15 February 2014

The sequel tale of the many helpers

It was only a matter of time before the prequel deserved a sequel. If you’re not familiar with the original comical hunt for a helper, you should go ahead and visit this blog
 
It was certainly an unexpected story that took us on a very memorable adventure. In last review of this tale, I concluded with Tri - who, at the time, seemed quite the catch.  But this sequel would not be necessary if there wasn’t forthcoming detail worthy to be shared. So, I funnily enough feel the urge to present to you the sequential tale that continues to lead us on in this incessant and treacherous fight for a home-helper!
Here it is.

Helper No 4: Tri. I think I described her as “ ... the young yet capable”. She certainly hung around for a while - a while defined in this context as 8 or so months. She was a passionate lass who was eager to learn from us clay faces. But then one fateful evening, the lasagne fiasco changed everything! Her desire to learn more about western food teamed her up with Mums-helper Sumi, who taught her through written and practical note, the art of lasagna making and baking. We watched the exchange of information from a distance and noted a particularly casual approach to learning coming from Tri. We were convinced that she had not paid attention; however, she confidently declared she was ready to cook the layering master piece for us. Let’s just say the meat-mince was significantly missing the tomato based sauce, and therefore becoming burnt beefy-gravel in addition to the blackened crispy pasta sheets. Nath managed to somewhat rescue the endevour but Tri’s confidence plummeted. So on one eventful morning, Tri declared herself incapacitated and practically bed ridden from a “minor” cold. This then lead to urgent attention involving a must-needed trip home to her nursing mother which in helper-code means a one way trip with no return. So we despondently waved her good bye, and moved ourselves on!

Helper No 5: Shella. She came to us through a friend of a friend of a friend. After marrying her man, she was looking for daily work; and although not fond of wet-nosed-black-furry-pugs, she accepted the 5 day a week job with us. With experience and age as her backbone, she presently still works for us. Coming and going at her leisure, Shella gets the job done! Her efficiency has earned our respect and we are content and appreciative to her for her skillful work ethic. But although this story takes us to the present day, there are still helpers along the track who are surely still worth a mention.  So let’s wind it back a bit.

Helper No. 6: Fera. Fera came to us through a neighbouring helper who delights in nothing more than to walk and dress her white woolly poodle in shoes and frilly dresses (I kid you not). Having asked her if she knew someone, she declared she did ... and on the arrival of Fera, we felt delighted. She was not just a dog-walking lover, she was also a self-proclaimed ‘Christian’ who requested Sunday nights off to go to church. However, this is where it became complicated. Fera went from new kid on the block to the talk of town in one short week. From flirting with the security guards resulting in lewd rumours around the district; to cat-fighting with her friends on the street - and an unexplained husband announcement and disappearance - we thought things should come to an end. So after two weeks, they did! The decision was mutual.

Helper No. 7: Jenny. Jenny who had an unexplained Indonesian name was pleasant enough. She rocked up at our door step declaring (between giggles) that she was going to run away from her current employee simply because she wanted to learn English. We were not quite sure what to make of it so we offered for her to come again for a more formal chat. I’d like to suggest at this point, after such a long helper-hunting-journey, you start to work out straight away if someone is right for the job ... and we just knew ... she wasn’t right for the job.

So, now we’re back to the transient Shella who happily keeps the house sparkling; the clothes crisply ironed; and our watermelon freshly cut. She was a part of training up these girls whilst working for our neighbouring American friends; and was humble and happy to return in between failed helpers. And still, with a few helpers still knockin at the door, we’ve decided to wait until we move into the big smoke next year to find a “more practiced” helper who is the right fit for us. 

Although this adventure has seen my Indonesian language pushed to new limits, we continue to enjoy the good work of Shella during the week, but on the weekend, we appreciate the reliable influence of Sumi (Mum’s trusty helper). With a high skill set in cooking, baking and English speaking – Sumi’s determination sees her juggle full time work and study in tourism. We are great admirers of this.


Shella
Sumi

It’s funny how far emotionally this journey has taken me. I used to take it all too personal when things helper-related just didn’t work out. But now, I just smile, laugh, and sketch it down in the memo for the next instalment of the tale of the helpers!!!

Thanks for listening.
Nomes