I arrived at the Greek airport after such an agonising
trip. I was exhausted and very confused. I did not know
where we were going, and we arrived at 7 pm instead of 8
pm. I saw people who were standing with tags which had
people's names written on them. I supposed it was for those
people that arrived that day with us, for them to know who
they were with and where they were going.
It was extremely hot, and although I am used to hot
weather, the weather was more humid. I was introduced to
the family that I was going to assist as a housemaid, and
they were kind. I met the current housekeeper, and she was
from Philippines, and was also nice to me. By now, though,
I was tired and very hungry.
I was shown a small room where I was going to sleep, and
wondered how long I would be staying here. The room and
window were so small it would drive me mad. I was given
supper, which had chicken and fish, which my sister used to
cook. I ate it all up and enjoyed it very much. I feared the
uncertainty, though. This was a new place, new surroundings.
I knew little of the family that had taken me on, and what they
thought of me as I was black and from Africa.
It was extremely hot. The family had another carer, a
Filipino, who had arrived in the morning. I was already up
by that time. I followed her all over like a dog following its
master. I wanted to learn a lot of things during this time. I
envied her knowledge and I decided this was my time to put
in everything I knew, everything that I had learned in the
past. I knew this was the time to learn from her and put
everything in good use. I was confused still, but not missing
the family that much. I had a job, therefore I needed to
concentrate if I really wanted this to work out for me, and I
did. I knew what I was doing was for my children back home.
This needed to be done, and I was going to focus on my job
and see it through.
I knew there would be little contact with family for a
while.
On my second day I slept like a baby, and in the
morning I had a shower, and then I joined the family. This
was when I met their only son; they were a grown couple,
and only had one child. I introduced myself and at least he
could speak back to me in English. I was hoping to get
along with him, as he appeared to be the apple of their eyes.
I wondered what this boy thought of me, presumably I was
very anxious as I did not want to make any mistakes.
Later that same day I met up with two ladies after doing
all the house chores. We went to the market, and I watched
how Greek people sold their products. My thoughts raced
back to the market in South Africa, where normally this job
was done by black women or men. I realised that there were
many differences in culture and lifestyle. Also, one thing
that stuck in mind was how small the streets and houses
were. I felt like I was starting to let my guard down.
That week went by with little change. I was thinking
more about my children, though. I knew I was alone, but I
knew if things got bad, I had bought a return ticket and
could always return home. But I was not going to go back
that easily, as I knew I would struggle if I returned. I had to
try harder, but it was so difficult for me.
My mind was racing, but I reminded myself that I am a
God-fearing person, and I did believe he was going to
forsake me, my belief was strong. This time I prayed, I
thought of my children back home. I was given the news
that the other carer was admitted to hospital as she was
extremely sick.
I wished I was back in South Africa. I felt useless that
I did not have any control of my life. At the same time, I
felt like an open book. I did not make any decisions as
everything was decided for me. I felt the humiliation. I felt
empty and there were so many questions going through my
mind. So many thoughts and questions, all of which I had
no answer to. It was a scary situation and I felt helpless to
do anything about it. I had an upset stomach, and the
Filipino lady remained in hospital.
I knew deep down that this was not the job that I had
travelled so far to do. I needed to come up with a decision
quickly. I was not even familiar with Greece. I had just
arrived, and I didn't really know anyone. It seemed my best
bet was try and speak to the Filipino when she came out of
hospital and to ask for her help. It was my only way
forward. And this was a good decision for me as she had
been to Greece for a very long time and so was familiar with
her surroundings. And not only that, she would know places
I could go if I wanted a job. She mentioned that I was
welcome to live with her and her sister until I found a job,
so I packed my bags and left.
I stayed with this lady and her family while I got myself
another job. I worked for a family who had a business in the
city centre and travelled with them to work in their car.
However, it wasn't long before I got myself another job
for a family whose children were grown up and seldom at
home. This was in a three-storey house near the sea, with
en-suite bathroom and huge lounge and bedrooms. The
family had decided to go on holiday, and I had to go along
with them.
We were going on holiday to a place called Specks; and
while it was different to anything I was used to, I was happy
being on the island. I was like a child in a candy shop. The
holiday spirit was high, and the son was spoiled rotten.
We went to another island in July called Kifissia and
the family drove to one of the seaports. We passed through
a place their friend lived as she was going to join us. The
lady had two boys, and suddenly, the car became crowded,
although it was one of those fancy Land Rovers.
