Pro's and Con's - the little things

I'm committed to not complaining on this blog so please don't take the following information as a complaint. These are just insights I would not have had prior to our experience in this apartment and/or living in India. The pro's are somewhat obvious but some of the cons have surprised me....

Having house servants (feels strange to type that word)

• pro - there are house servants!
• con - a complete loss of control and privacy - especially hard to have a late pj morning - even on Saturdays

• pro - someone is vacuuming as I write this!
• con - they all speak in Hindi and I'm sure they are speaking about me

• pro - someone is cooking lunch as I write this!
• con - when I walk in the door EVERYONE (housemaid, cook, nanny) emerges from the kitchen like they were at an AA meeting or something - very serious and contrite

• pro - I never have to answer my phone or door
• con - neither are EVER for me and the phone and doorbell ring all day long

Having a daily housemaid:

• pro - things just magically get put away
• con - I never know where anything is - seriously - it's like a treasure hunt here all the time because she speaks no English and I can never convey what I'm looking for...

• pro - the boys belongings are magically put away...
• con - I'm worried my boys will expect this same magic in 10 months

• pro - I'm not in laundry hell - ever!
• con - a weekends worth of nice dress clothes were spot cleaned with bleach

There goes my doorbell again!

Now the phone is ringing!!


Having cooks:

• pro - I have cooks!
• con - What am I eating?

• pro - the food is fabulous
• con - Where did those ten pounds come from?

• pro - The Indian Food Chef cooks fabulous Indian food (or so I think)
• con - Mushroom Sauce and "continental food" are synonyms

• pro - the cooks cater to Jack, Matt and Owen like they are kings
• con - I don't

• pro - my kitchen is managed by someone else (not always a pro)
• con - cleanliness is NOT next to godliness for everyone

Having an aya (nanny)

• pro - extra pair of hands is awesome with 3 boys
• con - NO excuse for not getting some exercise (or losing those 10 pds)
  

• pro - she is available 24/7
• con - can't think of a con to this...

• pro - she speaks good English
• con - she doesn't speak Hindi (which is what all the other servants speak - so there are all these strange 3 way conversations and by the time it gets to english I get a two word translation - I think much is lost in the process of getting to me)
  

I hope everyone knows that I know that the "PRO's" heavily outweigh the "cons"... I just wanted to share...

Have to go eat my lunch now!