Perennial

My cousin told me that problems about our helpers are perennial. I had to look up what that meant exactly. And it means that they are problems that are continuing without interruption. Yes that is exactly what helpers are. Perennial problems. I know i talk about Maxine's yaya alot and sometimes even i dont want to blog about her anymore. But i do, i cannot help it. If we all want to keep me sane and to stop me from becoming a murderer we will let me blog about the yaya.

I want to drive a stake into her mouth and out of her ass and roast her in a pit.

My aunts and older relatives tell me this chinese saying when it comes to household help "pwa bak chiu kweh" The direct translation of that sentence is "half eyes closed". We have to ignore half the things they do in order for us to survive in one household. I am not a patient person as most of you know. I am not a person who lets things slide or who can let wronds simply go. But i have taken to heart that chinese saying because i love Maxine and because I dont want to cause her anymore trauma in changing yayas.

I want to suffocate her with a garbage bag and throw her in the trash.

This yaya has done no major wrong, but has done nothing right. The things a mother looks for in a yaya are simple, we want them to be able to bathe the baby properly, change their diapers, feed the baby food, make them drink their milk and put them to sleep. These are things that a well trained chimpanzee can do. This job requires no skill or education. Anyone and everyone can do it. You don't even need opposable thumbs. I might sound mean in comparing a human to a monkey, but hey if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, what is it? It is in fact an insult to the well trained monkey to compare them to some yayas. Because they are more obedient and well behaved than these humans.

I want to put her in a cage and throw rotten food at her.

I wake up at 5am and I find my child sleeping on the floor, under her underarms. I ask "why is Maxine there?" she replies "kakagising lng nya, kakalagay ko lng sa knya dito kasi nahihirapan matulog"

Maxine is in my Mom's house and I go there, Maxine is crying with tears covering her cheeks. She is in the maid's room while the yaya is sitting on the bed and maxine is on her lap while she is watching tv. I ask "why is Maxine there? diba sabi ko ayaw kong pinapasok sya dyan?" yaya replies "kakapasok lng namin, kakaiyak lng nya"

In my house, I hand over maxine to the yaya, she goes down and after awhile i go down to start dinner. I see them inside the maid's room watching tv, i tell yaya, yaya ayoko nga nasa loob ng kwarto niyo si maxine. yaya "sandali lng nanunuod pako ng tv"

Today i decided to give the yaya another chance. To talk to her and tell her that she's been doing poorly and maybe she should step up her game. She gets mad and shouts at me. "yan ang problema sayo eh maliit na bagay lng kelangan pa palakihin, ganyang klaseng tao ka pala. masama na nga pakiramdam ko papagsabihan pako." I tell her about the 3 incidents that i didn't like and she says this...
1- masama nga pakiramdam ni maxine kaya nilagay ko nlng sya sa tabi ko! dapat hihiga kami dyan sa kama mo eh sigurado magagalit ka nanaman! kaya sa kama ko nlng hiniga!
me: indi ba pwdeng nakaupo ka nlng tas si maxine nakahiga?
yaya: eh masama nga pakiramdam ko!
me: akala ko ba pakiramdam ni maxine yun masama? ngayon yun sayo na?
yaya: yun na din yun! kung may sakit ako may sakit na din sya!

2-"kahapon nun nasa loob kami ng kwarto si Ann (the other maid) yun may kasalanan nun, kakapasok ko lng sa kwarto at may kinuha lng ako tas binigay nya sakin ni maxine, kung alam ko lng na dadating ka na pala eh di lumabas nako! "

She then goes on shouting that " yan ang mahirap sayo puros discussions, ang sakit na nga ng ulo ko puros discussions pa din!
me: eh di sana nun sinabihan kita umoo ka nlgn at sinabi mo na di mo na uulitin at di ka puros palusot eh di tapus na! ikaw pang mayabang dyan ikaw na nga yun mali! pag pasok mo sabi mo na ang nanay ang masusunod at yaya ka lng pero ikaw naman nasusunod basta di ako nakabantay!
yaya: ganun ngako kagaling na ikaw nga nasusunod, lahat ng ibang yaya dyan sila nasusunod pero ako magaling ako na ikaw sinusunod ko at ang bait ko na andito pako!"

The other afternoon she was sleeping in front of me while Maxine was in the crib playing by herself. My maid tells me that every morning she's the one taking care of Maxine while the yaya is on the phone talking to her friend. The yaya got sick because every night we go out she sleeps at 11pm because she is still watching tv. Thats why when Maxine is up at 5am she gets so pissed off and thats why she needs to nap in the afternoons pretending that her eyes hurt or her head aches.

This is why i need to talk about her, because she is driving me insane. I am actually paying someone 6 thousand pesos to make me and the maid do her job. And when corrected i get shouted at and ordered to get her medicine. Great, Just GREAT! This is one big WHAT THE F*CK.