Sunday, May 03, 2009

A Maid for all Seasons



Wanted: a maid to keep house when we're away and to cook us yummy meals. Sure, there are lots of wonderfully self-sufficient people who manage everything on their own without domestic help but we're in a critical position where we need one on the double.

So we've been placing ads in a local paper. No names or addresses, just our contact numbers. The responses have been frankly tragi comic. The first response came in the form of missed calls. Initially I dismissed them as crank calls but when they persisted, I called back and a young girl's voice asked if we were the people looking for a maid. Yeow, imagine looking for a job by making missed calls. Talk of cheapos.

Another caller offered a package deal. His younger sister, 16, would work for free if he could come and live with her and continue his schooling (he said he was doing his 12th). Unfortunately, we don't have room for two and the idea of feeding two extra mouths was daunting so I said nothing doing.

Finally, we took in a young boy. He said he was 17 and could do anything a girl could and that he was desperate for a placement, so we decided there were times we needed a male hand around the house anyway. He stayed for over a week but didn't quite turn out to be what we had hoped for. On his second sunday day out, he came home after the stipulated hour saying he was going to learn driving, and that was it.

Our next try was a 22 year old girl who came with her aunt. She said she'd been married with a three year old child but the husband had taken to alcohol and turned abusive so they had separated last September. She was petite with heavily black eyelined eyes and tight jeans but once she settled down, seemed quite a find. She picked up things quickly and was neat, docile and seemed to enjoy working around the house. I had begun to breathe a sigh of relief but last sunday, around sunset, she told my sister she needed to buy a packet of tobacco just up the road and never came back. After frantic calls to her aunt, we learned she had gone to her friend's house and planned to stay the night there. The next day, it all came out. She'd told her aunt we had been getting her to take care of my paraplegic sister as well and that she couldn't cope with the workload. Needless to say, we took the aunt to my sister's room to see her with her daily attendant who is actually paid well over twice the salary we pay our house maids. We learned our girl was something of a pathological liar and had been surreptitiously using our landline cordless phone late at night etc.

So now we've placed yet another ad in the papers. We're dangling a bait of 1300/- per month this time. And there have been a number of callers already. One wanted to know if she could attend Burmese language church on sundays. When we said yes, she wanted to know if we could give her the bus fare every sunday. Yeow.

29 comments:

  1. 1st one to comment.....yeae me
    When I was in Durtlang, I shared a house with a colleague and we hired a girl to cook and clean. She came in the morning and leave in the evening and was a local, guess that was very convenient.

    There are many maids who have multiple clients, in metros; and they are usually referred by neighbors.

    Me thinks we can have a good service agency where workers from smaller towns and villages can register for a nominal fee, their background verified and viola you have a maid for all season

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  2. I thuziah hian hman ni April fool hma lawk chawlhkar a Times of India editorial column a an thil rawn ziah min ti hrechhuak. Chuta an thil ziah pawh chu India mi US a house maid/servant atana a lak thu leh, i sawi ang deuhin a hna thawk tura a kal loh chang apiang hian in report ta mai lo chuan misscall bak a lo pe ngai lova,a chang chuan mamawh leh thu hmanhmawh anih phei chuan misscall a pe char char thin ani awm e.

    Maid tha tak in hmuh ngei ka beisei,thingtlang lamah chhungte in neih chuan, tlema tlawngawl deuh te hi hmuh fuh chuan an fel duh viau an ti ani a, Burma lam ai mah in(not racial offence!)

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  4. Nia awmpui tur hi an vang ania, kumtir lamah hian an vang lehzual masi hmang hian an khuaah an haw a an lo let leh ngai tawhlo reng reng. OPa sawi khi tha khawp mai service agency tih khi ka rilru ah awmna rei toh keipawh, kind of employment agency, not only maids but for any job. Awmpui chanchin nuihzatthlak deuh deuh lah hi sawi tur a tam, pakhat chiah - hmana ka ni te awmpui chuan fone hi a chhang a, ka ni hnenah "Ka pi, Pu Andrew-a i ni em"? ti pheu.

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  5. Op, I thought you'd be one of those ppl who DIY and oppose hiring maids! There are one or two service agencies in Aizawl. One call themselves RESO and claim to provide maids, nurses and drivers with people from smaller villages as you've said. We got a few attendants for my sister from them a couple of years ago but they may now have gone defunct. Another one called the JC Security and Labour Agency recently set up office at the Millenium building and I went there the other day. The office people wear uniforms and seem smartly set up but they admitted they were out of personnel for now, and couldn't always meet demands. Then there's this other setup headed by a Sister Rose who claim to train maids and get them placements. The catch with them is that my friend said her mum had got a maid from them at one point but Sister Rose and her office workers kept coming and checking if they were being treated right and basically interfering all the time. Not very nice.

