Μπέρμιγχαμ: Ταξιδιωτικός οδηγός, τιμές και δωρεάν διαμονή · 2026

KKseniaKsenijaMoscow · 17 Ιουν 2009Διάβασμα

Birmingham, Alabama Maricela. I met Maricela when I was assigned to learn housekeeping from her. At the time, Natasha and I thought this would be our job for a month, but it turned out we only worked for two days. However, in those two days, Maricela taught me a lot: how to properly make beds, clean the bathroom, fold towels, dust, and vacuum the rooms. The hardest part is making the bed look nice, but together we did a great job. And quickly too. Maricela is Mexican. She is short, a bit chubby, with long black hair tied in a ponytail with several colorful hair ties. Maricela has been working at the hotel for about a year; her mother, Estella, is the head housekeeper at the hotel, and she was the one who assigned me to her. Maricela handles the cleaning very quickly; I couldn't keep up with her. But I tried very hard—I was interested in how everything functions. On the first day, Maricela and I cleaned 14 rooms, and on the second, 11. About half an hour per room. Work starts at 8:45. At 12:00, there is a half-hour lunch break. Room cleaning ends around 3 o'clock. But the work doesn't end there; you still need to vacuum the hallways, and often you have to help in the laundry room. Maricela doesn't speak English. She understands a little bit. When Maricela showed or explained something to me, I would say out loud what I thought she meant, and she would nod and say "Si!" if I understood correctly. Maricela is 21, the same age as me. That's why we worked together so happily and harmoniously. She would tell me the names of different objects in Spanish, and I would tell her in English. I am very grateful to Maricela for asking her husband, Ivan, to drive Natasha and me to the nearest Greyhound station in Birmingham. Ivan is Mexican. He understands English better than Maricela and can speak it a little bit. Maricela and Ivan have been married for six years. They got married in Mexico when Ivan was 16 and Maricela was 15. Their son, Christian, is four years old. They live in Bessemer, a suburb of Birmingham. Maricela works at the hotel, and Ivan works in construction. They rent a trailer for $400 a month. In a couple of years, they plan to return to Mexico to continue living and working there. Maricela doesn't like the USA; she likes Mexico. And Ivan says about the USA: "Too much money here."