Maid Fail

The maid is an interesting thing, right?

It is awesome.  But it does take some getting used to.  We are also making some fantastic cultural mistakes, and have dubbed them "maid fails."  It is important to note that these fails are completely our own.  Cecilia is just doing her job with crazy American employers.

A sample:

When Cecilia first arrived, I nervously and manically took her through the house, ending up in her room.  She speaks no English, me no Spanish.  But she said something something "cambio" and I swear, I remembered that word meant "dresser!"  When the rental furniture people were here I had to sign all these docs listing what we got and I really thought I remembered "cambio" being one of them.  She had a backpack full of her things and no where to put them.  (The door to her room is too small...) So I desperately try to tell her we will get her one, one is coming, if she needs one we will go this weekend, on and on; all to blank stares.  I finally give up and just leave.  Back in the living room I google translate "cambio" myself:  change.  She wanted to change her clothes.  That's all.  Maid fail.  On the plus side, I learned a new word I will never forget.  Just today we were at the zoo, bought tickets to an exhibit (on butterflies!  It was cool.  Jack squashed many.  More on that...) and after Jason paid and walked away they shouted "cambio!" My ears perked right up.  Your change!!  I understand!!

Cecilia and I went to the grocery store yesterday.  Since she will cook for us when our pots and pans arrive (she made the most amazing eggs the other day - don't know how because we only have one pot to boil water) I always tell her to buy whatever she needs.  At first she refused to buy food for herself saying she would eat what we eat, then she saw what we eat.... So this time I remember olive oil.  We have pasta and that pot, and I like my pasta with olive oil and parmesean.  Yum.  So I buy a small olive oil, she gives me a cockeyed look and says "si? si? mas rico?" like I've chosen the wrong thing.  But no! I like olive oil!  I'm sure of it.  So off we go.  We hit the aisle with regular vegetable oil and I point to her and try to say "would you like this?" and she said, "no, no, no" and picked up my bottle of olive oil.  When I told Jason that story he said "you should have grabbed the vegetable oil anyway."  He's right.  Maid fail.

I did have a Maid Win too.  At the grocery store we passed the magazines, and we Steinbergs love a good magazine.  I saw Jason's favorite, The Economist, and decide to grab it.  I tell Cecilia she can get a magazine too, but saw in her face she was unsure.  So I grabbed a People (with Jennie Garth on the cover!  I was her for Halloween once...) and said "si, si - por you" (I know, mi Espanol es muy malo) and put then in the cart.  So she did get herself a magazine.  Maid win!  Funny enough, after the groceries were unpacked and Jason and I were enjoying our new reading material she came into the family room and offered us her magazine first.  Sweet, but I still don't speak Spanish.  I hope she got one she actually likes...