The lazy life in China .....

I never thought that I would become a lazy person, but it seems that China has done it to me! By lazy, I don't mean that I sit around like a slob all day but that I don't do nearly as many things for myself as I used to. I have become dependent on others.

Firstly, there is the wonder of the ayi, which translates as aunty. For about $50 a month, the ayi comes to my apartment twice a week for 2 hours at a time and cleans. No longer do I need to do my own washing, change my bed sheets, clean the bathroom, wash the dishes or take out the rubbish. Ayi comes on a Tuesday and Friday, so I only cook at home on a Monday or Thursday night - after all, I couldn't wash up after myself! Sometimes, I am horrified at myself when I find myself thinking, 'It's okay, ayi will do that', it's appalling. Those who know me will probably find this quite strange because I am the first to admit that normally I'm a little OCD when it comes to cleanliness in the home. But, don't get cleanliness confused with tidiness - I still have a very tidy apartment, it just gets very dirty towards Tuesday and Friday mornings!

Then there are smaller things that crop up in day to day life. For example, there are lots of small bike repair businesses on the roads - so, I don't need to pump up my own bike tires. When I go to the fruit store, they peel the pineapple for me, so I don't need to do it at home. At work, the teaching assistants are there to laminate or photocopy things for me. I rarely buy my own train tickets, the reception staff at work do it for me. It is just so lazy.

I occasionally think that perhaps I don't need an ayi - after all, my apartment is small and it would only take an hour to clean it myself. But, then I'm quickly drawn back to the reality of living in China and get rid of that thought. There is also the fact that while $50 is not a lot for me, it is a huge amount for the ayi (the going rate is much cheaper I think), so I am making my contribution to the Chinese economy.

I apologise for the lack of photos on this post but there is a reason behind it - my mother would probably be horrified at the pictures of washing piling up and dirty dishes in the sink!