Chapter 568: A Livable City
Technical schools are meant to train skilled workers, and an electrician technical school is meant to train electricians. The purpose of Mbeya's electrician technical school is to train qualified electricians for East Africa.
In this era, electricians are extremely rare. As a newly emerging industry, electricity was scarcely available anywhere in the world. Most European cities were still using oil lamps and gas lights—so there were hardly any electricians.
Mbeya hired over thirty veteran electricians from Europe to serve as teachers. Given that the electric power industry had only existed for a few years, these experienced electricians were incredibly valuable.
"Gentlemen, the school won't open for another two or three months. For now, the campus is still largely empty, and we lack staff and equipment. I recommend you don't stay in the dormitories yet. The city government has arranged housing for you in town. Please feel free to settle in and prepare your lessons. Come back to report in September," said Director Rodman of the Education Bureau.
"Director Rodman, I'm Adrilos, a former employee of Hechingen Electric Company. I was wondering—are the dormitories habitable now? I'd prefer to stay there."
"Hm? Mr. Adrilos, why would you want to stay in the dormitory? Right now it's not ready for use—not because of missing facilities, but because aside from the caretaker, no one else is there. If you're not brave, staying alone might be a little scary."
Adrilos shivered at the thought—too much emptiness could indeed be unsettling.
He quickly explained, "I just don't want to commute. The apartment you assigned me is quite far from the school. Staying in the dormitory would save a lot of time."
Rodman understood. "Ah, I see. No problem, Mr. Adrilos. As a teacher, you can apply for faculty housing on campus when the school opens. Until then, make yourself comfortable in your new city apartment. By the way, if I may ask—did you not bring your family to East Africa?"
"You guessed right. I didn't bring my family. Things aren't settled yet, so I didn't want to bring them until I'm more stable. That's also one reason I preferred the dormitory."
Rodman didn't ask further. He already suspected that Adrilos, being older and formerly employed at Hechingen Electric, was probably well-off and had already established a family in Europe. If he had brought them to East Africa, surely he wouldn't be asking about dormitories.
"Adrilos, I'm jealous. I wish I could stay in the dormitory too!" said a colleague.
"Mr. Kaffei, did you also come to East Africa alone?"
"Not quite. I brought my wife. Though, I'll be honest—she only came because she was afraid I'd misbehave in East Africa. She insisted on joining me to keep an eye on me. That alone should tell you what my marriage is like."
Rodman and the others chuckled, and Rodman reassured him, "That just means your wife cares about you. People outside East Africa don't really understand the situation here—it's not as chaotic as they think."
"Haha, thanks for the comfort, Director Rodman. But you don't know my wife. She's too controlling. I regret being so naïve and letting myself get trapped."
No one replied. Personal matters were private, and they had just met. No one could judge his marriage from a single comment.
"Well, sir, don't let it get you down. Today is your first time in Mbeya, so we've arranged a dinner for you at the city's only hotel, starting at 7 p.m. You may bring your families. Just ask anyone about the hotel—it's next to city hall."
"Wait, there's only one hotel in all of Mbeya? What about travelers passing through? Can they be accommodated?"
"You may not know this, but most East Africans on business trips stay in courier inns. They used to be under the postal ministry, but now they're independent—essentially small lodges for temporary stays."
Rodman's explanation left many puzzled. But that was normal—they were new to East Africa. They had disembarked in Dar es Salaam, which looked much like a European city, flashy and modern. But inland Mbeya was a different world.
"Mbeya only has one hotel and few entertainment venues. But we do have plenty of taverns and restaurants."
"What about casinos and brothels?"
"None—at least not legally."
"What? Is everyone in East Africa a saint?"
"Heh, I said officially. I don't know about unofficial ones. They're hard to find and very risky."
"Sounds boring."
"Not really. We may not have gambling or drugs, but we have plenty of other entertainment—like football matches, horse fairs, and vacations at Lake Malawi."
"Football?"
"East Africa takes sports seriously—especially football. In fact, Mbeya has a stadium that holds over 20,000 people, and the city's population is only 160,000. That should tell you how popular football is. There are more than a dozen fields and over twenty professional teams here. Countless amateur teams too."
"What's a horse fair?"
"It's a major festival every December that lasts two weeks—featuring horse races, polo, and lots of shopping."
"Lake Malawi—is that the big lake on the East African map?"
"Yes. It's the largest freshwater lake in East Africa—larger than anything in Europe. Mbeya lies on its northern shore. Locals love vacationing there—camping, fishing, enjoying the famous fish soup, barbecue, boating, swimming. The scenery is so vast it feels like the sea. That's why so many Mbeya residents love it."
"Sounds amazing."
"It is. Once you've lived in Mbeya for a while, you'll fall in love with it. 'Spring-like all year, scenery like a painting'—that's the best way to describe this city. Most cities in the world can't compare. And what Mbeya is most proud of is its low crime rate. East Africa prioritizes public safety, and its residents are highly civilized."
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