We hired a gardener a couple of weeks ago. His name is Ahmad and he is Pakistani. Ahmad comes by every other day to tend our little plot of land in front of our house. He waters, cuts, grooms, fertilizes, and carefully tends our little lawn. He is also responsible for sweeping and washing the walkway and washing John's car every few days. The car gets extremely dusty from the sand. John drives to work outside the city into the desert every day.
Ahmad rides his bicycle over and quietly goes to work. Shirly is basicly in charge of him and seems to love bossing him around. It is very funny to see the hierarchy at play here. He calls her on his cell phone when he arrives and she comes out to loudly tell him is chores for the day. She speaks a dialect called Udoo that is a regional dialect that is understood in India and the Persian countries as well as the Arab countries. Ahmad is very humble and goes about his work diligently. He doesn't like Graziella. She makes him nervous. People in this region do not like dogs---they think them unclean and do not want to touch a dog or be touched by one.
Ahmad works as a gardener at various locations in the area just like he does at our house. We also give him plates of food on the side that he can take home with him. He runs errands to buy potting soil and water sprinklers, etc. He tells me how much I owe him by holding up his hands and showing me the number on his fingers. His purchases rarely are more than 10 fingers. He doesn't speak English but seems to understand me a little bit. He knows to hold up his hands when I ask "how much?"
Never thought I would have a Pakistani gardener!
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