- First, and most importantly, treat your stay less like you are at your own home and more like you are a guest in someone else’s. Because you are a guest. Treat us like we are a privilege, not an obligation. We will treat you well, but at the end of the day, keep in mind that when you leave, we have to clean up your room in 30 minutes for minimum wage with no benefits.
- Please don’t leave any bodily fluids on the furniture or in the shower. That includes urine. You might pee in your shower at home, but I don’t know you or your medical history. When it comes down to it, it is unsanitary, and the toilet is only 2 feet away.
- Pour out all liquids before your cups go into the garbage. When they spill out, it makes our garbage leak all over the carpet.
- Make sure to leave the air in your room on a decent temperature when you leave. We move around constantly and quickly so if we go into your room and the temperature is on 80 degrees, there is a likely chance that we could pass out. The preferable temperature is 67 degrees.
- If you do not want service or want to sleep in without disruption, put the Do Not Disturb hanger on the outside of your door. If you do not have this hanger on your door, we will knock. Keep in mind that we are simply doing our job. If you choose not to put the hanger on your door and we knock, please answer the door. Don’t ignore the knock because we will walk in on you. And don’t just yell. It is often hard to hear a response through those thick doors. And when you do answer, please be polite. Don’t slam doors in our faces. It is too tempting to lose our job over it.
- Instead of telling us to come back later and clean your room, just get towels and other amenities from us then if you need them. Coming back to your room could be a strain on our strict schedule.
- FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, do NOT ask for a late checkout. Go to a park or something if you need some extra time. We can not work past 2:00 on a weekday, 3:00 on a weekend. So if there are five 1:00 checkouts, that puts us in a bind.
- When you checkout, please remove your Do Not Disturb hanger from your door, and drop off your keys at the front desk. This alerts the hotel that you have left so the housekeeper can clean your room so that another guest can enter it.
- It is always a nice surprise to walk into a stayover and find a tip (even if it is only a couple of dollars), so if you can afford to be generous, please do. You will make someone’s terrible day slightly better.
- Each room comes furnished with a makeup remover on the amenity tray in the bathroom. Please use this to remove your makeup instead of a wash cloth, as it irreparably stains the cloth. Meaning, we have to take it out of use. If you need more than one makeup remover, ask the front desk or a housekeeper. We will be glad to provide you with more.
- There will always be accidents involving blood and excrement. If there are, make sure to bag it up, and throw it away. Or at least make the stain visible (i.e. don’t wad up a towel or throw a blanket over the sheets) so that it wont be touched by other people. Or better yet, inform someone so that we can be warned and make necessary provisions. And if you do leave it for us to clean, please leave a tip. On average, we get about $4 per checkout, $2 per stayover BEFORE taxes. That is nowhere close to enough money to clean up your blood or poop.
- Do not leave snot or loogies in the sink. When they dry, it is close to impossible to remove, and even when it does come off, it is slimy and turns stomachs. Nobody wants to take a break from cleaning to vomit just because you were disgusting.*
- If you chew smokeless tobacco, please dispose of your spit cup properly. This means, empty the cup into the toilet before you leave and flush, or, if possible, use a bottle, and place it, with the cap on, in the garbage (see #12 note* above).
- If you are staying in a hotel for an extended period of time, make sure your room gets cleaned at least every 3 days. The hotel recommends once a week, but a week of not cleaning the bathtub can be a tedious task when it does get cleaned.
- And remember, the less you use, the less we have to replace for the next guest. The amenities are there for your convenience, but if you don’t use them, you don’t have to take them.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
A Housekeeper's Guide on How to Conduct Yourself at a Hotel
Thursday, October 6, 2011
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Occupy Wall Street is not a hippy movement. It is not a Democrat vs. Republican movement. This is a collection of people from all walks of life who are fed up with being taken advantage of by the government who is supposed to be protecting us. This beautiful movement is both military and civilian, old and young, rich and poor. Have YOU ever felt the cruel hand of injustice in your life? Then this movement is yours.
The time is right, and the people are ready to stand up for each other and for what is right. And it is due time. We have let the top 1% control and abuse us for entirely too long. We are the 99%. We are the majority. We are the people who must take progression into our own hands. Without advancement, we will all perish. The 1%-controlled mass media refuses to cover this movement, so we must take the initiative and take to the streets to get the word out to everyone. We must become our own media (-JH). This movement WILL survive, but only if we band together. So, grab your friends, your family, your neighbors, your co-workers, random people on the street, and tell them that their happiness is worth fighting for, their freedom is worth fighting for. Make them aware of the revolution that is happening, and encourage them to get involved.
