Early Lessons - Part 2

Things you are never too old to learn, or relearn:

1. How to rent out your house: This was too big a task to take on by myself, so I decided to hire a property management company to help find a responsible tenant and manage my place in my absence. I interviewed 3 property management companies, and, contrary to normal contracting procedures, went with the highest bidder (because they offered the most comprehensive level of service). They found me a reliable tenant, and are available to help him with anything he might need while living in my house.

2. How to sell your car: Believe it or not, I had never sold a car before. My first car, The Green Hornet, was with me for 17 years before he was sent to pasture (sad story). In the days before I left Edmonton, I sold my second car, Louise, to my dad, and then helped him with the sale of his car.

3. How to set up a wire transfer to a foreign account: I was originally supposed to pay my rent in cash, in the local currency. However, I quickly learned that ATM machines here can be a little fickle with foreign accounts (or, at least, with my accounts). To avoid relying on their mercy for timely withdrawals of large sums of money, I arranged for direct deposit of my rent to my landlord`s UK account.

4. How to text: As described in Early Lessons - Part 1, cell phones are an essential part of daily living here (and elsewhere, too, I understand). When I bought a phone on my second day here, I chose one with a built in keyboard to accommodate my clumsy fingers.

5. How to get around without a car: This includes a) how to cross the street like a local, i.e., anywhere at a safe break in traffic, while adjusting to looking out for traffic on the opposite side of the road, and b) how to use local transport. On Friday, Mmepaseka, one of WUSC's wonderful field staff, gave me a lesson on how to use the local transport system, which consists of mini-vans (combis) and shared taxis on fixed routes, and special taxis, that take you anywhere you want to go. I now know my routes to and from work, and have the phone number of a reliable special taxi driver. In the morning, I share a special taxi with two of my housemates as far as the Princess Marina Hospital, and then walk for 15 minutes to my new office. Coming home, I catch a shared taxi from an unmarked stop at a tree behind the Methodist Church to the central bus/taxi depot. I then pass through Rail Park Mall, where I can pick up any small quantities of groceries I might need, before carrying on for another 15 minute walk home.

6. How to count change: The national currency is the pula, which is the same word for rain. Both are valuable commodities here. The pula is divided into 100 thebes (like our cents). Coins are marked by animals. To get to work this morning, I paid 1 mophane worm, 1 rhino, and 2 zebras (9 pula). To get home, I paid 2 rhinos, and got 1 oryx/gemsbok back (3.9 pula). If you are wondering, the exchange rate at this point in time is roughly 7 pula to 1 Canadian dollar. If you have a few moments to spare, you can figure out the value of a mophane worm, a rhino, a zebra, and an oryx.

7. That it's okay to have domestic help: Many Canadians, like me, might grapple with the ethics of expoiting someone to do our menial chores. However, supporting domestic help is very much a part of the local economy here. My new friend and colleague, Anouk, explained that even her housekeeper and gardener hire someone else to tend to their house. And, as referred to in Early Lessons - Part 1, having one person staying on top of the chores keeps a sense of peace and order in large, busy households, like ours.

8. That greetings are important: The simple act of acknowledging the people you pass on the street, or are about to conduct business with, goes a long way in establishing respectful relations.

9. That it is important to be kind and patient: On our third visit to the Immigration Office to arrange for my visa exemption, Mmapaseka and I waited in line at an unmanned wicket for more than two hours before the lady responsible for customer service assumed her post. Rather than berating her for keeping us waiting, like others in front of us, we expressed our sympathy with her for her heavy workload (she explained she is doing the work of several people, and is often required to tend to tasks away from the wicket). Perhaps that helped her decide to reduce the fee ? Who knows ?

10. That morning prayers are not such a bad idea, after all: Faith and prayer are integrated into many facets of the workplace here. Although I am not too comfortable with public displays of faith, I chose to join my new colleagues in morning prayer today, my first day at work. The morning prayer session allowed them (I was a silent observer) to share a little bit about what is going on in their lives, and how they can use support and understanding. If that is not team-building, then I don't know what is. Sometimes I think we veer on the side of being a little too professional, at the expense of the personal. Just a thought.