Estrella

Background Information

Estrella is a sixty four year-old female. She works as a house helper in a family of two old people. She is the eldest among her five siblings. When she was young, she lived in Dumaguete with her family. Her parents were sugarcane farmers. She said that her parents were strict. Every time that one of them got a mistake, everybody would suffer the punishment. So she said that everyone is responsible to everyone. That was how their parents nurtured them. Because her parents said that they only have each other so they should take care of each other. She did not attend schooling unlike her siblings. Yet she said that she have learned a lot in life.  She also said that every time her parents were away working in the farm, she was the one responsible to her siblings and the households. They had a vegetable crops on their backyard, which she was taking care of. Every weekends she sold it to the market together with her brothers and sisters. She added that she was happy every week ends because this is the time when she can socialize to their neighborhood through parties and some little social gatherings.

 At the age of fifteen, she learned her parents’ trade. She said that working in the farm was harder compared to working as a house helper. For the reason that in the farm, the sunlight is directly on them. She said that it felt like her head was burning due to heat. She also added that if she would not work, they would not eat. Every day together with their neighbors they went, worked and went back home from the farm at the same time.

When she turned 23, she fell in love to one of her neighbor who was also a farmer. They married and had 4 children. She said that her life back then was like her parents’ life. Working in the morning and feeding their children in the evening. Her marriage life was sometimes on its downside but more of the time happy. Because she said their life there was simple. Their foods were vegetables which they harvested. Her husband died at the age of 50 while they were in the farm.

When all of her children have their own lives, she decided to change her lifestyle and went to Bulacan. She worked as a house helper and a babysitter. One reasons she chose to live in Bulacan because she wanted to taste other foods, because she was getting used to leafy foods. Her work here is easier compared to Dumaguete according to her.

One day her sight became blurry, it worsen day by day until it became totally blind. She felt so hopeless. She could not do anything. She also had a hard time going from place to place. She even bumped her head. The only thing she counted on is God. She said that she always asked God to heal her. Then one day, her boss told her that they will put her to a doctor. Her operation on her eyes were successful. She can see now. She is so thankful to her boss. Moreover, she said that she knows her boss’s personality so even though they always shouted at her and ask to buy something from a far place, she gets used to it. She also said working as a house helper is better than begging and stealing.