From the Philippines to Hong Kong: A Journey Full of Challenges and Opportunities

It was really hard to get jobs in the Philippines. I was a secondary teacher, and I taught English. But I don’t teach anymore. There's a lot of paperwork for a teacher in the Philippines, and there is still a lot of work after business hours. Usually, you work for twelve business hours, and then you go back home. But you still have to work, because you need to prepare for the classes. There were a lot of teachers that were stressed from their work. So I prefer my current job more. 

I worked in Hong Kong for about three years in the past, then in Singapore for seven years, and then I went back home. However, my daughters needed to go to university, so I came back to Hong Kong right before the pandemic and stayed for four years. I came back to Hong Kong because it has a higher salary and is more comfortable. In Singapore, there were a lot of things you couldn’t do. Here in Hong Kong, they give us more freedom, and some roads are closed for helpers like me on Sundays. When I go back, the money will easily be gone. When you work in Hong Kong, you work for a family, you love your employers, and everyone is communicating, so it is easy to work. 

Before I came here, I was so scared; I heard that some employers terminate your contract. You waste so much of your money if you only come here for two months and get terminated. But not all employers are terminators. My employers treat us like equals. They do not view me as just a helper. Some helpers get looked down, and their employers tell them they are just domestic helpers. My employer's friends are very nice, and every time they travel, they bring me a box of gifts. I have never met people who are unkind. You can see so many old people still working, and they are strong. They are too old to work, but maybe they don’t want to burden their families; it's nice because they don't depend on other people.

When I first came here, I was very young. I needed to adjust to their culture. I needed to learn from them. In the Philippines, we are not very rich, and we eat a lot of rice. In Hong Kong, people eat very little rice. My employer only eats a little bit, and she would say I'm finished. I would always say that she eats so little food. They eat more veggies and also fish and meat for minerals. They eat very little rice, and I cannot stand for it. Because we work so much, we need that energy. Sometimes, I would take some rice and hide it so I could eat more rice. They would cook one cup of rice for everyone, but one cup should be the amount for me myself. 

I always used to lose direction. It’s a very funny experience. Most taxi drivers don't speak Chinese, and I cannot understand them. There was one time when I lost my way, and I called my employer, saying I didn't know how to go back. And then they called the driver just so the driver could send me back home. I said this was the wrong way already because I thought I had ridden the wrong bus, so I already didn't know where I was. So I took a taxi, but the driver didn't know the direction either.

 I was always exploring the city, which is now so tiring and expensive. I went to the Shenzhen Border, Ocean Park, and Disneyland. I used to go every weekend because that was the only time you could relax after a long week of work. I had so much fun in Hong Kong Disneyland the first time I went there because there were so many rides. The Ocean Park was also fun. My employer kept telling me to bring my daughter here for vacation. I was planning to send my daughter to Korea for a holiday, but my employer said you should send them here. When it is my day off, I would rather stay home. No one will bother you, it's very comfy, you can do whatever you want, and you can relax there. My employers don’t tell me to go back early; they tell me I should spend my whole day as long as I am safe. So now I just like to sit down; I would lie down with my aunt to nap, relax, and sometimes just sleep. 

 I live in Happy Valley. I go to Causeway Bay and Central because I always meet with my classmates. She lives in Yuen Lan. We would stay here to look for used clothes. We just go there and take a look, and after that, we go back home. We don't spend too much money on shopping, we buy very cheap clothes. I don't have savings because I send everything back home, which is fine with me. 

People in Hong Kong care more about their jobs. My employers only see their kids at night and on Saturdays and Sundays. In the morning, they go to work very early. We workers and the kids are very close. The kids would say I don't want Mommy and Daddy, I want Auntie. The interaction between the parents and the kids inside the house is very limited. Sometimes, when they come back home, the kids are already sleeping. Sometimes, they would just call and say good night without actually seeing the kids. I treat the kids like sons and daughters. I once cared for this boy, and I was very sad when I had to go back home. Parents here are very busy. We are more family-oriented in the Philippines. Here in Hong Kong, people have their helpers to look after their kids. In the Philippines, you can just leave the kids to relatives. Our parents stay with us after they get old. In the Philippines, we cannot send parents to elderly homes. Family bonds are given more priority. We Filipinos always think about our family back home. My priority is my family in the Philippines, especially my daughters.​ The only regret that I have is that I cannot look after my own kids. If I could turn back the time and get a lot of money, I would go back home. There was one time when my daughters said, "We don't want material things; we just want mommy." I didn't want them to feel what I felt before. During the meals, there was only so much rice for me. 

Now, my older daughter is getting married soon.

- Anonymous

Hong Kong

William｜Content curator

Jasmine｜Editor

孙逸铭｜Translator