    And yes, I really wish we had maid services who come clean and cook for a few hours and then go on to other clients. Having total strangers around the house all the time can be quite a hassle sometimes.

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  6. azassk,mi missed call pek hrat hi an ngeiawm duh ve hranpa alom tro? Nula hi chu Mizo leh khawchhak lam pawh fel leh fel lo hi an awm ve vek tho mai. Kan thiannu u thingtlang a doctor han ni zuai sawi dan chuan awmpui te hi fel deuh lo hmuh ngaihna hi a lo awm lo alom, a fel deuh chu an nu leh pa ten inah an chhawr a, fel lo deuh chauh hi Aizawl a awm bo tur pawh a an ui loh an lo ni hlom a tia a dik ngot in ka ring ta.

    2006 khan Burma lam mi Niangi, nula fel zet mai kan nei tawh a, a ni kha chu kan la sawi kan la sawi thin. Mahse a pa ten an ko haw sek a, a lo let leh te hi a ron thu thalh a, a'n awm mam leh deuh a, an ko haw leh a, a haw hlen ta nih kha. A fel bawk a, a chhungten an ui poh kha a awm ve tho mai.

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  7. pica, only maggi? How about baking chocolate cakes and butter cookies and making roast chicken? If you can do all that, you're hired at 2000 bucks per month ;)

    ambs, haha tiang chu nia sawi tur kpoh ka hre hnem ltk. Hmanni ka thiannu min hrilh chu ATC bul velah khian a thiannu te an awm a, voikhat chu arsa a roast a, a dah tha kha an nula te 2 in an lo ei zo vek anih chu! A sa raps a mahse kan in awmna te hi a thlaler ve sia, awm duh tur hi hmuh an har sia a tia, an in ngaidam ta hram ani awm e hehe

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  8. what an experience!! ordeal, actually, but i was stumped by the package deal thing.. the boy seems pretty enterprising, striking a deal so smoothly.. he gets food and shelter and time to study and the girl does all the work.. mean..

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  9. Hlawh neia awmpui hi kan nei ngai vak lo va. Kan chhungte hmun danga mi, lehkhazir, etc. kan awmpui deuh ber. Mahse, hna te an hmu a, an awm rei thei leh thin lo. Hman deuh lawk khan Bru tlangval pakhat lehkhazir duh a lo kal a, kar 1 vel zet chu kan inkawl. A zei lo lutuk a, hrilh loh chuan engmah tih nachang a hre lo, a ding zut reng mai a. Bakah dawt sawi a ching riau a, a buaithlak. Dawhtheihna neih ve deuh pawh a ngai thin. Kan dawh hram hram a, mahse amah zawkin a tlin ta ngang lo va, dawt phuahchawp sawi bawkin a chhuak leh ta a nih kha.
    Kan thianpa pakhat pawhin awmpui fel deuh neih a harsat thu a sawi, "Kan la chhangchhe si a, Burma nula pakhat kan awmpui a, min chhuahsan ang tih kan hlau si a, kan tlawn titih zawk mah", a ti.

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  10. Yes, it hasn't exactly been a great experience, Gauri and yeah, the boy's deal did strike me as a bit rough on his sister too. Dice overloaded in his favour, if you ask me.

    samuapa, ka nu dam lai kha chuan thingtlang lama kan chhungte chuan min rawn bel ve thin ngei a mahse a awm loh takah hian an bo diak. Hlawh neiin kan lak mai loh chuan tihngaihna awm ta hek lo. Nia, dawhtheihna hi chu neih feeee a ngai, tlawn fe pawh an ngai. Buaithlak khop mai.

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  11. I can empathise with you there. Having a good maid is a a huge load off your shoulders. Naute kan neih dawn khan awmpui kan la a, a fel khawp mai a. Hospital a kan la awm lai khan 'lehkha zir zawm ka duh, ka haw dawn', a ti ta tlat mai a. Ka rilru hi a hah hman tawp. Kan thlem kan thlem a, a hlawh te kan pun a, a awm zawm leh ta hlauh a.

    'A lang a kal' neih theih chuan duhthusam, but sometimes it's not feasible, like when you have a child or a person who needs special care. All the best, hope you find a really great maid soon.

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  12. One of the many reasons why I don't like keeping maids. They're nosey, shameless, they like to bitch and their demands are endless. Lord knows how many maids have left us solely because we 'demand' too much from them or we eren't what they expected, blah blah blah. Maids are a nuisance, if you ask me. I'm never keeping one once I'm married! Ack.

