phone calls, or hide things from you.But if they're too stupid, they would be almost impossible to teach and work with, unless they're also hard-working which covers up for their lack of intelligence. Whatever you do, don't get anyone below 25 years old! They lack experience,they can't handle pressure,they can't take care of kids, can't cook, and they're horny enough to run-off with the garbage collector.
Basically, it's a matter of luck who you have as a maid.Don't stick with one you don't like,go get a new one. The problem is that we know she ain't a good maid, but we refusE to replace her, that's when we get frustrated and abuses occurs.tHIS often happens to younger maids who are promised a better life across the Straits but can't handle the workload.One of my relatives is always having trouble with his maids.Maybe because they're too demanding, but more is due to the fact that their maids are kids.
Nothing could justify the abuses meted out to Nirmala. This is not a racist comment, but i sense that it's more typical for the Chinese to be strict to their maids.Maybe it's because of their mentality of making sure their investment is worthwhile.We malays, meanwhile, can be too soft and compromising until the maids 'naik kepala'.Sigh. It's a dilemma isn't it? But it's a rich country dilemma, and for that i'm thankful for it.
Funny story: My friend are neighbours to a Chinese family with a young indon maid. One day, the employer found out that she was pregnant. So they asked my friend whether anything happen between them!Imagine being called a 'maid-fucker'.
Au revoir.
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