Akala ko ang mga lalaking Norwegian ang pinakamahusay na lalaki sa mundo, pero hindi pala totoo! Bago ko nakilala ang lalaking magiging asawa, nagtrabaho ako sa isang pabrika sa Bangkok, at siya ay nakatira sa Pattaya. Nagkakilala kami sa pamamagitan ng internet at kalaunan ay naging mag-asawa.
I thought Norwegian men were the best men in the world, but that is not true! Before I met the man who became my husband, I worked in a factory in Bangkok, and he lived in Pattaya. We met through the Internet and eventually became a couple.
Je pensais que les hommes norvégiens étaient les meilleurs hommes au monde, mais cela n’est pas vrai ! Avant de rencontrer l’homme qui est devenu mon mari, je travaillais dans une usine à Bangkok, et il vivait à Pattaya. On s’est rencontrés sur internet et on s’est finalement mis en couple.
Pagkaraan ng ilang sandali ay nagpasya kaming magpakasal. Galing ako sa mahirap na pamilya, kaya ang pagkakaroon ng asawang banyaga na kayang mag-alaga sa aking pamilya ay bahagi ng aking dahilan para pakasalan siya.
After a while we decided to get married. I came from a poor family, so having a foreign husband who could take care of my family was part of my reason for marrying him.
Après un moment, on a décidé de se marier. Je viens d’une famille pauvre, donc avoir un mari étranger qui pourrait prendre soin de ma famille était l’une des raisons de mon mariage.
Lumipat kami sa Norway, at nagsimula akong pumasok sa paaralan upang matuto ng Norwegian. Mahirap na panahon iyon. Wala akong lisensya sa pagmamaneho at kailangan akong ihatid ng aking asawa sa paaralan, maghintay sa akin, at ihatid pauwi. Isang oras ang biyahe pabalik-balik. Matapos ang ilang panahon, lumipat kami nang mas malapit, pero siya pa rin ang tumatangging iwan akong maglakad mag-isa.
We moved to Norway, and I started going to school to learn Norwegian. It was a difficult time. I did not have a driver’s licence, and my husband had to drive me to school, wait for me, and drive back. It was an hour each way. After a while we moved closer, but he still insisted on driving me to school. He did not want me to walk alone.
Nous avons déménagé en Norvège, et j’ai commencé à aller à l’école pour apprendre le Norvégien. C’était des temps difficiles. Je n’avais pas mon permis de conduire, et mon mari devait me conduire à l’école, m’attendre, et rentrer en voiture. Cela faisait une heure de trajet. Au bout d’un moment, nous avons emménagé plus près, mais il insistait toujours pour me conduire à l’école. Il ne voulait pas que je marche seule.
Halos wala na akong pera simula nang dumating ako sa Norway. Minsan, binigyan ako ng aking asawa ng pera para sa aking tanghalian, ngunit dahil kulang ang aking pera, itinago ko ito. Gusto akong tulungan ng mga kaibigan ko sa paaralan na makakuha ng trabaho, pero sabi ng asawa ko hindi ko kaya. Sa tingin niya, hindi bagay sa akin ang pagtatrabaho bilang isang tagapaglinis.
I have hardly had any money since I came to Norway. Once, my husband gave me money for lunch, but since I had so little money, I kept it. My friends at school want to help me to get a job, but my husband says I cannot. He does not think working as a cleaner is appropriate for me.
Je n’avais que très peu d’argent depuis que j’étais venue en Norvège. Une fois, mon mari m’a donné de l’argent pour le déjeuner, mais puisque je n’avais pas d’argent, je l’ai gardé. Mes amis à l’école veulent m’aider à trouver du travail, mais mon mari dit que je ne peux pas. Il pense que travailler comme femme de ménage n’est pas convenable pour moi.
Sa halip ay binigyan niya ako ng isa pang trabaho ito ay pagtatayo ng garahe. Siya ang aking boss at ginawa ko ang lahat. Wala siyang magawa dahil may sakit siya. Hindi niya ako binigyan ng kahit na anong pera na nakuha niya sa pagtatayo ng garahe.
Instead he had another job for me – building a garage. He was the boss and I did everything. He could not do much because he was ill. He did not give me any of the money he made from building the garage.
À la place, il avait un autre travail pour moi — construire un garage. Il était le patron et je faisais tout. Il ne pouvait pas faire grand-chose car il était malade. Il ne m’a rien donné de l’argent qu’il a gagné en construisant le garage.
Isang araw, sinabi niya na nabobored siya kapag mag-isa lang siya sa bahay, kaya nagdesisyon siyang kumuha kami ng aso. Ayaw ko ng aso dahil pagod na pagod ako pagkatapos ng eskwela at may mga takdang-aralin. Sinabi niya na siya ang maglalakad ng aso araw-araw, pero sa huli ako pa rin ang nag-aalaga sa aso at ng matandang asawa ko.
One day he said he was bored when he was home alone, so he decided we should get a dog. I did not want a dog as I was tired after school and I had homework to do. He said he would walk the dog every day, but in the end I had to take care of both the dog and my old husband.
Un jour, il a dit qu’il s’ennuyait quand il était seul à la maison, donc il a décidé qu’on devrait avoir un chien. Je ne voulais pas de chien puisque j’étais fatiguée après l’école et que j’avais des devoirs à faire. Il a dit qu’il l’emmènerait en balade tous les jours, mais finalement, j’ai dû m’occuper à la fois du chien et de mon vieux mari.
Hindi ko alam kung ano ang mangyayari sa hinaharap. Ang plano ko ay mag-aral sa ibang paaralan, pero ayaw ng asawa ko na gawin ko iyon. Balak niyang lumayo para mahirapan ako. Gusto kong lumaban, pero hindi ko alam kung paano. Hindi ganun kadali ang mamuhay sa ibang bansa na may matandang lalaki bilang asawa, gaya ng inaakala ko.
I do not know what the future will bring. My plan is to go to another school, but my husband does not want me to do that. He is planning to move further away to make it difficult for me. I want to resist, but I do not know how. It is not as easy to live in a foreign country with an old man as a husband as I thought it would be.
Je ne sais pas ce que l’avenir a en réserve. Mon objectif est d’aller dans une autre école, mais mon mari ne veut pas que je le fasse. Il prévoit de déménager plus loin pour que cela soit dur pour moi. Je veux résister, mais je ne sais pas comment. Vivre dans un pays étranger avec un vieil homme comme mari n’est pas aussi facile que ce que je pensais.
