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Foreign servants in Malé seem to adjust very easily to life in the capital, and one of the most striking aspects is how female servants seek out romantic relationships with the opposite sex.

'We have brought three servants into this house,' a Maldivian told this reporter during a phonecall, 'but had to send them home because of their personal relationships.'

'Women are the main culprits in this, and they are often trying to hide it. We only find out later as they become slack in their work,' says Haleema Mohamed. She has had bitter experiences with domestic servants from India and Sri Lanka.

These romances seem to begin mainly at the public water taps and Sultan Park during their days off.

'I brought a woman from Sri Lanka to do baby sitting and she was very good for the first six months because she never went out,' says another woman. 'But later she left the house more often.

'She claimed to have a relative working at Maldives Ports Authority, and asked me if it was ok if he came visiting to the house.

'I agreed, but before long my sisters and brothers complained to me that they were being too intimate on the terrace.

'When we checked we found out that the man was in fact an Indian, and they were having a relationship.

'So I sent her away. But now she has come back to Malé again!'

Sultan Park is where foreign workers often meet other foreigners and start romantic relationships. These days, Maldivians don't visit this park, foreigners rule it now. If we Maldivians happen to visit the place it can be embarrassing.

Maybe people in some households don't worry about such matters, but it is becoming a common site at house gates to see foreigners laughing and making romantic gestures.

Even though they are foreigners they do have the right to express their love for one another, and that right should not be removed.

But the problem is that when they are working they lie about these things.

'They are here under contract, but they can be slack at work and do things behind our backs. Otherwise there is no problem,' said a Maldivian named Naseer.

Courting foreigners in Malé behave so snobbishly! They walk to the park with their umbrellas raised and pose for photos! Honestly, they are something else!

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