Everyone knows I have had trouble with our maid. I had decided I was going to give her until the end of November and then I would let her go. That was until Friday when I found her and my gardener in the shower upstairs. She was having him clean it for her and she was just standing there watching. I called my driver to find out why the gardener was in my house and she told him she was having him help her clean the toilet. I told her it was not his job it was hers and she should ask before she brings someone in my house. So over the weekend I decided I would have her only work until this Freida. Then this Monday morning she was taking out the trash and there were some sacks that had expired beer in them and I told her they were trash (in her language) and she asked me if I was sure and I said yes. Then she said she would give them to Nelson and put the on the table in the backyard. I went and got them and put them in the trash sack and put it all in the trash can. Everything I tell her to do she does the opposite. I called Kenny and said I have had enough and asked him to have the driver call and tell her it wasn't working out because he had the driver. So my driver called and talked to her and told her I would pay her for the time she worked and it was for 3 months. She told him that she wanted paid for November or she wasn't taking the money. Kenny told Baptista, "If the company fired you today would they pay you for the rest of November?" Baptista said no and Kenny told him to explain that to her then. I told him she could take this money and leave or take none. She was yelling on the phone at Baptista and I was very uncomfortable. Later I found out from Kenny that she wasn't mad at all and I told him it sounded like she was and he said that is just how they talk to each other here. She was very nice to me the whole time just not when she was on the phone. I had called mom as soon as Baptista called so I could talk to someone while she was being fired. I am not sure what she could have done being so far away but it still made me feel a little more comfortable talking to her instead of being alone. :-)
Once she agreed on the money and was getting ready to leave I was following her around making sure she didn't try and take something and she called me to the back room and asked if she could have the shampoo and conditioner and soup I had for her in her bathroom. In English I said, "I don't care just leave" with a big smile on my face and she said thanks in Portuguese. She can not understand me anyway so it didn't matter what I said. She kept asking me if I didn't like her and in English I kept saying "I like you, I just don't like you telling me no and not doing things the way I ask for them to be done." She would just look at me and smile and say yes in Portuguese. Once she sacked up the soap and stuff she went to the back yard and I followed her and she had got the beer back out of the trash and put it on the grill with a towel over it trying to hide it. I told her it wasn't any good it was expired and it was trash and she said it was for her to decorate her house with. I said, "whatever just take it and leave." I walked her to the front door and locked it behind her. I was so stressed all day knowing from 9am that I was going to get rid of her and it finally happening about 1pm.
Today I had a lady from the Esso compound bring her maid over and let her look at the house and the area to see if she wanted to work for me. Our compound is closer to her house and she will only have to clean our house and will not work for the compound so it will be less work for her. We pay a little less than what the compound pays her but she will not have to pay as much in transportation. The lady she is working for now is leaving next week headed for Nigeria. This maids name is Isabel and she is probably in her late 30's early 40's and she has two girls 18 and 9 yrs old. She will start in January when we get back from Christmas break. I just hope I will not have any maid adventures with this one. :-)
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