The first life experience

One part of the house that I work in Malaysia

In 1997 in Koh Kong province, my parent force me to leave school, they though girl should not study too high, because after you get marry your husband will look after you. I was very angry with my parent that time, I doing very well in school, the teacher come to my house to talk with my parent to let me to go back to school, but my parent said NO. That time I was grade 5 beginning of grade 6. I didn’t want to listen to my parent to leave the school because I like school, I had a big fright with my parent, and they said: You can go to school if you want, but I’m not supporting you anymore, because you are stubborn if you want to keep going to school you have to support yourself. I was very angry with my parent. I went to talk with my father, told him how much I want to go to school, and he agreed for me to keep going to school. My mother starting very angry with me because she doesn’t wants me to go to school anymore. After awhile my father starting very busy go around the country, he had no time to look after family… my mother manage everything in the house alone, and she stop supporting me since then. I start make a small business by buy some food and lottery from the market to sell to make some money to go to school. My business going very well, I continua this business until the end of grade 6. I save some money to start to go to high school, grade 7, but I only can make to high school for two months, I have to stop after two months in high school, because in high school everything is about paying money, pay for out school lesson, pay for teachers, pay for lessons that teacher give, pay for over time… etc… and have to study hard morning and evening no time to make any business, that time I was 14 years old. In the end I give up, I think it’s too much I can’t keep go on. One of my teachers that I knew from high school he said I have to keep coming to school, he supported me, he said I don’t have to pay for his lesson or anytime in his class, it’s free for me. I very happy to hear that, but I still don’t want to go back. I don’t have to worry about paying one teacher, but I still worry about paying for other seven teachers in other subjects.

Since then I never go back to school again. Until 1999 my mother was very sick and she had to go to Phnom Penh to check her health, she took my two youngest sisters with her and left me and all my brothers in Koh Kong. I want to go with my mother, I try to talk to her but she doesn’t wants to take me, so I decide to go to hide in the boat before my mother get into the boat. After the boat leaving I come out and smile at my mother, I know I will be in trouble, my mother was very angry and she hits me very hard in the boat, then she have to take me with her.

Mie-Mie, one of my ex-boss daughter

I arrived Phnom Penh in 1999 and stay in my aunt house until end of 2000. One day I listen to radio, there is an advertisement, looking for ladies to go to work as house keepers in Malaysia. The first time I heard the promotion, I very interested, I write down the address and the telephone number to keep. I was thinking about it all the time. Next three days I decide to go and talk to my parent about going to Malaysia. My father said NO absolutely NO! I begging him and explain him that I need to do some work, I don’t want to stay home and keep asking money from him… my father love me more than anyone else, and he doesn’t wants me to go anywhere far away from him, he still said NO to my idea, and he said no more discussion about this again. I went to talk with my mother and she is agreed, she think it’s make good money I should do it. So my mother had a talk with my father about let me go to Malaysia, my father said: I still have ability to look after my children, and family, they don’t need to go to work as a house keeper for anyone or anywhere!. My parent had a big fight again because of me, and I told them I love them so much because they are my parent doesn’t matter what they do I will always grateful them, please don’t fight, and this time I will make my own decision, doesn’t matter you both like it or not. I decide to go to Malaysia and nothing will stop me.

I go straight to pack my bag, then go to training center, my father was very disappointed and said: If you leave now, don’t have to come back anymore… and from now on I’m not your father anymore, you can’t do anything, you will come back after one month,

Joeu, Youngest daughter

I warranty!. I very sad to hear what he said, but I still keep going… and it is the first time that I go out by myself. I never know Phnom Penh, even I stay there for awhile, because wherever I go I never go alone, it’s different this time I go alone and I don’t know, if I make the right decision or not, however all I think about is that, I want to go my own way, moving on with my life, do something useful with my life time.

Life in Training center: After I enroll to go to Malaysia to work, the company takes me to their training center, and introduces me to all the people who living there; they tries to explain me don’t be scared. I know no one in training center the first time. I never live with a lot of people in one place like this. In Training Center there are nearly two hundreds people who waiting for their visa to go to Malaysia, I became one of them since then. A few days letter the teacher in the center asked me to cut my hair very short like a boy, and they make me study simple English with everyone in training center. Everyday in the training center, everyone have to get up at 5am to exercises, after that go to take shower come down have breakfast then go to study, after that is lunch time, everyone go to have their lunch. after lunch time they have two hours break, some people watch TV some people take a nap, some people go out to visit their family. The break time I always read what the teacher had teach. The firs month I was in training center, I try to follow the rules, respect what the teacher said, and everything seem going very well the teacher start like me very much, because I get to know them and they get to know me… then I become lazy like other. Everyone have their own schedule, to cook, to clean, to do the house work every months… and I never do the cooking or any cleaning because I don’t know how, and I lazy, plus it’s didn’t get pay for that, so I never want to do it. The teacher never angry with me they always talk very nicely to me, and explain that, if I want to finish the contract in Malyasia, I have to do the work from now, and they telling me because they care about me. I told them I promise I will finish my contract in Malaysia, but I don’t want to do the work in center, and I don’t want to get up at 5am it’s too early for me. However, the teacher thinks I still have to do like everyone, so they keep an eye on me, to make sure I do everything like other people. When everyone get up to go for exercise at 5am I still sleeping and the teacher come up stair to call me to go down… I very naughty that time, I tell the teacher go first, I will go after you soon. After the teacher gone I go back to sleep under the bed, that everyone was tidy up very high, so no one can find me. I do like that every day, until the teacher didn’t follow up anymore. The teacher never angry with me from not follow them, because I never miss English class, I always do my home works, I always getting A for all the questions, so one thing I good at is, study!

My ex-boss in Malaysia and me in her house.

The thirst months, in training center, some people started dislike me, because they think I never do the cooking, cleaning or any dishes, all I do is to study and the teacher never scold me, but if other people don’t do it the teacher scold them in front of everyone. They all comes into group and talked to the teachers, they tells the teachers that: Nika will never finish her contract because she never do anything, in the center at all, and she doesn’t know how to cook, clean or dishes… she can’t go to work in Malaysia because she is not standard enough, she will embarrasses the company. After hear that I very said and I start crying, and don’t know what to say, because I think they are right, I don’t know anything, but I always think I can learn when I arrived in Malaysia, my boss can teach me. Some of people I know in the center they fight back for me…trying to defenses me by saying: you are jealous because Nika doesn’t have to do all this craps, and you have to! but she does study and she could speak English better than you, she study faster than you, so you said like that just because you jealous! You want to she goes, so teacher like you more! Then the fight starting bigger and bigger, until in one center have two big parties!

I started feel terrible, for everything that happened, I never living away from my family that long and I don’t know all this people, I never know that there are a lot of bad people, you cold see how they look like, but you never know what they thinking… and all I want is to go back home. However, I still want to win my father, and to make him know that I could do it. So I keep staying in training center. November 2001 I got the visa to go to work in Malaysia, all my teachers was very happy for me, but they also worries about me as I never do anything before. After five months in training center on 11^th November 2001, I finally move to Malaysia, live in Kulalumpor.