Clean

My lovely new apartment is so clean.  It had its first visit today from Tay, my new cleaner.  She's a tiny Vietnamese lady, somewhere in her thirties, dressed in the local style of ladies from the delta, floral pyjamas.  She arrived early, giving me time to head of to work after letting her in and showing her what to do.  This was more like me pointing at things and her nodding as we have no common language.

The place can get dirty quite quickly even if I impose a no shoes rule in the house.  There are always glasses and cups to deal with, floors to sweep and mop and shirts to iron.  I've asked her to come a, probably unnecessary, twice a week so domestic things don't get out of hand.  She brought a bag of cleaning products and paraphernalia ready to work her magic on my grubby home and I went off to work.

When I got home tonight everything was in perfect order.  Kitchen shiny, bed made, washing drying quietly on the balcony and floors immaculate.  It took a while for me find my flip flops which usually lurk next to the door in a heap with the other shoes.  Tay had neatly filled them all away in a cupboard.  She's has also placed little mats  outside the bathroom doors to stop my wet feet from treading dirt all around the place. I find these moments of order and domesticity quite touching.

Tay comes recommended by a teacher from work and I hope she's happy to stay and look after the place and me.  I don't pay her much but I think I pay her fairly and if the money helps her support her family I'll be happy and I won't have to do any housework.