Yaya, finally!

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It's mid year already and this is my first post.  I haven't had a regular non-psychotic Yaya since January of 2013.  So yes, hence the sporadic posts.

I didn't grow up rich, but we've always had a Yaya and a househelp at home.  And they stayed with us for years, up until they get married and ever after.  But these days, good and realiable househelps are so hard to come by.

The horrors of looking for a yaya.  I'm not even talking about a great one, I just want one who can clean the house and wash plates.  But no!  The first one we got didn't want to stay in, she found the our village too quiet.  Apparently, she's a party girl at 43 years old.  Once, she even came back from her day off with a hangover.  Buti pa si Yaya gumigimik pa! LOL

The second Yaya we hired from my Mom's hometown, so we paid for her airfare from Cagayan de Oro to Laguna.  She was a fresh high school graduate at 20.  She was full of stories about her friends who were unemployed and not eating 3 meals a day.  I wanted to help her by giving her a job, and also thereby helping her family.  The next day after she arrived, she asked to go home.  Really?!  Seriously?!  So we let her.

The 3rd was the worse.  She was 45 and came highly recommended.  But OMG!  She didn't know how to cook, let along clean the house, she can't even clean herself up.  She was so stinky!  It was so gross.  She was also such a chismosa.  She made our neighbors' yayas turn against each other and we've been neighbors since 2008 with no issues at all.

The fourth one was the worst.  Yes, worst.  When we screened the yayas, we told them that we live in a village thats very quiet, so you'll be battling homesickness more than anything.  She was still very interested since she needed to send her daughter to school, and she looked responsible enough at 39.  So we hired her.  She took a cash advance for 5k and then two weeks after needed another advance to send to her mother and sister who were sick.  A week after that, she asked for another advance for her daughter's tuition.  I don't take out all their cash advance when I give them their salary, I only take a portion so they will still have "take home pay".  She asked for another month's cash advance, I had to set limits and told her that we'll give her the advance, but won't allow her anymore advances until everything is paid up.  We needed leverage as well.... and that's when all hell broke loose.  She was crying and calling me names and even threatened to kill herself.  That's when I said to leave if she plans on hurting herself.  I then brought myself and my son to our room, 10 mins later when I checked on her, she was already gone.  With over 7k worth of cash advances.

So now, we have a new one.  She's a Yaya we've had back in 2012 for about 6 months.  She went home coz, again, she was homesick.  Now she has a 1 year old kid and the kid's dad doesn't have any permanent work.  We've liked her before and we're liking her more now.  She cooks well, she does things without us telling her what to do.  She cleans well and she's quiet when she works.  She's not perfect of course, but we can live with that.  I've even discussed SSS and PhilHealth with her.  I really hope she stays with us, and yes, we pray for her and of her.