Waiting – By: Ron Darvin

According to the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute, “there is no letup in the number of
Filipino women leaving to work abroad as domestic workers. Based on the records of the Philippines Overseas
Employment Administration (POEA), the development of Filipino domestic workers abroad is increasing year
to year. For the first time, newly hired household service worker (HSWs) Breached the 100,000 mark (136,000
deployed in 2011). Around 70% of these HSWs went to middle East where conditions are harsh especially for
non-skilled women workers”.
The two characters Isabel, a Filipino woman in her early 40s and Miguel, her 15 years old son.
VOCABULARY WORDS OF WAITING:
Springboard - a strong, flexible board from which someone can jump in order to gain added impetus when
performing a dive or a gymnastic movement.
Pomegranate - a sweet, tart fruit with thick, red skin. While the skin is not edible, it holds hundreds of juicy
seeds that you can eat plain or sprinkle on salads, oatmeal, hummus, and other dishes.
Bagels - is a bread roll originating in Poland, made from yeasted wheat dough and baked with a dense, chewy
interior and browned or crisp exterior.
Surrey (place) – Surrey is comprised of urban areas as well as significant agricultural and rural areas.
Canucks - is a nickname for a Canadian —sometimes bearing a negative implication, more often wielded with
pride.
Hockey - Ice hockey is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings
specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey.
Puck - a small, hard rubber disc that is used instead of a ball in ice hockey.
Scones - a baked good, usually made of either wheat or oatmeal with baking powder as a leavening agent, and
baked on sheet pans.
Pharmaceuticals - substance used in the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of disease and for restoring,
correcting, or modifying organic functions.
Dominion - means "that which is mastered or ruled". It was used by the British to describe their colonies or
territorial possessions.
Poutine - the word poutine in the meaning "fries with cheese and gravy"
Migrant - a person who moves from one place to another, especially in order to find work or better living
conditions
Diaspora - is a group of people who have been forced from or chosen to leave their homeland to settle in other
lands
- Term diaspora comes from the Greek verb diaspeirō meaning “to scatter” or “to spread about.” As first
used in Ancient Greece, diaspora referred to people of dominant countries who voluntarily emigrated
from their homelands to colonize conquered countries. Today, scholars recognize two kinds of diaspora:
forced and voluntary. Forced diaspora often arises from traumatic events such as wars, imperialistic
conquest, or enslavement, or from natural disasters like famine or extended drought. As a result, the
people of a forced diaspora typically share feelings of persecution, loss, and desire to return to their
homeland.
RACISM - By Jose Wendell Capili
Racism - is the belief that different races possess distinct characteristics, abilities, or qualities, especially so as
to distinguish them as inferior or superior to one another.
Race - The concept of dividing people into populations or groups on the based on various sets of physical
characteristics. Races are assumed to be distinguished by skin color, facial type, etc.
Stereotype - Generalized features and characteristics that are assigned to a particular ethnic, national, cultural,
or racial group that lead to the misconception that all group members possess these attributes.
Prejudice -a body of unfounded opinions or attitudes relating to an individual or group that represent them in
an unfavourable light.
Discrimination - The unequal treatment of members of various groups based on race, gender, social class,
sexual orientation, physical ability, religion and other categories.
Diversity - All the ways in which people differ, and it encompasses all the different characteristics that make
one individual or group different from another
Privilege - The unquestioned and unearned set of advantages, entitlements, benefits and choices bestowed on
people.
Ethnicity - the identity of groups based on shared characteristics such as language, culture, history or
geographic origin.
Aboriginal - being the first or earliest know of its kind present in a region/ a member of any of the natives of
Australia.
Parasol - a lightweight umbrella used as a sunshade
Chieftain - a leader of a tribe or clan
Exquisite - marked by nice discrimination, deep, sensitivity or subtle understanding.
Surge - a sudden, large increase.
Constrict - to prevent or keep (something or someone) from developing freely.
Sterile - not able to produce crops or plants.
Vestige - a trace, mark, or visible sign left by something.
Scintillating - brilliantly lively, stimulating, or witty.
Inception - establishment or origin of an institution, activity, or undertaking. It’s a powerful word that attributes
excellence and greatness to intellectual property or concepts.