Be strong, you amazing creatures. Don't lose your drive. Results will be slow in coming, but don't get discouraged. We will prevail! Just wait, and you will see.
Things to Read:
Things to Watch:
The time is right, and the people are ready to stand up for each other and for what is right. And it is due time. We have let the top 1% control and abuse us for entirely too long. We are the 99%. We are the majority. We are the people who must take progression into our own hands. Without advancement, we will all perish. The 1%-controlled mass media refuses to cover this movement, so we must take the initiative and take to the streets to get the word out to everyone. We must become our own media (-JH). This movement WILL survive, but only if we band together. So, grab your friends, your family, your neighbors, your co-workers, random people on the street, and tell them that their happiness is worth fighting for, their freedom is worth fighting for. Make them aware of the revolution that is happening, and encourage them to get involved.
Be strong, you amazing creatures. Don't lose your drive. Results will be slow in coming, but don't get discouraged. We will prevail! Just wait, and you will see.
Things to Read:
Things to Watch:
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Classic Case of Rich Stealing from the Poor
It is nothing new. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer. More importantly, the rich get greedier, and the poor suffer as a result. Most recently, there has been an increase among prosperous countries, such as Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and China, buying land in impoverished countries, mostly third-world, in which only the invading country benefits.
Although profitable, the wealthier countries are lacking in self-sufficiency. There is either a deficit or a potential deficit of food production at home, so these countries are purchasing land from countries who are in desperate need of that extra income. Unfortunately, the repercussions of this are tremendously hazardous to the welfare of humanity.
According to a study at the Oakland Institute, over the past 3 years, almost 50 million acres of farmland have been either purchased or are in the process of being purchased, with a substantial increase in just the last six months.
So, what does this all mean?
It means that buying this land will severely prevent the poorer countries from feeding their own citizens, leading to an increase in starvation- and dehydration-related deaths. What is happening is the land purchased is used to grow crops, which are then sent to the country who owns the land, not to the country that holds the land. However, only around 30% of the grain produced goes toward feeding the masses. In 37% of these cases, the crops are used for growing grains that will then be used for the production of biofuels, further fueling the debate that our addiction to oil is killing us. Furthermore, the countries in which land is being purchased are mainly in areas that are subject to severe drought. So, the land acquisitions include water, which in turn, deprives the hosting country of its own resources.
The question now is, what can we do about it? There is a growing suspicion that citizens in the poor countries will begin to ambush the trucks carrying the grain before it reaches its destination, furthering the social and political unrest. I, for one, fully support the locals in their attempts to rectify this ghastly situation.
Fi Amanillah.
Things to read:
Although profitable, the wealthier countries are lacking in self-sufficiency. There is either a deficit or a potential deficit of food production at home, so these countries are purchasing land from countries who are in desperate need of that extra income. Unfortunately, the repercussions of this are tremendously hazardous to the welfare of humanity.
According to a study at the Oakland Institute, over the past 3 years, almost 50 million acres of farmland have been either purchased or are in the process of being purchased, with a substantial increase in just the last six months.
So, what does this all mean?
It means that buying this land will severely prevent the poorer countries from feeding their own citizens, leading to an increase in starvation- and dehydration-related deaths. What is happening is the land purchased is used to grow crops, which are then sent to the country who owns the land, not to the country that holds the land. However, only around 30% of the grain produced goes toward feeding the masses. In 37% of these cases, the crops are used for growing grains that will then be used for the production of biofuels, further fueling the debate that our addiction to oil is killing us. Furthermore, the countries in which land is being purchased are mainly in areas that are subject to severe drought. So, the land acquisitions include water, which in turn, deprives the hosting country of its own resources.
The question now is, what can we do about it? There is a growing suspicion that citizens in the poor countries will begin to ambush the trucks carrying the grain before it reaches its destination, furthering the social and political unrest. I, for one, fully support the locals in their attempts to rectify this ghastly situation.
Fi Amanillah.
