Sunday Funday Filipino Maid Style





The maids quarters in the bomb
shelter

So here in Singapore Sunday's are looked at as a day of rest to spend time with the family and relax but for all the housekeepers or maids it's a day of cheap food and boozing until 10pm. Now I use the term "all" loosely due to the fact not all maids are given Sunday's off from the daily grind of cleaning, cooking, screaming young children and "headache services", but if they are given the day off, generally need to be back by 10pm because they are back on the clock. True story, "headache services" are services for the husband by the maid when the wife has a headache or not feeling well. The norm in Singapore is that maids typically live in the bomb shelter of each apartment. Yup, I said that right, "bomb shelter." The Singapore government mandated that any Singaporean home or apartment built post 1998 had to encompass a bomb shelter to thwart any terrorist attach that may occur in the country. The bomb shelter is a windowless, ventilated, reinforced-concrete room with a thick metal door and enough space to fit a twin bed. The rooms are also Wi-Fi capable so that if there is a terrorist attack you can be up to date on current events while being locked in the 4 X 4 room. And yes our new apartment has a bomb shelter which we will most likely use as storage but if Lauren gets her way a maid might be living in it.

So back to Sunday Funday, maids of all Asian nationalities get together along Orchard Road in different packs and create havoc for everyone enjoying their Sunday or they go to a local bar that opens around 8am for them and then create havoc. For those who go the bar it's quite comical to see as just about early afternoon hits when you typically finish brunch you see hundreds of female maids parading the street while some local male Singaporeans try to get lucky. Good for them as they are being opportunistic.

As for those who hang along Orchard Road they sit, stand or lay down wherever they please which for me being an impatient person drives me insane. Trying to walk is nearly impossible as they line dozens deep and long making it very difficult to pass. Lauren really loves it when I just pick a lane and continue on not really worrying who is in my line. It's almost like playing chicken with the oncoming group or person. Also the majority leave their trash where they conjugate which is a big no no here in Singapore, especially when you see people mopping the sidewalk daily.

Even though the maids on Sunday's drive me nuts with the smell of durian and awful music, I do see where they are coming from as it's their only day off from a long, miserable week of work. But come on clean up after yourselves and find a new place to hang out, like a park!