The Housemaid

Ok. so I know you’ve been dying to know what it is like to have a housemaid… huh?! 

I will enlighten you –

WARNING: be prepared to be extremely jealous. 

At first, I wasn’t sure exactly how this would all work.  I worried that I would have to constantly tell her what to do and how to do it –all. day. long. but it wasn’t the case at all.  She is a self starter, proactive about cleaning and the needs of the kids. AMAZING is not a good enough word to describe her.  I never have to ask her to do a thing… she just knows what to do and if she is done with the obvious she finds things to do, like refolding the clothes in our drawers, arranging our hanging clothes, shining the faucets… it is truly absurd that I have this luxury.. I cannot even fathom this kind of help…but I LOOOVEEE IT!

An average day:

She typically arrives at 7:00 a.m. and gets busy washing the dishes in the sink, folding laundry picking up any toys out, making beds, etc..  We (both) head out usually around 9:00 for a morning outing with the kids.  Some people take the housemaid/nanny with them and some don’t.  Since I am in a taxi and my kids often are interested in doing different things, She comes with me – also, she told me she likes to go out.. and her former employers never allowed her to come.. I’m all about having an extra set of hands and besides - it would be so boring for her inside all day. When we return from the park, gym or wherever I make lunch for all of us and we sit together to eat.  She washes all the dishes, dries them and puts them away.. just not having to do dishes is amazing in and of itself.  Then I usually get Will down for his nap and head out for an errand or two without the kids (I often take Audrey though).  While I am out she usually does the ironing, more laundry (remember what a chore this is?), cleans the sinks, tubs, folds and puts away clothes, vacuums, mops, takes out the trash… you name it, she does it.  When Will is up I am already back here at the apartment.  I make dinner (or at least prep for it) early so I have help to clean up, I put it all away and then we head out for an afternoon activity together again (like the beach or the villa to ride bikes/scooters) then we drop Espy off around 5:00 at her house (our villa) and head back to our apartment.  Other than maybe two occasions, I am always with her when the kids are around… this is because I am wanting the kids to transition slowly and be comfortable with her.. which they already totally are.   This week she will have to keep both of them when I am getting my drivers license and another time she will have to watch Will when Audrey has her Kindergarten Assessment at ACS.  I can tell Will’s charm has won her over, even though she agrees he is naughty. ha.  She plays with him making train tracks or playing trucks while I write blog posts.. I REALLY would have loved this during Gift Chick.. Man! I could have been so much more efficient!

She works 6 days a week Saturday – Thursday (but if she babysits at night.. yes, she does that too and it is included in her monthly salary.. we give her a 1/2 day off the next day).  Many families I have talked to do their schedule a little different, having them come in the morning, then give a break and then come back for a while in the afternoon for dinner clean up/ bath time and bedtime…We made our schedule according to what works for us – and we prefer to have our time with Charles just family time.   Before you think anything negative about this whole housemaid / nanny / helper thing– please know that this is very custom here and we pay her more than the average family pays their housemaids and treat her much better than most.

It is very important to me that she is treated well, I always ask her if she needs stuff when I go to the grocery store (and buy it for her), I mentioned earlier I always include her to be with us whether eating or going out, and most days I take her home in the taxi so she doesn’t have to pay for one and give her  a container of dinner so she doesn’t have to spend her money on food. We have also agreed to give her a plane ticket to go home to see her family once per year. She tells me of past jobs that she has had and some of the stories just made me so sad.  I KNOW how good I have it here and I also want her to feel that way about working with us.   {The very first day, I asked her what she’d like for lunch and she told me she already finished her lunch… I asked, what did you eat? She said, Bread.    OOh. seriously!? I told her uh, no, I wanted to make her a real lunch. and of course I did}.  Other cute things – since Will calls Audrey, “Sissy” so does she.  It is funny to hear her say Audrey since she calls her Sissy so much.  She refers to me as “Madam” (not like Madum.. more like Madaam.. the “a” sound at the end is like a sounds in ‘apple’ and Charles “Sir”.. like she would say, “Sir Charles is at work” or “Madam Christa is so very beautiful”.. ha. just kidding she doesn’t say that~ but if I say something or ask something she answers, “yes, madam.”  It makes me laugh..

She is a legal worker here – their system is set up so that if you are here on a working visa (which Charles is), you can also sponsor someone on your visa to work here as well (for you).  We had to do lots of extensive and expensive paperwork and legal stuff, but WELL worth it.  She is legally our employee and is not supposed to work for anyone else.  We have the option whether or not renew her visa every year. (If we do not renew, she has to find another sponsoring job or is deported).  RENEW, RENEW, RENEW!!

What she’s like:

She is a Christian (this was top priority for my help selection – especially since we are around each other so much as well as I didn’t want someone teaching my kids about non-Christian things).  She is friendly, cheerful, joyful and playful.  She is SUCH a hard worker.  She has a husband that usually lives in Abu Dhabi, but he is out of town working now, She has three children 11, 9, and 5 (boy girl boy) that live in the Philippines with her parents  (She works here so she can send money back to ensure a better life for them).  She is very trustworthy.  She isn’t afraid to correct my kids, which is so nice. I know if I leave them with her she won’t let them run wild.  She cares about my kids safety and well-being.  She is WONDERFUL. and I am so THANKFUL!

I know God brought her to me to lighten my load (TREMENDOUSLY.. LIKE, THERE IS NO LOAD LEFT) and to make this transition  much much smoother.   I still cannot even wrap my head around the fact that I am blessed to have someone do so much.  It is amazing to have the freedom to go and do if I needed to or wanted to.  I’m hoping for some friends that have similar freedom so that I can take advantage of living here and get out and have some fun!

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Psalm 121:1-2 "I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth."

Matthew 25:40 "Whatever you do to the least of my brethren you do to me".

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