This made my day: Employer moves maid to tears after surprising her with new phone for birthday

A grateful domestic helper in Singapore was moved to tears after her employer surprised her with a new phone for her birthday – less than a year of working for the household. 

The heartwarming three-minute viral video posted on Aug 30 – with more than a million views on TikTok – shows user jenebeeespinosa unwrapping a gift-wrapped box to reveal its contents: a thick layer of crinkle paper. 

@jenebeeespinosa

9months with them.. and they give me this...thank you Sir & Madam...I'm very happy..##pinoytiktokerssg?? ##fypシ ##foryoupage ..

♬ Thanks to You - Judy Ann Santos

Surprised by this ‘treasure hunt’, the Filipino national and her employers, who could be heard in the background, burst into laughter. 

After digging through the crinkle paper, the helper pulled out two more gift-wrapped boxes. Holding onto the smaller of the two mystery boxes, Espinosa said she "already knew" what was inside. 

A boy, who seemed to be the employer’s son in the video, could be heard saying iPhone in a bid to give the surprise away. 

After tearing the top wrapper of the box, she said, “Really?”, while ripping off the rest of the packaging. 

Her employer had gifted her a new Samsung Galaxy M32, which has a retail price of $350.

"Nine months with them and they gave me this," she wrote in the caption of her video. 

With a hint of envy at seeing his domestic helper’s gift, the employer’s son could be heard saying: "I didn't get a phone for my birthday – all I got was random stuff."

While recovering from this unexpected surprise and wiping away her tears of joy, the helper tore the wrapping off the second box, which contains phone covers for the new phone. 

In the comments, netizens praised the employer’s generosity while remarking at how lucky the helper was.

In another video uploaded on the same day, Espinosa shared the birthday surprise extended to a mini feast which includes sushi and fried chicken. 

@jenebeeespinosa

happiest & blessed birthday ever ???##pinoytiktokerssg?? ##fypシ ##foryoupage .

♬ Run Free (Original Mix) - Deep Chills & Deep Chills

The avid TikTok user, who has previously posted videos of herself singing and dancing, also showed off a chocolate-covered birthday cake with "Happy Birthday Jenebee" written on it. 

ALSO READ: Employer lauded for going the extra mile for her maid

chingshijie@asiaone.com