My name is not Mzungu; Part II, Kampala

Johannes

After readjusting his expectations of Africa, Johannes settled in to enjoy his vacation. From the airport we took our stuff to a serviced apartment in Mbuya near Kampala. There was a big beautiful gate and a security detail to open and close. The property was well maintained with a big compound.

There was a young girl who volunteered to be the house maid; to cook, clean the house, wash and iron clothes for 6 people. The asking price was 30 Euro per month, but we offered 50!

A dinner had been prepared for us at my elder brother’s residence in Bugolobi also near Kampala, so after offloading the baggage, we set off for Bugolobi. At my brother’s house was another gate with security detail also. We were allowed in and we were directed to the living room.

As is the custom in Uganda, the ladies and young men knelt to greet us. Johan was embarrassed and asked if he too should kneel to greet them. I explained to him that it was a custom, but he was not happy with it. I was introducing to him the people as they came to greet, and they were really many, he wondered if some were not greeting a second and third time and if he would remember all of them!

The apartment house; the maid is the foreground

When I introduced to him the maid, chef and gardener, he commented that in Africa we still lived like royalty! I believe mentally he was calculating the cost of the servants given that in Europe they earn minimum of 10 Euro per hour!

Johannes urged us to treat the servants well because they too were human beings. At first he claimed he would be uncomfortable with them, but on second thoughts, he said they would have come in handy when he travelled. He gave an example of how he had to take his cat to an animal hotel and pay for its stay until he got back. He thought that if he had a maid or servant, the cat would have comfortably stayed at his house.

I asked Johannes, why he didn’t marry instead of keeping a cat for a companion. He replied that it was a good idea, but he was afraid a human companion would not be friendly to his cat. Anyhow, if he was to marry and his wife fails to get on well with the cat, he was sorry, but it would be the wife to go!! This amused all of us that we burst out laughing. He assured us that we may laugh, but that was the truth, nothing would stand between him and his cat.

To be continued