Other Gathering Spots in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Despite the replication of the sense of smell, taste, sigh and sound, St.John's Cathedral (or the area immediately outside of the church) cannot provide the Filipino domestic workers with all their needs on their Sundays off. Therefore, the crowd proceeds to the other areas in the city for other type of entertainment and chores. Primarily, most Filipinos gather in the nearby shopping complex (Kota Raya, around 5 minutes walk) , which is a known gathering spot for foreign workers as many of the banks and money remittance agencies, mobile phone agents, package or freight mailing centers are located here for the convenience of immigrant workers. Some of the stores sell Filipino products and entertainment. It is here that most of the Filipinos I interviewed quoted to gather over lunch time. On the basement level of the building is the "singing boxes", simplified karaoke facility for those who long to sing. The top level of the shopping center is the food court where Filipina food is served. After lunch, most Filipinos would head to the dance club Angkasa, at the bottom level of a hotel. They would enjoy an afternoon of dancing replicated like the nightlife. The dance club is opened from 2-7 pm for the convenience of female domestic workers who need to return to their employers home before the evening.

Some Filipinos I interviewed mentioned picnicking in the Lake Gardens on their days off, usually over a special occasion like someone's b'day. The reason that this is done rarely is because the secluded location of the park and the difficulty of getting there by public transportation. I visited the Lake Gardens on a Sunday to see if any Filipinos are gathered in the park but did not find any group of Filipinos picnicking. The park is rather large and they might be dispersed so I did not manage to find them or the timing of my visit did not match their visit (I went at around 10 am on the sunday close to Christmas day) According to some domestic workers, most request to take both 24th December off (and 25th) and worked on that Sunday in order to celebrate Christmas with friends in town. Perhaps that is why the crowd observed on the 28th of December seemed fewer than expected, in all areas.

Kuala Lumpur St. Johns' Cathedral

St. John's Cathedral is nested near the Bukit Nenas forest reserve in Kuala Lumpur City. The road leading to the church is a narrow street with a sharp 90 degree turn into the church parking area. Within the church, the large number of cars clog up the access into the church. Before the mass service (church session (9:30 am) has not yet ended, many of the Filipinos have began to leave the church grounds to gather outside the area. Some have left the St. John's cathedral area to other parts of town. Filipino traders who have brought food and other goods to the area begins to set up their stalls in the immediate area outside of the church grounds. One stall was located within the church grounds and was quickly asked to relocate outside the grounds. As more and more Filipinos gather around various food stalls and clothing traders, the church gate appears to be barricaded by patrons of the various Filipino food stalls, making it difficult for vehicles that are trying to leave church grounds. As the crowd grew and vehicles became clogged up, slight conflicts begin to arise in this intersection or transition space where church goers in automobiles begin honking to clear up the congregating Filipino crowds around the entrance area.

Around the small area, approximated 2000 square feet of space. I observed the unfolding of various programs. The area consist of 5 - 7 feet sidewalks and a dead end, sheltered space (which is an locked entrance to another building). Stalls were set up by Filipinos on the sidewalks itself. Since domestic workers do not own personal vehicles, they transport most of their goods to the area via taxi. Besides the actual ready made food, they also brough along tables to display the food and chairs for themselves and fellow Fillipinos. The food traders trade both breakfast food (which range from snacks such as chicken spring roll and rice cakes) to full fledge lunch food with rice, fish and etc. It is difficult to consume these dishes standing up but there is not sitting area or facility nearby. Therefore, I observed that most patrons to these food stalls would either sit near the edge (around 4 inches in width ) of the fence surrounding the church grounds, on the ground of the sidewalk or nearby steps. Some food operators brought along stools and chairs for the convenience of fellow Filipinos. The crowd clusters in groups of four to five depending on location, usually sheltered to facilitate conversation. As time passed by, more and more vendors appear in the area, some selling bargain clothes, toys (probably for them to send back to the Phillipines), drinks and even VCDs of movies and CDs of Music from the Phillipines. Besides Filipino vendors, there were small local vendors (Malays, Chinese and Indians) who saw the gathering of Filipinos as a business opportunity to sell phone cards ( on a motorcycle), toys and others. Big corporation such as telecommunication companies (Maxis and Digi) appear in their promotion vehicles to provide mobile phone services to the Filipinos who makes large number of international calls to the Phillipines.

Nearby, large number of male (probably Filipinos) gather around two phone booths to make phone calls. They are dressed similarly in white shirts, a tie and a black slacks indicating that they might be working as a part of the church or a uniformed organization and that they don't own personal mobile phones unlike other Filipino domestic workers. Besides eating, the Filipino domestic workers would chit-chat with their friends around the area, catching up with fellow countrymates. Some even helped each other in a makeshift changing room to try on the clothing on sale. Some Filipinos are dressing up or putting on make up to get ready for their day off. While traders come and go, the crowd shrinks as Filipinos move on to other parts of town. However, as the time to the second mass nears, many locals begin to arrive for the second mass. They would pass the rows of Filipino vendors as they approach the gate but do not participate or purchase from the vendors. Most locals avoid the sight of the gathering Filipinos. It is interesting to observe the momentary confontation of "the other" as the two groups overlap in space.

