"What we have here is a failure to communicate"

[wayfaringwordhack]

Last week, we went out of town, so J called Z to let her know that we wouldn't need her to come on Tuesday to clean. He didn't rely on an interpreter but chose to try out his Arabic.

"What's the problem?" she asked, maybe thinking we were unhappy that she left "early" Saturday, while we were out running errands.

"No problem," he replied. "We'll see you on Saturday."

Only Saturday rolled around and no Z, no phone call, just...nothing. It was the anniversary of the first revolution, and the thought crossed my mind that maybe it was a holiday, but I ran this idea by an Egyptian friend who came over for a visit that day and she was skeptical of that being the reason Z didn't come.

So, we are thinking maybe Z misunderstood and thought she was fired. :-(

This is not good, but it is not necessarily bad either. It is, in fact, very emblematic of the problem I have with her: We cannot communicate with each other. It is a constant source of frustration for me (and for her, I'm sure). I wake up on Tuesdays and Saturdays, full of stress because she is going to be in my house all day. Not an ideal situation now; will definitely not be an ideal situation when I am zombified from the fatigue of dealing with both a newborn and a toddler. Even if I had the desire, which I don't, to immerse myself in Arabic, there is no way I could make progress quickly enough to make a difference.

We don't know if she will show up tomorrow, but we have decided (OK, I mostly decided; J is not affected like I am by the whole thing) that it will be her last day. Even if she doesn't show up, I'll ask Awatef (is that not a cool name?), my aforementioned Egyptian friend, to call Z and lay things out clearly for her. We will give her severance pay and wish her the best. It wasn't personal; it really is a failure to communicate. :-<

Comments

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

When Mark was small, I had a wonderful babysitter who spoke no English and my Spanish was very limited. We managed to communicate through her daughter until Mark picked up enough Spanish and we could communicate through him, too.

Ultimately, we both learned to communicate without them and it was awesome. She was worth it. She was awesome!

Your situation would be difficult, especially considering some of the other issues you've mentioned. Hope it all works out.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

I wish I could say Z would be worth it and perhaps it is unfair to say she wouldn't be, but as you pointed out, the other issues I've had tell me that it is time to move on.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Sorry, it didn't workout for you, but it sounds like if the situation is causing you stress then it's the right thing to do.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Yes, the stress is just not worth it. I am tired of feeling it, and my husband is tired of hearing about it. :(