Yayy mummy has more time for me now.
Yep, after being an employEE for so many years, I am now also an employER. My Cambodian maid Lina has been working for over 2 weeks. Getting one wasn't really a choice once I'd decided to send Jo Ern over to my parents on workdays. Otherwise my parents would have gone nuts taking care of 4 grandkids.
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Still, I was dreading her arrival. I didn't want a stranger in my home. Someone who would be there ALL the time. Someone who couldn't be replaced without considerable effort/cost. Then the first time I met her, Lina said, 'Good evening Madam' in such a courteous tone, my uneasiness lessened. I oversaw her unpacking as advised and found each item of her clothing was neatly rolled up and tied with a rubber band at BOTH ends. Very neat, good sign.
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The next morning when I went downstairs, she had already finished sweeping the floor and was hard at work mopping. She'd pushed the dining chairs aside (good) and managed to find the switches so the ceiling fans were blowing the wet floors dry. Not bad, not bad at all!
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Initially I was racking my brains what schedule to set up for her - mop on Mon/wipe on Tues/then mop again or what?? Then I found she was mopping and wiping EVERY morning. Heh, no problems with that. My house has never been this clean! Weekends she cleans even more - wash the cars, bathrooms, wipe the window grills etc etc.
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Main results 2 weeks later:
1. My house is sparkling clean
2. Employer is busy thinking of tasks to assign her since she's quite efficient. Everyone tells me must keep her busy in the early stages.
3. Bread supply is often at critical level since she does eat a lot. Jam consumption is one bottle a week (!!). Thank goodness for Tesco brands.
4. My kid is more naughty. This Jo Ern is taking advantage since she has an additional person to carry her. She cries to be carried practically every dinner time now. Well, I guess it's ok since it won't be long before she joins us for dinner anyway.
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VERDICT: LIFE IS GOOD! Hehe.
glad to hear the maid is turning out well! ours is quite efficient too, so am also always trying to think up more work for her. and you're right about the bread and jam!
ReplyDeleteactually i think they are train to tie their close with rubber band when packing, even sarin's one is like that. and i think they are also trained to greet and turn the fan on while mopping. in terms of food, well, they need the energy... buy some maggi mee also also... and some biscuits...
ReplyDeleteMay Ching,
ReplyDeleteGood that you're still happy with your maid. At least they're hardworking so quite happy to feed them well!
Cat,
Yeah, I figure they must have been trained at the centre (which WE paid for ahem). Still, I'm glad she's hardworking and neat/tidy by nature. OK must buy more carbs and sugar for her!
So you are one of the lucky ones! Good! Happy for you and JoErn too :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you got a good helper.
ReplyDeleteYah, I am like you too about reservations of having a maid ...the part abt having another person in the house etc. But there are always pro and cons. And the best part is waking up to the smell of nice floor cleaner when you go downstairs right? I dun have a maid but sure will be nice to have one right now. My house is a mess! :P
ReplyDeleteAgnes and Rachel,
ReplyDeleteThanks. :) So far people I know who hired Cambodian maids are pretty happy with them.
Leona,
I lurrve not having to wipe my hands after closing my car door, and having to wash my feet every time I want to get into bed. That's how much dust lived in my house before so it's a very vast improvement!