Life with the Maid

[PeteC]

I've never quite understood what goes on here with them. Back in the West few if any of us had maids, we wore shoes in the house, and the place looked great with a good cleaning on weekends which I did myself being a single Dad. Had two teenagers and two dogs at the time and it was not a big deal.....about a 2 hour job with the kids helping.

Here we started off with a full time maid 6 days a week. Then down to 5 days, now down to 4 hours a day twice a week for downstairs and outside areas only. The wife decided to do the upstairs herself once a week which is fine. I can tell no difference between the once a week up and twice down, and the everyday we had before.

Personally, I hate to be disrupted when I'm doing something and it seems that all I do when the maid is here is constantly move to other locations in or out of the house so she can get on with it. A real pain in the arse IMO.

Not being used to being waited on, having a maid is indeed a novelty in the beginning but to me it gets old very quickly. Unless disabled or having a wife who likes to chit-chat with someone and have someone run errands, having a maid is very overrated in my opinion.

I'll probably now be picketed by the Thai Maid's Union. Pete

[Nereus]

I no longer have a maid and do not really want one in a small Condo. We did have one during the time my daughter lived with me, but after she moved out it did not last very long.

But I have to say that having a "maid" caused about 90% of the "disagreements" that I used to have with my late wife. Even worse because my wife insisted on having her live in.
May be ok if somebody is sick or disabled, but I think that I will have to be completely bedridden before I have another one!

[STEVE G]

Personally, I hate to be disrupted when I'm doing something and it seems that all I do when the maid is here is constantly move to other locations in or out of the house so she can get on with it. A real pain in the arse IMO.

I understand what you mean Pete, I had a full time live in maid when I was in Jakarta but then it was OK as I was doing a full time job and she could do all the cleaning, laundry and cooking dinner whilst I was at work and then she went out and spent the evening with the other maids in the area and left us alone. I can imagine that if you're at home all day it's another matter.

[Bamboo Grove]

A bit OT but this reminds me of Crutchley's P.M. column and miss Yasothon. Happy memories of reading the column in 90's.

[Somchai Turdsak]

Agree with the op 100%
My wife and I have a fairly large house and a young daughter. It became quite a chore keeping the floors mopped, the dishes washed and the windows clean. We hired a maid. The first day she showed up an hour late. About 10 a.m., she explained her husband needed the motocy and she couldn't return after lunch. The second day she showed up with two kids she was babysitting. She was instructed not to bother coming the third day.

The second attempt a few months later was a layabout whiner who worked for 10 minutes and sat glued to the tv for 30 minutes. Lasted less than a week.

I'd rather do it myself.

[PeteC]

A bit OT but this reminds me of Crutchley's P.M. column and miss Yasothon. Happy memories of reading the column in 90's.

That's a compliment! I really enjoyed his stories as well. I think he still has a weekly column in the BKK Post but I don't read it regularly anymore. I really miss Trink as well. I understand he's still alive and well in Bangkok somewhere. He must be in his 80's by now. Pete

[arcadianagain]

Agree with Pete, we have a cleaner twice a week and it can be a pain moving out of her way, life is such a bind!
As an aside a Welsh friend of my parents was stationed at Plymouth dockyard during the war and overheard two local dockworkers discussing their "maids", he was astonished that a working man could afford two maids. He didn`t realize that a maid is a local term for a daughter.

[SunandFun]

I think it depends on where you live.
Our main residence is in New Delhi, India. 3 bedroom, 170 Sq.M house. Basically Delhi is a desert. 19 million people, polluted and nasty. The interesting thing is here, I get spoiled by having servants. Construction is poor and dust gets everywhere, quick. You have to dust, sweep and mop daily if not twice daily. We also have three dogs, Toy Poms, and they get pampered as well. We have a full time driver, full time cook, full time sweeper, part time (half day) house cleaner. Yes, you give up a lot of privacy, but as I said, you get spoiled. Now labor is cheap and we get all of this for what we paid in the US for half day house cleaning every other week. You have to have a driver, no parking available and traffic jams are endless. The cook is tasks with daily grooming, walking and cooking for the dogs and cooking for us as well. The housekeeper comes and goes after her duties of dusting, sweeping and mopping. The cook and the housekeeper keep all of the laundry washed and pressed. The sweeper, keeps the outside spotless, the drive way swept and mopped and the Terrace cleaned as well, twice a day. We also have a gardner that comes a few hours every day, plans the flowers and takes care of everything living.

Now contrast that with Hua Hin. Here we have a 2 bedroom condo. 81 Sq.M. We do our own cooking when we are not going out to eat. We wash our own dishes. We keep things clean and tidy. I have just hired a fabulous housekeeper to come once a week, for a thorough cleaning and to change linens. We send all our laundry out to be washed and pressed. I drive and there is no outside yard work. If we latter buy a house then our needs will change.

Now the USA. We ho there about 4-6 weeks a year. Stay with friends, but participate in cooking, cleaning, do all our own laundry and driving. It gets old pretty quick.

So, we find Hua Hin the best balance. You give up a little privacy occasionally for a little pampering. I like that!

Cheers to being pampered.

[Ginjaninja]

SunandFun,
Could you lend me a fiver please.
Many thanks,
Skint.

[SunandFun]

SunandFun,
Could you lend me a fiver please.
Many thanks,
Skint.

No problem! I'll send my driver over with it. LOL

...I worked hard to now enjoy the comforts.

[richard]

S&F

I had the same in Africa. Large house, 17 acres garden, swimming pool, tennis court and 4 cars. Cook, servants, gardeners etc. Overwhelmed the wife and kids so I tried to downsize but was warned by both the Zimbabwe government and the British embassy that I would effectively be putting people out of their jobs. The house was owned (sort of) by the Zimbabwe government so I had no option but to live it up

[Takiap]

S&F

I had the same in Africa. Large house, 17 acres garden, swimming pool, tennis court and 4 cars. Cook, servants, gardeners etc. Overwhelmed the wife and kids so I tried to downsize but was warned by both the Zimbabwe government and the British embassy that I would effectively be putting people out of their jobs. The house was owned (sort of) by the Zimbabwe government so I had no option but to live it up

Pete, I don't blame you one bit. I would never want a maid, a driver, a cook, or anyone else for that matter. The bloody MIL is bad enough as it is.

[midlandmike]

Took a bg home one night.Following day,she cleaned up the kitchen,ran the vacuum, cleaned the bathroom --all at no extra charge.

[Somchai Turdsak]

I had a 30 acre garden in Rhodesia with seventy servants and my private airstrip. I sold it to Sir Robert because I thought it might cast me in a positive light.
I'm just a normal Briton.
Does British Airways install economy class seats? I highly doubt it. Nearly every (fairy)tale includes class status.
Carry on.

Plonk

[Lung Per]

Took a bg home one night.Following day,she cleaned up the kitchen,ran the vacuum, cleaned the bathroom --all at no extra charge.

A mae baan moonshing as a bargirl. There you go!