Finding an AYI in Shanghai

If you are living in Shanghai then one of the things which you should definitely consider is to find an AYI.

An AYI is a woman who comes to your house and do household chores for you. That is, clean up, laundry, wash dishes, or even cook for you. It is possible to ask her to take care of your kids but prior arrangements is necessary.

The best thing about AYI's is that they come really cheap. Our Ayi charges 15 RMB (around $2) per hour and she does her job perfectly well. I heard that there are some who can get better bargains at 10 RMB per hour.

If you live in an upper-class subdivision like us then it is quite easy to find an ayi. Here are some tips:

• First, go to the security guard and ask him if he knows any Ayi who service other tenants on that subdivision. Chances are he is familiar with everyone who enters the premises regularly. It is best to ask people in the morning and late afternoon. Those on night shifts are probably not familiar with ayi who works during daytime.
• Tell the security guard your address and leave him your phone number so he will contact you if he found anyone available. The Ayi might also contact you personally.
• Ask the Ayi to come to your room so she can check out the place and for her to assess what she will need. Keep in mind that you need to buy all cleaning utensils and detergents, so if you don't have these things ask the Ayi to buy anything she might need and then give her some cash for them. Afterwards, you may ask for the receipt although they would probably ask less than 30 RMB ($4) for everything.
• Set an appointment and make sure she understand when she is coming. With this, you must be able to memorize the days of the week and keywords like "today, tomorrow, day after tomorrow, next week" in Mandarin. Here is a list:
• Monday to Sunday: 星期一 (Xingqi yi)，Then add (Xingqi) on all: 二 (er)，三 (san)，四 (si)，五 (wu)，六 (liu)，天 (tian)
• Today: 今天 (Jintian)，Tomorrow: 明天 (Mingtian)，Day after tomorrow: 后天 (Houtian), Next week 下个星期 (Xiage Xingqi)
• Make sure that you also know how to say what time. Examples: 7:30 七点半 (Qi dian ban), or how long you want her to clean : 2 hours 两个小时 (Liang ge xiaoxi).

Keep this in mind on you will have an easy time dealing with your ayi and take advantage of this great luxury that is hard to find anywhere else.

A Not-So Desperate HOUSEWIFE

My hubby is my hobby!

Lo and behold -- the wandering couch surfer is now a housewife. Who would have thought that after climbing the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, biting on the big apple of New York, hostel hopping in Orange County, surfing the waves of Hawaii, and drowning on pints of Guinness in Dublin, that I will suddenly be doing laundry, vacuuming the carpet, and ordering water in a remote city in China.

To be honest, being a housewife is not as bad I thought it would be. Of course the two Masters degree in Mathematics and one year of abruptly ended PhD seemed like a total waste, but then my interest in the discipling has continuously waned through the years. It is just that I wasn't into it anymore, and I know that I am also not being fair if I pursue a doctorate all for the wrong reasons. Getting a post-grad degree should be fueled by passion not by the lack of other worthwhile endeavors.

Besides, when I was a student of UP, I lived with the phrase"Huwag ninyong hayaang hadlangan ng pag-aaral ang inyong education!" (Don't let studies hinder real learning.) So, just because I quit my PhD, it doesn't mean that I have stopped the function of my brain cells. For instance, I have 24 hour access to the internet. Everyday, I make it a point to read something interesting, be it world news, sports, human interest story, science and medical breakthroughs, or join post on forums of various discourse.

Every afternoon, I study Chinese (Mandarin) through the helpful podcast ChinesePod and learn not just the fundamentals of the language but also the cultural insights of living in Shanghai. When I wanted to relax, I watch a marathon of JDORAMA (Japanese drama) with the cheap yet high quality DVD from the streets. The best thing about buying them from China is that most of them have no English subtitles and so I am forced to improve and refresh my Japanese ability.

Other than that, I am also quite busy applying for jobs online, because M and I have plans of migrating somewhere else in the future. Of course, no one can get a PR to live in China for a long time, so we have to think of a place where we can settle down and raise a family.

Anyway, I guess my transition from being a world traveler to a housewife is made easy by my loving husband who supports me and comforts me whenever I feel depressed. He never gets angry with me no matter how much I whine or complain that my situation is hopeless. Instead, he encourage me to do whatever I want to do, like studying Chinese in the university for instance, or meeting people online for study.

So, in the end even if sometimes I feel otherwise, I still think that I made the right decision to give up my career and be with M. I love him, after all, and that is what really matters.