No one's perfect. Very true. This is an important thing to remember when you are contemplating getting rid of a bad maid and trading her in for "the perfect maid". I have learned over and over that if you fire one maid, the next one you get may be worse (see posts from Mexico City!).
In our case here in Brazil that would be pretty hard.
But, after bragging about my bread-making, super fast and efficient maid, I have found her flaw.
She has now worked here 8 days. Two of those days (that's 25%) she has brought her two boys. She tells me they are 11 and 13 but they look a lot more like 6 and 8.
Now, don't get me wrong, I love kids. I have 4 of them myself. But, when I am paying someone to come and work in my home I don't want to have 2 extra boys running around kicking a soccer ball inside the house and needing to be entertained. When my kids go to school, I enjoy the peace and quite of just having Pedro at home.
Does this make me a bad person?
And today, when she showed up she told me she brought them because one of them has a really bad ear infection. Awesome. I know ear infections aren't contagious, but symptoms that oftentimes accompany ear infections can pass germs.
Brazilian schools start in 10 days. I'm going to let it go until then because:
1) I don't like confrontation.
2) She is a really good maid (other than bringing her kids)
3) She's a single mom
4) I don't have any other maid options at the moment.
In the meanwhile, I'll just be up here, hiding in my bedroom with a bag of m&m's, counting the hours until everyone goes home (which is just about the time that my 3 big kids get home from school).
Agggghhhhh!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Honeymoon's Over
Posted by Gabriela at 1:04 PM
Labels: Can I Vent?, Muchachas
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11 comments:
That stinks. You can't tell her not to bring them?
Sheesh! Portuguese AND English?! Justin's got some catching up to do.
patience....patience....
the true test of living overseas!
talk to you soon!
BG
Fascinating life! What is your primary calling?
totally sucks. I have two ladies who come and clean once per month. They have occasionally brought their kids (never more than one at a time), but they put them right to work! It's been a good example to me, actually.
Bummer. I was really hoping you had found the perfect maid this time!
Hmmm...at least you can have some homemade bread to go with the m&ms? I'm sorry though, that would drive me nuts too. You already have your own little guys running around destroying the house:)
Hmmmm....sad news! I think hiding in your room is the best plan, instead of coming out and somehow feeling like it's your responsibility to entertain them.
Just think how much more blogging you get done hiding out in your bedroom - and at least she's cleaning up after her own kids, right?
keep smelling that bread and enjoying the clean fans. tell the kids to sit with maid #1. she needs some practice.
So she won't bring them when school starts again, right?
Hiding in the bedroom with the chocolate doesn't seem like such a bad plan to me... ;o)
Aw man! I just read the bread making miracle and now this?
Sorry Gabs. You are not bad of course, and at the same time you see her situation...that's a tough one :( Sorry.
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