As the crowd from the First mass dispersed and the place emptied out, I surveyed the area and found food trash littered around the church grounds. Church goers and administrators expressed frustration over the condition of the littered church grounds. When the crowd has dispersed, I went to inspect the toilet facilities and found that the chruch has recently renovated the facility to accommodate higher usage. The facility has mirrors, wash basins and toilets but Filipinos were using the facility as a powder room. In other words, the facility needs a separate powder or mirror area to not inconvenient other church users.

During my visit, I interviewed H*. H*is a domestic worker in a nearby suburban area, Ampang, approximately 15 minutes from the church. She was selling some Filipino snacks in baskets at the gate entrance to the church. In addition to instant food, she was also selling some cakes, well packed so that fellow Filipinos can bring it home. While interviewing her, she told me that she would come to the church via taxi with all her goods and go into church for mass with her goods and start her sales after. I asked her about the space where they are gathering and she talked about how they merely find any space available to set up camp. According to H*, they used to be allowed to set up their food stalls within the church grounds but they have been banned from doing so recently to support a local food vendor within the church. Sitting on the curbside, I asked H* if she thinks that Filipinos need a proper space to gather and share food, and why they do not picnic by bringing their own food. H* explained that the public transportation in Kuala Lumpur is inconvenient and Filipinos have to travel from far away from their employer's house to St. John's and later to other areas and therefore, it is difficult to bring their own food from home. She also said that government officials often come to the area to take away the goods traded since none of the Filipino domestic workers have a trading license and it is in fact illegal for them to conduct businesses while being employed. However, Filipinos long to taste some Filipino food on their day off and since they cannot bring their own and there isn't a space for them to picnic, they created a demand for the smell and taste of Phillipines. That is why these Filipino food are priced significantly higher than normal Malaysian vendor food (it cost me RM 1 for a spring roll, where I can get 3 from a normal Malaysian roadside trader). Since the area is located on top of a slight hill, the vendors can see the approaching government officials where they would quickly gather their goods and return into the church grounds. Government officials cannot prosecute them if they are within private grounds. I did not observe this happening on my visit but H* notes that they come to the area on every other Sunday at around 10 am, which is the time the area is most crowded with Filipinos.

At 11:00 am, the area becomes quiet with certain traders leaving and others coming in their place to catch the crowd from the second mass. (11:30) The crowd from the second mass church goers consist of fewer Filipinos and therefore the atmosphere is not as rowdy as 10:00 am. As the crowd thins out, some stall keepers load up the vans in which they came with to leave, leaving some trash on the side of the curbs and around the monsoon drains. There was one worker from the local government cleaning agency (Alam Flora) that came to tidy up the area with one broom and a dust pan. As the place emptied out (12:30 pm) the church officials locked up the gate and the remaining Filipinos were packing up to go. Trash were gathered and left within close proximity to the gathering space and crows and other scavengers appeared to gather and attack the remaining food waste. I left at approximately 1:00 pm, feeling a little drained from the hot sun. The gathering space did not have those cooling bayan trees that would have made sitting around the area much more pleasant. Some Filipino vendors were familiar with the climate of the spot and have brought alot a shady umbrella, fans and fly swats to make their camp more pleasant.

Interview with Z* (Kuala Lumpur)

Z* is a recent domestic worker in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, currently working in the suburban development of Bandar Utama, Selangor, which is within the Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan area (approximately 30 minutes drive from City Center). Z* was a college graduate in Phillipines but was unable to find appropriate employment in Manila. Z* previously worked in a sardine factory before coming to Kuala Lumpur to work as a domestic worker. She has been working in the city for 3 years and have only recently been allowed to take her days off once a month. Because her days off are scarce, she talks about them with great joy and longing. She notes that she looks forward and plans her days off profusely days before the actual day to make full use of her time away from work. Z*'s employer is a Catholic and therefore, they bring her along to a Catholic Church on Saturdays, which she enjoys very much. Z* told of the government harassment of immigrant workers on Sundays. The Government Organization, R*, would target areas heavily frequented by foreign workers to inspect their travel and working documents in the country to ensure the legal status of workers. If the foreign worker do not carry her documents with her, she would be forced to board a "caged" like vehicle to the police station where her employer will "claim" her. The frequency of these incidents have caused alot of employers to disallow their domestic workers to take their day offs. While Filipino domestic workers are supposed to have one day off in a week, they were made to sign a different contract as that presented in Phillipines, forcing them to choose to accept a disadvataged contract or return home and bear the expenses of their travels without returns. Most Filipinos will choose to accept less than ideal conditions of work.

