The Week I Ironed

We are lucky enough to have a wonderful couple work for/with us here in Saigon. Ty is our nanny/sitter/translator/helper/all around rock star. Ty's husband, Toan, is our driver. Last weekend, Toan's father died and they have spent this week out of town with their family. In the short time we have been here, they have become a wonderful addition to our family and greatly increase the ease with which we live our daily lives.


I knew when we joined the FS that there were posts where having household help is common, because it is affordable and in some cases, necessary. Erik arrived at post, which is our first, before I did and I distinctly remember telling him that I wasn't sure we would need a full-time nanny, we probably wouldn't need a cook and definitely wouldn't need a driver. Ha! I learned very quickly never to make decisions about our day-to-day needs until I was actually at post with a bit of time under my belt.


It is still feels very strange to write about having "staff". I know it makes our life seem very glamorous, and in some regards it is. Trust me when I say, I know how lucky we are to be able to afford such amazing help. But also remember, we live in a country where I am not comfortable driving and I don't fully speak the language, so imagine trying to run errands with those two hurdles!

All in all, it was a good week. I managed both non-napping children, I multi-tasked, I ironed, I conducted some serious poop clean-up, and I mostly kept my calm. I didn't truly "cook" any meals and I only washed my hair once. As the week comes to a close, I give myself a B+.


The thing is - while I did miss Ty's help - I actually just really missed Ty. She always checks to see if I have eaten lunch. If I have a late night with Alli, and an early morning with Amelia, she insists I take time to rest while she is here. She tells me which outfits look great and which don't. She helps me translate with the building staff when I need a change of sheets or new towels. She runs errands with me because she knows where to find the best stuff and she gets a much better deal than I do. She does the tasks I hate (washing baby bottles) and allows me time to do what I love (hitting the gym).

I think that while we are away from our families, we look to create a new sense of family here in Saigon. I feel lucky to have Ty, Toan, neighbors, teachers, colleagues and new friends make up our Saigon family and am hopeful that we will be this lucky at all of our posts.

And, as always, in the spirit of full disclosure, I only ironed Allison's school uniforms, while Ty irons every.single.thing we wear, so if you see my hubby around the Consulate this week looking shabby, that is totally my fault.