'She was the mother we never had': Singaporean sisters bring helper of 20 years on vacation to Seoul

Melody Tan first met her domestic helper, aunt Mary, at the age of six.

This connection they had continued for the next 24 years, with aunt Mary bringing up Melody and her sister in their childhood home. 

Now that the 68-year-old's visa is only valid for one final renewal, Melody and her sister decided to bring her on a well-deserved retirement holiday.

Last Sunday (Sept 17), Melody shared an Instagram reel of the trio on vacation, exploring what Seoul has to offer.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Melody (@meowiie2)

Melody mentioned that, for as long as she knew, the matriarch in her household has always been "aunty Mary".

Funnily enough, her name isn't even Mary.

"But all I knew was that she would be my full-time 'care taker' while my parents went to work," Melody wrote in her Instagram reel caption.

But now that she and her sister are well into adulthood, life is taking them overseas.

Melody stated that she will be headed to Sweden while her sister is set to jet off to London for a new chapter in her life.

Before separating to different parts of the globe, the siblings planned this trip to South Korea in an effort to show how much they appreciate aunt Mary.

It looked like they had fun days out, with activities such as renting the Hanbok, Korea's national dress, and having authentic Korean grub like Korean BBQ and eomuk, Korean fish cake.

In the Instagram caption, Melody was in a rather reflective state, recalling about how much aunt Mary has sacrificed for her and her family.

Over the two decades of being in Singapore, the Filipino national has missed the birth of 12 grandchildren, the death of her parents and many more life events.

This didn't mean aunt Mary loved her family any less, as she painstakingly "sent back every cent" she made in Singapore to her village north of Manila.

In the comments section, netizens seem genuinely happy for aunt Mary.

"Aunt Mary deserves the word," one Instagram user commented.

A well-deserved getaway

In April, something similar occurred in Malaysia as three Indonesian domestic helpers were treated to a Desaru Beach getaway from their employer Malaysian entreprenuer Farah MJ.

They even made their way to the island via a fancy helicopter ride.

If that wasn't enough, each of them received a grand RM10,000 (S$3,000) green packet too after being unable to celebrate Hari Raya with their families back home.

"I consider them part of the family. That is why I appreciate their commitment and responsibility and continue giving gifts like these," Farah told Malaysian publication mStar.

ALSO READ: This made my day: Siblings surprise helper with BTS' Suga concert ticket

amierul@asiaone.com