out of the fish bowl...

In the household I am living in, there is an "Assistant" - at least that´s how my host-mom introduced her to me, but really she´s more of a servant. She does all the chores in the house (clean, cook, laundry, etc.), takes care of the kids when necessary, and makes the food the house sells as a side business. She gets up early and goes to sleep late. After making meals she eats alone in the kitchen and not with the family at the table and she sleeps downstairs in a room separate from the family (and students) staying upstairs. I´ve never seen or heard her call or talk to friends, or even family for that matter. Every 2 months, she gets to go home - she leaves early Sunday morning and returns early Monday morning, the next day. Joli is Mayan, a member of one of the many indigenous cultures found in Guatemala. She is 21 years old.

She started working when she was 10.

She, her cousins, and most other girls in her village were taught by their mom´s how to cook, clean etc. starting at the age of 7, and by the age of 10 they are out in the bigger communities and cities of Guatemala working as ¨servants¨in various households. She speaks Quiché, local indigenous language, and learned her Spanish from working. The longest she´s ever stayed in one household is 3 years and her 11 years of working experience is split between Guatemala City and Xela - the 2 largest cities in Guatemala.

I don´t know how much she makes or whether she sends the money she makes home or ....? And I wonder if she ever gets lonely without really having a close friend she can relate to.

Don´t get me wrong, my host-mom is really great and she and Joli get along really well together. Honestly I think Joli is probably being treated better in my house than many other Mayans in similar positions and she seems quite happy to be where she is. She´s always smiling and happy to help.

So really, I don´t know what to think of the whole situation. I was brought up in Canada with the idea of human equality. The idea of someone eating alone while the rest of us enjoy eachother´s company at the table is completely foreign to me and I can´t say I´m completely comfortable with it. I´m not sure if I´m breaking any cultural rules, but I often bring my dishes into the kitchen after meals and do what I can to help her in the kitchen before meals. She´s definitely needed in the household because I don´t think my host-mom has the time to do what she needs to do and everything Joli does as well. But... I´m not sure if I´ll ever completely get use to her status in the household - still don´t know what to think...