Monica the House Fairy

Well, we now have a maid one day a week. I hear you "Ooooh those show-offs, living the royal lives in style....". Well none of that, she only does the cleaning of our (seriously large) place, because I won't let her wash the clothes (someone else handling my dirty laundry - how embarrassing!!), nor cook nor shop for groceries (I love doing that, and I'm not going to give away my favourite tasks). However she does have the privilege of waxing our dark parquet floor and cleaning the dishes and the windows, watering the plants, and general tidying up and cleaning. To give you an idea, we pay her lunch (5 soles) and her transport (5 soles) and her day's work (40 soles) and that's a very good price (for us) considering the size of the appartment. For any additional tasks, like ironing shirts, and cooking meals, we will pay her extra. We also pay for any equipment she needs (e.g. cleaning gloves, wax, etc...). She's 51 years old, 4 kids, no husband, very friendly, easy to talk to, hardworking and she came with references from an expat (one of my requirements).

On a completely different subject, Yannick gave his talk at the UNI (Universidad Nacional de Ingenieria) yesterday and has set his mind on building a business empire here. It apparently went very well and he was treated like a king by the faculty dean and the organisers. What an ambitious young man, I am proud to see so much initiative in him and I must say he transpires confidence and leaderhsip. When he has caught up with his work, he will surely tell you more (I promise to keep nagging him about it!).

En Français:

On a maintenant une bonne / femme de ménage qui vient une fois par semaine. Elle lave et cire le parquet, elle lave en général, elle fait la vaisselle, arrose les plantes et fait du rangement en général. Elle ne fait pas la lessive (quelqu'un d'autre qui s'occupe de mon linge - non merci!; et elle ne fait pas les courses/la cuisine parce que j'adore le faire moi-même). On la paie 50 soles (environ 12 euros) en tout, dont 5 soles pour son transport et 5 soles pour son déjeuner. Elle a 51 ans, 4 enfants, pas de mari, et vit dans un endroit près de l'aéroport, oú il n'y a pas d'eau courante!!

D'un tout autre sujet, Yannick a donné sa conférence à l'Université Nationale d'Ingénieurs hier et il a fermement décidé de construire un business ici. La conférence s'est bien passé et on l'a traité comme un roi. Je suis fière de voir tant d'ambition et d'initiative dans ce jeune homme!