I cannot handle keeping it inside anymore, and maybe some other Malaysian sisters working in SG need to hear this.
I was working as a beer gaol (beer girl) at a busy coffeeshop. Income was actually not bad with the tips, can easily clear $2.5k to $3k SGD if you rajin and smile more. But the lifestyle very chiong one. Every night finish work late, drinking with regular customers. That’s how I met my ex-boyfriend—an older Singaporean guy who always come to my table.
Long story short, I got pregnant. When I told him, his immediate reaction was to give me $500 and block my number. Sian, really recognize people, recognize face, but don’t recognize heart.
I was freaking out. As a Malaysian WP (Work Permit) holder, you cannot just go polyclinic or SG hospital and get abortion easily without MOM finding out, then your permit get cancelled and you get blacklisted. I love my family, and my parents back in the kampong are very traditional. If they knew I got knocked up by some random SG guy, they would disown me.
So I made the hardest choice. I told my boss I got family emergency and resigned on the spot. packed my bags, took the Causeway bus back, and told my parents I resigned because SG too stressful.
The hardest part was finding a clinic back home. Kampong area very small, everyone knows everyone. I had to take a bus to the main town, find a private clinic that does it quietly, and pay cash. The whole process was a nightmare—the guilt, the physical pain, and having to act normal in front of my mother while my cramps were tearing me apart. I told her it was just a bad period.
Now I’m just staying at home, helping my mom, feeling like a ghost. I lost my good SG income, lost my relationship, and a part of me feels like I lost my future.
To any other foreign workers out there: please be careful. These men sell sweet words, but when trouble comes, you are the one left to bleed alone.
Ask me anything if you are in a similar spot or just want to know about the beer gaol life. I try my best to answer.