The Household Expatriates

My Indonesian maid just came to Brunei from her two years contract period with us. She has been good and my mum wanted to extend her contract. I had a chit chat with her over dinner today and asked about her family.

She said she spent all her 2 years of hard-earned money on a sapi (buffalo). It was an adult one and really fat, probably about to give birth. The buffalo normally gives birth once a year, and normally only one offspring each time. Once the buffalo given birth, my maid will sell the baby buffalo which she will earn equivalent to 5-months her salary in Brunei. Not bad investment eh?

After this new 2-years contract term, she will go back and buy another female sapi. This means she will have 10 months of salary in a year. And she will probably retire, and live a happy life?

My previous Indonesian maids most of them went back to buy lands. Some built a house. And there's only one that became a real businesswoman, in which she set up a company that supply maids to Brunei. She's very successful now, infact I have an agent friend who get new maids from her. At times she would send her new maid some mangoes to us.

Sometimes I feel that household maids are like the European expatriates working in Brunei. Only that they are household expats. And normally at the end of a two year contract, they will be quite wealth-off. They don't need to be really educated to become rich (when viewed in their country's perspective).

Sometimes don't you just wish you could have a simple life? Routine work at home, no expensive needs, no luxuries yet contentment in life. I guess it's being trade off by having borned in this peaceful and prosperous country.