In finding a good nanny, employers have to be extra careful about choosing which agency to go to. I have always had reservations in getting a yaya through an agency, but since we needed one fast we had no choice but to try it.
So, I searched for an agency through the Internet. Lo and behold, I did find one after a few days of searching. I do not remember the website exactly, but I am quite certain that I chose a legit website that was already well known to people. After the initial exchange of text messages, I called their office number to talk to the proprietor. The name of the agency was DIVINE MERCY MANPOWER AGENCY, a small office located in Quirino Avenue near Singalong, Manila. I was sort of relieved that an agency should have a religious sounding name, and was confident that their services would be good enough.
WRONG. My husband and I visited the office and we were immediately introduced to a yaya named Delia. Since we were of meager means then, we negotiated the salary on the spot, which the owner agreed. We were charged an agency fee aside from the advance salary. No big deal. We paid the fees and left with our brand new yaya.
The first thing she did was to do our week's laundy. She started after lunch, she finished it way into the night. I mean, it was not a lot of clothes to wash, but she finished it at almost 10:00 pm. We were clueless why she was like that. But that was not all. She did everything so painstakingly slow, from ironing clothes to washing the dishes. We wonder why it took her so long to finish everything. And that was just the first week. But, as long as LJ was ok, we're ok, then she's ok.
We went home one day to come into the house with a distinct acrid smell. When we asked the yaya what was wrong, she explained that she sterilized the bottles and forgot to turn it off. As a result, the water in the sterilizer dried up and MELTED all the bottles!!! Horrible! Still trying to make out of it, we asked how she could have forgotten about it. She answered (quite sweetly) that she was watching tv and got absorbed in the telenovela. We were calm about it but deep inside we were thinking: What if the stove just exploded? It could have been fatal!
Thankfully, she left after 2 weeks. She realized - and probably the agency did not inform her about this - that her salary was too low for her. We couldn't we more glad about it. We returned to the agency to ask for a refund as stipulated in the contract, but they did not oblige and instead replaced it with an equally difficult person who we had to return overnight. Makes me wonder if there are other agencies out there that are equally worse.
So, moral of the story? Beware of these small-time agencies. There are more horror stories to this I'm sure. And I hope the government will be more proactive in monitoring these businesses.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Antics of Yaya and Angelina
In my rare times of watching tv, Bubble Gang is one of my fave shows. Being the last day of the working week and late night at that, I watch it whenever I can to de-stress myself.
Part of the program that I look forward to is the portion of Yaya ang Angelina played by Michael V and Ogie Alcasid. It shows the love-hate relationship between the yaya and her ward. Although they tend to argue most of the time, you know that deep inside they love each other - albeit in a weird sort of way. It's funny and I love it! It's hilarious!
Which is what I can almost say about my son and his Ate Jenny. There are practically days when I fear going home to find them arguing over the simplest things - favoring tv over homework, playing with the village kids when time's up to go to school, what to eat, what not to wear.... Hayyy.... There are no verbal or physical abuses here, mind you. Just plain tigas ng ulo or kakulitan. We would fuss over it and my son would be grounded for days on end.
What's worse is the reaction of his Ate Jenny.
"Ate, uuwi na 'ko," she would tell us, almost weepy. And I would ask "Is this what you want to do?" I know somehow that she wants to stay, but because of these episodes, well, she just wants out.
Then the next day, they're all sweet and syrupy again.
Lest that people think that my son is a terror, he is not. His Ate Jenny will attest to that. Likewise his yaya, who is efficient in taking care not only of the house but all of US inside it. We love her to bits.
Love and hate relationships are ok. In fact, they enrich any relationship than the smooth sailing ones. I think I am more wary of yayas who are too good to be true, the Maria-from-the-Sound-of-Music kind. Call me a skeptic! And this is why I enjoy watching Yaya and Angelina on the boob tube. Their relationship may not be perfect, but you know the love and respect between yaya and ward is there.
Part of the program that I look forward to is the portion of Yaya ang Angelina played by Michael V and Ogie Alcasid. It shows the love-hate relationship between the yaya and her ward. Although they tend to argue most of the time, you know that deep inside they love each other - albeit in a weird sort of way. It's funny and I love it! It's hilarious!
