Mamik spent three years looking after two young children in a Surabaya household, a toddler of 2 and a schoolchild of 7, while keeping the home running day to day. She prepared the children’s needs, cooked for the family and took care of cleaning, laundry and ironing. As a mother of a young son herself, she understands the rhythm of a family with small children.

Before domestic work, she worked two years on an assembly line in Malaysia, where every task followed set procedures. She is used to clear routines and consistent standards, and her time there gave her conversational Malay. At 30, with a senior high school education, she cooks Indonesian and simple Chinese dishes, can handle pork and is comfortable around small dogs.