A sacrifice

[peterfe]

I have sometimes had conversations with Filipinas along these lines:

Filipina: I am/my sister is planning to work as a maid in Dubai/Qatar/Malaysia…

Me: But maybe they’ll make you work from 5 am to 10 pm, no days off, beat you and even worse…

Filipina: There are good families too. Anyway, it’s a sacrifice.

And there are apparently plenty of Filipinas willing to marry a Japanese who they’ve only met for a short interview and have no idea what he’s really like. But they’ll be able to send money back home (is that part of the agreement with the marriage agency?), so again it’s a sacrifice if they end up with a lousy husband, as long as their family back home has enough to eat, etc. And the sacrifice may last a lifetime, not two years like in Dubai.

Sacrifice is a central concept in Christianity of course, and perhaps central to the Filipino mindset (cf. men nailing themselves to a cross). It’s easier to have your sins forgiven and get to heaven if you sacrifice yourself for your family.

In a way, it’s an admirable quality. But would we advise our daughters or grand-daughters to work as maids in the Gulf or marry Japanese strangers? I don’t think so!

[BrettGC]

Thankfully my wife had a positive experience when working as an OFW, but this may have something to do with the family she was working for consisted of a Dutchman and his Filipina wife and she was involved in the business side of things rather than the domestic.  But yes, she does have friends and relatives that have had unfortunate experiences but they kept at it.  

My step-daughter, she calls me dad, is now researching the possibilities.  We're both worried for her but positive at the same time..  She graduated university last year and has a good job in a call centre in LLC but wants to travel and use her degree, and of course, help the extended family.  

We're conflicted.  

We know, given the current climate, it may be a while before she has he opportunity so she may change her mind.  

Edited August 1, 2020 by BrettGC

[peterfe]

10 hours ago, BrettGC said:

My step-daughter, she calls me dad, is now researching the possibilities.  We're both worried for her but positive at the same time..  She graduated university last year and has a good job in a call centre in LLC but wants to travel and use her degree, and of course, help the extended family.  

With a university degree, she won't need to work as a maid. In the Gulf, there's a huge difference in safety for girls between being a maid and most other jobs. If you're a maid, you have no rights in practice, and many get beaten and raped. If you work in a coffee shop, for example, as one member of my extended family did, you live in a strictly guarded compound with other girls, are bussed to and from work, and are perfectly safe. You'll probably have one day off a week, and can go shopping with other girls, and as long as you dress correctly, people won't bother you. That's my general experience after seven years in Saudi Arabia and a few trips to Dubai. 

[Jollygoodfellow]

On 8/2/2020 at 5:10 AM, peterfe said:

If you're a maid, you have no rights in practice, and many get beaten and raped.

Where do I sign up?