The biggest fear of most Peace Corps Volunteers, after dying alone, in pain, in a foreign land, surrounded by people who can’t speak your language… is being wholly rejected by their host community. Only two Volunteers out of the thousands that have come through Morocco in recent history have died while serving. However many have been accused of being CIA agents or drinking alcohol or doing other shameful things, which has caused their communities to reject them.
One of the best strategies to prevent these kinds of accusations is to hire a maid. Not only does it mean that you don’t have to do your own laundry or clean your own house, it also means that people trust you more. If people know that you are employing a widow to help her make ends meet, and that she feels that your house is an ok place to work, people will think that you are an ok person. Having someone who turns over every nook and cranny of your house on a regular basis means that the whole community knows you aren’t concealing any spy gadgets, empty alcohol bottles or prostitutes behind your pastel pink shutters. It is helpful to building a good reputation in your community and earning people’s trust.
Of course having a maid isn’t the typical perception people have of Peace Corps Volunteers. Many PCVs even dismiss the idea as being “Posh Corps.” And it is to an extent, though perhaps no more so then owning a washing machine. However, at the end of the day, a washing machine won’t talk to you if you’re lonely. Therefore having a maid comes highly recommended.
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