I’ve never dared to share this in public. And for me, this is way more than just a shitty job I had.
I was 16 at the time.
On paper, I was supposed to work as a dishwasher. But the thing is there was no paper.
It was the summer of 2014. To be more accurate, It was during Ramadan, the holy month for Muslims(I live in Egypt, a Muslim country.) I had just finished my second year of high school.
I got into so much trouble with my parents that they almost completely cut me off. So one evening, I literally roamed the streets of my district looking for a job. I asked if they needed assistance at supermarkets, drug stores, etc.. I called everyone I knew, but to no avail. I didn’t have many friends or connections at the time, or skills.
That night I met a classmate by coincidence. He happened to be working at a local restaurant at the time. I asked him to recommend me, which he did. It was quite simple, really. I started working the day after.
I was paid 35 EGP(= 5$, at the time) a day, and had to work 12 hours/day. Mostly 8 AM to 8 PM. That meant less than 0.5$/hour. It was dirt low, but I needed it.
They told me that, as a security measure, I won’t be paid for the first three days on the job, but I’ll receive that pay when I finally quit. I said okay. At the time it seemed I had no other option.
And this wasn’t a poor restaurant. It’s a well-known one in Egypt. A franchise with branches all over the country. I was cleaning dishes that had meals I could never afford to have myself.
Also, I didn’t work only as a dishwasher, I had to assist with other things, like:
Clean up the kitchen.
Help them carry an air conditioner or a washing machie up to the manager’s flat.
Get things from the store, which was quite a journey of shame, as I wore rugged, old clothes that were mostly wet because of the job(didn’t have an apron or anything.) I was always worried someone I knew would see me like that.
The most humiliating part of it, though, was religion. I’m agnostic. I left Islam when I was 15.
But Egypt is a Muslim country. And the boss of this branch was something of a sheikh. So I had to fake-fast and fake-pray with them.
Not just to keep the job, but above all, for my own safety; as there had already been rumors going round that I left Islam. One of my co-workers had even asked me about it. I had to deny all of it. I realised then that I had to kill that rumor before it kills me or my future.
And that was bottom for me. I hated myself for it. I was ashamed. I had to pretend to be someone I’m not, to appease pigs that exploited me and my co-workers(most of us were under 18.) It felt like I was literally bowing to a slaver.
Now, this was bitterly ironic. I had originally gotten into trouble with my parents because they wanted to force Islam on me. And at the time I was so idealistic I refused to even fake it for the sake of peace. Which is the reason they had decided to cut me off.
And there I was!. in a mosque whose name literally translates to “Lions of Sunnah,” and in all my shame, guilt, and self-abasement, I realized this was all because of money. I would never have had to fake or hide who I really am if I had enough money and could provide for myself.
That was my last day at work, after working there for roughly 2 weeks. I decided I’ll quit, and continue pretending, this time to my parents. I’ll still hold my own beliefs. I’ll still be a freethinker, but I’ll lay low and be cautious. Until one day I can afford being the real me without fear.
“Money is the only real God of this world,” I thought to myself. And, to this day, I still haven’t been able to prove otherwise.
You are not the only one to realize that Money is the true God of this world. Perhaps steemit is some kind of answer towards this problem.