Chapter 431: Residence
Kurland and his group first reported to City Hall. After registering, each agricultural expert was assigned a property in Soga City.
Though he had just received a free home, Kurland asked somewhat hesitantly, "We really don't have to pay for this house? What about its quality?"
"You can rest assured," they were told. "Housing assignments are routine in East Africa. As top-level talent recruited by the government, you will enjoy better treatment than ordinary immigrants and even most officials."
Seeing is believing, so Blanco soon took them to visit their new homes.
"Each house is 140 square meters, with three bedrooms, a living room, two bathrooms, and a kitchen. There's also a small garden. Soga is a garden city. You'll notice that besides the private gardens, we also have landscaped green belts along the roads. That's something unique to East African cities."
Kurland, however, had his own focus. He asked, "Don't you think you're being a bit extravagant with land use? The pedestrian paths are fine, but the road we came on seemed excessive. I've lived in Landshut and visited Munich, Berlin, Vienna, and Paris—and honestly, the streets here are wider than most of those. Dar es Salaam I can understand because of the population, but in Soga, it feels like a waste. There are hardly any people."
Blanco shrugged. "Wider roads aren't such a big deal. As for utilization—Soga will grow. More people will move in over time. Cities evolve. Even in Europe, roads are gradually being widened, albeit slowly."
"Still," Kurland added, "you seem to be going overboard with urbanization."
As they spoke, Kurland noticed something else—the city lights were electric. That surprised him too.
"I'm starting to doubt whether East Africa is even an African country. You've installed electric lights in the streets! That's something even most European capitals haven't done yet."
"Electricity is still rare here," Blanco explained. "Only the capital and Soga have full coverage. Mombasa and Dar es Salaam have limited electrification. In the interior, only industrial hubs like Nairobi and Mbeya have power. Most other towns only provide electricity to government buildings."
Blanco opened the door and helped Kurland bring his luggage inside.
It was clear that the house was well-built, with no signs of corner-cutting. Earlier they'd only seen the outside—now the interior quality impressed as well.
"All the furniture is solid wood. Given your personal preferences, we've only provided the basics: a desk, two chairs, and a bed. If you want more, you're welcome to visit the furniture shop and choose what you like."
"Each room has an electric light with a pull-cord switch. But I must warn you—electricity can be dangerous. Don't tamper with the wiring or touch outlets with wet hands or metal objects. If anything goes wrong, contact the power company for service."
This kind of safety advice was necessary. Electricity was still new to most people in this era, especially outside major cities.
"There's a mezzanine level in the living room, ideal for a desk and bookshelf. It's right by the balcony, so you'll have great natural light."
"This is the bathroom, fully equipped with a sink, running water, flush toilet, and bathtub. Water is available 24/7."
"As for the kitchen, it's pretty bare—you can renovate it however you want. There's also a public cafeteria nearby if you prefer not to cook. The bad news is, you have to pay. The good news? It's cheap, and the cooks are excellent. Currently, there's just one cafeteria serving 700 people, located in the northwest corner of this neighborhood."
"There are three bedrooms in total. You could bring your family from Europe to live here—this house might feel a bit empty for just one person."
Kurland was very satisfied with the living conditions, but a concern crossed his mind—what about staying connected to Europe?
"Is there a telegraph office in Soga?"
"Of course," Blanco replied. "Professor Kurland, the telegraph office, along with shops and the cafeteria, are all located in the northwest of the community. From there, you can send telegrams directly to Europe."
"That's excellent. I think I'll bring my family and some colleagues over once I've settled in."
That would be good news for East Africa. As the saying goes: birds of a feather flock together. As a respected biologist, Kurland's social circle would likely include other high-caliber experts.
Still, he wanted to take some time to observe things before making such a move. Most importantly, he hadn't yet evaluated his future working environment.
Blanco quickly reassured him.
"This is the East African Rice Research Institute. It's located on the outskirts of town, since its operations require open fields and natural conditions. But it's less than two kilometers from your home. Later, the government will provide everyone with transportation and a guide to local traffic rules."
What sort of transport? Bicycles.
Bicycles were not rare in this era, but Hechingen Household Products Company didn't produce them on a large scale. Their model was treated as a luxury good. One reason was that East African rubber hadn't yet reached mass production. European bikes used rubber imported from Brazil, which was limited and expensive. Southeast Asia hadn't yet begun rubber cultivation—historically, that wouldn't begin until 1876.
Currently, East Africa was the only nation growing rubber commercially.
The bicycles made by Hechingen were a bit unusual—their tires were solid rubber, not inflatable. These wheels absorbed some shock but didn't perform well off-road. That made the bike a novelty enjoyed mostly by the wealthy or nobility.
While inflatable rubber tires existed (Hechingen even held a patent), Ernst didn't want to mass-produce them just yet—mainly because he didn't want Brazil to profit from it. Brazil monopolized the rubber market and controlled raw material prices.
But that was about to change. East Africa's rubber fields in the Great Lakes region were ready for production. In addition, several smaller plantations in Turkana Province and the rainy zone where the coastal plains met the highlands were also being prepared.
The larger rainforests west of the Mitumba Mountains were planted later and would take a few more years to mature. But once the Great Lakes plantations came online, East Africa would be able to meet global rubber demand.
Hechingen wasn't mass-producing bikes in Europe either. They released them slowly, treating the product as a fashion item for the elite, constantly redesigning its appearance and luxury appeal.
Once East African rubber was ready, the company planned to build a cluster of rubber-based manufacturing plants—bike tires among them.
"Besides," Blanco added, "the research center isn't too far. You could easily walk there. And public carriages are also available."
"There's also a library downtown. It doesn't have a large collection yet, since it was just built—but we're adding more titles every week."
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Canserbero10