Ann!

About two weeks ago I hired a new girl to help me around the house. Since 2006 the Omondi's and I have shared one worker named Ruth, but now that their family is growing they need Ruth full-time.

It may sound pretty posh to have a house-helper, but it's a big part of the culture here. Even people who live in the slums often pay someone a few shillings to wash, sweep, cook, or do some of the million chores that Americans simply buy machines for.

On a typical day, Ann will take a hand-brush and get on her knees to sweep the rug (no vacuum), use a rag to wash the tile and concrete floors (no mop), wash the dishes (no dishwasher) that have piled up after a day of making everything from scratch (no 'Hamburger Helper'), wash the towels and sheets by hand (I have a washing machine, but she's not used to using one and prefers to do it by hand), hangs them on the veranda (no dryer), purifies the drinking water (no Brita fliters), and wipes the dust off everything that has drifted in the open windows (no air conditioning).

Ann has worked really hard, and I am really glad to have her help. She is a timid girl who hasn't escaped life's troubles. Her father died when she was in the 3rd grade, and she had to drop out of school because her family couldn't afford to send her anymore. She has three older sisters and two younger brothers, both of whom she is helping to send to school with part of her wages. She loves the Lord and sings in her church choir. I'll try to get a picture of her so you can see what she looks like.

Something that has been very helpful to me is that, because of her lack of schooling, Ann doesn't speak any English. Finally I have someone who is a part of my daily life who needs to communicate in Swahili! I've been trying to tough it out and use our conversations as practice sessions. I'm not sure what she thinks of my Swahili - she smiles a lot when I talk...