“You will not guess what my maid did the other day….” Whether you have been in AD two months or two years, this will inevitably be a conversation you will have with your expat friends. Even if you have decided to not have a maid, you will at one point or another, be around ladies having a discussion about maids. Most of us in our previous lives did not have the luxury of maids or nannies. Now we live in a place where it is affordable, and in some cases, with the absence of family, a necessity.

Where can we have a conversation about our maid without being met with the “At least you have a maid” response? I am sure your bestie back home will be understanding but hey, let’s be honest. That is her job as BFF. We can’t complain to our mothers and dare I even mention mother in laws? They had to do everything on their own –and they will not let you forget it. This is a topic of discussion that can only be shared amongst your expat peers. Most times the conversations are just informational tending on boring but every now and then you will meet someone with a tale to tell. I always love a juicy story. What? Your maid is pregnant with the guy from church? You found pictures of your maid wearing YOUR lingerie?! Her maid is part of what mafia? The maid is sleeping with the husband?! Of course these are more extreme stories. I have not had these sorts of experiences myself. My story would is more like this, “My maid washed the light towels with the dark clothes. AGAIN! Now there is lint everywhere! What am I going to do?”

Has anyone ever had “Maid Envy?” I know I would never REALLY steal someone else’s maid, but I have caught myself comparing value of friendship vs. value of friend’s maid’s skill set. What? She drives? Really? And cooks? Your house looks amazing! My thought process is something like this, “Well, we haven’t known each other THAT long…..I would say we are actually more like acquaintances, than friends….I would totally hook her (maid) up with Pinoy TV.”

Once you open the conversational doors, everyone has something to add about their maid. This is good. We need a place to vent our frustrations, ask our questions and empathize with each other. We are new to this too. With each conversation you will have learned something and that’s always a positive. At the end of the day, we are living in a fantastic place living good life. We have a lot to be thankful for.