Keeping up with the Joneses - Africa Style1

Well you know what they say about keeping up with the neighbours? That has never really been my concern. I normally just mind my own business, live in simple accommodation and spend my money on other things...

Here in Kampala I live in pretty okay accommodation. A one room flat at the back of some apartments. My landlady is really 'savvy'. She designed an apartment building with four apartments and four 'servants' quarters, based on her experience living in London while her husband was studying. She used to work in people's homes and became accustomed to the standard of living that Europeans were accustomed to. So on her return to Uganda she built these four apartments and furnished them well. She charges a whopping US$1000 per. As none of her tenants have the servants that she expected them to have, she then upgraded the servants' quarters and rents them out to single people like me. Currently only two are rented, one to me and on eto my Finnish colleague.

These 'servants quarters' are fully furnished with everything - even towels. The laundry room services the entire block, so imagine we even have a washing machine, as well as other niceties like microwave, hotwater kettle, toaster etc. etc. And we have nighttime armed security, as well as (my Trini friends might not understand this luxery) paved roads!

So I decided why not - seems like an OK place, and I have a housing allowance. I asked her how much and she told me "Two hundred". I took the place, but around the time to pay my rent, I couldn't decide if it was "Two hundred dollars" or "Two hundred thousand shillings" - about US$116. My work colleagues all told me - "Nah, we know your landlady - so she means 200 dollars. So I went and searched to find all the dollars that I had and went and paid her the rent.

You should have seen her eyes gleam when I gave her the money! She was so excited her eyes nearly fell out of her head :-) And she asked me 'How much money is that?' So I told her $200, then she said 'No - in shillings'. Then I realised my mistake. But I had already given her the money, which she willingly took and sent me off on my way.

I cursed myself - how could I be so stupid! She had said 'thousand' not 'dollars' on the phone. What to do now? I wrestled with the possibilities for about a week! Eventually I had resigned and said "oh well, I'll look for a new place next month and leave it at that", then in the middle of the night I got a brain storm.
Next morning I sent her a text message as follows "I know you're busy, but could you send the gardener with my receipt? Please note that I've paid part of the next month's rent as a deposit. Thank you, Lesley-Ann".

Great brainstorm. I got my receipt "toute suite", slipped under the door next morning, ,in dollars with the conversion rate and the balance due next month.
:-)