Keeping your maids<\/p>\n
This letter is an addendum to an article published on July 9,
\n1995, in The Jakarta Post. Here are some do's and dont's in
\nkeeping a maid.<\/p>\n
First of all do find out how many names your maid has. Dewi,
\nwho worked for me was earlier Lily. Her ex-employer came to visit
\nus and this girl managed to serve her tea and snacks without even
\na trace of recognition, let alone a smile. On questioning, she
\nflatly refused that she had ever seen her before, leaving my
\nfriend to wonder if this girl had a twin sister. Dewi changed her
\nname yet again to Lia when she joined another family. But what
\nshe did not anticipate was that I knew the family and the black
\nmole on her forehead revealed her true identity. (After all she
\nhad worked for me over three months). I feigned ignorance, lest
\nshe desert my friend. I am sure by now she must have become Yeti,
\nYanti, Shanti, Dami, and many more, before getting back to her,
\nif at all original, Dewi or Lily.<\/p>\n
Never tell your maid you are having house guests on the
\nweekend. She has this uncanny way of finding from the tone of
\nyour telephone conversation what is to happen. So hide your
\nexcitement even if you are going to meet a long lost friend. The
\nmoment you put a pan which is bigger than usual, in the hope of
\npreparing something in advance, your maid is sure to get sakit
\nperut (stomach ache) and would want to go to Rumah Sakit
\n(hospital). If you think you can send her in your car with the
\ndriver, to make sure of her return, there again you are mistaken.
\nIn all probability, your driver will return to say Dia mungkin
\nmasuk besok (She will probably be okay tomorrow). If you read
\nbetween the lines mungkin means no possibility. So pretend that
\nyour friend's visit is a surprise to you as well.<\/p>\n
I have had a succession of maids work for two or three days
\nand leave without notice. The last one at least had the courtesy
\nto tell me that she was not happy with the emptiness of my
\ndrawing room -- no T.V., no music system. They are all addicted
\nto TV serials and dangdut music. So, if you want your maid to be
\nglued on to your household (TV?) make sure that you can provide
\nher with these entertainments. If you have a parabola, you are
\nguaranteed a maid, but you can forget about the work.<\/p>\n
Finally, it is easier to eat what the maid cooks rather than
\nteach her what to cook. You can spend hours and hours,
\ndemonstrating to her how to prepare a dish of your choice. The
\nnext time you leave her to make it on her own, she will make a
\nmess of the whole thing. Staring blankly at your exasperated
\nface, she will say Saya tidak bisa (I can't). Then, by the end of
\nthe day you would have realized that you have brushed up your own
\nskill in cooking. So your efforts are not in vain.<\/p>\n
SYAMALA MONIE<\/p>\n
Purwakarta, West Java<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/keeping-your-maids-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }