da Sage

Well, I HOPE that is in exchange for free/discounted lessons. One of the studios here needed a custodian, and they offered barter of one class a week in exchange for 1 cleaning session. I would have totally gone for the arrangement, except I didn't know if my academic night classes would conflict with their custodial needs next session.

I had criticisms of both families (as I'm sure they would have of mine), and Jehan definitely had the more decadent/indulgent lifestyle. It's a wonder that her daughter isn't spoiled like other kids I've seen on that show, but she seems *very* well-tempered, and very smart.

I thought it was odd that the farm wife gave up her pigs after the show. I wonder if she decided it was OK to depend on her husband's income, instead of bringing in her own?

Aisha Azar

It seemed to me like Jehan thought she was way too creative for such mundane chores, but the fact is that everyone in whole world has their own ways of expressing their creativity and she is not more special than the person cleaning her house, or the pig farmer's wife, etc. I thought both families were WAY off kilter, too, and that they both needed some balance between the practical and the magical, but then if anyone saw my family, they would think We were out of balance too. I am not sure there is really such a thing as a truly "functional" family!
There was no mention made of how the house cleaning student was compensated, but I did not like the "I am busy being a creative person and have no time for such menial things" attitude. If someone were not doing those menial things for her every day, she would soon find that they are just as important as writing a song or dancing. I am hoping that the show set it all up to make her look far more narcissistic than she really is. Creative people can make any process a creative one, whether it is coming up with a great idea while doing the dishes, or sitting down writing a song or making a costume or juggling or whatever,. Creativity is not something stops when we are doing the laundry because creativity is one aspect of who we are.
I was one of the original people who were tested in California when tests for creativity quotients first came out in the 1960s. I got the highest score for my grade in my high school district. I still do the dishes.
Regards,
A'isha

da Sage

Actually, the country wife was herself the pig farmer...not the husband, as far as I can tell. My take is that it's her home business, that (theoretically) allowed her to spend more time with her kids.

I think Jehan had the right idea when she was singing to the pigs. That is the perfect way to combine creativity and mundane chores. And I get the idea that Jehan would be too "busy" and "important" for "ordinary" household chores whether she were a chef, a stockbroker, or a politician. The attitude is about who she is inside, not what she happens to be doing for a living.

It's interesting, I'm pretty sure both the wives get whatever they decide to go after. They just had different ideas about how to live their lives.

Aisha Azar

I think they each could have been doing anything and that the show was basically about bringing balance to two families who were basically out of balance, but I could be wrong. It could also have been about the sensationalist elements that would bring people back to watch such a show week after week. The whole thing just seemed so.... exaggerated or something. I had never watched the show before and most likely will not watch it again. All of those "reality" type shows never seem quite real to me...

da Sage

I've seen the show before, and yes, it's about a)sensationalist elements, and b) bringing balance. I'm saying that both the wives are strong women, who are used to having things done the way they choose. That isn't always the case on that show.