Filipino maid (domestic worker) Marilou Es2piritu has over a period of
15 years as a domestic helper
(both live-in and live-out) in Philippines and Singapore,
taken care or helped to take care of 16 children from newborn up to 14 years
of age.
She is now available for immediate hire.
Marilou now separated has been a housewife attending to her family of 7
(including 5 children now aged 2, 9, 11, 13 and 16) much of the time even
when she was working in the Philippines. If she was working, care of the
children was left to her mother. Being a single mother, she is the sole
breadwinner; her estranged husband has another family to maintain.
Work History
She started working at a young age, soon after leaving elementary school.
She was what one would call a "working student", working in the morning and
attending classes in the afternoon or vice versa. Being a mother herself,
she worked as a live-out helper whenever she had a choice.
As a live-out she would start working in the morning, taking time off after
lunch to see her children before returning. Meanwhile the host family's
child/children, if any, would be in the care of some adult relative - Granny
or Aunt.
In the Philippines she worked for a little over 13 years, not continuously.
Her duties typically included taking care of children while their mother
went to work. (In a minority of cases Madam stayed at home.)
The children in her care, 16 of them, ranged in age from
newborn
all the way up to 14. Among the tasks performed were preparing baby's feed,
washing/sterilising the feeding bottles, changing baby's diapers, bathing
the baby, etc. She prepared solid food for infants (1 and 2-year old),
taught the older ones to bathe themselves, brush their teeth, dress
themselves, etc., playing with them, telling them stories, reading to them
when she has free time from the household routines.
In the Philippines she worked for 8 Filipino and 1 Japanese families.
Besides childcare, cleaning and laundry, she cooked for all the families she
worked for. Most of the time she prepared Filipino food. Her Japanese
employer had a Filipino wife and Madam's mother often did the cooking.
Marilou used to prepare only the simplest of Japanese dishes.
She is better at cooking Filipino food. Now in Singapore where she has been
working for a local Chinese family for 1½ years since Jan 08. She
learnt to cook Chinese food from Madam. Marilou learnt her lessons well for,
as she says, Madam and the rest of the family always compliment her on her
cooking and ask her to repeat the dish they especially enjoyed.
Some of the local Singapore dishes she is familiar with include:
-
Chicken Curry, Chicken with Mushroon (or Ginger), Microwave Chicken. (The
Grandfather in the house says microwave cooking is not healthy, but still
enjoys her microwave chicken.), Herbal Chicken (with ready packed herbs)
- Steamed Fish, Fried Chilli Fish, Assam Fish Head, Fish Head Curry, Sweet
and Sour Fish, Fried Fish
- Minced Pork (Fried like hamburger), Bitter Gourd (or Old Cucumber) Soup
with Minced Pork.
- Stir Fried Vegetables (sometimes with oyster sauce)
- Occasionally she would prepare one or two Filipino favourites such as
Sinigang (tamarind-based vegetable soup with prawns or fish), Adobe Chicken
or Pork (stewed in soya sauce, somewhat like the Chinese version, except it
is drier and vinegar is added).
Between childcare and cooking, she is undecided which she does better at.
She will be happy where either one is her employer's priority for her.
Personality
Marilou is soft-spoken, dresses neatly and simply, fairly outgoing and
confident.
