Pros and cons

An interesting discussion of the day came when I was grabbing a dish of spaghetti bolognese from the hotel. The receptionist caught my attention and said she was conflicted, weighing up an offer to go back to her old better paid tourism job at a hotel in the Serengeti. Her former employers had called her for an on-the-spot decision now that tourism is rebounding, wanting her to report in northern Tanzania in five days. She is concerned about letting down the managers of the current hotel, who trust her, and about the place she’s renting and furniture she’s bought. I hear ya sista, with the logistics of places and moves a never-ending theme of recent years.

What would I do in this situation, she asked.

I tried to convey that she can wield some influence over the timeframe and possibly the conditions in this negotiation, given that they’ve called her and want her back. She wasn’t convinced, as it’s definitely not the Tanzanian work culture to feel like you can push back or negotiate.

She said her boyfriend in Dar es Salaam ‘wouldn’t accept’ the move. I said she didn’t require his permission, which was the statement of the whole conversation that convinced her the least. The lodge doesn’t allow unmarried workers to bring their partner as unless they are married it deems it improper. Three cheers to other places that have reached a widespread understanding that a marriage certificate has never been and will never be a barrier to the human desire for intimate relations.

A group of peeps was singing and dancing today as I sat nearby. I think that’s a drone overhead, surveying the scene.