Maids.
We're in a country where maids are a norm and we have started to depend upon them for almost everything. Foreign help from other countries where our ringgit is greener than their own. We may be at the bottom rung, but there are still other countries that are further down the ladder.
I've had live in maids since my sister was about 2 years old. That was about 16 years ago. (Wow, very long ago!)
The maid would clean and cook. When Lyn was younger, take care of her too. I remember how the maid would wake up at 5am to wake up my sis for school, prepare her school uniform, her breakfast and even school bag and walk her up the road to meet the school bus - before the sun came out. Then she'd wash the cars and clean the house before any of us woke up. She'd cook lunch for my grandparents and then continue cleaning the house until she prepares food for dinner. After dinner, she cleans up and then, she'd be more relaxed until she sleep at 10pm to wake up again at 5am.
Sounds like domestic maid abuse? Nah...
We treat them all like family. I always believe in treating them well so they will treat us well. We do not ask for much, just to be clean and tidy and to know the family's habits and just meet some of them.
Now that the sister is washing her own clothes and cleaning her own room, the maid will only have to focus on cleaning the house. We're looking to having my grandpa home, if this new maid can take on a big old man who can barely walk.
We've had had good maids so far, thank God! Only the recent one is a headache and she's been with us for 2? 3? years. We just told her to pack up and go yesterday and today she was sent back to the agency.
The maid prior to her was too good to be true. She cleaned and tidied and even learnt new recipes to cook for us. Dinner was always an exciting affair with restaurant level food on the table. She even offered to paint our rooms for us! (Where to find??)
This current one we just sent off is the total opposite of her. It caused us a lot of frustration, but we gave her chance after chance. This morning, I heard that she packed a whole lot of mum, and lyn's clothings and panties and bra (?) without asking, and a hawaiian shirt of mine which i have been looking for the longest time.
She even had the gall to pass a bag full of bedsheet and new curtains to the neighbour, asking them to post it to her in indonesia. (slaps forehead) Did she not think that the neighbour would respect us more than her?
I believe we have all put it very clear to her. We have treated her kindly. I even went out to buy a phone for her (which she paid me back, thank goodness!) on Sunday. We've given her and treated her kindly and she could have her freedom of doing many things, if she had completed her cooking, cleaning or whatever she does, a few minutes faster.
I am not upset she is going. Since her arrival, my mum has been very stressed out. When grandpa was down and out, she was not much help in cleaning or helping him up. Well, I don't blame her for that since grandpa is really heavy and she's rather tiny. Then with taking care of grandpa, the other chores are hardly done. But when grandpa went to the nursing home, things in the house did not seem to improve, and she had more nap time and tv time.
Mum is constantly shouting and scolding. I have not heard her shout so much since I was a kid.
So, we're having a new maid around. We didn't want the maids to meet, so it's been arranged that the old maid (no pun intended) goes off in the morning and the new maid comes in the afternoon. So when I reach home later, I will be seeing a new face in the house.
I can only hope and pray that the new maid understand Malay well enough.
Treat others how you want them to treat you.
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Seriously, I don't think I can be a maid. Hahahaha... I'd be the lazy one.
So I DO respect and admire those who come out to work as maids, and put effort in it.
More about the new maid in my next few posts.
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Yeah, I didn't manage to get the 080808 0808. Was sleeping. :P
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