Chocolate brown is a great color for skin.
No matter how much it is exposed to the elements, it manages to retain its youthful appearance.
And secondly, it fits into the landscape here.
Sometimes when I see a white person, I think, What are you doing here? (Especially if he/she is associated with Christendom.) Then, I ask myself, What am I doing here?
Of course, I know why I'm here, but sometimes it does feel a bit strange. In my congregation, a Dominican couple and their year-old son and I are the only non-Africans (ethnically speaking). The Dominican brother works for Tigo, a Latin-American telecommunication company that has expanded into Rwanda.
But when you are around the brothers and sisters, these factors don't matter. That is what is so great about being here.
However, one challenge I had in the beginning (which has since been met) is, where does a non-African person (umuzungu) get a haircut? Just like in Lilongwe, there are very few places in Kigali where someone knows how to cut straight hair. Naturally, you get surcharged for the privilege. Whereas the African brothers pay about 500Rwf for their haircuts, since they are fairly simple operations, I have to pay 3500Rwf, seven times as much. The barber I found is a Pakistani guy who has a steady stream of mostly Indian customers. He did a good job on me the first time and I intend to go back again, not that I have any choice. Also, the barbershop is right off the bus when you get to town, so the location is very convenient. (I haven't decided whether to ask the Chinese where they get their haircuts, because likely it is some Chinese barber. Sorry, that brings back memories that are less than pleasant.)
Hey, they should give me a discount for giving them free advertising! By the way, the word "saloon" is not a drinking establishment, but a haircutting business. Just for your edification and enlightenment.
Why can't saloon be both? Haircut and a beer, 3500RWF? :-)
ReplyDeleteSo does this mean your flu is already better? Take care of yourself, man!
That's one thing I wish was different - we are often charged more for things. Still, $5.00 isn't bad for a haircut.
ReplyDeletethat reminds me of what we'd say in china, especially if we saw other white foreigners in our neighborhood because there were only 4 of us.
ReplyDelete