Besides the contract, Z* also detailed her activities on her Sunday. Like C*, she frequents St. John's church in the morning before moving on to the Kota Raya and the city center for entertainment and shopping. Z* was a singer and she would queue up in a Karaoke Box (economic version of Karaoke ) to relax. Her description describes the domestic workers need to find entertainment and kinship on their days off away from their employer's homes. The facility is located within close proximity to S & M and Kota Raya, which is the main meeting and consumption center for foreign domestic workers in Kuala Lumpur. Z* also describe their picnicking activities during special ocassions in the main Kuala Lumpur park, Lake Garden. The site is far from the current center of their activities therefore they will take a taxi or public transport to the area, bringing along food and entertainment.

Interview with C*- Kuala Lumpur

C* is a Filipino female domestic worker in Subang Jaya, Selangor (Malaysia), a suburban town in the vicinity of Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan area. She has worked in Malaysia for 15 years, the entire time with a single Chinese Malaysian household. In her current work place, she has her personal room that is adjacent to the kitchen of the household where she has lovingly placed pictures of her daughter (18) and son (25) on the wall. I interviewed her in the kitchen while she is cooking. She seems eager to tell me stories of her Sunday adventures in central Kuala Lumpur so the interview proceeded without much hesitations but instead with much excitement. Most of the conversation proceeded in Malaysian English, with much slang and Malay words in between, showing her familiarity and kinship with the Malaysian culture. The following are retrospective notes on the interview where the questions are noted in italics and slightly translated into mainstream English.

How long have you worked in Kuala Lumpur?
Oh! About 15 years. M (employer's daughter) is already 15 years old. I was here when she was four months old.

Wow! That's a long time. So I need to ask you some questions your days off on Sundays. Do you mind?
No. Not at all, ask ahead.

Do you still get every Sunday? Like you used to?
Yeah, I do. Every Sunday.

But the other two helps in the house? Do they get Sundays off?
No, they don't. They are still under the 2 year contract so they won't get Sundays off. They still have to pay back the agency for the money they owe them for coming here so they won't get it till later. That is only if the employer allows them. My contract was over a long time ago and 'mum' (term they call the employer) allowed me to have Sundays off in the beginning.

Oh.... so back to you. Do you like your Sundays off? What do you do?
Of course! I look forward SOOOO much to my Sunday off. It's the ONLY day I get to go out to RELAAAX and to forget about work.

So what do you do?
I go to St. John's and then to Kota Raya ... 'makan-makan' (to eat around.... malay expression) and then to Angkasa (dance club)

Wow, all the way to St. John's? That's so far. How do you get there?
I take the bus. At 7:30 we take the bus from here , about 45 minutes and then we attend first mass at 8:30 to 9:30. Breakfast at "One Cafe" and then to Kota Raya to shop and chit chat at the Filipino shop and then to dance.

Why so far? Why don't you go to a church here? There are so many catholic churches closer to this area and there are alot of Filipinos around in this area too right?
Yeah, but we like St.John's. Some friends live in Ampang (City Center) and all over so its hard to meet around here. It's not as fun too.

So most Filipinos go to St. John's?
All Filipinos go there. You'll see when you get there, lots of Filipinos.

What do you do there?
We go to church and then we eat and chit-chat.

Do you eat Filipino food?
Yea. People sell Filipino food there.

Where do they get the food from? Do they cook it at home?
Yeah. They bring it and sell it there. Tables and chairs and everything.

Tables and chairs? How do they bring it there? Do they own a car?
No, some of the Filipinos have married Malaysian men , Indian or Chinese men and they would come to sell Filipino food on Sundays. They sell clothes and other things too like VCDs and toys. Lots of Filipino things.

Really? Wow. With so many Filipinos would there be a problem with the toilet facilities in the church?
Yeah. So many people. They take a long time changing in the toilets too so people have to line up for a long time. There's only like three toilets for alot of people and after mass, people want to go to the toilet and they have to line up a long time.

Is that inconvenient?
Yeah. Some people will go to Kota Raya (a nearby shoppping complex to the church) to change but alot of people at St. John's and the church people complaint sometimes. But if you go to Kota Raya, you will have to pay 30 cents to get in but its much cleaner.

Oh. But does that mean that you don't stay in St. John's all day?
No no. We move on to Kota Raya for lunch. There's air-condition :)

So how long do people stay around St. John's?
They stay from 8:30 to 11:30 and then people leave.

So for a day out, how much do you spend, on a typical Sunday?
Around RM 20. Depending on where you eat. If you go to McDonalds, it would be more because the meal is already RM 12.

I see. Do you go to the McDonalds alot?
Yeah. Sometimes. But it is expensive

So you don't bring your

Oh I see. Thanks C*. This is all very helpful for me to prepare my Field Day research. I'll keep you updated. Maybe I'll see you there on Sunday.
You are welcome. Call me if you need more information.


C*also explained to me in detail why she had two mobile phones with her at all times. She has a Phillipine registered mobile phone, with Phillipine phone number on roaming and another mobile phone with her Malaysian number. The pricing of text messages to family members differ depending on incoming and outgoing messages. I surveyed a few other Filipino domestic workers and found all of them with two mobile phones.