Mark And Linda's Story

After moving to Haiti, Mark and Linda both trying to work full-time jobs, Mark as a hospital administrator, and Linda as high-school English teacher became overwhelmed with domestic tasks. Linda and Mark urged by their colleagues and the overwhelming amount of housekeeping tasks hired a maid, despite their reservations. The maid would be responsible for daily trips to the market, soaking fruits and vegetables, boiling water, killing and cleaning the chicken. As well as various other tasks around the household. Such as garbage burning, instated protection, mopping, laundry, and dusting. Mark and Linda overcame their fear of having a maid because they would be providing an underprivileged Haitian with housing, food, and a source of religion.
In the beginning of her job Nadine worked hard and followed instruction well. Even with some language gap, due to her broken English and Mark’s and Linda’s limited Creole they could communicate well. Nadine provided many benefits to her bosses, one being her ability to bargain for better market prices. Overtime Mark, Linda, and Nadine soon became friends. Through this friendship Nadine became more confident and stopped spending time with her friends and began associating with Haitians that were better off.
A little ways down the road Mark and Linda began to see

problems arise. Nadine became lazier in her task. Because of their friendship Mark and Linda brushed it aside. Around this time Nadine and her husband, who moved in shortly after she was hired, were expecting a baby. After the birth of the baby, which Linda got to help deliver, Nadine’s young niece moved in to help with the housework until Nadine got back on her feet. Linda and Mark had no problems with it because they were able to help these local Haitians and the family had started attending a local Haitian Church.
Around this time again Linda noticed that the house was not getting cleaned as well as it should. Linda gently remained Nadine to do her chores more often. Mark talked to Nadine who simply smiled and guaranteed it would get done. Mark and Linda began to see less and less of Nadine, who was having her family members complete her chores. Mark fed up with Nadine's lack of work effort confronted her. Nadine simply said that she was no longer confined to lower Haitian work because of their friendship. Mark realizing the mistake he and Linda had made was becoming friends with Nadine. It had raised her social class and made her less inclined to do her work.
Linda and Mark threatened to fire Nadine but it had no effect on her.

They could not fire her because she would have nowhere to work because of the lack of job availability. Linda and Mark did not have the heart to put Nadine on the street with nothing to support her growing family of four. When Linda and Mark asked their Haitian friends for help they told them to beat her and put her in her place. With a baby on the way Linda and Mark were becoming hard pressed to make a decision. They were also struggling with the guilt of creating this dilemma in the first place. Finally after must discussion and prayer, they decided what to do. They called Nadine into the

house…
In Haiti there are many obstacles that must be hopped in order for Mark and Linda to deal with this situation in a way that would be socially acceptable. One of these obstacles being the division of labor there is a large degree of informal specialization in both rural and urban areas. At the highest level are craftsmen known as bosses, including carpenters, masons, electricians, welders, mechanics, and tree sawyers. Specialists make most craft items, and there are others who castrate animals and climb coconut trees. Within each trade there are subdivisions of specialists. Mark and Linda by befriending Nadine allowed her to climb up in the divisions of labor.
Another obstacle is the social status and classes. There has always been a wide economic gulf between the masses and small, wealthy elite and more recently, a growing middle class. Social status is well-marked at all levels of society by the degree of French words and phrases used in speech, Western dress patterns, and the straightening of hair. Some of the Symbols of Social Stratification are that the wealthiest people tend to be lighter-skinned or white. Some scholars see this apparent color dichotomy as evidence of racist social division, but it also can be explained by historical circumstances and the immigration and intermarrying of the light-skinned elite with white merchants from other countries. Many presidents have been dark-skinned, and dark-skinned individuals have prevailed in the military. Mark and Linda also allowed Nadine to believe she had somehow gained power and became their equal and even though she could still do a share of the work she would never again be subjected to lower class work again.
Proposal 1: Mark and Linda forced by Nadine lack of work effort and that they have a baby on the way kick Nadine to the street. This would not really upset any of the cultural rules in Haiti simply because they are firing her because of her lack of work ethic. Although they would have to deal with the guilt of making Nadine homeless and leaving on her own to support her family. They could try to keep their relationship with Nadine but they may lose it despite their best effort.
Proposal 2: Mark and Linda allow Nadine to keep working for them on the condition that she would begin to do her chores more regularly. Mark and Linda would also have to stop being Nadine’s friend and create more of a professional relationship. There is a chance that Nadine is not afraid of their threat and they are forced again to kick her to the street.
In conclusion Mark and Linda are put in a very tough position because of the friendship they have formed with Nadine. Because of their friendship they are having a hard time firing Nadine even though she is failing to do her job. By creating a friendship with Nadine they have upped her social class and her feeling of self-pride. In the end Mark and Linda either have to fire her and live with the guilt of putting her on the street or keep her around at a great expense.