So I bet you’re wondering if this blog is now going to be All Pregnancy, All the Time.  I’ll probably share more than I normally would if I were in the States and living amidst my family and close friends, but with a 2-year-old to chase and a language to learn, I’ve got plenty to do.  And babble about.

I could ramble on and on about what I did today, but it would be incredibly boring since all I did was clean.  As in, scrub the place from top to bottom.  We have guests coming tomorrow, and they’ll be staying with us through Saturday – and that’s enough time to scrutinize the corners and notice the dust bunnies.  Hence, my Day O’ Fun.

Here’s something about housecleaning I’m still trying to wrap my brain around – we’re probably going to hire a house helper, quite possibly next week.   I know it sounds nice, and believe me, I know it’s a blessing to be in a culture where it would be bizarre to be a foreigner without hired help.  But…  It’s strange to feel like I’m losing control in doing this.  I’m not a big fan of cleaning, not by a long stretch – but by far, being a stay-at-home mom has been my favorite job, and to me, being able to appropriately clean my house is part of that gig.  And in many ways, I wish I didn’t have to learn this language so I could clean my home by myself.  (Trust me, I never thought I would say this.)

A few days ago I was talking to a dear friend in another country, and she was saying that hiring a house helper was the hardest adjustment for her in moving overseas.  There’s something about giving over even this small thing that makes you feel even less normal than you already feel.  When you’re language learning, there’s so little you can do in public that you used to do without thinking – order at a restaurant, ask which aisle you can find the spaghetti sauce, carry on basic pleasantries with the woman in line behind you.  But you can windex the mirrors and vacuum the floors in your own place.

But this is a season of my life, and I know it’s crucial that I get this language down – whether I feel like it or not.  Especially being pregnant, we kinda feel like there’s this language countdown ticker, where we need to cram as much in my brain in the next seven months as possible – because I know good and well I’m not going to be a stellar student for at least a few months after the birth.

So at least it feels good to know that if our potential house helper starts next week, I’ll have only scrubbed the house a week ago.  Because, you know, I’d hate for her to clean our place when it’s dirty.

posted: 07 May 16
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