Photo: Mylen at the Botanical Gardens in Singapore

Mylen works for my sister’s family in Singapore. In my travels in and out of Singapore I have come to know her well. I love Mylen, she’s wonderful and has made my stay in Singapore that much better! Sure, I love the fact that she calls me Miss Sherry, but what I really admire is that she works diligently every day with a smile on her face, I marvel at her dedication. She is 29 years old. She seems to be preoccupied with wanting me to get married and have some children…I just laugh at her when she brings it up and I tell her that she needs to worry about herself!

How long have you been working in Singapore?
Almost 8 years. 5 ½ years with another family in Singapore and 2 years for the Sommerfeldts

Where are you from originally?
Philippines – from Ilo Ilo city

What do you do here as your occupation?
I’m a domestic helper. They take care of the house and the children – kind like a nanny.

Why did you become a helper?
That’s hard – I wanted to experience how to take care of the children so that when I have a kid I will know how to handle as well as know how to handle a family. In the Philippines it’s hard to find a job so sometimes you don’t have any choice and need to go to other countries to look for a job.

What is your favorite part of your work?
Cooking! I love baking because it’s different and we don’t bake in the Philippines because there are no ovens there – unless you have lots of money.

What is your least favorite part of your work?
Helping with the homework that I don’t know. It’s so hard and I can’t do that.
What’s the hardest subjects? Mathematics and science.

What is your favorite thing to do when you have a day off?
Visit my cousin and friends. First we go to church and then a party (maybe), Then we bring food to make at my uncles house and we all gather there and play some cards.
On Christmas Eve, and New Years Eve, we go to Orchard street and watch the countdown and sometimes we dance in the road.

What is your favorite meal to cook?
Spaghetti, and chicken curry and I want to learn how to cook lasagna. It doesn’t work here when I try it, it isn’t a nice square. Maybe because of the heat. I also like to make Tortellini. I like the pasta dishes because they are easy.

When you go back home to the Philippines for good, what do you want to do?
I plan to have a business like a mini grocery and have my own house.

Tell me about your family in the Philippines.
My parents are back in the Philippines. I have 6 brothers and sisters. I am the only one that lives outside of the Philippines. Two of my siblings passed away young.

Does your family miss you?
Yes, every time I go back they are very happy they hug me a lot and they want me to stay and not visit friends.

How often do you talk to them?
3 times a week on the phone and then I sms them all the time.

What other countries have you been to?
Singapore, Sydney, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
New York! I want to see NY at night because they said that NY never sleeps

Photo: This is one of Mylen’s ant traps. She made cookies one night and had to let them cool overnight. In Singapore (and most tropical climates), you can’t leave any food out on counters as the ants will get to it faster than you can even imagine. Therefore, she sets up ant traps when we sets the cookies out overnight. The cookies are in a tray and are elevated by cups. The cups are in little saucers. The saucers have water in them which is what keeps the ants away…they hate water! When I saw this one morning I cracked up and had to take a photo of it! Ingenious!