If you could affordably hire a live-in house helper, would you? Sean is ready to get onboard with the Saudi practice of having live-in help but I’m a lot harder to convince.
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Many families here will have a woman who lives in their home and does the cleaning, cooking, and childcare. Some families have an entire home staff, including a driver and nanny (we heard of one family with a live-in tailor). Drivers were more in demand when women weren’t allowed behind the wheel, but Sean even has single man friends who use a driver for the ease of letting someone else worry about the traffic while they relax (and to bring them Starbucks at work). Drivers typically live in a tiny room off the garage of an apartment building while many homes and apartments here are equipped with a closet-sized “maid’s room” usually off the kitchen.
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In-house help is very affordable and there are plenty of people who are happy to have the steady work, usually Filipinos or Ethiopians who send a majority of their earnings home to support their families.
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We’ve had a few ladies help with cleaning once or twice a month, which is amazing, but I have trouble relaxing when they’re around. I can’t imagine someone here 24/7 and I think it’s a combo of my introverted nature, my independent self not willing to give up control of my house, my perception that maids are only for rich people…and my inkling that having full-time help makes me obsolete as a stay at home mom. Or it’s just my desire for privacy to sing loudly and dance wildly without any witnesses. 😁💃🏼
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Sean’s argument is that we wouldn’t have to spend time on mundane tasks, freeing us up to do more important things, plus a helper could watch the kids if I want to run errands, take language classes, or go to the gym. He loves the idea of entertaining friends and having trays of refreshments brought to us, just like the tray in the photo which was prepared by our neighbor’s maid when we went for a visit.
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The idea is nice but for now I’m perfectly content having someone mop and clean bathrooms twice a month. The independent American in me is strong, and stubborn.
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