De nanas y patrones

My host family has two nanas (chileno for domestic workers). They are:

1. La Lucha: comes Mon-Fri 8-5, about 65-years-old, looks very similar to my host mom but has slightly darker skin, very overweight, has worked in the house for over 30 years, has 5 living children, married at age 13, currently married to her second husband
2. La Nolvia: comes Wed & Fri 8-5, spends the other 3 days working at my host parents' son's house, in her late 40s or early 50s, very overweight, has worked over 10 years with the family

Their tasks include the following:

• Cooking and serving: they spend a large portion of the day cooking lunch and dinner, for lunch they are expected to serve the family and pick up any finished plates, they usually make everything from scratch and with long hard processes
• Cleaning: vaccuming, dusting, doing the dishes, taking out the trash, etc.
• Organizing: they pick up the kids' toys in the backyard, take the clothes off my 26-year-old host sister's floor, etc.
• Laundry: Lucha does the laundry every Monday, which consists of (1) putting certain clothes directly in the washer, (2) letting other clothes soak before washing, (3) drying certain clothes in the dryer and others outside in the backyard, (4) ironing everything, (5) folding everything, (4) sorting and delivering it to everyone's rooms
• Childcare: whenever there are children in the house, they are also responsible for feeding and watching them
• Pet care: Lucha gives Fifa (cocker spaniel) her food every day before she leaves and picks up her poop every day
• Communications: they answer house phones and open the front gate when someone rings
• Beds: they make our beds every day and change the bed sheets every Friday

For me, of course, this is a completely new experience. In the US, you just wouldn't have nanas unless you are super rich. I did have a "cleaning lady" for a few years but she only came a few hours per month and the relationship was totally different.

Here, nanas are common among upper middle class families and they stay with the same family year after year. They are paid minimum wage, around 40,000 Chilean pesos (~$85) per full work week, or about $2 an hour. This is not much at all considering that the cost of living in Santiago is relatively high, and they spend about 1,000 pesos every day just to go to and from the house. But, Chile does not have the kind of social security and unemployment benefits that most Western countries do. If nanas were not so desirable or if the minimum wage were raised, these women would be left with very few options to earn money. They often have limited schooling, children, extended families in Perú or Bolivia, and no other job skills or experience. Surely being a nana is healthier and safer than being a sex worker, drug mule, or any of the other jobs they would have to undertake in order to provide for themselves and their children.

In that sense, it is understandable that my nanas call my host parents, their employers, "patrón" and "patrona." This job gives them more dignity than any other choice they have. But, at the same time, my host parents could easily increase their standard of living tremendously with very small changes.

Financially, they certainly have the means to pay them $10-20 more a week. Beyond that, there are certain language and living habits they could easily adjust. For instance, calling Lucha Ud. (vs tú) as they would any friend of her age. Doing a little cleaning and organizing over the weekend so Lucha doesn't have 3 days of work to do on Mondays. Letting them eat at the table with us instead of alone in the kitchen. Using fewer dishes and utensils so there is less to wash. Eating vegetables that aren't shredded completely. And so on.

I think these changes would also benefit my host family. It would be good for them to learn to do some of these tasks on their own and to understand the work that goes into them. It would make them more independent, more appreciative, and more understanding of middle class life in other countries where nanas are rare. They might learn to see their nanas as equal persons, not simply employees of lower social classes.

As for me, I prefer my life without nanas. Though mine are nice and I enjoy talking with them, I feel guilty and uncomfortable when they are doing chores that I am equally capable of doing. Also, I like my privacy and independence. It is unnerving to find my things moved and bed set when I come home from class. And it's awkward and disturbing when they knock on the door and wake me up at 10 AM on a Friday morning to set my bed and vacuum. Besides, I don't even like my bed set to begin with because it crunches my toes and makes it hard to move around. Not to mention that I honestly miss doing laundry and cleaning. There is something relaxing in doing something non-intellectual and repetitive while listening to music or TV in the background. Or sorting through a pile of warm, "ocean breeze"-smelling clothes while sipping tea on a cold day.