Things to read:
- Food: The Hidden Driver Of Global Politics
- Rich Nations Buying Up Land in Poor Countries at Escalating Rate
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Blood Money and Protests
On January 27, 2011, Raymond Davis, a CIA contractor for the United States, shot and killed two Pakistani men in Lahore. Davis claimed he shot the men in self-defense, which is contradictory to the police report from the scene of the crime in which police described the shooting as "cold-blooded murder." Nonetheless, the US held that Davis had diplomatic immunity. On Wednesday, March 16, 2011, Davis was acquitted of murder, when the family of both of the victims pardoned him. Under Islamic law, the family of the victim can simply forgive the accused in exchange for a monetary settlement. In this case, the settlement was reportedly around $2 million.
My feelings toward the ruling are divided. On the one hand, the concept of forgiveness to the murderer is one I wholeheartedly accept and promote. When I heard about this, I was stunned by how beautiful it was. In fact, it brought a tear to my eye to see how it is possible for people to forgive others despite the offense. On the other hand, my Western mindset is screaming, "YOU JUST LET A MURDERER GO FREE!" And, unless Davis has a change of heart from that experience, he will continue to kill under the protective cloak of the United States.
But many Pakistani citizens are not happy with the ruling, and protests are being initiated. They do not accept that an American can come into their country and kill their citizens and be acquitted, while a Pakistani can do the same in America and be sentenced to 86 years in prison, as was the case with Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani scientist who pulled a gun on a US military guard in February of 2010. Furthermore, family friends and neighbors are standing firm that the Pakistani government forced the families to sign documents of forgiveness in secret at the behest of the United States, while the US denies that they made any form of payment to the families of the victims, leaving everyone wondering who, if anyone, compensated the families. After the ruling, the families disappeared, so the events surrounding the entire case is still a mystery.
To make matters worse, US forces carried out an airstrike in the village of Datta Khel that killed 40 people only one day after the ruling that freed Davis. Pakistani army chief said that the attack against civilians who had gathered to discuss local land issues was "carelessly and callously targeted with complete disregard for human life."
The longer I live and the more I discover about the barbarous actions of the United States, the more ashamed I am to be called American. When will the citizens of this country rise up in protest like so many of these oppressed Middle Eastern countries? Or have we become so lazy and indifferent that, as a whole, we no longer care?
My feelings toward the ruling are divided. On the one hand, the concept of forgiveness to the murderer is one I wholeheartedly accept and promote. When I heard about this, I was stunned by how beautiful it was. In fact, it brought a tear to my eye to see how it is possible for people to forgive others despite the offense. On the other hand, my Western mindset is screaming, "YOU JUST LET A MURDERER GO FREE!" And, unless Davis has a change of heart from that experience, he will continue to kill under the protective cloak of the United States.
But many Pakistani citizens are not happy with the ruling, and protests are being initiated. They do not accept that an American can come into their country and kill their citizens and be acquitted, while a Pakistani can do the same in America and be sentenced to 86 years in prison, as was the case with Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani scientist who pulled a gun on a US military guard in February of 2010. Furthermore, family friends and neighbors are standing firm that the Pakistani government forced the families to sign documents of forgiveness in secret at the behest of the United States, while the US denies that they made any form of payment to the families of the victims, leaving everyone wondering who, if anyone, compensated the families. After the ruling, the families disappeared, so the events surrounding the entire case is still a mystery.
To make matters worse, US forces carried out an airstrike in the village of Datta Khel that killed 40 people only one day after the ruling that freed Davis. Pakistani army chief said that the attack against civilians who had gathered to discuss local land issues was "carelessly and callously targeted with complete disregard for human life."
The longer I live and the more I discover about the barbarous actions of the United States, the more ashamed I am to be called American. When will the citizens of this country rise up in protest like so many of these oppressed Middle Eastern countries? Or have we become so lazy and indifferent that, as a whole, we no longer care?
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
On Being a Woman
I adore being a woman. All praise goes to the Creator on this one. He blessed me with good genes and a body that I am proud to call my own. I love that I am an emotional creature, filled with love, empathy, and compassion. I feel very grateful to be a woman in this generation. I am not as restricted as women in the earlier part of the century who fought tooth-and-nail for the freedoms that I enjoy today: the right to vote, the right to go to college, the right to have a career. All of these things are very important to me, yet none of these are reasons why I love being a woman the most.
My reasons for why I embrace my femininity are the same reasons why most women despise their own. I say this in confidence, for I used to feel the same disdain, but the reason I love being a woman the most is because we are blessed with a menstrual cycle.
Yes, periods. Disgusting, bloody, crampy, achy, bloated periods. I used to dread waking up in the morning, my panties soaked in blood, my stomach, breasts, and back aching incessantly. I preferred to stay in bed in my sweatpants for the entire week, avoiding all human contact until this horrid curse went away.