    &oh yes, I've finished one layout. Hope you'll like it. It's nice and simple. I'll send you the screencap later tonight on facebook.

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  13. Grrr, typos. Ignore them, please :)

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  14. diary, the lang a kal ones are troublesome when they do a MIA without any advance notice. Of course anyone can come down with a sudden illness or some other emergency but it upsets your program for the day. And yes, they can be so manipulative, threatening to leave at the most inconvenient moments. Sheesh.

    ambs, sure thing, be my guest.

    joonbird, you're so right. They can be so rude, nosey and gossipy. I wish fervently we could do without one but we simply need them. And thanks a lot for your help. Can't wait to see your handiwork :)

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  15. Nice topic... I think that finding the perfect maid is like finding the perfect pair of jeans, so precious and you never want to let it go, no matter how old and torn-up it becomes..
    If I may, I would like to suggest laying down a couple of strict rules, cos' its a job and they are getting paid for it.. My boss hardly ever shows sympathy (Unless he's a bit tipsy) so, why should you?
    My mum would sit our maid down and give a really long lecture if something goes wrong, and she/he would follow it, if not out of respect, out of fear of hearing another long lecture.. same goes for me too.. lolz..

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  16. Buaithlak tiin tan tawp mai teng. Awmpui hmuh fu har zia hi an sawi cham chi a mitin hian, in chungah a lo thlang ve chu zialo hle mai. Tawngtai uluk ngai niang :). Hmanni a ka ngaihtuah pakhat chu..chanchinbu velah hian 'awmpui duh' tih add hi a tam si, domestic workers te training pe a, agency ang tawp a ding hi nei ta ila a hlok phian ang a oo

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  17. Haha red, that's a great tactic your mum uses. Can't be fun to be lengthily lectured at. We do have certain dos and donts like we don't encourage visitors since we give them off days on sundays, no TV in the daytime, no using the phone without permission (of course these days some have their own cell phones) etc etc.

    vana, nia khi Opa ka reply tawh ang khian agency 3 lai chu an awm tawh ngei alom. Mahse demand lam aiin supply tur duh angin an hmu reng bik lo zawk thin a ni awm e.

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  18. Ha! Can't really help you in your maid to order endeavour. Apologies!! This is a pretty universal story. Same story, different place. Ending is usually tragi-comic. Best of luck though.

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  19. Sorry, a ruk thei ang berin office trang ka lo koment ru dek dek a, midang comment ka lo chhiar hmanlo a, poi thin mang tak lah chuan e..

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  20. Thanks Loch.

    vana, a ruk a thil tih hian rah tha a chhuah khat reng a ni :P

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  21. now this is unfamiliar territory (housemaids - for those who have the luxary!!) as i belong to the group that has to manage things on their own without domestic help (and help here is a noun rite? :)
    but back in india i have had some real good "part-time" helps (can u make plural of nouns? of course u can.. how dumb of me!). there was one - when my folks were visiting me - nicknamed "toofan mail" for she could do everything in 45 mins flat from cooking to cleaning to washing... and then there was the one who would be meticulous but with whom i could only communicate in sign language - for i didnot know the local dialect...

    if i were you, i would meet em before deciding... and go less by what they say and more by what i feel... that instinct thing u know? this way even if it bombs, u have no one but yourself to blame...

    gluck!

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  22. blackestred's suggestion should work, i think, because my wife employs the same tactics and they seem to be working, far as i know. including (or mostly) the lecture part of it. i think they obey for fear of another lecture. same as me, like red :)

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  23. Go by instinct, great suggestion, tink.

    Dunno Plats, I like to save my lectures for the classroom..

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  24. Maids often give more trouble than help except in rare cases. I've given up on them.

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  25. ..

    Ka lo thawk dawn mi? I only want BUS FARE to and fro Durtlang. kthnxbye.

    (pssst.. you dont have to reply to mycomment.. hehe..)

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  26. I can't afford to give up on them much as I'd love to, mesjay. We've now had a pretty 18 year old girl from Tahan for a week now. Though she's unexperienced, she's quiet and hardworking. Let's see how it goes.

    Mossy, nia lo thawk la. But one condition, buh i thap thiam em?

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  27. Reading this post and the comments about maids, I recall a piece on "Inclusion" by Subroto Bagchi. I quote: "I feed my own child, but do not inquire if my maid has eaten today." We need to put ourselves in the shoes or slippers or the bare feet of our maids.

    Warm regards,
    - Joe.

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