The Help

I'm sick today so I am on full lazy mode. I have been spending every moment possible in a horizontal position behind my Kindle.

I've just started reading The Help. Finally right! It was so highly recommended on my maid's bathroom post that I had to check it out.

Ironically, it's Thursdays. Thursday is one of the days that my maid comes in. So there I am reading about all the social injustice in the 60s while my maid cleans my place.

And it just rubbed me the wrong way. I have always felt awkward about that. I mean, I am here and should be cleaning my own damn house. At the same time, she does need the work and I really do appreciate the help.

The thing is, there is a stain from slavery still left in day to day life in Brazil. Just look at how the middle class is reacting to the rising cost of full time nannies. It's as if they entitled, like the maids are supposed to be cheap and come and raise their family. It's how it's always been and how it should always be.

Then there's the name for the bosses. Just like Miss so-and-so in the book, here they call us Dona so-and-so.  I have always found that odd. Why should my maid use a special label of respect when saying my name? She is here working and getting paid. I don't see Mr. Rant referring to anyone at his job as Dona anything. I sure as hell don't call my female students Dona Leticia or Dona Susi.

Sadly, the more I read the book the more similarities I see. The issue with selling my apartment without a maid's bathroom for example. Like they said in The Help "Colored Diseases." It makes me sick to my stomach to even imagine that people still think that way. I'm really going to have a hard time keeping my mouth shut if anyone comments on it now.

And I just don't know what to do with this. I feel like the naive character, all full of good will and no common sense or reality behind it. I just don't get how people can treat other people as if they are less than everyone else.

On a side note, I 100% recommend The Help! I'm only 30% through it (or already seeing I started reading it last night) but I can already tell you that it's an amazing read!

I'm in Love... With my Kindle

Photo by: http://singularityhub.com/

I'm in love and it's with my kindle. You know when you look at someone, like a child for instance, and smile because they just make you so happy. I do that with my kindle.

Take yesterday for instance. I was looking on Amazon for phonic books for my preschooler and I stumbled upon one for the kindle. Oh kindle, you sassy little piece of technology. Children's books! Who knew?!

In around 3 key strokes I was the proud owner of a new book in, gasp, English! You do not know how big of a deal this is. For years I've read any hand-me-down books given to me. I would scan street vendors and buy anything, literally anything, they had in English. I even got so low as to read one romance novel.

I often fantasied about reading that new book that was the current talk of the town. Would I go crazy if I could get any book I wanted at a snap of a finger? Once I started with these fantasies I realized that I was officially a desperate book whore.

Thankfully my parents came to my rescue this past Christmas. My Mother insisted that I get one and, as it turns out, she had already purchased my Kindle as my present from them. I was a bit torn. Riding that wannabe book snob wave of 'I'll miss turning pages,' I didn't know if I'd love it.

Well, I'll tell you this now, I was insane. My Kindle is now my 3rd and favorite child. The screen looks like a freaking book page, it automatically saves the page you left off on, and I can buy books impulse shopping style in 2 seconds. It's an expat's best friend! It and Mexican seasoning packets that we bring back with us after visiting home.

And you can take it everywhere! Ok, not everywhere. I do live in Rio de Janeiro and I like to be careful with new technology. Yes, the Kindle is mysterious here, a large part of the population not even quite knowing what it is. Most times you'll just be bombarded with questions but sometimes it's a little more than that. Case in point, Danielle's experience on the beach.

But my little Kindle lover is so light and small that I just carry a bigger bag and no one is the wiser. You and me Kindle, we're going to take over the world!