| | I arrived in Canada in August 21, a Tuesday. At around 4:00 PM, on a Friday after, as we moved about the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), I saw these girls at Toronto Transit Corporation (TTC) pick up points or bus stations. They are very noticeable because they go in groups of two or more. I didn't find them during weekdays. They "swarm" around GTA during weekends. We can find them together busy talking and laughing in a bus or in street cars, or in the subway. You will know if they are new to Canada by the manner they handle themselves. The new ones are always filled with stories about their masters or employers. They talked in Tagalog, Bisaya (Ilonggo and Cebuano), and Ilocano without any reservation since they knew that Canadians and other nationalities would not understand what they are talking about. They talked freely about their family, their children, their boyfriends, their employers! The "older ones" (that is, those who have been in Canada for a while), normally handle themselves like the Canadians do: staring blankly in space, as if no other person exists beside them, yet ready to say sorry if they happen to bump or touch someone as they moved about in a cramped space like the bus, the street car or the fully loaded trains.
I used to observe these girls, the Pinay Care Givers, and I wonder what goes inside their heads. They are not the usual house helpers that we have at home in the Philippines. Most of them are the educated ones (nurses, teachers, and even medical doctors) who took a venture to Canada, and who believe that the easiest way to get accepted into the Canadian society is to serve Canadians in their homes. I understand that because of the opportunity that abounds in Canada, care giver position is the most lowly type of job that no Canadians would ever dare venture into.
The normal care givers would have a two days off or a weekend off. They work for five days in a week in the homes of their employers. They are paid the lowest according to the salary scheme but because Canadian dollars is much higher than the Philippine peso, these care givers earn much, much higher than our University Professors in the Philippines.
Because of this, many girls from the Philippines took risks in coming over. They applied in the Philippines with certain agency that assures them that they can enter Canada for a fee of more than two hundred thousand pesos (PhP 200,000). They knew that as soon as they arrive Canada they would be released by their "employer" that made them come to Canada, and they knew that they might be asked to pay another amount just so they would find a new employer as they set foot in Canada. This is where the danger lies.
Canada is not like the Philippines. It is very difficult to move in a place that you don't know about. It takes a lot of courage and strength to master one's fear about the unknown. Yet, this new breed of Pinay Care Givers who are opting for the "Released Upon Arrival" way of coming to Canada makes me feel awkward and inadequate in mastering my own fears.
I came to Canada not to become a care giver but circumstances forced me to venture into this field. The insecurity that I felt was so intense that I needed a job, or something to hold on to. I was not a care giver that was released upon arrival, but I felt that way upon stepping on Canadian soil.
Having experienced what I had experienced, I have now some first hand knowledge on how it is to be insecure in a foreign land where no blood relations exist. I have also experienced the care and attention of friends who care about my existence. It is the care, the attention, and the help of Filipino friends around Canada that made this new breed of Pinay Care Givers take risks to be released upon arrival.
Filipinos are known to be helpful. I salute those hearts who accepted the new breed of our care givers. I salute those who extended their help to me!
Thank you, folks!
LVsheepOle
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| | Posted 12/1/2007 11:41 AM - 134 Views - 2 eProps - 1 Comment
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