Maid in the Shade

In December, my perky South African neighbor, Shar (short for Sharon), popped her head over the wall to ask me a question. "Are you looking for help, yet?" Scott had just gotten his residency visa, so we were in fact ready to look for a maid, since now we could actually sponsor one. Sponsoring someone to work for you basically means you have to apply to the government and the person is tied to your visa. Shar informed us that the best friend of her maid was coming to Dubai, looking for a job, and she highly recommended her. Knowing Shar's maid, I could imagine that her best friend would be a good fit for our family, so I said "Send her over when she arrives!"

Aleixina came to us the day she arrived which was around Dec. 8th. She had worked for another family in Kuwait and Dubai for 9 years. When that family left Dubai to go to South Africa, they could not take her with them, and she secured another job with a family in Dubai. Then, her husband fell ill, so she went to be with him for a few months. In that time period, her employer (or her madam, as the ladies of the house are called here) had to hire another maid. So, she was looking for a job. She looked like a deer in the headlights when she walked in our door, terrified. Imagine, leaving your family behind and coming to a country to live with a family you have never met. I was scared to have a stranger living in my house (most houses here have a maid's room), but consider being in her shoes! I tried to make her feel comfortable, and I was glad for her that Belle, our neighbor's maid across the wall, would help her feel better about everything.

Aleixina has been an amazing help to us, and I am so grateful. I think sometimes she gets tired of me saying thank you to her all the time. She is appalled when I pick up a broom, but I remind her that we rely on teamwork in our house. Her main responsibilities revolve around keeping the house clean and helping to watch Tyler. When I start working full time at the school library in March, she will watch Tyler in the morning before school. Tyler has a great relationship with her. Last night, he was convincing her to watch him play Lego Batman on the Wii, so she could learn how to play. She laughs and tells him that she does not think she will ever play the Wii, but I know how persuasive he can be and expect that she will be playing soon.

Aleixina's background continues to emerge as we have discussions in the kitchen after dinner. She is 42, and her birthday is New Year's Day. She is from Goa, India. She has two girls ages 11 and 13. Her children and her husband live with her mother-in-law in India. She has come to work in Dubai to support her family, since her husband cannot work due to health problems. As a mother, my heart breaks for her, because she has to leave her children behind. However, I know that she feels she must work to support them. As Americans, we often forget how privileged we are, simply to be born in the United States and have the opportunities we do. I am thankful every day.

The attitude toward having household help and the cost of hiring help here in Dubai is very different than in the States. On a monthly basis, it costs almost the same to have Aleixina live with us as it did to have a service help with housekeeping twice a month in the US. We were in Children's City, the children's museum here, and saw a display about energy conservation that was quite interesting....



The screen above says "The maid is putting a plate in the dishwasher, should she:
Turn on the dishwasher immediately?
Wait until it is full?
Not wash the plate?"



The screen above says "The maid needs to wash a t-shirt, should she:
Use the washing machine now?
Not wash the t-shirt?
Wait until she has a full load?"

We are happy to report that the Ogurs still know how to load the dishwasher and do our own laundry, despite Aleixina's presence. :-)


Tyler decorating Aleixina with stickers.


Aleixina dressed up for Christmas Eve.