Lessons in Cleaning

I was looking for someone trustworthy and reliable to clean my apartment. Ethel (who cleans at the LRC office) suggested her sister-in-law, Joyce. Joyce came for the first time on Thursday morning. I showed her my cleaning supplies – broom, mop, rags, assorted cleaners – but she was preoccupied by something else.

“Do you have any bread?” she said.

I was taken aback but thought she might not have had breakfast, so I told her she could have some bread. I then left for work. I came back after an hour to check that everything was all right. “Where’s the sugar?” she asked. I replied, “Sorry, I don’t keep sugar.” I could see that she had a whole spread out – my tea, milk, bread, butter, and jam were all on the counter. She clearly was not embarrassed. So I told myself “Go with the flow” and returned to the office, somewhat confused, to ponder the situation.

That evening, Cristiano sent me a text message from Tanzania: “According to Sarah it is totally expected that you feed your cleaning lady.” (Cristiano and Sarah are other CBA interns on placements in Tanzania; Sarah is originally from South Africa.) After asking around, I’ve discovered this really is the case. I’ve also discovered that I’m paying Joyce more than double what domestic workers usually earn (I still have not decided what to do about this – whether to pay her less, or to keep her wage high since people earn so little). Next time she comes, I’ll be prepared with the sugar.