True Stories of Sacrifice, Misery and Triumph by a Filipina Caregiver

PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE - Redefining Community News

Currents & Breaking News
Feature
Volume 4, Issue No. 28
/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /
 . . . . . A community service of Philippine Village Voice (PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . . . . .

The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Thursday, August 5, 2010
~ Shedding a tear or two is inevitable while reading these stories of Filipino women toiling long hours in strange lands for the precious dollar that would allow their families to lead decent lives. Back home the opportunities are rare if non-existent, so they steel themselves and prepare for what fate may bring them as caregivers. One sad story leads to another, and another, more or less having the same circumstances of sacrifice, misery and triumph. Analyn D. Aryo -- caregiver, author, nanny -- writes "Nanny Tales" and makes a vivid portrayal of who these women are, why they dare do the back-breaking grind, and how they manage to maintain their dignity in the face of despair.

Analyn D. Aryo shows a copy of her book "Nanny Tales"

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AUTHOR ANALYN D. ARYO
'Nanny Tales' of Sacrifice, Misery and Triumph
Documented in a Book by Filipino Caregiver


By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

TORONTO - Analyn D. Aryo was halfway through getting her masters in agriculture at Benguet State University in the Philippines when she decided to embark on a different route, away from the academe and into a strange new world she had no difficulty conquering.

Now again, she looks into the future brighter than when she rolled into its unchartered course a few years ago in Hongkong and lately, here in Toronto.

The plant pathology major literally uprooted herself from Benguet where she was born and raised, to face the challenges of being part of a large family handicapped by lack of opportunities.

From a would-be agriculturist, she transformed herself, embraced her own reality, and went into something any Filipino, man or woman, can good-naturedly provide -- caregiving. Be it to strangers or family, the legendary Filipino hospitality is heartily shared. That, in a sense, is caregiving.

Analyn, now 30, is a caregiver, one of the many thousands of Filipinos who comfort and attend to families with kids and elders requiring a watchful eye and a diligence to serve.

Some people might find it surprising that the youthful-looking nanny is university-educated and has the facility to express herself orally or in writing in a language not her own.

But that is typical of Filipino caregivers, housekeepers, nannies, or what have yous, who have settled in Toronto and elsewhere in Canada. They are smart and highly-educated.

In the case of Analyn, she's probably the only active caregiver who's authored a book, aptly titled "Nanny Tales".

The 160-page volume the size of a pocketbook is fictionalized to protect the featured individuals but is based on her personal experiences and stories from other nannies she met in Hongkong and Canada.

The book reads like a serial soap opera minus the acting, for the players are real people caught in life-changing situations. They could be anyone's mother, sister or neighbor enduring and suffering in silence so that those left behind could manage to live decently.

But more than the personal accounts that tug at the heart and which the book chronicles, it is the insight that gives an understanding of why these nannies would put up a strong front and gamble with life and the future.

The stake is so high, basically the welfare of their familes in the Philippines, so that the home and family -- the husband, the son and daughter -- stay intact. Still, the heart-breaking saga isn't rare when a husband breaks his vows or a son or daughter goes astray.

When Analyn made the decision to become a caregiver in Hongkong, it was largely based on her belief that it would open doors for new opportunities. "Besides," she explains in an interview, "it was the easiest to apply".

She's the sixth of seven children of an Igorot family of the Applai (Besao) and Bontoc tribes of Mountain Province.

Analyn D. Aryo autographs a copy of her book.

"There wasn't much of a personal growth," Analyn says of her work as a staff writer and layout artist at the local department of agriculture in Benguet.

She had intended to be a journalist, her writing skills honed way back when she wrote for the high school paper and later as editor of the school organ in college. In Hongkong, she wrote an editorial for the SUN newspaper and won first place. After that, she got herself involved as playwright for the stage play "Migrant Collective".

Analyn moved to Toronto in 2007 and now works as a nanny.

From the time her book came out, the usual profile of a Filipina caregiver is getting a drastic makeover. No longer are they derided, according to her.

"Those who are not caregivers now understand the caregivers. There's more appreciation for them and what they do than before," Analyn proudly states.

In the meantime, Analyn continues to attend to her chores in a household in suburban Markham. One who wouldn't boast, she quietly enjoys the peace in her anonymity as a writer and book author. Her employers don't know.

"There are some things I need to keep to myself," she stresses, as if her book "Nanny Tales" -- now out there -- would guarantee she wouldn't be found out.

(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 4, Issue no. 28, August 5, 2010. Email at: PhilVoiceNews@aol.com or CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com ).

Here's the complete set of newsvideo coverage of Caribana, North America's largest Caribbean parade, that took place on Saturday, July 31, 2010. To view, click the links:

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLzF2QNBw3U&feature=channel
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBJfXcSaX8o&feature=channel
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHLiC6wyLZo

For other stories, please visit:
1. http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/  
2. http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/  
3. http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/  .

For news videos, please visit and click the links:
1. Santacruzan in Toronto: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkE1Jk7_U6U&feature=channel
2. Beauties & Queens of Toronto: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5CCCUneQ1I&feature=channel  
3. Shirt as a Medium to Foster Pride in the Philippines: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQszB31Coq8&feature=channel  
4. Katrina Halili and the Signing Stars in Toronto: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnnQ_nV9CT0&feature=channel  
5. Toronto Mayoral Candidate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ9h4OrGl5A&feature=channel

For post-G20 summit coverage:
1. Sideshow at Bubbles for Peace Protest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UzRcsnvnSY&feature=channel
2. Bubbles for Peace Protest at Queen's Park in Toronto: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITFztAw9-5o&feature=channel

For video coverage of the G-20 summit, click the following links:
1. The other side of protest at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buJvzJm-E5A&feature=channel
2. Part I: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRYY6xhuOW8&feature=channel
3. Part II: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEX5W6Xgfy8&feature=channel
4. Part III: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWm3_GAw4Kk&feature=channel
5. Part IV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q6OMZ53xzA&feature=channel
6. Part V: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4IIek0-_ZE&feature=channel
7.Part VI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQO7om6gPro&feature=channel
8. Part VII: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icDJYp_Fx-c