My House Helper

She has two big eyes, dark skin and long dark hair. Though she is short, she is pleasant looking. It was before the CN holiday of 2008, I met her in the agency and decided she might help me, thus decided to hire her as a house helper.

She was from Indonesia, and could speak few English and Cantonese. She told me she finished high school education. She told me she was the youngest in the family, her father passed away and her mother had a small shop in hometown, her elder sister also worked in Taiwan as a helper. She wanted to earn money to build-up the shop.

She is young, as she was born in 1975. She told me she had working experience as she worked in HK before. But later on, I checked her passport, she only worked in HK for few months and she left for home. Well, that was not the main issue, her main task was to take my father to see doctors etc.

At the beginning, I needed to teach her how to cook, how to clean... etc. But to be honest, there is not much to do except cleaning the house and taking care of my father.

She didn't stay overnight, she came to work around 12PM. First prepared the meal. Cleaned the house in the afternoon. Before evening, cooked dinner, then finished the dishes, that 's it.

The first headache was the food, she didn't eat pork, which is the main food in my house, I needed to balance the kinds of food to let her have sufficient nutrient.

She didn't talk much, but I saw her fell asleep many times during the days, sometimes just wondering what she did at nights. As nothing much to do, but just taking care of my father. I encouraged her to read, and told her I could help.

Later on, father told me that she disappeared periodically, and stayed inside the room. With her scarf putting on her head, she prayed. I was quite surprised, she didn't tell me in advance of this habit when we established the contract, and I was told later that she needed to pray 5 times a day....... As I have some Muslim friends in College before, having respect of their religions, I talked and explained to my father. We agreed that provided she did things right, she could continue to pray in the house.

Then, she officially put the scarf on all the time on the way to work and leaving my house.
When she took my father to see doctors, people around asked my father why she put the scarf all the time.. :(

Overall, she was discipline, in front of me. She was smart and learned fast, and I wish that she could take formal education.

She helped to clean my mother's closet, and at the same time, she realised that I didn't touch the clothes for long time, she picked up some beautiful clothing for herself and her friends...Fortunately, she asked.

Later, she also knew that it is better to change the working clothes inside the house and worn clean and nicer clothes outside. She also had curly hair later, when her hair grew longer. It looked nice, though she worn scarf all the time when she was out.

One time, she ate something wrong with her breakfast, I didn't realise until late afternoon. It was a raining day, she couldn't clean the lunch dishes and also broke 1 plate. She stayed in my room the whole afternoon, father told me when I arrived home. I entered my room, she told me she had took medicine already. She offered help to prepare the dinner, obviously, I knew I needed to take her to see doctor immediately...... I had a long evening that day. To the clinic, to prepare meal.................. it was also that night I discovered that she spoiled the frying pan, the coat of the pan had destroyed, and I just wondered that she didn't know the poisonous.

Another thing I had concerned on her was she fasted during day time ( I can't remember which months, she told me she also needed to make up as she didn't completed in the earlier months). I think it would not be appropriate as she needed to work and go out. But she insisted that it was OK, and I had no influence on that.

End of October 2008, that Sunday afternoon ( she had day-off on every Sunday, as she said she needed to go to church), she called and said that her mother called and asked her to go back as soon as possible, she didn't give the exact reason, and I told her that I could wait and she could take time to think before we terminate the contract. Nevertheless, she said she needed to go, thus we immediately help her to prepare her trip back home.

That 's the time I last saw her, we exchanged phone nos and addresses, and I wish her a great success for her future.