This is Sophie, who has been working as a housekeeper for us. She just got a new job working at a local bank as a teller (she’s got a certificate in accounting, but has been working in the US Embassy community as a housekeeper for over 10 years). I’m going to miss her so much … especially her frank assessments, blunt opinions, and funny stories about working in American homes. Sophie’s cousin, Linah, has been looking for work for over a year, so she’s very excited to take Sophie’s place. Sophie told me that “if there are any problems, you must call me, and I must fire her FOR you!” She’s something else.
Side note: I’ve written before about my mixed feelings on hiring staff, and I’ll probably alwasy feel a bit weird about it, and yet watching Sophie go through this job change and seeing how excited she is to be able to give a family member her “good job” makes me feel more convinced that hiring when you can afford it can be a very helpful thing. Linah, who has been without work for well over a year, is so eager to start and is hoping I can connect her to other Americans from the Embassy. (She comes to our house once per week, so she would like 4 other days with other families.) She told me that “God is so good” to send her this opportunity to make money and save. And just in case I’m sounding too too selfless here, let’s remember the reality: employing Linah means I don’t have to iron, mop my floors, or clean the bathroom, which is not too shabby for me either.
