Hygiene amongst Pembantus

[BaliLife]

Ok, I hope this doesn't become too controversial and I'm making the following statement/s based on my experience.

The statement:
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The Balinese maids I've encountered and had work for us are far less hygienic than our Javanese maids - they're also a lot lazier.
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Our current maid at the villa we stay at whenever in Bali, named Ketut - is more filthy than a sewer rat. She absolutley stinks and it is clear that it is from not bathing more than once every 4 days. If a maid of ours had such an odour, we'd immediately tell her to deal with it or get lost. The situation is complicated by the fact that she's not our maid. The villa we stay at belongs to friends (who are never there) and she works for them. The last 3 trips, we've bought at least one of our Java maids with us and we tell her never to trust anything cleaned by Ketut and to reclean it. Ketut is an extreme case that's for sure, but I've noticed that Balinese maids in general are far less hygienic and in general, rather lazy.

I picked up a small spoon from the drawer this morning to feed the kids cereal. Fortunately I looked at it first. The back of it was encrusted with mouldy cheesecake from 3 days before - the dirty wench had just taken it from the sink and thrown it in the drawer. I was so furious I told my wife, "that's it, she can have 25,000", for a period that we'd usually give 200,000 - it was the final straw. When she leaves a room, it takes 3 hours for her stench to follow her.

I know what the laziness is attributed to - years of tourists 'going easy' on them and applying western expectations and mannerisms in their dealings with them - that's fine.. Each to their own - I personally prefer a harder working maid and all ours are live in so that makes a difference.

But the hygiene thing to me is inexcusable. No attention to detail when cleaning, themselves or the house. Perhaps Javanese maid's self hygiene can be attributed to Islam and the requirement to wash before prayers, which most follow.

In any case, I suggest if you have a Balinese made that you're not happy with, upgrade to a Javanese..

Ct

[Sanurian]

I found your post absolutely disgusting, offensive and totally uncalled for.

Whilst issues regarding hygiene are a legitimate concern and worthwhile exploring, the way you went about it is utterly deplorable. I would go as far as to say unforgivable!

Wake up to yourself.

:evil: :evil:

[Bert Vierstra]

It happens.

We once had a maid who's personal hygiene was below standard. Dewi had a talk with her and things became better. Later she was fired, because her sister had stolen something, and she knew about it. (or something)

This girl was member of a very poor family, living in the slums of Singaraja, and her father was even a priest, but their house was a dirty dump, little difference with a garbage dump.

However, this has been an exception.

So, to state that a Javanese girl in general would be "an upgrade", is silly. However people also say that it is better to have Javanese workers for building. Even in the North there are men from Java working.

Do you know anything about the background of the girl?

[Jimbo]

I cannot believe what I have just read. Whilst there are exceptions to every rule the standard of hygene even in the kampungs is far higher than in the west. I have never known any Indonesian wether from Bali or elsewhere to bathe less than twice a day.

To generalise in this way is inexcuseable and IMO deliberately designed to provoke :evil:

[Bert Vierstra]

The "generalization" for working men is quite common, and also comes from the locals.

A few men from Java I spoke to said the same. "The Balinese are lazy", and "Where are the girls?" .....

[BaliLife]

Sanurian - I'm not apologizing, so don't expect one, and I'm not seeking your forgiveness. Like I stated in the first sentence, it is based on my experience and if someone can articulate a different experience (as did Bert), I'd love to hear it.

Jimbo - I didn't generalize about Balinese - I generalized about the Balinese pembantus that I've had dealings with. I'm within my rights to make the observation. I have to strongly disagree with your findings regarding the kampungs. If you were correct, then filth born diseases such as TB would be more prevalent in the west than in Indonesia - clearly not the case.

Bert - I don't know, and honestly I've never thought to ask. With all due respect, while a good maid is precious, a bad maid is easy to replace, so why might one go to the trouble? It's very humane of you and I admire that. But at the same time like I say, there's no shortage of girls out there looking for work as a pembantu - why wouldn't you just go onto the next person, just as would an employer in the west?

The builder thing is very true, and it is also based on a very widely held belief that javanese tukangs are harder working, don't have so many holidays and actually they're believed to do a better job.

There are generalizations all throughout indonesia, some have merit, some don't - but the ones that have survived may have survived for a reason..

Finally, to Sanurian and Jimbo - like I said, it was a reference based on what I've experienced. It would've been a generalization had I stated as a matter of fact that "Javanese maids are better and cleaner than Balinese". I didn't do that, I stated that that is what I have found.

Now, here are some generalizations (good and bad) that I readilly hear.. I will not say which ones I've found to be true or false, they are merely the ones I and I assume others have heard a lot:

These are in no particular order:

1. Balinese men are lazy, the women do all the work (I hear this a lot in Java)

2. Chinese Indonesians from Medan are cunning and most other Chinese Indonesians refrain from doing business with them (i hear this from chinese indonesians all over indonesia (except from medan of course))

3. Bandung has the prettiest women in Indonesia

4. People from central Java speak the best Javanese

5. People in jakarta build the garage before the house (to keep their shiny new cars that they couldn't afford)..

I'm sure there are thousands of others.. In any case these are sweeping generalizations, unlike my observation which was specific to Balinese and Javanese maids that I've dealt with.

Ct

[Roy]

I agree with Jimbo on this one, 100%. As is well known, I live in a Balinese kampung, and I know fully well that our villagers bath at least twice a day...when first awake and before bed, and more often, three times a day...meaning before attending temple.

I’ve never encountered any hygiene problems with any Balinese I have come in contact with, and I agree with Jimbo’s words that for the most part, hygiene standards here in Bali are better than in the West.

[Sanurian]

Yeah, sure.
I probably did overreact. (Wouldn't be the first time.)

...She absolutley stinks and it is clear that it is from not bathing more than once every 4 days...

Are you certain her odour is from a lack of bathing? Like, how do you know that? She doesn't sound very "Balinese" to me, if that's the case. Perhaps she's using one of those dreadful cheap Indonesian "perfumes".

I liked your "sweeping generalisations" list. I hadn't heard this one before:

...5. People in jakarta build the garage before the house (to keep their shiny new cars that they couldn't afford)...

I know there are thousands of others. Two more that I've heard a lot are:
1. Madurese women are the best sexual partners one could ever imagine, and
2. Bules have the biggest sexual members

:twisted:

[Bert Vierstra]

Bert - I don't know, and honestly I've never thought to ask. With all due respect, while a good maid is precious, a bad maid is easy to replace, so why might one go to the trouble?

Because "our girl" is in our home for about 7 hrs a day, and usually more than just "a worker".

[Bert Vierstra]

BTW Balilife, your ARE generalizing, not only about "your" pembantus.