Where: HOME Serangoon Gardens, a shelter for destitute migrant workers

What: Drama workshops

Who: Mayura, trainer

Greetings friends. I am Sha, currently helping out in Migrant Voices. I have been joining the theatre workshops with HOME for the past couple weeks and I wish to share with you my observations. The 1st lesson was more of a warm-up session so there were some ladies who were hesitant to join in the fun. Soon we were laughing and active enough to whet the curiosity of the rest. By the 2nd meeting, minor yet interesting observations could be derived.

One exercise put forth by the trainer was a pairing of 3s in one group. As a Singaporean, I was paired with 2 others - 1 indonesian and 1 filipina. We were told to find a common issue we all share and translated that into a specific action. Whilst figuring out what we have in common, the other groups easily pointed out issues they share like the need for home/family or loneliness. My 2 partners pointed out the same, but I don't share common grounds in those issues. In the end, we finally shared one issue together - money. My partners (while in conversation) find it hard to believe a Singaporean would be 'poor'. I found this oservation of theirs interesting as a 2nd point of view from foreigners coming from less developed countries than Singapore. Workers from the Philippines and Indonesia trudge to Singapore to find a better life much like a Singaporean is trying to do too. This only makes us comrades/partners side by side towards survival.

On another occassion, I was paired with 3 others and this time my pal Shaun a Singaporean too joined us. This was a re-enactment game and Mayura the trainer would give us scenarious to act out. Her plan was to steer far away from the negative issues of abuse etc but for my group, she decided to give us the scenario of an employer's home. Perhaps, it was a tactic of hers to curiously find out what the foreign workers would re-enact. One immediately thrust her chin up and sat on the floor with legs crossed and arms crossed much like an arrogant employer would do. And me being the dramatic fool, dropped down on the floor and touched her feet in an attempt to enact an obedient domestic worker. What came after was surprising to me, she (the one who acted as the employer) kept apologising because I had touched her feet. It became apparent to me, my presence is as much a curiosity to them as their presence is to me.

My observations tell me, foreign workers are hungry for interaction with Singaporeans not as employer/employee but on a friendly basis instead. Communication barriers aside, foreign workers young and old are very much like us and make no mistake, they want to know about us too but may not find such an opportunity or find us intimidating perhaps?