T.I.V. Tuesday

We are leaving for the US on Friday and T.I.V. Tuesdays will be suspended until we return in mid-January. Lest my readers think life in Venezuela is solely about food shortages and Chavez's antics, I wanted this final post to be about something positive.

A major benefit of living in Venezuela is that we can afford household help (maids, nannies, drivers, gardeners, etc.). We don't have the need for all of that, but we do employ a full-time, live-in maid who also provides babysitting on nights and weekends. Her name is Mariza, she is Peruvian, loves our boys, is a great cook, regularly cleans, launders and washes our entire house and is a dream come true! Yes, adjusting to someone living in your house can be difficult, but once you realize you haven't done a load of laundry in weeks, you get over the awkwardness posthaste. Mariza is a godsend and makes our lives a lot better than it would be otherwise. I know what you're thinking, "you have a maid, what more do you want?" And it's true, we may not have sugar or milk, but we always have sparkling clean bathrooms!