I Was Told There Would Be Days Like These

I may have mentioned it before (and if I did, the repetition is much more about my need to hear it than yours), but a wise friend once said (in regards to life in India), don’t expect to get more than two things done in a day – one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I thought I readily understood what this meant. Things take time, don’t expect to go to the store and get in and out, there’s extra travel involved, and usually not the fast kind either…blah, blah, blah. I understood it, until today.

I’m still reeling from having eliminated an important folder in my computer, but had thought I’d accepted this and was moving forward. Today my friends are returning from their visa run and so I thought it would be nice to arrange for their cleaning lady to come wipe the place down. With the winds we’ve had, the dust is crazy, the bugs have moved in and well, it would just be nice for them to not have to live in it like this. I’d also arranged for the guy who brings their milk to deliver today while I was here (he repeated the date and Dan’s name, so it sounded like he understood). I left my house early, without breakfast or tea, in the cold and came and sat (I did bring the paper to read and an egg to cook as well as my own tea bag, but it was early – my household was still asleep). Neither ever arrived. Because there’s a two hour difference in when one usually comes and the other, and I added some extra time on the beginning and the end, in case they were early or late, I was here for a substantial time. I’m sure this is why my friends never asked me to do this; they didn’t want to put me out. I went to talk to a friend who’d told the cleaning lady to show up. Apparently she misunderstood and said, yes, she will show up tomorrow. Ey-yi-yi, no, not tomorrow, today! So she runs back to her mother and the cleaning lady (who cleans their house too) and returns asking me what time I want her to show up today. Okay, lets try again at 2. I stayed and sent emails as long as there was some power, came home looking very defeated – my housemates could tell all was not as it was “supposed” to be. They prepared a lunch for me to take and a few minutes after 2:00, I was back, waiting for the cleaning lady. An hour later, she’s yet to arrive. Ha!

Well, I’m choosing to look on the bright side of things, I made my bed today, I’ve written a blog, even sent a few emails. Maybe I am expecting too much for one day. If all goes as planned (what part of the above am I not understanding), I will have a language lesson this evening and that will make it all okay, won’t it? Please tell me it will.

Update, she showed up to clean, around 3:30. I'm glad I waited. :)