Ajima!

As my belly continues to swell, I find that cleaning is a really difficult chore. It doesn't help that the fumes are bad for me and our house is now twice as big. With so many things changing and a new baby on the way, James and I decided it was worth the money to hire a Korean housekeeper (called an "ajima"). I resisted the temptation to hire one in Japan, even though I was usually too busy with work and volunteering to keep up with the cleaning. I just couldn't justify the money for just the two of us in a tiny apartment with no dogs or kids! But with a baby on the way, I'll take all the help I can get!

So far Ms. Yang has only come twice (we hired her to clean once every two weeks), but already I don't know how we will ever go back to life without her. You really can't top the Asian work ethic! She stays and works for 6-7 hours straight, not only doing your standard cleaning tasks (like sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, etc.), but scrubbing every inch of your place. She washes the windows; scrubs the patio; dusts and polishes all of the wooden furniture in your house; dusts and cleans every picture frame and every decorative item and appliance; she does dishes and cleans out and organizes your fridge and cabinets; does your laundry and folds your clothes and puts them away... 30 minutes into her first visit I caught her scrubbing my egg timer. Unbelievable!

I am so thankful for her help! That will be a huge load off my shoulders once our little guy arrives and occupies so much of my time and energy!