My Piece of Sh*t

I just saw a video, that I was upset about, as it speaks the truth, and how truth can hurt you. It was about Filipinas, as being good export ‘commodities’ when it comes to household and manual jobs abroad. And how the world stereotype Filipinas as maids and some perceived that when you come from the Philippines, you can work really hard and would do almost everything for money!

AHA! But of course  I took advantage of that title and wrote it on my CV (no kidding ) and no need to glamour them with my professional experience,  I get the job. But here we are talking about cleaning toilets, wiping assess or peeling mounts of potatoes. Yeah rigghhhhttt! These are noble jobs, they say, and how I crunched with anger to hear those who says ‘that our employers should be thankful, coz what will the world do without us?’.  Who will clean their toilets?! Who will wipe their parent’s dirty assess?! They need us so they can live comfortably and be more productive. And am I supposed to be proud of it?! SCREW THAT.

I believe that a person could not be stereotyped from anything. NULL. NOTHING.  Where she came from, the color of her skin, her height, the hairs on her foreheads.. or whatever. You just cant!  BUT:

“Perception is reality. And the moment we think we can’t do it because of stereotype – that’s the worst thing to happen” – quote from the video.

Once we start living in it, there is no getting out from it. We found our comfort zone. It’s a dead-end. And when we get older and our knees get weaker, we say it is too late, there is nothing we can do, but to warn those that has just started. Or if we are still delusional, we advise them to yet again commit the silly mistakes we have had. Now this maybe the point you will say — ‘You don’t understand!’

I DO UNDERSTAND. That we have our families to support back home, that you have kids of your own to support with, and bills to pay.  AS WELL as places to go for vacation and shoes to buy, huh!  We are victims of our exaggerated culture. For one, is our relationship to our family. Close family ties is indeed good. But we tend to help almost everyone, to the point of even,  not making them work anymore, providing them houses, and allowances. Admit it, you will say you’re happy but in the dark nook of your room – you will whisper- what about me? But alas, you can’t say it to them coz they answer back  ‘ You are there.. traveling and living abroad, that must be really nice’. They are the ones who don’t understand!

Many of us as well easily get spoiled. We are overwhelmed with little praises and gifts, and sometimes it tends us to do things beyond our values. Say..bribery. Let those who can pay, cut the lines and get there first. As little as this wrongdoing, can impact into something bigger like putting a wrong person in the government.  The needy takes a pinch while the rich gets the bulk.  I think it goes the same as well with those working abroad. Say our employer is nice to us. We keep their house clean and do their chores, but that doesn’t mean that we have to work beyond our schedule.  It is not a matter of ‘if they think it’s ok with you, then its ok’. NO.  They know that it is not ok  but they still make you do it. But you don’t say anything.. so maybe it is really ok? Please answer NO.

Ok. Perception. People stereotyping you. Nothing you can do about it. Just stereotype them as STUPID.  They don’t know a thing and they jump on conclusions, based on what they read, see and hear.  BUT.. if you will be living as the person from what they read-hear-see, then that is exactly how you they treat you.

I give it as well, that being stereotyped, is a quite a bridge to cross. You have to prove yourself every time. But I got tired of it. Why try, when it’s just natural.? ;D.  Of course you are smarter than some of the others and of course there will be  some others smarter than you.  And don’t think that all people are stereotyping you either. Don’t be conceited. Coz some don’t. Some even doesn’t care.

And these are the kind of people who you would want to be with.  Sometimes it is just a matter of being surrounded by the right people, even at the wrong place and time. One is pretty vulnerable when still starting to establish oneself in a new ground. Almost automatically, we tend to curl and step back and get refuge to our comfort zone. Things that are familiar to us. People that share the same sentiments. It is always nice and comfy to fall back into something we know won’t hurt us.

But it hinders us from growing as well. We are all made to learn. Every toilet I clean, I learn that  the rich and poor have the same shit. Every assess  I wipe, I learn that all people are useless when they get older. Every potato I peel, I learn that there is more to come. I am not afraid to start from the beginning, as long as I am moving forward. I maybe doing it the wrong way, but  I’ll pick some clues on my path.