The Aftermath

Our across-neighborhood move went well and we are busy getting settled in the new place. Last Thursday was a whirlwind of activity for me and I think I fielded more calls in one afternoon than I usually do in a month.  Between the movers, Ikea delivery people and real estate agents, I could have used a personal secretary. At one point I was talking to a woman from the moving company to schedule the handyman to hang pictures this week and had to put her on hold for another call coming from the same company because their customer service rep was attempting to deliver a housewarming gift at the new place. We'll see how long I can keep the beautiful orchid plant alive on the balcony.

Since we gave up the "family room" area we had at RiverPlace when we moved, we decided to try having two girls share a room and use the fourth bedroom as a study/playroom. Our girls have always had their own rooms from the time they were born so I had to think about my sales pitch for this great idea. In the end, all it took was a promise of bunk beds and I had 3 eager participants. Megan and Elizabeth are now sharing a room since they get along well and have the same morning schedule.

We had been in our new home for about 18 hours when Delia announced she did not plan to renew her contract with us in February because she wanted a "new environment." It certainly was not surprising news since I had been interviewing helpers in the past month. My initial plan had been to let her go before we moved but since I didn't find anyone I really liked, I thought I'd just wait until her contract ended in February before hiring someone else. I didn't want to be interviewing people during the holidays when I knew we'd be so busy. Well, so much for that plan.

I learned on Friday that although a helper signs a 2-year contract, her employer has to release her 30 days prior to the end of her contract to give her enough time to find work since she is only allowed to be in Singapore with a work contract. So, I would need to release Delia on 19-January, which is lousy timing since Brian's parents arrive 10 days later. I quickly realized that I would be interviewing people this week simply because it was better than waiting until January.

As for Delia's decision, I would describe our relationship as deteriorating from the time we came back from our summer vacation. From my perspective, she became too comfortable in our home and her work ethic went downhill from there. We suddenly began having all kinds of communication issues I had never had with her before and she just wasn't doing her work. I grew frustrated because after employing her for 18 months I didn't think I should still have to manage her so closely when my expectations have basically stayed the same the entire time. Having a helper is great until you don't like them anymore. Then it's just irritating to have them in your space.

So, Friday was stressful because I wanted to get our new home in order while mentally preoccupied with how I was going to get everything done in one weeks' time before we leave for Christmas. I woke up to mass chaos of stuff everywhere, Delia quit and then I spent all morning at Emily's school Christmas party, effectively stealing any time I would have had to myself to get something done that day. It's the obvious downside of moving in December!

While I had a fairly productive day Saturday, the place was still a disaster. When Emily woke up with a fever at 3am Sunday morning, I knew our plans for that day were altered. It was Elizabeth's 5th birthday and we had scheduled her party at Build-a-Bear with some of her girlfriends from school that afternoon. Obviously Emily would not be able to participate now and since it was Delia's day off, we had no backup for the party.

So, since I knew one of us had to spend the afternoon at home with a feverish Emily, I called the maid agency that morning and they sent 7 candidates over to our house for me to interview. Of course, I had to tell each person that we had just moved 48 hours earlier and no, the mountain of shoes at the front door will not be there permanently. I liked two of the women but one was uncertain when her current employer will release her from her contract so I passed on offering her a job. I asked Brian to interview my other favorite candidate, Jocelyn. He liked her as well and offered her a job. She will start when we get back from Japan after Christmas. In the meantime, we will release Delia from her contract Sunday and we will pay a minimal amount per day to the maid agency for food and lodging until she finds a new employer. If she doesn't find a job within 21 days, we are responsible for paying for her flight back home. I just wrote her a nice letter of recommendation and I trust she will not need agency housing for long.

Through the roller-coaster ride of the past week I had a recurring thought in my head. If someone offered to pack up everything here and move us back to Texas, it would be awfully tempting right now. It's not that life in Singapore is miserable. For the most part we like it quite well. The problem is that life here is complicated and sometimes I long for a little less drama.

That being said, I do like our new place and it's beginning to look like home after hanging our pictures yesterday and tackling the enormous piles of stuff everywhere. Now we will start the new year in a new place with a new helper and hope for the best. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to a vacation far away from Singapore.