I don’t even remember when my mind changed. There was no revelation. The facts on how I was different from a man were always there. Just one day my period came, and I didn’t despise it anymore. This may have simply been a result of me growing up or growing accustomed to the workings of my body. Regardless, I have come to embrace this part of my womanhood.
When you consider it carefully, you will find that it is a beautiful thing. Menstruation makes us unique and sets us apart. For centuries, women were revered because of their disparate capability to bleed without dying, but now it has become something to be hated. I think the reason for this is because we do not understand the fascinating history behind this event or the responsibility we have as women to preserve the sanctity of it.
Growing up in the south, with chicken houses at every corner, or even in the backyard for some, you learn a little bit about how hens lay eggs. The equal parts of sun and moon determine a hen’s laying cycle. After the discovery of electricity and the invention of the light bulb, farmers figured out that they could increase productivity in hens to lay eggs by increasing the amount of light that they received. In the same way, women’s cycles are also affected by the amount of light that we receive. In ancient days, the moon’s effect was very powerful on a woman’s body, and the lunar cycles alone determined a woman’s cycles. Another thing that had an effect on menstruation in those days were women’s bonds to each other. They were dependent on each other, and they realized our interconnectedness to all people and how nature heavily influences our bodily processes. As a result of the link that they shared to each other and to nature, all of the women in those days bled at the same time! But today, due to increased amounts of light and our disengagement with other women, or just people in general, our cycles have been disrupted. We hurt more than we should. Our moods are more erratic than what they should be. We ignore or are too distracted by our “plight” that we can’t focus on creating like we were intended to during this time.
Women’s levels of creativity were enhanced during menstruation, and the results of this were pivotal in the development of civilization. One example is that from women’s close observations of the moon due to menstruation, math and astronomy were born. And creativity in menstruating women, did not end in ancient times. During their monthly cycle, females are inclined to make better grades on exams and have a higher productivity level at work.
But with menstruation comes a great and welcome responsibility. We now have the ability to carry life inside of us! And not only to carry life inside of us, but to sustain that life once it reaches the outside world. God chose us, above men, to be a vessel for future generations. He trusts us with that responsibility. Now tell me, how can I not adore being a woman?
Articles to read:
Monday, October 11, 2010
Columbus Day
As a child, I remember reading about Christopher Columbus. I even remember the little song that helped us keep his name in our memory: "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue." It is easy to remember these kind of things when you put a catchy tune to it. Our teachers told us all about the wonderful things Columbus did and how he discovered a brand new world, preparing the way for life as we know it today.
Fuck life as we know it today. I would rather live in Europe with no idea of this New World than to know that my ancestors were responsible for the genocide of one of the most peaceful groups of people that ever lived.
As an adult, you begin to realize how naive you were as a child. Back then, people tell you how things are or were, and that's that. If an adult says it, it must be true. When you become an adult, you realize how little you actually know about life and about history. When I found out who Christopher Columbus really was, I was appalled. To be honest, I felt my guts wrench. My stomach turned, and I literally got nauseous as my eyes filled with tears. My only thoughts were, how could we have been so misguided? Who decided that this was the curriculum that would be taught to the children? and how on God's green earth could that pathetic excuse for a man have been allowed to do these horrible things to such a gentle group of people?
If you have yet to be informed of the horrific events that happened at the hand of Columbus, you should really enlighten yourself. It will be hard to take at first. You will have to ignore everything that you previously believed to be true. Because they are not true. Everything you have been told is a lie.
The thing that leaves the bitterest taste in my mouth is that despite the generosity of the indigenous (including their willingness to save the lives and supplies of all of Columbus's men), Columbus and his men enslaved them, tortured them, raped them, and within 50 years had completely wiped out the entire population (that at one time consisted of about 3 million natives).
Three. Million. People. In fifty years.
And we have a day revering this torturous bastard. But Columbus is not the only one. Andrew Jackson did the same thing, and he is on our money. There are many examples. Why do we celebrate evil people and kill the peaceful ones? Society is twisted. Things must change if humanity is to survive. Evil will not be able to continue forever. At some point, the peaceful have to rise above and instill a change in the hearts of people.
Let today be that day. Start with yourself. And stop celebrating someone not worthy of your praise.
Fuck life as we know it today. I would rather live in Europe with no idea of this New World than to know that my ancestors were responsible for the genocide of one of the most peaceful groups of people that ever lived.
