Downright hard work
This morning I got down on my hands and knees, armed with a cloth and a bottle of wax, and I polished all the wooden floors in my flat. I had a maid do this for 19 years of my life and it was a far bigger house than my wee pad, so it's only right that I learn to appreciate her efforts properly. Yes I know Argos sells electronic polishers but that is beside the point.
Alice, our domestic worker is a hero. She's does not know what day she was born on; she is illiterate; she pretends to faint if standing in a queue that is longer than her liking - resulting in her being rushed to the front of the line; she is always, always armed with a smile; she falls down esculators ... 'what sort of new-age invention are moving stairs???'; she's never seen the ocean, nevermind been out of Zimbabwe; her husband passed away and all 3 of her children and their spouces have died from AIDS in the past 10 years.
Before my friends and I used to go out partying she would round us up in the kitchen and tell us, "Gals, yuu go out, yuu behaave! No speeed, speeed, speed with tha boyz. Yuu speeed ... yuu reeceive HIV!". We used to giggle at her advice but now I realise that she is actually over-qualified for that lecture. More importantly she was teaching us one of the most urgent and meaningful lessons in her heart.
Alice has been with our family since I was 4 years old. She lives on our property, working extremely hard from 7am to 8pm for 6 days a week because she wants to. She eats the same food as us. When we go on holidays she moves into our house and looks after the dogs. She is part of the family.
She doesn't have a passport and it takes up to 10 years for them to be issued in Zim. When my parents leave ... what then? We will continue to send her money but what good is cash to her, she has higher standards than that.
The wonderful thing is she will probably continue to be the most cheerful person I know!
Alice, our domestic worker is a hero. She's does not know what day she was born on; she is illiterate; she pretends to faint if standing in a queue that is longer than her liking - resulting in her being rushed to the front of the line; she is always, always armed with a smile; she falls down esculators ... 'what sort of new-age invention are moving stairs???'; she's never seen the ocean, nevermind been out of Zimbabwe; her husband passed away and all 3 of her children and their spouces have died from AIDS in the past 10 years.
Before my friends and I used to go out partying she would round us up in the kitchen and tell us, "Gals, yuu go out, yuu behaave! No speeed, speeed, speed with tha boyz. Yuu speeed ... yuu reeceive HIV!". We used to giggle at her advice but now I realise that she is actually over-qualified for that lecture. More importantly she was teaching us one of the most urgent and meaningful lessons in her heart.
Alice has been with our family since I was 4 years old. She lives on our property, working extremely hard from 7am to 8pm for 6 days a week because she wants to. She eats the same food as us. When we go on holidays she moves into our house and looks after the dogs. She is part of the family.
She doesn't have a passport and it takes up to 10 years for them to be issued in Zim. When my parents leave ... what then? We will continue to send her money but what good is cash to her, she has higher standards than that.
The wonderful thing is she will probably continue to be the most cheerful person I know!
I'm traveling to England tomorrow for 10 days of catching up with relatives that I have not seen for years, also to give my mother a good send-off before she flies home. Later aligators!
posted by Shirlz at 11:55 am
2 Comments:
It is sad to leave behind people we love. But manytimes we have to.
Hi Shirlz,
Awesome blog, she sounds really nice. Classic how she does not remember what day she was born on. Over here that would be so random but what difference does it make really. My nanny Eve still works with us, been with us since before I was born, she very cool too, she misses me more than anyone else in my family probably. Lucas, my gardener does not know what day he was born on earlier.
the dude abides
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