Lunch with the girls

Last week while eating lunch with Heide and Li (Heide and I had Subway and Li had what looked like the BEST BLT on the planet) we started talking about Heide's husband's homecoming. He was bringing home most of his laundry dirty. Li asked if they had a housekeeper to help with the laundry. Apparently there was a lady available but she would wash only 9 pieces per guy every two days. After a quick discussion on what counted towards the 9 pieces (a pair of socks is one piece not two) and figuring out that the guys could wash two days of uniforms and under clothing with the 9 article limit I asked about the housekeeper. Li said that in Taiwan and the Philippines and some other countries it is a normal situation to have a live in house keeper. In fact in most middle class homes there is a live in housekeeper. I was trying to process this when Heide said that she had visited a friend/family member who had a housekeeper that pressed ALL laundry including under clothing. I again had to think about this. I have been raised in what is considered an upper middle class house environment in the US and have for many many years done my own laundry. I HATE to iron and often ask the hubby to do it. But would I want someone who is not immediate family to handle my under clothing? (not really I dont even like my grandma to do my laundry). Only one time in my life do I remember a house keeper and it was in Japan. Mitzi, a little Japanese lady, would come in and clean our house (the floors, windows, carpets etc) but never pickup or do laundry. For us it was a luxury to have someone come in and help. Although I also know my mom would go crazy and clean before the cleaning lady came so I dont know why she bothered. Its an interesting conversation that brought to light the differences in the way people live their lives. I am very fortunate that although I grew up one way I have been exposed to other ways of living. I am SO thankful for the opportunity to meet such wonderful people who are willing to talk/share about their culture and the way they grew up. Li promises to teach us how to play mahjong next. I HOPE so.