Last week, after asking some of our friends here, Shaun and I found a house cleaner. Cleaning the floors here is quite the task, as no mops exist…it requires bending over with a soapy towel and doing it by hand. And, even though we have tried a few times, we can never get the floors as clean as a Cameroonian! Plus, we feel that as we have a little more discretionary income than most, it is a good way to boost a students finances by providing consistent work.
All that to be said, we chatted with our new helper on the phone yesterday to arrange for her to come over today. I asked her to come over Sunday morning at 10, dimanche matin a dix heure. At six-thirty, our doorbell rang twice. I made Shaun come to the door with me, as I had no idea why someone was coming over while we were still in bed on a Sunday. Well, it was our her, ready and eager to clean. She said she heard me say dimanche matin a six heure. Dix heure? Six heure? Well, I can’t help but laugh and accept the reminder that my French can still use some work!
Even though we were up earlier than expected, I feel worse for this college student who got up at 6am on a Sunday – if it was me when I was in college, I would not have been happy someone was asking me to be at their house that early! But, as I write this blog, our floors are clean, our sheets are drying in the sun outside, and I am enjoying a cup of coffee…all before 9am on a sunny Sunday. I guess some translation errors aren’t half bad after all…
27 months in Cameroon 