My ayi (maid) started last week. She is awesome and speaks English! She was a little overwhelmed by the house the first time that she saw it. We have 6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, 4 floors, 2 family rooms and basement. I reminded her that she didn't have to clean it all everyday. She started last Monday and works 20 hrs a week. I'm sharing her with another family in the compound. She has her own scooter for transportation. She's married and has no children. After her first day, we realized that we didn't have the right cleaning supplies. Since we don't have any carpet, we didn't think we needed a vacuum cleaner. She said that it helps with the bad dust here. The fans in our AC units in each room are always on. There is no "auto". So, her second day, she and I went shopping for cleaning supplies and a vacuum cleaner. I could not have picked one without her. Last week, she even babysit the kids while Greg was out of town and I had to go to school. The kids really like practicing their Mandarin with her in the afternoon. One day, she showed me how to make Kung Pao Chicken for dinner. It turned out delicious. Greg loved it. I'm hoping to learn a new recipe each week. It's great to spend time talking with her each day. I've learned a lot about Chinese family life, marriage, children and names. My goal in the next two weeks is for her to take me shopping for a scooter!!
We got our power bill today for the 1st month. It was 2,000 RMB ($317). A little more than a normal Aug in Raleigh. It will be interesting to see the gas bill in the winter. We have gas heated floors.
We got our combined house phone bill and internet bill today too. Only $26 a month for both!!!
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