Meet Lucy Lou

This is Lucy. I don't actually know her last name. I love Lucy. She comes to my house every Wednesday and cleans my house top to bottom and even runs to buy me fruits and vegetables. She is not Nigerian, she is from Ghana. Some expats have the idea that you can't hire Nigerians they'll steal from you so hire someone from Ghana or Benin. We don't subscribe to that. Lucy's real boss (or oga as she calls him) is our neighbor whom she works full time for. She speaks English, but we don't always communicate very easily. She works around Leah's nap schedule and says, "no problem, she is the madame" if she has to wait to clean Leah's room. At first she seemed terrified I'd fire her. She may still be, but is more relaxed. We only pay her about $70 each month. She doesn't know it yet, but last night we decided to give her a raise because she is doing such a good job.
Most people think I'm strange that I don't have a full-time housekeeper and/or nanny. Most expats do. I like my privacy I guess. I love Lucy most once she's gone and I have my house back to myself and it is super duper clean. I play tennis every Wednesday and there is a reason for that - that is the day Lucy comes and I prefer to let her clean in my absence. Also, I guess I feel like I should so some cleaning considering my only job is to take care of Leah.
I'm getting used to being called madam. I don't know what I'll do when we move back to America when no one calls me madam or washes my vegetables for me. Oh wait, we don't have to soak our vegetables in Milton's bleach in America . . . maybe I'll survive back in America afterall.
Lucy leaves me notes before she goes home. Last week's warned me that there was still a wasp on the balcony even though they've sprayed twice so please madam do not go out there. This weeks said "please madame I am sorry I reach home when washing the green pepper I discovered that one is soft. Please madame thanks Lucy."
There are some drawbacks like the time she came and asked if it was okay if she used the vegetable brush to wash the toilet. Hmmm . . . she'd already cleaned for us a few times so I'm pretty sure that vegetable brush had already cleaned a toilet or two before she asked. LUCKILY I had never actually used the vegetable brush so now it is a toilet brush. I guess she didn't notice the real toilet brush upstairs by the toilet. She also used to carry around Joy dish soap in her little bucket o' cleaning supplies. I have no idea what she was cleaning with it, I think the bathtub, but I guess it is soap and anti-bacterial so should be okay. She ran out and didn't ask for more so who knows. It wasn't being used by me for dishes anymore because it reminded me of morning sickness. She has her cleaning supplies, towels, etc. on the left side under the sink and I have my own on the right side. That way we don't have any problems.
Here is to Lucy Lou and not cleaning my own toilets!