We arrived at the seaport about midday, and again we
met another friend of theirs. I was not informed about her
and I assumed there was no need to be, after all, I was a
worker, although it would have been nice to have been
introduced. After a while I knew her name; it was KP. Her
husband was an old man, and they had a dog called Dani,
which was small and loud.
I found most of the Greek men loved young women, as
their wives looked younger. Although I did not meet the
other woman's husband, everything was okay. We boarded
a ship called The Dolphin for the first time and everyone
was speaking the Greek language; we were all inside this
ship and it was like being on an aeroplane. I sat next to one
of their friends next to the window. I was surprised because
it was not as fast as I expected, but we moved, and people
looked relaxed. I was the only black girl on the ship, which
did not bother me. If you wanted you could go and stand by
the balcony, where many people would go to smoke or just
take in the view. It was breathtaking. I could see everything.
I felt terribly humbled by this experience, although the
thought of my children lingered on. I was at sea for the very
first time. It was so blue, and I had never seen so much
water in my entire life.
I was very quiet as I stood on the balcony, but it just got
too crowded, as most people on deck were smokers, and I
did not like that. I was a non-smoker. I went back to my seat
to rest for a while, but it was too noisy as there were many
children around.
We had one more stop and it was in Spitzes, and it was
terribly hot. We sat and had lunch, so I ordered spaghetti,
which turned out to be delicious. The children were a
handful, though, and I knew that I would be afforded little
time to rest. I was there to work after all, not as their friend.
We got off the boat and waited for a taxi, but there were
only two taxis that operated on the island. This was due to
the hills and narrow roads, so much of the transport was by
way of horses or motorbikes.
One of their friends was unable to walk far because she
had a stitch. She was moving very slowly, which made me
wonder why she had come here at all.
The family could not hire a horse, which I would have
loved to have experienced, so we had to walk up the hill to
where we were supposed to be staying. It was so hot; we
passed a few small houses before we finally arrived at our
destination. It had been a difficult walk up the hill in
extreme temperatures, and while people always say that hot
temperatures shouldn't bother me due to coming from a hot
continent, this was noticeably different, as there was no
breeze, and it was very humid.
It was a nice house and comfortable, with two
bedrooms. I believe one of the bedrooms was for their son,
but he been left behind as he had gone to visit his
grandparents. The bedroom had two single beds and there
was a beautiful view of the sea from the window. For some
reason, one of their friends had brought a coat. I didn't ask
why.
The parents had the main room, and the children were
left to the other bedroom, which meant that I would sleep
on the two-seater sofa.
The window in the room would not open, however, and
the noise from the children made it very difficult for me to
rest. In the end I volunteered to sleep downstairs in a room
that had a double bed and built-in wardrobes. All the floors
were tiled, and it was home and a life that I could easily
have fallen in love with.
It was hot and humid, but there were times when the
wind would be blowing. Downstairs there was the kitchen
and dining room, with a room full of their pictures. It was
well organised throughout.
The sitting room had a bigger sofa so I was happy to
sleep there, and I could sit outside next to the swimming
pool. I wanted to swim but I was nervous, considering it
had been many years since I had been swimming. The
Greeks loved to have an afternoon nap, something I could
not do although I wanted to. After all, I was working, and
not on holiday. The pay was not that good, though better
than what I was getting in South Africa.
I eventually left this family and met up with the Filipino
lady that was in hospital. She took me to her flat where she
was living with her sister, but I did not stay with them for a
long time. In Greece, jobs were not difficult to find, and I
got another job and stayed there for another year. I missed
my children so much, and not only that, but my sister who
I had been sending money to for the children to go to
boarding school, had passed away, so I was forced to return
home from Greece.
It was nice to see my children once again, though only
for a brief time, but at least I knew that they were safe.
Children are better off living with their parents, but sadly this
was not the case for me. I had to be the breadwinner, and
therefore I needed to work to keep them in boarding school.
The time had come for me to leave my children once
again. I had money that I had saved while working in
Greece, so I was ready to begin my journey once more. This
was a difficult time for me, but I wanted to give my children
the best that I was able to provide.
Such is my maternal bond, after working for a year in
1998 I decided to return to Zimbabwe to see them, as I was
missing them very much. They were now in various
boarding schools. If my mother was still alive, she would
have been very proud of me.
I have achieved so much, and I have managed to buy a
house in Oxford which I call mine.
To you my mother, will you rest in peace, and you will
never be forgotten by me.
My mother with her son-in-law David, at home by the
village
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