I was kind of a little sad when I read the news about this - there will be no live-in Indonesian maids in Malaysia anymore.
There are pros and cons to having a live-in maid, as with everything else, but for us, we enjoyed more pros than cons. Back then, when my kids were little, we brought in a family of maids to help with...well, just about everything, and we were like two families merged into one. They ate what we ate, we sleep, they sleep, we shop, they shop, they joke, we laugh, we joke, they laugh...for me, the maid I hired was more like a sister and side-kick to me.
For that few years, I was dependent on her to mind-read my schedule and when I need or don't need help. She picked things up quickly and we ended up having lots of moments whereby we were in sync. Today, two of them are on my Facebook and we were gleefully chatting over Facebook Messenger since they've just discovered the wonders of the Internet and Social Media.
Since we were more like partners in crime, I felt that there was no safety issue and I had complete trust in her. I could leave the house without a single worry in my mind and knew whole-heartedly that my kids were in completely safe hands and if something happened, she truly tried her best to prevent it.
I dreaded the day she went home so badly. The last few days she was here with us, I felt like there was a big dark cloud hanging over my head all the time. I held it together till we reached the airport but the moment she disappeared, I wanted to hide in the toilet and cry. But I could not because I was there with my 2 little ones....and without my side-kick.
The journey back was a tear-filled one. I just could not stop and thank goodness, my sons fell into deep sleep in the back...without their kakak...only their mommy on the driver's seat trying not to cry too loud.
A few relatives even went about their day, trying to act like everything was normal, nothing was wrong and that everything's going to be the same from here on....me, knowing it will be very different.
So, when I read the news that there will no longer be live-in maids from Indonesia, I felt that there will be something missing between employers and maids...camaraderie, the closeness and bond of being a family. The trust. I know nothing is perfect and just like every other family, there will be moments you complain about each other, but that makes it all the more stronger.
I know there are bad apples everywhere but they sure spoiled the entire orchard for the rest of us who try our best to build a relationship with our helpers.
Anyway, maybe one day, Indonesia might be the one asking us, Malaysia, to provide live-in maids instead, looking at how things are going. It's not impossible, right? Talk about role reversals.
Love,
Marsha
There are pros and cons to having a live-in maid, as with everything else, but for us, we enjoyed more pros than cons. Back then, when my kids were little, we brought in a family of maids to help with...well, just about everything, and we were like two families merged into one. They ate what we ate, we sleep, they sleep, we shop, they shop, they joke, we laugh, we joke, they laugh...for me, the maid I hired was more like a sister and side-kick to me.
For that few years, I was dependent on her to mind-read my schedule and when I need or don't need help. She picked things up quickly and we ended up having lots of moments whereby we were in sync. Today, two of them are on my Facebook and we were gleefully chatting over Facebook Messenger since they've just discovered the wonders of the Internet and Social Media.
Since we were more like partners in crime, I felt that there was no safety issue and I had complete trust in her. I could leave the house without a single worry in my mind and knew whole-heartedly that my kids were in completely safe hands and if something happened, she truly tried her best to prevent it.
I dreaded the day she went home so badly. The last few days she was here with us, I felt like there was a big dark cloud hanging over my head all the time. I held it together till we reached the airport but the moment she disappeared, I wanted to hide in the toilet and cry. But I could not because I was there with my 2 little ones....and without my side-kick.
The journey back was a tear-filled one. I just could not stop and thank goodness, my sons fell into deep sleep in the back...without their kakak...only their mommy on the driver's seat trying not to cry too loud.
A few relatives even went about their day, trying to act like everything was normal, nothing was wrong and that everything's going to be the same from here on....me, knowing it will be very different.
So, when I read the news that there will no longer be live-in maids from Indonesia, I felt that there will be something missing between employers and maids...camaraderie, the closeness and bond of being a family. The trust. I know nothing is perfect and just like every other family, there will be moments you complain about each other, but that makes it all the more stronger.
I know there are bad apples everywhere but they sure spoiled the entire orchard for the rest of us who try our best to build a relationship with our helpers.
Anyway, maybe one day, Indonesia might be the one asking us, Malaysia, to provide live-in maids instead, looking at how things are going. It's not impossible, right? Talk about role reversals.
Love,
Marsha
Credit : Maid making hotel room
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