JOE, 29 YEARS

My name is Joe Welson but my relatives and friends call me Jay for short. I am 28 years old and currently residing in Antipolo City Rizal, Philippines. I have 2 kids my firstborn is a boy and he’s 11 years old. My youngest kid is a girl and she just turned 7 last February 3, 2023. I use to be a caretaker of a property (House,Villa) that was owned by another relative of mine. There I was able to learn how to do household chores such as doing the laundry, washing the plates, cleaning the house, watering the plants, and many more. While taking care of my Aunt’s property I also do basic caretaking since my Aunt asked me to look after my grandmother and a 3-year-old toddler which is my nephew. Back then I was just 13 years old and I’m very grateful, at a very young age I was able to learn to do all of the house chores aside from what I have mentioned above I also learned how to prepare and cook food(Filipino Cuisine). Taking care of an elderly and a toddler which I find challenging back then since I’m used to just taking care of myself, going to school, and having fun with my friends after class. After 2 years of staying with my grandmother and my nephew who is just a 3-year-old toddler back then. My grandmother passes away due to pneumonia. It was hard to adjust at first since there were only 3 of us on my Aunt’s property. As time goes by I’m not sure if I am suffered from separation anxiety. I started dating to cope with my anxiety. That’s when I met my live-in partner and now we have 2 kids. From there I have learned that being a caretaker and being a father is a totally different roles. I realize that being a father is a 24/7 job without pay that requires all of my attention for me to complete my task. I find it difficult at first, but whenever I see my partner and kids happy it shrugs off all of my stress. I wrote this letter to share a short story about my life. In that way, you would understand why I wanted to be an Au Pair abroad. I wanted to give my kids a better life wherein they can buy and eat whatever they want.