Conversations with a Polish housecleaner
A friend of mine just moved to the area and wanted a housecleaner. I said I would ask our cleaner, Ivana, if she was taking on new clients.
Ivana is from Poland and very hard working. She lives here with her 14-year-old daughter; they have a flat in the center of town above a funeral home.
She is worth her weight in gold. She actually picks up things when she dusts, instead of going around them. I can tell when she has vacuumed, the large worn Duresta sofa, which can easily accomodate 10, is slightly out of place.
She is not much on conversation. Her English is limited. The only time she makes a point to say something to me is when she wants a day off.
This is how our last conversation went:
Me: “A friend of mine is looking for a cleaner, are you taking on new customers?”
Ivana: “No, no, I can’t. I moving.”
Me: (in shock, what? I try to compose myself…)
“You’re moving? When are you moving?”
Ivana: “Tuesday”.
Me: “This Tuesday?”
(oh crap, it’s slowly dawning on me that all that time I spent explaining my system for the girls’ clothes – bottoms in the bottom drawer, tops in top drawer, Emily, Alexandra and HM, in that order, was all for naught.)
Ivana: “Yes”.
Me: (still trying to digest the news, and slightly annoyed that she has given me very little notice, in fact if I hadn’t brought up this thing about my friend needing a cleaner she may never have said anything.)
“Where are you moving to?”
Ivana: “Across the road. Tired of living above dead people.”
Katerina | 22nd Jun 13
Lol! Good conversation 🙂
Matt | 17th Feb 10
Holy cow,is that Ivana in the picture?? What the heck is she doing cleaning houses??
A Modern Mother | 16th Feb 10
@heather – yes it wouldn’t be my first choice
@nappyvalley — polish cleaner’s daughter was working on her phd! not fair indeed!
nappyvalleygirl | 16th Feb 10
I had a lovely Polish cleaner in London. The only thing I was sad about was that she had a degree in economics – it just seemed so unfair that she was having to clean houses in London.
Heather | 16th Feb 10
There is something pretty creepy about living over a funeral home.
A Modern Mother | 16th Feb 10
I agree! Sadly though, she has left me.
TheMadHouse | 16th Feb 10
I love this, I just also have to add back iin my previous life as an FM I was in charge of the cleaning contract for my sins, but the polish cleaners were wonderful, concientious and the best in the whole world.