The Ayi (maid): Clean every bathroom, as if it has not been cleaned in 10 years. Vaccuum the entire house. Wash all the dishes by hand. Then run them through the dishwasher. Wash all the kid-prints off all the mirrors and windows. Mop the entire main floor. Translate at least three telephone calls. Take out the garbage. Dust everything in the house. Make swedish pancakes when the kids get home from school. Teach Super L Chinese.
Super L: Make the beds. (We have to maintain SOME semblance of a work ethic, here) Go to IKEA or Carrefour (French Walmart, basically), for everything we have realized we desperately need . . . since yesterday. Find out that none of it (fingernail clippers, clock radios, doorknob locker childproofy thingies) is available in China. Go food shopping. Wash everything I bought at the wet market with soap and a plastic brush. Try desperately to convince Leafy Isaac to stay away from the water dispenser. Move furniture around. Be chastised by my maid for ironing (I will do! I will do!) when all I really wanted to do was watch TV without feeling guilty. Actually parent and play with my children. Help with homework. Make a real dinner, from scratch. Dream of the day when our computer arrives and I can actually use all this free time to WRITE MY BOOK!
Big M: Make lots of big important decisions, radically reorganize the structure of the department, suddenly become the boss of 30 extra people, eat Korean food. And that was just yesterday.
Cletus and Lemmy: Get up earlier than you want to, complain through breakfast, bum a ride to the bus stop off the neighbors or the driver, go to school and have the BEST SCHOOL DAY EVER!, every day. Come home, bum a ride from the school bus to our house (a whole two blocks), eat swedish pancakes, do 5 minutes of homework, play pool, make secret hideouts in the basement, watch the Chinese Disney Channel.
Leafy Isaac: Wake up at 3:30. Wander the house wreaking havoc, till Mommy hears you. Scream till she makes you breakfast. Throw all the toothbrushes in the toilet when she accidentally falls asleep on the couch for 2 minutes. Eat 4 pears, 2 apples, 3 bananas, 26 ritz crackers, 4 slices of bread, 9 mandarin oranges (with peels), 3 swedish pancakes, 2 whole chicken breasts, and two bagels. Declare that you are still hungry. Run around like a maniac all day long in the giant house. Wrap the Ayi all the way around your finger on a daily basis. Play in the water dispenser, for at least 4 hours of every day. Speak English sounding nonsense to Mom, and Chinese sounding nonsense to the Ayi.
Life is good, my friends. Life is good.
6 comments:
You have it pretty rough over there... :)
Can I find someone like your Ayi to do all my research work for me? I just dream of the day when I'm pounding my head on some dusty old book in the library and someone walks up and insists "I will do! I will do!" :)
It sounds like a major change of lifestyle! Are you having lifestyle-shock?
Sounds like a great time, I wish I could watch TV without feeling guilty...that is because I need to get off my butt and clean, not because I have someone doing it for me!! My mom is coming at the end of Feb...nah! she probably won't clean everything for me, darn!
Giant house? We want pictures! (And obviously China isn't like Japan?!?)
life is awesome!!! Especially when you get to play with the water dispenser and go to IKEA everyday.
I hate you. No, not really. I'm just being jealous and petty. But it DOES sound wonderful! And I'm glad you get to enjoy it :)
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