My 1st Taste of Culture Shock and it's Sweeter than Expected!

So how’s this for culture shock…maid service is part of the housing package the school puts together for their “import teachers”. It’s a bit misleading as we are responsible for their wages, however the cultural norm is for the upper echelons of Haitian society to employ women to clean their houses. This is probably one of the very few places in the world where teachers rank among the wealthy.

Lucienne cleans our bathrooms, our kitchens, does the laundry and ironing, will go to the marché for us (she gets the sweet deals and amazing local produce, as she can haggle in Kreyol and I cannot…yet) AND cooks us three meals a week.

I’ve gone around and around with the weird hierarchy that is involved, the guilt at having someone else do my dirty work (pun intended), and the trust issues that come up with giving unrestricted access to your home (including money, ID, and belongings) to a relative stranger.

The conclusion I’ve reached is (and this is based on feedback from several members of our staff team both Haitian and American) that while I will have to be vigilant regarding my belongings, be clear on my expectations, and maintain a distant but respectful relationship with Lucienne, it’s a pretty sweet deal. Although I think it's self-serving, it was pointed out to me that it also provides much needed jobs for people who may not otherwise have them.