india

when people ask me what india is like, i have no succinct answer. my answer is never anything short of a 10 (or 50) minute monologue that usually ends with me standing alone, holding my drink and talking to the open air. if someone were to ask me now, i would tell this story...

we've been looking for a maid+cook that will work 5-6 days a week, clean and cook 3 meals each day, and speak/understand at least a lick of english. this is not impossible to find, and they usually cost about the equivalent of 100 us dollars a month. i've been asking all the expat people i know, we've asked our indian friends, we've asked the apartment security man, and today our estate agent iqbal brought over a woman for us to interview. she said she'd be happy to work 6-7 days a week from 9-7, she would do laundry, clean the place (including the toilets, which apparently not all maids will do), cook southern india and continental cuisine, and everything else we want. she then added that she had worked in the states for 3 years. we were so excited!! we were like, 'where in the usa did you work? which city? which state?" her answer... "france!"

we're still looking for good household help. know anyone?