Jan29 Written by:Kayle
1/29/2010 3:54 AM
We’ve really been pleased with our current gardener, Win, as he works quite hard and takes initiative to do work in the garden without me having to tell him what to do! We pay him $100/month for his work plus we house him on our property and pay for all his utilities. This salary isn’t bad for a gardener (as we try to keep up with the going rate), but would not be sufficient for someone trying to live a middle class lifestyle. Anyway, I’m always shocked to see how the average African manages their money! For awhile, Win’s wife and son were staying here with us and during that time, he seemed to spend his money on his family. But once the wife and son went back to their rural home, I noticed one day that Win had a new watch. Then awhile later, I noticed a new cell phone. Then when we paid him his December salary plus a Christmas bonus, the first thing he did was to go out and buy a TV (which we had to show him how to operate it). Then just a few days ago, I noticed music playing by him as he was working in the garden—I’m not sure if he has purchased an mp3 player or walkman or plays music from his cell phone, but he has some sort of music being played as he works. On the one hand, we’re glad he’s working hard and making a salary that enables him to buy what he wants. On the other hand, his shoes and clothes have holes in them and I’m wondering how much money he is actually sending home to his wife and son.
Anyway, I’ve realized that Zimbabwe’s recent economic past doesn’t help—since inflation was crazy, you could not save money but had to spend it in order that your money wouldn’t lose its value. This created a “spend now” mentality and not a “save for later” mentality. Plus, culturally, Africans tend to live for today and not for tomorrow, so saving is not something that people tend to do anyway. If there is a crisis, you ask your family members to pitch in some money to pay for whatever is needed. All in all, there are lots of cards “stacked” against him and I’m sure he’s not thinking that his son will be starting school in 2 years. Government schools cost $900/year to attend! However, like the average African, he won’t begin to think about this until a few days before his son starts school.
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