We have a new housemaid (kasambahay) from Northern Samar. She’s 52 years old and is a grandmother herself.
So far, she seems kind and hardworking, and she also shows initiative.
Her nickname is Ipin. At first, I thought it was because she has no teeth.
She said she previously worked in the household of the actress/celebrity Maja Salvador, but according to her, Maja Salvador’s mother-in-law did not like her because of her age. She said they did not want an older helper, so she was asked to leave.
I brought her to the farm today to help Ligaya clean the cottage. Hindi ko na pinabalik yung couple who used to work there after a long vacation in their province. Medyo below par kasi ang efforts. Limang utos, isang gawa. Pinapabayaan ang vegetable garden ko.
Ipin shared that when her mother was pregnant with her, her mother constantly craved luya (ginger) and was always touching and smelling it. According to folk belief, her mother’s craving for ginger during pregnancy was believed to have influenced—or caused—her condition. I’m not sure if science would support this belief.
Six fingers on each hand, 12 fingers (daliri) total
She said she was ipinaglihi sa luya, which is why she was born with 13 toes and 12 fingers. When she later became pregnant with her first child, she worried constantly that her baby might also have extra fingers like her. According to her, this turned out to be true, though to a lesser extent—her child was born with 11 fingers.
Ipin has thirteen toes in total
I can only imagine what she must have endured in terms of bullying when she was growing up.
