Our First Maid - Peter Chan

It becomes the “standard reason” when there are two bread-winners in the family and young children around, you need a domestic helper. My case was no exception. Our first domestic helper came in 1984 just when my son turned 3. Her name was Sharlie Soledad who hailed from Cavite, a fishing village south of Manila. Sharlie a single mother of a 10 year old girl, last worked as a production supervisor in the Triumph bra factory before coming to Singapore.

Photo 1: An example of an advertisement for maids (c 1983)

If I have to give a sense to the demand for foreign maids, I say 1982 was the first wave of migrant-workers into Singapore - Filipinas and Sri Lankans. In 1982, there were 3,000 foreign maids but by end 1984, the figure rose to 10,000. Pay-wise, Filipina maids commanded a monthly salary of $250 whilst Sri Lankans at $150. Now where and why I hired Sharlie?

We responded to a Straits Times advertisement column and went to the second floor of a block of flats, now probably under the Woodsville Flyover. In the early days of maid-hunting it was not necessary to believe in the bio-data or to depend on transfer-maid cases. Foreign maids had up to one week to find an employer, otherwise they would have to pay for their return passage to the country of last embarkation.

Photo 2: The red circle was the location of the maid employment agency (c 1978)

Everybody thinks when it comes to maid selection, it should be the “Mrs” who interviews and makes the decision. Needless to say, we got all kinds of “advice” from in-laws but I say it sounded more like personal opinions rather than “employment pre-requisites”. Much of it was simply old wives tales. For example, “Look for a maid from the rice fields because she can wake up very early at 5.00 am, not a pretty face in case your husband gets charmed, don’t hire somebody too intelligent otherwise she talks back at you”. I had seen potential employers at that agency asking the maids to “stand, turn around and let me see how you look”. Excuse me, were they looking for a fashion model? Very unlike other employers, my interview went a different way for good reasons.

Photo 3: Sharlie provides infant-care (c 1985)

I told 10 shortlisted candidates (there were only 10 available for “viewing”) to read a selected Newsweek article. Some looked very pretty; some could be my “mother” while some had that kind of look that turned men off. Most read the article very dreadfully but I was sure I would not get someone with BBC English. There were so many “fux” here and “fux” there that it can be very disturbing when the phonetics got in the way. I felt somewhat strange that someone - just about my age - would call me “Yes Sir” or a “Yes Mom” at my wife. The only other time I heard that word was in National Service.

Sharlie did all chores; cooking, child-care, general house-keeping except car-washing and cleaning my golf clubs; everything was “one-leg kicking” for a salary of S$250 a month. I think our government never missed an opportunity; they imposed a foreign worker levy and a $5,000 bond. Sharlie worked with us until she moved to Toronto for better prospects.

Photo 4: “Time to waky wacky. Time for your Milo” (c 1985).

Assimilating into the Singapore environment is never easy but for myself in a regional career that spans the Asia-Pacific, I understood it to be a cultural barrier. One time during the Lunar New Year I was asked why I allowed my maid to expose her thighs and wear low-cut blouse at home. I wondered whether this was a case of being class-conscious or simply self-righteous.

Before the maid left our employment, I was asked to perform the role of her “father”. Now what in the world is that? Well, Sharlie decided to marry another Pinoy widower at the Singapore ROM. Somebody had to give her away because it was a Filipino tradition.

Now what do you think should happen after the wedding? Sharlie approached my wife on whether she could spend the night out with her husband; get it? In the 1980s foreign maids got Sunday-off and most employers would have frown on the idea that you allow your maid to stay-out overnight. My wife certainly thought so but she finally relented.

Photo 5: The response from Sharlie was similar to another of our Filipina maids at the Changi Airport (c 1992).

1988 was the last time we saw Sharlie. In 2006 my son was in Toronto for a month doing a clinical attachment. He tried the phone books, Catholic churches and the Silayan Community Centre but she was not to be found.

All we can now say to Sharlie is Selamat Po for all the wonderful times! Maybe we have better luck next time meeting you again.

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