Tomorrow “July 17” is World Emoji Day! – default calendar date emoji. And we’re celebrating with a Jamoji truly unique to Jamaica, “helpa.”
A “helpa,” is the housekeeper, live-in or day’s worker, it’s all the same, someone who helps with the household chores. Having a helpa in Jamaica is pretty common, as I mentioned we love to clean and there was a time when most household appliances weren’t automated, making the need for help even more vital to maintaining a tidy home. Thus, the presence of a helpa is more of a necessity than a luxury. This week I invited a cleaning crew to clean up after a long overdue kitchen renovation and the experience put me in a tailspin of childhood memories of Maureen.
Maureen was the most memorable of our helpas over the years. There are many traumatic stories about heplas, but the most common across the board is their love of bleach. The misuse and overuse of the household product led to the ruins of many linens and/or favorite garments, all in the name of achieving the brightest whites. Maureen would arrive on Monday mornings and we made certain of properly hiding the bleach on Sundays. This too is common practice, to this day, before the helpa arrives you know it’s best to hide the bleach. We even got to the point of not buying bleach altogether out of fear of giving in to Maureen’s cries. After she grew tired of requesting the product upon arrival, she eventually bought and/or brought her own. We hired Sandra after Maureen and the battle of the bleach continued. My sisters and I were destined to prematurely retire clothing due to accidental bleach spots. There is no winning this battle with your helpa. You see, bleach and helpas go hand in hand, not to be separated.
Within minutes after the cleaning crew entered my home this week, my nerves went into overdrive – Oh sweet baby Jesus, I smell bleach. Which for me is quite assaulting, in uniform to following a whole plant-based diet, I also refrain from using harsh chemicals as much as possible. I understood that the services added much needed help, but it was an instant headache not only to the scent, but its memory represented ruins and a call to protect my belongings. The rollercoaster of events found me unprepared and exhausted. Feeling defeated, I accepted it and simply left the apartment. I called on friends and family for help and to my disregard for bleach, came my childhood friend’s response, “Really, so how do you clean your whites?” My heart be still…it’s still 2020, right? Well, yes 2020 is the year for bleach for other reasons, but my whites are just fine!
I guess Maureen and helpas get a bad rap for reasons we’re all guilty of, control and pride – symptoms of our perfectionism. My apartment came out just fine and as for me, I’m doing better, I am in search of an eco-friendly helpa because some trains and training cannot be stopped.