As today has been a particularly uninteresting day for me (I'm home sick and doing nothing) I thought I'd share a little bit about the maid here, who has been telling me bits and pieces of her life for the past few days.
Asha comes from a peasant family in another state of India; when telling me about her home, she drew imaginary lines in the spacious living room we were in to show how much smaller her home is than the home she now works in. Her home is a one room house, approximately 15x15 feet (at most). Her father died (recently I believe but I'm not sure) and she was sent to work here, for our landlords. Asha is twenty years old, with a younger brother who is fourteen and working in Delhi right now trying to make more money to support the family. She misses her mother, who is only 35, very, very much and who she is only able to see for a few weeks each year. She reached Level 5 in schooling (the matriculation test is taken at Level 10) and is trying to study so that she can eventually take the matriculation testing. She carries one photograph of her and her mother taken recently, which is the only link she really has with home. She sometimes is able to call home but not frequently.
When asked, she says that she doesn't really like her life here very much, but she must continue to work to support her family. She said that after her father died, life became even harder. She doesn't hear from her brother very much and has been to Delhi only once to visit him.
I recently heard a statistic that said that more people in India live in one room houses than have televisions. I thought this especially poignant after talking to Asha.
Anyways, on that note, have a great day/night :)
XOXOX.
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