sts-x-assignment

[sts-x-assignment]

TANAEL, Mary Antonette DP.

2012-20408

STS THX

 One glance at them and you’d think they’re all Filipinas. Or Malaysians. Or Singaporeans. After all, they bear a striking resemblance with each other. They have the same sleek black hair. Sun-kissed skin, or a fair complexion tinted with yellow. But you’ll realize you’re wrong once they speak in their own glorious tongues. They’re girls of different ages, from various walks of life. They all hail from the countries sprawled in Southeast Asia. Aside from that, another thing they have in common is this: they all have their own dreams. Their own aspirations. One that they cherish deeply inside their hearts.

 *

 Her friends have always wanted to visit Japan, desperate to catch a glimpse of the Sakura trees in full bloom. Some dream of promenading in the gardens of France, or posing in front of the Eiffel tower. Or the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It’s always the same countries, the same big names. She has been perpetually confounded—why venture so far when they have other stunning places in their midst? She, for one, has always wanted to visit Thailand. Explore its floating market, meet its people. Then she’s also deeply fascinated by Cambodia’s rich history of kingdoms and gleaming gold temples. There’s Vietnam’s famous coffee. Singapore’s modern marvels. The list is endless. She wonders why they would want to be somewhere else.

 * 

Several women will do anything to be in her position right now. She’s working as a programmer in one of the most prestigious companies in the country, flanked by brilliant male colleagues. Their eyes sweep over her in a way that makes her flinch; like she doesn’t belong there. But she’s more than deserving of her position. After all, she graduated at the top of her class in Nanyang Technological University. Everyone has nothing but praises for her, and so she pretends to be happy, performing remarkably in her job. She can’t complain, not when there are tons of others who remain unemployed. She decides to marry, thinking it will make her life somewhat more fulfilling. But now they expect her to be a doting mother and an exceptional employee. Sometimes, she just wants to breathe. She hopes that a time will come where she can wake up feeling free. When there’s nothing shackling her anymore. Nothing suffocating her.

 *

 They don’t like her job. Not her parents. Even though they forced her into this. They gaze at her with a mixture of pity and repugnance, and she begins to hate them even more. Her boyfriend sometimes beat her over it, and so she has to spend a lot of time covering her unsightly bruises with makeup before meeting with her customers. It might turn them off. Make them pay less. She has come to despise the dark rooms and the sense of claustrophobia they give her. She abhors the men’s sweating bodies, their insufferable stench. Especially when their flesh come in contact with hers. She shudders at the very thought, and she often finds herself crying soundlessly at night. But this is the only life she has ever known. The only way she can feed her starving siblings. The only path she can give to her younger sisters. But, she hope, not to her future daughter. She vows that by then, her life will have changed for the better.

 * 

There are many other tales. Of women who are duped into believing that they will be sent abroad, but only ended up throwing away months of savings to pay for the agency’s “necessary fees”. Of women leading deplorable lives in the slums, hoping for better opportunities. Of those who hope that they can still recover after their houses got ravaged by typhoons, waiting patiently for the reliefs that the officials promised. Local aid. International aid. Of girls desperately seeking for a scholarship so they can finally pursue their studies in Singapore or Thailand. There are endless stories. Endless woes. Endless dreams.

 And there’s the ASEAN, always working in the background. Hoping to provide a better place for everyone.