A day with Tirah, the housemaid

A day with Tirah, the housemaid

Tirah, 30, is employed as a housemaid in a Central Jakarta
home. A former housewife in her native Lampung, South Sumatra,
she arrived in Jakarta eight months ago to earn some money after
her husband left for the capital and never returned. She's now
the sole provider for her three children. Tirah spoke to The
Jakarta Post's contributor William Furney.

JAKARTA (JP): "Three of us get up at 3 a.m. to eat. The others
are Christian. We cook rice and vegetables and chat about this
and that. Then it's back to bed for a while. Just before 5 a.m.,
we get up and wash and then pray for about 10 minutes. That's how
my day begins during Ramadhan.

The first thing I do is clean the house and afterwards go to
the local market to buy chickens, vegetables, fish and other
things for the family and also for us. The daily budget is
between Rp 50,000 and Rp 70,000. I've got lots of friends at the
market and we chat about cooking and how the various spices and
foods can be used together.

I get back to the house at about 9 a.m. and put the vegetables
in the refrigerator and wash the chickens. The people of the
house are Muslim, but some of them don't fast as they are quite
elderly. So I have to cook throughout the day, starting from 10
a.m.

Five people work and live here, including maids like me who
wash, clean and cook, a handyman, driver and a nursemaid, as
there's a baby in the house. They're nice people and we get on
very well. I've been working as a maid here for eight months now.
It's my first job. I got married when I left school and was a
housewife. My husband was a farm laborer in Lampung, and when I
was five months pregnant with our third child, he said he wanted
to work in Jakarta. He told me he was going to Tanjung Priok
(North Jakarta) to find work and I haven't seen him since. I've
no idea where he is. He's from Java and I've written to his
parents asking if they know anything. But they haven't replied.
We've been married for nine years now and I don't know what I'll
do if he doesn't come home. I'm not angry with him, though. He
said he had to go find money because his salary on the farm in
Lampung was very small, even though he has never sent any money
back to us. Our eldest child is 12 and is in junior high school;
the youngest is four.

So I had to find work to support the family. I heard about
this job from a friend and asked my mother to take care of the
children. I was earning Rp 150,000 per month when I started here,
and now it's been increased to Rp 200,000. I get two days off per
month, but I've been home to Lampung twice. Ibu gave me a 10-day
break to see my children. She understands my situation.

I'm really looking forward to Lebaran (Idul Fitri, the post-
fasting celebration scheduled for Dec. 27 and Dec. 28 this year).
I get a bonus of Rp 200,000 so I'll have Rp 400,000. Usually I
take two buses to Merak (West Java), then the ferry to Sumatra
and another bus to Lampung. It's a terrible journey -- very long
and dangerous. The buses are always full of people and often it's
hard to find a seat. And there are many devious people who try to
steal money or luggage from passengers. You have to be alert all
the time; if not, something will be taken.

I'm going home for Lebaran on Dec. 20 with a private travel
firm. I've already ordered my ticket. It normally costs Rp 40,000
but at this time of the year it's Rp 100,000, which is more
expensive than the average fare of Rp 25,000 if I went by bus and
ferry. There are just nine passengers in the minibus or Kijang
and it's direct from door to door. It's also much safer and more
comfortable.

I cook again in the afternoon. It's not that difficult to cook
and fast at the same time. I don't mind it. But I'm glad when the
evening comes and it's time to break the fast. I'll have a sweet
fruit drink, pray and then have the evening meal.

There's not that much to do at night. We sit around in the
kitchen talking and watching TV. These days, the talk is about
the holiday and what we've bought as presents for our families. I
got some new clothes for the children in the local market.

I never thought I'd work as a maid. But I don't mind it that
much. It'd be much nicer to live with my family in Lampung but
someone has to earn money to buy food. It's hard when I have to
leave home to come back to Jakarta. It's a sad time. I write to
the children once a month to let them know how I am and to tell
them to be good. I also write to my parents, hoping they are
still healthy.

Bedtime is about 10 p.m. I curl up thinking about Lebaran with
the children and hoping my husband is there."