What are you saying? Because some locals treat their domestic help badly, yours should be lucky you're providing her with a bed to sleep on?? Why do you have one then if stuff like finding a suitable bed for her is becoming such a big deal??
No, I am not saying that at all. You completely misunderstand me. I didn't say they treated their domestic help badly.. their views on what are acceptable are DIFFERENT. For example, I have a friend at work who has three kids. At night, he and his wife sleep in a bed, and the three kids sleep on a mat on the floor so that they can all be in a room with air con - keeping all of the family in the same room saves money on electricity bills. Another friend, who is Malay, also sleeps on a mat on the floor, rather than a bed, because it is cooler. These are not poor people - they are professionals in great jobs - just their approach to sleeping arrangements is culturally different to ours.. ie, my Malay friend has an air con unit but does not like air con so does not use it.. Given this, you see, they recommend that the maid also sleep on the floor since THEY are doing the same and find it comfortable and acceptable. For me, it would be a little like camping, I guess. For them, this is how they grew up, and they don't find it unusual. I did not mean to imply, at all, that they abuse their help.... All of that said, I have provided my maid with a bed, because I would not choose to sleep on the floor in this country (have slept on a futon when I was living in Japan and did not find that strange) - and I wanted her to have the same level of comfort as I would give myself... Also, finding a bed was a big deal, because I THOUGHT the room was big enough for a standard bed. It is 4 inches too short for a regular bed, which is why the dilemma...
