Neville's family from India arrived yesterday afternoon. I'm not quite convinced that they didn't send a whole separate plane just for their luggage. Neville's Aunt Moti must've packed her entire apartment into her three giant pieces of luggage. Seriously, I've never seen such large bags (or heavier ones) before in my life.
In one of those giant bags of goodies will be my favorite Indian snack. Moti's servant is makes it special just for me. I have no idea what's in it other than some peppers, peanuts, and coconut but the stuff is so ridiculously tasty. I once offered to give the servant $20 for making me the special treat and was met with absolute shock. Twenty dollars to a servant who lives in the slums of Mumbai? Apparently that's unheard of.
When I first met Neville's extended family, it was hard for me to hear about how they employed servants. Servants who cooked and cleaned. Watched the children. Ran errands. Did the laundry. Washed the dishes. Neville's cousin employs five servants a day. FIVE (cook, maid, day nanny, night nanny, and someone else that he isn't quite sure what she does). I couldn't believe it.
But when you live in a country with 1.2 Billion people and most of those people who live so far below the poverty line that living in poverty would seem like a step up in this world, there is always someone who is willing to work. And for cheap. Because making a little money is better than making no money. It's a foreign concept to me; one that I still have a hard time wrapping my head around.
Yet I type this totally exhausted from cooking for 10 people, picking up after 10 people, entertaining 10 people, and driving around 10 people that my body, especially my feet, would so love to have five servants right now. Hell, Id' settle for just a little help.
