Hotel Chambermaid

I love the word “chambermaid” because it sounds dignified. As my mother and grandmother used to say, everyone has a place and role in life. Chambermaid is the place and role of the woman I met yesterday as I went back into my hotel room to fetch my laptop. (Even at a conference, my work continues, especially when I’m teaching an online class). As I was about to go into my room the chambermaid and I literally bumped into each other as she was about to service my room. She was an interesting woman to look at because her face pigmentation was strange—it was as if half of her face had a light pigmentation and part of her face had dark pigmentation—almost like a mask that extended over her forehead. We began talking (her accent was very heavy and she really had limited command of English), as she told me that she was “a Coptic lady” (she showed me the cross tattoo on the inside of her wrist), and said she again that she was a Coptic Christian from Egypt. In her broken English she began to talk and talk… about how bad things were for Christians in Egypt now, and about how “the Muslims hate everybody and everything.” Her statements and feelings were very strong about this. Then she asked me if I was Christian—Baptist? (This is the South) Katholiek? When I replied, she smiled a big smile and said something I really couldn’t understand, but whatever-- it must have been pleasing to her because she thought I was wonderful. She acted like I made her day… and I just thought about how hard life must be for her.