“When are you going home?” This is one of the most frequently asked questions to a domestic worker, and it can mean two things. First, going home for a holiday – the usual set-up is that a domestic worker has a one-week annual leave, so in the span of two years, which is the duration of a standard contract, we are only allowed to go home and see our family for two weeks (less in some cases). The luckier ones among us may be able to go home whenever our employers go on a holiday themselves.
The question can also mean going home for good, which is a dream for some, especially those who have been here for a long time. It means the end of their life as a “helper” or “maid”, and that they have finally accomplished their goals, the goals they had in their minds when they chose to leave home and their family. So yes, “going home” is very important for us.
