Melanie Manansala, Supernanny and winner of 2017’s ‘Best Nanny in the UAE’ award
Icame from the Philippines when I was 20... after our father left us. I had to help my mum and brothers and sisters - I was the eldest of five siblings. I got a job as housemaid in Dubai – my cousin who was working here recommended me to a family. Along the way you need to take care of children of the families you work with, so I became a nanny.
At the beginning… I was very sad to leave behind my family. I was so homesick and could only visit the Philippines every two years. Everytime I saw a plane, I would start crying wanting to return home. But then I’d remember why I was here. I didn’t want my family to starve, and that drove me on. I initially planned to be here for just two years; now I’ve been here 25 years. I’m so much more relaxed here and feel safer here than back home. The hardest part about being a
nanny… is letting go of the kids. You love them like your own children. I’m more attached with them now than with my own nephews and nieces. Seeing them happy makes me so happy. I’m single but when I’m with those kids it’s as if I have my own family, and they give me so much of love. They say what’s in their heart - if they’re mad at me they say it, unlike grownups who smile through anger. I like being around their genuine love. I influence them, they influence me. We learn from each other. You could do be a nanny for years and kids will still find a way to surprise you and teach you new things. I’m so much more patient now that I was when I started. I’ve also learnt to adapt to different families and honed my working techniques over the years working for four families here. Winning the Best Nanny award in 2017 was brilliant… But for me the fact that my employer nominated me was in itself like winning an award. I felt so appreciated. Now my kids go around saying ‘my nanny is the best in the UAE’! They are so proud. I didn’t know anything about kids when I first started – I learnt everything from the Lebanese family I worked with for 12 years, including cooking and cleaning. I learned from my mistakes and all the ups and downs along the way.
Disciplining kids… can be tricky. Different employers have different methods of discipline, and as they are your employers, you have to learn to adapt. Earlier, I used to be really scared thinking I couldn’t argue with the people who paid me, and I would do just as told. Now I’m much more vocal, and sometimes I’ll put my foot down, and speak up to the parents if I think something is wrong. And they’ll almost always understand. My employers now give me more freedom – they let me discipline the kids. If I say they must make their bed, they must. If I say they must stop watching TV and go play outdoors, they have to. I never thought of starting my own
family… because my focus was on my mother and siblings. By the time I did think of it, I was too old. I didn’t want my children to live alone, to not have an education, to work as maids. So I’m happy with my decision – and I chose it, not my siblings.
I’m motivated now… to save money for my retirement - I want to retire at 50. All those years of work have left me quite tired. I want to stay in Dubai for five more years… then I want to open a grocery back home with my mum, and raise money for my retirement. I don’t have my own family, and I don’t want to be a burden on my siblings as they have their own families to take care of. I think my greatest achievement…
has been to just survive, and to help my siblings survive. Sometimes when I wake up at night with a nightmare about going back to when I had nothing, I have to take a deep breath and remember that we are OK. That journey from having nothing to now has been an emotional one.
I now aim to travel… and enjoy my life and do things I couldn’t when I was young. I want to take my mum to see places too. The Dutch family I work for treats me like part of the family. My boss often says ‘Lanie, you need to relax.’ I can’t stop working. I tidy up on my days off, and she says to me to stop and relax a bit. I work 5 days a week. Before I would just have half a day off. Now I go out on Fridays, talk to my family, then relax at home on Saturday. I pamper myself once in a while, go to the salon, go shopping. I like to read and learn new words. I couldn’t speak English properly before, now I can communicate well. Filipinos are always thinking about sending money back home, and I always tell them they need to take care of themselves too. Looking back, I wouldn’t change
anything… If I do it’s not me anymore. I learnt from all the experiences, be they painful or enjoyable ones. I actually didn’t even think about my journey until I won the nanny award. At that time, when I was interviewed by media was the first time I looked back. And I cried thinking of my story, of survival.
My employers now give me more freedom – they let me discipline the kids. If I say they must make their bed, they must.