Pity Money

In Singapore office, we call any cash paid from work "pity money".  I absolutely hate that word.  For me, it sounds like

"the money we are giving you doesn't worth that much for us, but because we feel sorry for you for finding this much money that precious, we are going to give it to you".

While I'm over here, I'm getting this "pity money" which is like living allowance. Except the amount I get per month is twice the amount that the last trainee was getting, and exactly the amount the person who is 1 year senior is getting paid per month.

Now when I went out shopping today, we were looking at these beautiful batik garments all over the place.   I am totally in love with batik, and I even found one that would be great for my mother's birthday present. Made by the traditional method, by hand.  The price was 160,000 Rps, which is roughly NZ $25.  When I convert, I usually convert in my head, but the problem is, I count in Japanese, and Japanese numbers go up in a group of 10000 not 1000 like it is in English, so I mistook one extra zero.  Originally, I heard that the price was 100000Rps, so I thought, man, 100 plus bucks for those is so nice but pricy, so I gave up and left the shop.  But I actually liked it so much and wanted it so much to give to my mother.

So I asked my workmate to let me use her phone and calculated the price just in case I had it wrong.  It turns out that it was actually 160000 Rps, and when converted, about 25 bucks.  So I was instantly sold.

I thought that was a bargain price for an original item like that.  But for people who do live here, that price must feel like 160 bucks or so.  I wouldn't be surprised.  And here I was, shopping with the money I got from the company which the girls worked very hard every day and earnt.

So here is another question.  We get paid in singapore dollars (or Japanese yen), and when converted, our  monthly salary is about x10 the local girls.  Now why am I getting this money??

Although it is nice to have an extra cash to spare, and it is true that eqv. of Singapore 150 bucks in singapore is buggar all, it's the price of a cheap apartment room per week.  I actually want to refuse this money.  I have enough to feed myself, and now that I know how much they per others month, I don't want to get this treatment.

The exchange rate is nothing that can be helped, in any other country, this amount is a real pity money.  But int this country, it worth 1 month of salary.  I'd rather give it to the people who deserves it.  It shouldn't be paid to a person like me.

My boss said to me on the way to work one day

"the first thing that shocked me in this country is the difference in poverty"

I'd say, don't speak such bullshit if you are paying the foreign employees some money like that under your own decision. It is THE biggest bullshit I've ever heard.