Sebrina

A month ago we hired a nanny/helper person. I was a little reluctant for a few reasons. Mostly, I didn’t have anything to do here. No job, no pals (violins are playing now) no cleaning to do (the violins have taken a break) nowhere to go (they’re back) except...look after Cushla and cook dinner. I was struggling to fill up my own days so I couldn’t really see the point in having somebody else who needed me to fill their day too. Eventually I relented, primarily because it’s ‘the thing to do’ here. It gives somebody a job and a wage and people were looking at me funny when I’d say I couldn’t do something or go somewhere because I had to consider Cushla. Don and I were also keen to create a bit of a social life and evening activities seemed the only options for us to meet other people.

So, we took a referral from a colleague of Don’s and met with Sebrina. She’s worked mostly for diplomat families as a housekeeper and/or nanny. Her references were great. One family even took her (and her husband) back to the states with them for a while when they left Yangon. Since then Sebrina has had a baby of her own, who is now three. We decided that we’d only ask her to do part time. She comes in on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning from 8-12 and then on a Saturday evening. She seemed happy with this as she explained that her daughter goes to school in the mornings and she’d prefer to have time with her. Although we got the impression that if we’d offered her full time work she would have accepted that too.

It’s taken me a while to get used to having her around. She does a little cleaning and does the stuff that doesn’t really get done by housekeeping like mopping the floor and wiping the kitchen down but what i like the most is that she does our ironing. I love that! She also goes to the market for me a couple times a week and gets some veg and meat for us.

Cushla is her biggest fan. They play together and Sebrina tirelessly reads Cushla every book she has every day. Cushla cries when Sebrina goes home most days (although it’s also nap time so she’s at her most dramatic but still...she’s sad to see her go)

Only this week have I acted as though I actually have help round the place and used Sebrina to her full potential. On Tuesday morning I left Cushla with her during her awake time. We’ve left them alone together before but only on the Saturday evening when Cushla is asleep anyway. It’s not that I had any issue with trusting Sebrina it’s just that I had nowhere to go. I went to a coffee morning. It’s a rock and roll lifestyle but somebody has to do it! Hey...it’s a start. Anyway the point is I have not been apart from Cushla (while she’s awake) for the last two months. Everybody coped very well and when i arrived home Cushla was happily munching her avocado sandwich in her high chair while Sebrina did the ironing. Today I took Cushla for her swim as usual but I asked Sebrina if after an hour she’d come down to the pool and collect Cushla then take her upstairs for a bath after her swim so that I could do some actual swimming instead of just hauling my belly in and out of the pool while i chase Cushla around. So, today mummy did some actual swimming and Sebrina did bath and danced to the wiggles with Cushla. Tomorrow Sebrina is coming a little later during Cushla’s nap time and I’m going out for lunch with a women’s group. (I’ve finally discovered that these things exist here they are just hard to find when you’re indoors with a one year old)

Our plan is to keep Sebrina employed (paid) while we’re back in Perth so that she’ll be here for us when we return as a family of four. I anticipate I’ll quickly get used to having her around when I’m trying to deal with a newborn and Cushla at the same time.