As an adult, you begin to realize how naive you were as a child. Back then, people tell you how things are or were, and that's that. If an adult says it, it must be true. When you become an adult, you realize how little you actually know about life and about history. When I found out who Christopher Columbus really was, I was appalled. To be honest, I felt my guts wrench. My stomach turned, and I literally got nauseous as my eyes filled with tears. My only thoughts were, how could we have been so misguided? Who decided that this was the curriculum that would be taught to the children? and how on God's green earth could that pathetic excuse for a man have been allowed to do these horrible things to such a gentle group of people?
If you have yet to be informed of the horrific events that happened at the hand of Columbus, you should really enlighten yourself. It will be hard to take at first. You will have to ignore everything that you previously believed to be true. Because they are not true. Everything you have been told is a lie.
The thing that leaves the bitterest taste in my mouth is that despite the generosity of the indigenous (including their willingness to save the lives and supplies of all of Columbus's men), Columbus and his men enslaved them, tortured them, raped them, and within 50 years had completely wiped out the entire population (that at one time consisted of about 3 million natives).
Three. Million. People. In fifty years.
And we have a day revering this torturous bastard. But Columbus is not the only one. Andrew Jackson did the same thing, and he is on our money. There are many examples. Why do we celebrate evil people and kill the peaceful ones? Society is twisted. Things must change if humanity is to survive. Evil will not be able to continue forever. At some point, the peaceful have to rise above and instill a change in the hearts of people.
Let today be that day. Start with yourself. And stop celebrating someone not worthy of your praise.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Lest We Forget
I remember where I was on September 11, 2001. That is the only date I can, in certainty, remember my location and the details surrounding it. I was at school. It was another ordinary, melancholy day. I walked up the stairs in the main building with my friend, and then we split off into separate classrooms. As I entered, I noticed the daily comics taped to the door that always made it easier to walk into that classroom to study a subject that I was far from interested in. This particular day it was Calvin and Hobbes, although the joke itself eludes me. I heard the television on, so secretly I hoped that day would be a movie day and not a discussion day, but as I rounded the corner and my eyes focused on the screen, all I saw was smoke and fire. With my head looking over my shoulder trying to understand what was happening, I sat down at the wrong desk. All I could think was, 'Oh my God. It's happening. World War III is about to be engaged. The apocalypse is beginning.' When class was over, I passed my friend in the hall. We exchanged glances, and I excitedly whispered, "It's beginning!" He offered a quick, and equally excited, "I know!" In retrospect, I can't understand why I was so happy for the end to come.
That was nine years ago. Today I know the truth behind what really happened that day. Most people are still in the dark. We were told that terrorists hijacked a plane and crashed it into the World Trade Center in NYC. Then a few minutes later, another hijacked plane hit the other tower. We were told that there were two other hijacked planes that day, one falling in a Pennsylvania field and the other hitting the Pentagon. They told us that it was Osama bin Laden, a known member of Al-Qaida; that it was a conspiracy against the United States; that it jeopardized our freedom, and now we must go to war to protect ourselves from terrorists.
What they did not tell us, is that it was all lies.What they did not tell us is that the architect of the Twin Towers constructed them from reinforced steel to withstand multiple planes crashing into each building at the same time and that these steel buildings fell at freefall speeds, completely decimating each floor with the steel beams being laterally and evenly sliced as is only possible by the use of explosives. What they did not tell us is that the people who managed to escape death that day heard blasts from beneath them, from the basement. What they did not tell you is that Building 7 (which was a football field away from the Twin Towers on the opposite side of the area that was hit by the plane) was said to be gone on a live news broadcast over twenty minutes before the it actually fell, and that when it did fall, it fell symmetrically with obvious explosions. They did not tell us that floors 12 and 13 of Building 7 housed records in which large Wall Street companies like Enron were at that time under investigation. They did not tell us that the invasion plans for Iraq were signed by President Bush on September 10, 2001. They did not tell us that Bush met with the chief financier of this entourage of hijackers the week before 9/11 or that on the actual day of the supposed attacks that his father, Bush, Sr., was in a meeting with Osama bin Laden's brother. They did not tell us that there was no plane actually found at the Pentagon that day.
So, basically, everything you ever thought about that day is wrong. The Muslims aren't to blame. Your government is. So redirect your hatred into a positive force, and do something about the people that run this country, not the innocent ones that are being persecuted because of it.
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