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| Our former ayi, Fang Qing (Amy) |
One of the perks of living as an expat in China is that labor is cheap here, real cheap. So, because of this, you can hire someone to clean your house, do your laundry, cook, shop and watch your kids for about US$400-500 per month (full time - 40 hours a week). She is called an "ayi" meaning "aunt."
Some of the benefits: I haven't done laundry or cleaned my bathroom since August. Ah, total bliss! Plus, my ayi deals with all the Chinese workers in the compound, so if something needs fixing, my ayi handles it. And, she'll answer the phone and talk to all the Chinese people that have my number and call me for various reasons (usually they are calling the wrong number). Probably the most valuable benefit to me was when we first moved to Shanghai. I was so green and didn't know anything. My ayi handled a lot for me those first few weeks and she unpacked most of our moving boxes as I was so overwhelmed I didn't know where to start!
Having an ayi also comes with a price (in addition to her salary). 1st: You have to give up your privacy. No sitting on the couch eating bon-bons. No sleeping in. No walking around the house naked. 2nd: Things will disappear. Not because they are stolen, but because they are put in the oddest places. 3rd: The ayi will touch EVERYTHING. Even when you specifically tell her not to touch something. They just can't help themselves.
For the most part, these women work really, really hard. My ayi never sits down except when she eats her lunch for 15 minutes.
They also leave. Sometimes there is just no loyalty. Today, my ayi told me she was leaving. Which is more than some other ayis do. Sometimes the ayis just don't show up on Monday. It's usually because they found another job for more money. Oh, well. I'm a business major. I get it. Competition. Money makes the world go round, right? And if I was making US$25 for a full-day's work, I'd always be looking for more money too!
Over the past few months I have figured out what my ayi needs are. And our ayi wasn't meeting them. So, fortunately for me, I was planning on finding a new ayi anyway. A part-time one. One who cooks more and cleans less, and isn't around all day. So for me, this is mutually beneficial. I didn't have to feel bad letting her go, or make Matt do it for me while I hid in my bedroom. I wish her well. Zai jian, Fang Qing!
