Introducing the New Maid in my Household...
By lexus54
@lexus54 (3572)
Singapore
May 12, 2008 9:06pm CST
Before logging in here, I have been busy the past hour and a half preparing breakfast for my mother-in-law, doing up the beds, cleaning the floor and feeding the turtle. Later I will have to wash the bathrooms and prepare lunch and towards evening, I will also have to prepare dinner. Tomorrow, I will have to repeat the tasks and wash the clothes as well. These tasks used to be done by my maid. Overnight, I have become a house-husband/maid... the new (unpaid) maid of my household.
Late last night, we sent our maid off to the airport to fly home to the Philippines. A few nights ago, her husband was killed in a road accident, and so her family is waiting for her to return home immediately for the funeral. The past few days had been hectic for us to get her exit permit arranged, airline tickets booked and work permit renewed as her current permit is ending soon. We had to spend quite a lot of money on our part, including giving her some extra as a mark of our condolence to help defray the funeral costs. It is sad my maid had to endure so many situations back home these past two years, including hospitalization of her own children, her father, an uncle’s death, constant money needs from home and now her husband’s untimely death. We can only soothe her pain by treating her well working here and helping her out financially where we can.
Hopefully in 8 days’ time, my maid will get over this situation and come back to continue working for us, and I can be relieved of this duty and get back to my normal routine. So if you don’t see me so often here this coming week, that’s because I am busy with the housework and cooking. Any of you have been in such a situation before, where you suddenly have to switch roles in order to take care of an emergency situation at home like the one I have?
2 people like this
4 responses
@fifileigh (3615)
• United States
14 May 08
does your wife work full time? what does she do for a living? do you work full time at a regular job and come home to do the housework? does your wife help you? just curious.
@lexus54 (3572)
• Singapore
14 May 08
Hi there, thanks for your post. Your questions are certainly very relevant. Yes, my wife is a teacher, but most days she works half day. I used to work full-time until more recent years. Now I am earning and 'working' from home. That's why my maid can go off at short notice, and while I do my thing at home, I can also see to my m-i-l's needs and do some housework in between. When my wife comes back from work, she does help out in the afternoon (depending on what housework is left in the afternoon) and we do the dinner cooking and washing up together. When weekend comes around, we do our weekly groceries together too. 
@fifileigh (3615)
• United States
14 May 08
i want a house-husband too. do you have a brother for me? i hate doing domestic work.
@lkbooi (16070)
• Malaysia
25 May 08
I feel sorry to learn that your maid had encountered such undesirable incident. Here I would like to express my sympathy and condolence to her. This rendered you to be a busy and able “maid”. I don’t not every man could become a qualify maid who is good in cooking and housekeeping. Hopping that your philippines maid could get her things settled down and come back very soon to relief your workload at home.
@lexus54 (3572)
• Singapore
17 May 08
Thanks for your post. Well, we all multi-task nowadays, don't we? But no one actually told me a few weeks back that one of my multi-tasks will be household chores! Since you are not far from where I am, maybe you want to come by and help me with the housework? Hahaha... Actually housework is ok for me. I used to do it before I got my maid.
@lexus54 (3572)
• Singapore
13 May 08
Thanks drannhh. Your support and encouragement keeps me going. Actually, I am not complaining I have to do these tasks, just relating what went on the past few days here. I know many housewives manage all the housework in their homes without maids, or their husbands too, or maybe even their grandfathers and grandmothers chip in. It's a great tribute to them to sacrifice their time and effort for their home. I can be housebound and do these things happily. In the years before I had a maid, my wife and I did all these tasks, and do them happily because this is our home and we are doing this for our home. Doing these together promote the bond between us, so it is never a chore. My only hope is that my maid returns, because my m-i-l needs her and seems to like her being around.
