Keeping a Proper Perspective When Doing Part-time Caregiving Gigs!

I would do caregiving gigs every now and then, and which is happening right now as I write this. My client (yes, we call them 'clients') lies on his bed now and trying to get a nap while the TV is blasting from its perch. And I was figuring what else to do as I keep my eyes open and ears clear so I'd be there with him the next time he calls.

Fortunately, he still has his marbles on. But he's basically retired from his lawyering work unless he decides again that he could be fit enough to fight against extreme pain the challenges of age and waning health. I won't discuss here his actual medical condition. But he's been complaining so much about pain whenever he's on his feet. Using a walker, he manages to walk somehow here in his 1-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn. People advise him to walk, even if it would mean more pain for him.

I like to agree with those people who have been advising him. It's a pain in the ass just to keep on encouraging him to move around, do exercises and more. I guess he's never been fond of physical activities even when he was younger. But the truth of the matter is that he can only go back to his old physically healthy self if he ignores the pain as he goes about being physically active. "No pain, no gain" as some would say.

I take pains myself while I do my yoga almost daily. I suffer from humiliation everytime I dance with others and they would notice my sweaty hands. At home, I do household works and other errands almost daily and whenever I have the chance. And I make part of my money for my living needs from leveraging these activities to my bank account's advantage. Someone else's loss has been my gain.

As I continue doing these caregiving gigs, I ask myself: "Am I really helping these clients of mine?" I'm beginning to wonder if I'm being smart about these assignments. A lot of other Filipinos all over the USA are into these caregiving gigs, such that some people (who I assume would rather be dead than do these kinds of gigs) would be prejudiced against people who are making their money from doing caregiving gigs. I know so many Filipinos who are doing these jobs such that some of them ask me to cover for them when they want to go on vacation. Many realize that they have to enjoy their days-off to regain their sanity and health from doing these gigs. Some of these gigs are very demeaning, honestly. And many such gigs are perceived to be not the ideal honest way of making money, especially if you're overeducated, a professional back in the Philippines, or simply whiling around your time here in the USA waiting for something better to happen. And in hierarchical societies such as the Philippines, these jobs are not exactly among the most desired jobs that any young person would like to pursue.

In the meantime, I'll keep on encouraging my client. I can only wish he'd help himself, despite extreme pain, to engage more and more often in physical activities. I'm keeping my perspective that I could have been the client if I wasn't doing these part-time gigs. And it's too soon for me to have that now.

On Always Being Mistaken as a Mexican (or Another South American Country) Here in NYC

Once again, someone who's a stranger was chatting with me and she thought I was 'Mexican'. I had to correct her right away, and tell her 'I'm Filipino'. I would usually say 'Yo soy Filipino.' Now, I have experienced being with other Asians and some of them would not correct me right away if I would mistake them for coming from another Asian country other than their true Mother Country. For example, I've met several South Koreans who would not tell me right away if they're  South Koreans even if I guessed wrongly they're Japanese. I don't know exactly why would they do that.

My point in these mistaken identities is that they indicate something about those nations that stick to the mind of the one asking me. I could always assume they're prejudiced, biased of clinging to something relatively untrue. I sense some are actually malicious, especially because I feel they're using as bases their questions on outward looks. It's a perception thing for most people. And I have to learn that most of these questions are heart-felt and authentic, even if they can sound negative to me.

But then again, being thought of as Mexican (by some malicious persons) is not exactly a bad thing. Mexico is among the world's biggest, major economies. And I have a special fondness for Mexicans as they behave strangely very similar to folks I know back in the Philippines. It's not difficult to imagine that, as Mexico and the Philippines were linked culturally at least a 100 years before the Philippines got its own independence from Spain in 1898. Check history books and you'll be amazed at finding about details of these links. And more, a place called 'Mexico, Pampanga' is located in the Philippines. For hundreds of years, Mother Spain administered the Philippines thru Mexico. The word 'palengke', which is Mexican, is used most extensively and understood to refer to a local market. And with that main note here, I like to believe I'm taking lead by claiming these notions to my advantage.