On her retirement at age 70, for Estefania Castillo Tablada, there was not a single dry eye at the airport on her flight back to Manila.

Auntie Farnie, as she was lovingly called by her former employers, served the Singaporean family who took her in for 37 long years and through those times, she felt it wasn’t servitude but a life with an adopted family she came to love and care for, and the family returning the same—after all, she was a part of them.

Arriving in Singapore in 1986, even before the first Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station was built in the former British crown colony, she carried one simple dream.

As often said by most of our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), Auntie Farnie wanted to earn enough money to support her family back in the Philippines and finish funding her children’s studies. Her youngest son was only five when she decided to go to Singapore to be employed as a domestic help (DH).

But by working for the Teo family, she soon realized that there was something different—she felt unusually welcome and soon this transcended the boundaries of her work contract because it no longer was just a job to earn an income to support her family in the Philippines but rather a genuine care that eased her separation from her loved ones.

But this rapport takes time to build and much depends on the adjustment period for both employer and helper.

Hearing Farnie wax lyrical about her time working for the Teos over the phone, it’s near impossible to tell that she once felt uncomfortable around them when she initially set foot in Singapore. They were “all very strict”, she shared.

Still, she promised she would do her best and aligned with this resolve, she took it upon herself to learn Hokkien so she could communicate better with her employers.

“Then once I learnt their dialect, they were very happy and I’m also very happy. I can hear what’s their problem. I can tell them what I want, what I don’t want, so they can understand who I am,” she said with a smile.

Coincidentally, two other helpers who developed similarly tight ties with their employers were employed by the Teos’ relatives. Rosejean Librado—or Aunty Rose—was employed by the Eng household for two years before they had to relocate to China for about five years. They couldn’t take her with them, but they had enjoyed her companionship so much they stayed in touch and even introduced her to her next employer in Singapore.

Then when the Eng family returned home, Rose recommended her older sister, Rosalyn Mercado, in 2016. Affectionately known as Aunty Lyn, the 48-year-old first-time helper has worked for them since.

Now retired, Auntie Farnie feels accomplished with her grandchildren in the Philippines and a second home in Singapore.

“I was very sad when I had to go back. Even my employer cried when I went to sit (in) the airplane. I also cried,” she enthused.