I think Joshua will be the first to realise he was not my usual type of choice for Houseboy but I am glad I selected him as he was very hard working and from a 5 star hotel background so he left my house immaculate every time he worked for me.
When I first met Joshua in 2015 he was working as Housekeeping Coordinator at at The Elite hospitality group and when we went walking in Andulas Gardens he was always getting calls from work about some customer's laundry, or missing sheets! When he worked for me the beds would be turned down and the toilet roll folded!
Whenever he changed jobs and had a Friday off he would contact me asking for work and suggesting I sack my existing houseboys and employ him instead! I told him he could be my reserve houseboy. When Julz gave me 3 hours notice that he was leaving after looking after me for nearly 3 weeks after my Hip replacement it was Joshua who stepped in. For one glorious day I had beautifully turned down beds, fluffed up pillows, air freshener at the entrance to the room and folded toilet paper, making me laugh when I went to the CR!
It was also Joshua who helped out with the cooking when Trainee Chef Corleen disappeared at my 58th Birthday party. Sadly it was also Joshua who helped Corleen empty my fridge after the party! They took Chef Coco's uneaten Birthday cake and three tetra packs of Pomegranate Juice which had not even been opened!
In spite of a couple of bad habits that Corleen taught Joshua while driving him home I have selected him to be honored in this blog as an inspiring OFW due to his work ethic and his Converse. I met up with Joshua again in July 2021 by which time he was working at a gym in Dubai. He was running the café there in July and when I returned in December he was managing the whole Gym. Sadly he threw away his Converse in Dubai!
Joshua also sent us some amazing video and Photos when the owner of his Gym arranged a charity boxing match. Joshua started training with his coach at the gym early morning and late at night before the classes started. His Boss entered him for a charity bout and sat cheering at the back as Joshua won his fight.
It was great to catch up with Joshua in December as he stays near my hotel in Al Barsha so he showed me around his neighbourhood and we had lunch at his favourite Pinoy restaurant, before we walked to Mall of the Emirates where he took lots of Christmassy pictures and Videos for me.
TBK at Mall of the Emirates - 17.12.21, by Joshua
The thing I like about Joshua is that , like me, he has worked his way up in the Hospitality industry starting as a waiter in a hotel in his native Cebu in 2012. Then he became a linen keeper, store attendant and room attendant before moving to Bahrain in 2015. Like so many Pinoy OFW he is a key member in his community and organised the Elite Hotels Christmas shows and Christmas tree lighting with singing and dancing . I thought I gave my whole Celine Dione CD collection to Patrick when he left for Germany but Joshua found one and started singing along to it while sweeping and mopping the floors after Julz left, finally bringing a smile back to my face.
Our first date at Bahrain Fort
It has been a pleasure knowing Joshua for the last few years and I hope he will become a regular visitor at my new home in Palawan. I wish him every success for the future. Just as I started writing this series of Blogs he told me he had left Swiss Belresidences and had a new job! He sent me an email with his posh new signature..... how Maarte and Sosyal. Look at this:
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Hello, I am The British Kabayan! Feel free to read my stories.
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