Maid off to Germany after reversing bad choice

After initially turning down an offer by her longtime employers in Hong Kong to take her with them to their German homeland, a Filipino domestic worker came to regret her decision – and has been fortunate enough to reverse it. She will fly to Germany next month.

Mayla, 38, who arrived in Hong Kong in 2011, worked for her German employers as a maid for seven years. When they decided to leave the city and return to Germany, they wanted Mayla to come with them, sunwebhk.com reported.

Mayla said she had been to Germany a few times as her employers had asked her to go with them during vacations. When they offered to let her continue working for them in Germany, she was excited at first, thinking she would have a higher salary.

However, Mayla decided to stay in Hong Kong as she did not want to leave her friends and because she would be further away from her family back in the Philippines. Her employers said that if she changed her mind, she could still work for them.

Mayla then went to work for a new employer in Happy Valley on Hong Kong Island, but found herself struggling with the heavy workload. She said that after 10 months there, her hands started to ache and became swollen.

She called her former employer in Germany and asked if she could work for them. They agreed, saying they would be happy to have Mayla be their maid again.

Mayla says her travel documents have been processed and she has been granted a three-year visa in Germany. She said she decided to leave Hong Kong for a better life for herself, and for her family in the Philippines.