Cykabare

---

Not sure if I’ve told you that we have a houseboy at the office - he does all our cooking and washing and cleaning and general help. Its very weird having someone doing all your chores for you - but many people out here do and he gets paid pretty well for it. He is very keen cleaning the floors several times a week by hand, cooking good wholesome meals and keeping this place neat and tidy. It's as if he’s been trained to please which makes me feel rather awkward sometimes. For example today I was lying in the sun on the grass since we had nothing to do and he went and found and brought me a towel to lie on . He speaks little English but we manage to communicate in some form or the other and I made damn sure he knew I didn’t like porridge!! I made sure I learnt that in kinyrwanda pretty quick!
He gets used to do all sorts of things like cooking chipatis for the local shop, fetching water for assistant headmaster (who lives here too)’s shower, go buy phone credit, the works. (Although it seems perfectly acceptable to stop on the roadside and get some kid to go buy you phone credit while you sit in your car and wait for him to come back.)
He’s a mean games player and more often than not beats us, whether it be at uno, pairs, pick up sticks… haven’t tried scrabble with him…that is definitely one he wouldn’t win unless we played in Kinyrwanda!

---

Comments

[Katy]

Yeah, I can't imagine that would be awkward...I'm not sure how I would respond. Heh, funny that you were able to let him in on your dislike of porridge. : )