Which is what I can almost say about my son and his Ate Jenny. There are practically days when I fear going home to find them arguing over the simplest things - favoring tv over homework, playing with the village kids when time's up to go to school, what to eat, what not to wear.... Hayyy.... There are no verbal or physical abuses here, mind you. Just plain tigas ng ulo or kakulitan. We would fuss over it and my son would be grounded for days on end.
What's worse is the reaction of his Ate Jenny.
"Ate, uuwi na 'ko," she would tell us, almost weepy. And I would ask "Is this what you want to do?" I know somehow that she wants to stay, but because of these episodes, well, she just wants out.
Then the next day, they're all sweet and syrupy again.
Lest that people think that my son is a terror, he is not. His Ate Jenny will attest to that. Likewise his yaya, who is efficient in taking care not only of the house but all of US inside it. We love her to bits.
Love and hate relationships are ok. In fact, they enrich any relationship than the smooth sailing ones. I think I am more wary of yayas who are too good to be true, the Maria-from-the-Sound-of-Music kind. Call me a skeptic! And this is why I enjoy watching Yaya and Angelina on the boob tube. Their relationship may not be perfect, but you know the love and respect between yaya and ward is there.
Monday, September 12, 2011
What Got Me Into This
I have always been working ever since I graduated from college. I've never fancied myself as a stay-at-home wife. With occassional rest periods, maternity leave and study leave in between, I continued to work to share in the burden of keeping house with my husband. In a nuclear family like mine is (meaning without help from my family or my in-laws), a yaya is essential to the household.
The first yaya we had was very. She was not the "de susi" kind of yaya, the kind that had to be told what to do everyday. She was very affectionate with my son and loved feeding the little tyke. My boy loved playing outdoors, and Ate Raquel indulged him in it. She loved telling him stories and singing even if she was off-key at times. And when the kid was asleep, she would clean the clutter in the house, spic and span. And she loved reading newspapers as much as I do, so I always bought papers for her as "pasalubong".
I cried when Raquel left us to elope with a guy she met as a text mate. The last time we heard from her, she already had 4 kids and counting ("Ate, magdagdag ka pa," she would tell me before). After her, the nannies we've had were hits and misses. But that's another story.
Why am I doing this? To purge myself and to share stories with interested folks out here in the 'Net. I've checked on blogs that say something about yayas and there are a-plenty, and I wanted to add more to that by adding this blog. Not only to share, but to get stories from other families as well - good or bad.
Don't get me wrong. I love nannies and recognize their contribution to the well-being of our children. But sometimes - SOMETIMES - some of them do not have the right disposition or behavior that ultimately impacts on our children. How can a parent NOT be concerned of THAT?
Bottomline is, we hope for better yayas around and give praise to the good ones. The bad ones, of course, need to be corrected and that the public should be aware of these persons.
This is my contribution to my society.
The first yaya we had was very. She was not the "de susi" kind of yaya, the kind that had to be told what to do everyday. She was very affectionate with my son and loved feeding the little tyke. My boy loved playing outdoors, and Ate Raquel indulged him in it. She loved telling him stories and singing even if she was off-key at times. And when the kid was asleep, she would clean the clutter in the house, spic and span. And she loved reading newspapers as much as I do, so I always bought papers for her as "pasalubong".
I cried when Raquel left us to elope with a guy she met as a text mate. The last time we heard from her, she already had 4 kids and counting ("Ate, magdagdag ka pa," she would tell me before). After her, the nannies we've had were hits and misses. But that's another story.
Why am I doing this? To purge myself and to share stories with interested folks out here in the 'Net. I've checked on blogs that say something about yayas and there are a-plenty, and I wanted to add more to that by adding this blog. Not only to share, but to get stories from other families as well - good or bad.
Don't get me wrong. I love nannies and recognize their contribution to the well-being of our children. But sometimes - SOMETIMES - some of them do not have the right disposition or behavior that ultimately impacts on our children. How can a parent NOT be concerned of THAT?
Bottomline is, we hope for better yayas around and give praise to the good ones. The bad ones, of course, need to be corrected and that the public should be aware of these persons.
This is my contribution to my society.
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