Helping Hand

Everybody needs a helping hand... maybe some domestic help..??

In this country, there are jobs that are simply 'created' for the sake of a person having a job, so that they can earn money & be of service and use to the community, because not everyone has the good fortune of an education that helps them get a good paying job.  So there are jobs that Americans would NEVER consider doing... like the Parking lot Attendants - this is what I call them now.  I use to call them the useless guys who try to help you park your car.  Really, they walk around whistling at cars, telling people where to park, and then when you want to leave, they make a huge production about standing behind your vehicle so everyone knows you are about to back out.  Then they whistle and and wave their arms to alert you its OK to back out, and how far you can back out.. Its a big production.  Really...I have a vehicle that is equipped with a rear camera, so I have a really nice screen shot of what is happening behind me - and even if I did not, I have been driving for a long time now, I know how to back out of a parking spot.  So I used to think these guys were rather useless and just looking for a handout, and I was not usually too inclined to TIP this guy, because I had usually just tipped a few others before him. 

So if you go to the grocery store, they ALWAYS have grocery baggers... You never have to bag your own stuff because there is NO SELF CHECK OUT! And the Cashier does not have to bag groceries either.  This is because of the need to create extra jobs whenever possible - this goes back to everyone deserves a chance to earn an income, some how, some way..  So the grocery store baggers take care of bagging up your stuff, and you MUST TIP them, because I found out fortunately in the first week here, that these people DO NOT GET ANY SALARY..they survive only on TIPS!  And quite often, these people, are very old, or very young.  I don't mind the very young, they have life ahead of them, they have a chance to make choices to make a better life for themselves, but it kills me to see people the age of my parents, doing this job, living off TIPS.  So I tend to TIP these people generously. 

Then you have your groceries in your cart and off you go....Until you reach the exit of the store and you encounter the next level of assistance.  I calls these guys the Pushers/Unloaders (and they are often quite pushy) ... The guys who want to push your cart from the store to your car and unload your bags.  Some guys just offer assistance, you can answer Si or No, and others just grab your cart from you.. I suspect the grabbers/the pushy ones tend to make more money, but I like these people less.  So these guys are usually polite and quite efficient at unloading the bags in an orderly fashion in the vehicle, but now you have to TIP these guys too!  Seriously, this gets a bit stressful if I am going to the store, I have to look at the change in my purse in advance to know just whose services I can allow/afford that trip!  

So, on Thursday, Pati, our maid started (gasp, I succumbed!).  She is coming to the house 2 days a week to help with cleaning and to help me with my Spanish, because she only speaks a little English, and I want her to help me with things like shopping and learning to cook Mexican food.  Pati is a cleaning machine!  She is very nice, it was great to have some companionship in the house for the day and we did shop and she was helpful in several ways.

So it was Pati that explained to me about the 'Parking Attendant' guy that helps you park and backout.. I usually just wave and smile at the guy, because as I said, seriously, I did not even need his help!  But She told me that his job is to monitor the parking lot, to watch out for theft and vandalism and his very presence there makes people more careful getting in and out of cars so they do not 'ding' or scratch other people's cars.  So he has an actual real purpose, besides the big production of waving people in and out of spots!  So she told me I really do need to TIP this guy!  Fortunately for the guy, I had to turn around and circle past him, so we could stop and give him a Tip.  Thinking back to my previous 'smile and wave, smile and wave' technique, I now realize the Parking Attendant probably had his own ideas about waving a 'lil something back at me....ha ha ha, but that would never happen here in Santa Fe...(in Mexico City, totally!!).

So after we tipped him, it had me thinking a little, since I was shopping with Pati, I was not approached even once by a Pusher/Unloader... because they realized I already had a helping hand... That was a really nice added perk of that trip to the store.  Of course, it takes a little getting used to having help in the first place, Pati and I both kept reaching for the grocery cart and practically fighting over who was going to push it.. She won.

I am sure Pati is going to help me in so many ways besides the cleaning... In just the one day, she has already taught me about cleaning products (there about a million to choose from), helped me pick a much better mop (I figure if she was willing to use it, she could pick out a new one to go with the correct cleaning products, right?), she helped me with my new washer/dryer with about 15 different cycles, all in Spanish of course, and the Parking Attendant tip (nice pun, huh?) ..and I had the extreme satisfaction that mmy house was cleaned in one day between the two of us working together.  Not to mention I practiced Spanish and Charades (which goes hand-in-hand with my Spanish, lol).
I was able to work on her English with her a little too, and I introduced her to Pretzels, and Edamame.

I look forward to the new adventures with Pati....