OHANA (1)
Introducing the project
“Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.” — Lilo and Stitch (2002)
Looking at this picture, I can remember her face and her voice. But why couldn’t I remember her name?
Ever since I was little, I grew up with another figure that is not my mother. She has multiple jobs to complete throughout the day. Not only does she have to look after me, she also helps out with the kitchen and clean the rooms. It’s a job that does not start at 9 or end at 5pm. It starts before I wake up, as she prepares for the day and ends after I have fallen asleep. To think of it now, it’s a job full of circumstances and uncertainties. At the same time, it is full of routine work and habits. I called her my second mom. She was my caretaker.
It is only when I asked my mother for me to get to know her name. Her name was “Mintra”, or “Min” for short. We all call her “P’Min”, referring to her as a big sister. She took care of me since I was a newborn but left midway through kindergarten as she left her job to get married. Soon, a new lady came to replace her, “Ratree”. We no longer kept in contact with Min. Our relationships “ended” the moment she left, and this goes for the same for any other caretakers that I have bonded with up until now.
Upon coming to Japan, it was the first time to live alone in absence of the helpers. Every time I return, there may be some new faces, but my attitude had shifted from nonchalance to curiosity. I began to reflect on my own behavior and grew interested in their experiences having to live under someone else’s roof. I drew similarities to my own multicultural experiences being abroad to their experiences of constantly “being on the move”, and “moving on” as we part. Therefore, I would like to dedicate my graduation project to the helpers as I explore different methods to for both of us to connect with our past. Particularly, I am interested in how we can create a sense of belonging while making connections with people in the “family”.
The “helpers”
In the summer break, I went back to Thailand and began observing individuals working at my home. I began taken fieldnotes upon informal “interviews” that are taken in the kitchen. Interviews are informal in that they are reflexive questions surrounding everyday life yet reveals their way of thinking and reflections on their past experiences. In this project, the kitchen had been a key place where most comfortable interactions can be made. It has been the place where a large deal of social exchanges can be seen. While there are roles to be accomplished, there were leeway for the establishment of such loose ties and activities, such as playing with the children, or intimate conversations. Thereon, I had focused on the time in the kitchen, specifically lunch and dinner time where everyone gathers, though not necessarily sharing the same experience of having a meal.
There are five individuals that I would like to introduce:
Sorn is the only Thai housekeeper who came to our home in the beginning of 2018. She mainly cleans the rooms and looks after the kitchen.
Ae and Pong-pong came from Myanmar. Ae is Som’s little sister who had once lived with us before she had left to return to Myanmar. Ae lives came soon after she had given birth to “Sa thu pong”, whom we call “Pong-pong” for short. Unlike others she goes home every night to a rented apartment to stay with her husband, who works in the factory.
Ae (geos by Chit Lay in Myanmarese) and Chanon lives close by and works in my cousin’s household. Chanon is 11 months old and is a popular member among both the helpers and my family. They lives in the room in my cousin’s home with her husband who works for my aunt in the gardens.
Stereotyping the “particular”
Domestic worker, nanny, maids are all strong words with stereotypical connotations. To many, it may feel derogatory, for it reflects the society where wealth inequity is inherent. I had felt a strong dislike towards these words and what it connotes. However, it is not too far from the truth. It cannot be argued that there is an economic element where helpers are paid for their labor. The lifestyle of the employer and the employee is strikingly different despite being in the same household, hence reflects the differences in education, health access, opportunities and mobility. It is difficult to not overlook these differences: for it is apparent in all sorts of actions and exchanges. The kitchen had been the common ground where while activities that refer to social inequity is displayed, but at the same time most interactions are made. Thinking beyond the label “domestic worker”, was fundamental to overcome the stereotypes embedded in the word.
Overcoming the barrier
Since beginning the project, the main problem established is the social and economic differences between me and my research participants. Being the “employer’s daughter” had put me in a difficult position to fairly ask everyone to be in the study. Thus, building trust had been the key theme and motivation to my study. In the next article, I would like to discuss in more detail of my methodologies during the summer break.
@ 慶應義塾大学 加藤文俊研究室学部４年生の「卒業プロジェクト」の成果報告です（2019年10月１日時点）
