Monday 4 January 2010

Spoiled.

They have an incredible invention here in Mocambique called the empregada.
An empregada is a woman (always) who helps take care of the house. It’s almost like a maid or a nanny, except that they’re commonplace here. Stay-at-home-moms as well work-outside-the-house-moms (they do exist here!) both utilize empregadas. I’ve heard empregadas employ empregadas, but this has yet to be seen.
Clancy and I were blessed to inherit a wonderful empregada who’s worked with the previous four volunteers. Josefa comes for a couple hours in the morning four days a week, and she is a huge help to us. In fact, the other night, Clancy and I talked about how we miss her on days when she doesn’t come in, and we wondered how we ever survived in the states without one.

Who pumped and carted our water from the well every other day? And then helped boil, cool and filter it so we could drink it?
Who spent four hours washing our clothes in tubs with a bar of soap and hung them to dry on the line? Then scrambled to take them in during sandstorms?
Who washed our floors every other day to get rid of the dust from keeping the doors and windows open constantly?
Who showed us how much faster it is to heat bath water on the gas rather than electric stove?
Who burned our garbage in the backyard?
Who killed the cockroaches in the refrigerator and knocked the termite mounds out of the extra bedroom?
Who corrected our Portuguese and told us daily we needed to fatten up, find a nice Mocambicano boy and live in Mocambique forever?

…anyway, long story short, we’re very fortunate to have Josefa.

And the best part?

Clancy and I both pay her $10.

…a month.

I <3 Mocambique.

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