Under the post of is Madagascar a good place to retire. Well, that made me think of how we in the western world are encouraged to have several talents and areas of knowledge or the idea of being a Renaissance Man.
If you plan on living in Madagascar it is best to be able to solve your own problems.
If your car has a problem then either you fix it or send it to one place that just works on motors, or another place that works on transmissions and yet another place to work on electric. If you have all three problems then you will have to transfer your car to three different places and they can be spread out all over town and to search for that shade tree mechanic can take long time.
I was in Score market wanting bread. I was the only person at the counter. I asked the woman there for 5 loafs of bread and she said that she was the cashier and could not turn around to get my bread, that was behind her. Instead she called someone in the back who came after a couple of minutes, put my five breads in a bag and walked three steps to the cashier, where she was now sitting, to have her take about $1 from me.
People here only have specialty jobs such as carry water and only that, that is right- carrying water is a specialty job,
Drive car/chauffeur will clean car but not mechanic or do some sweeping in the area. Guardian will make security but does not want to sweep the area or pick up scraps of paper blown into the area. There are some maids that can only clean clothes not house and vice versa Also there does not appear to me any type of maintenance man that is a Jack of all Traits which makes it difficult to hire one person full time as five different jobs take five different people.
What is your experience on this?
Jack of all traits, Madagascar has none
I realize this is a bit late but, first of all, it's "jack of all trades", just FYI. Also, I have found that as an island, there is an "island" mentality here, that is to say, "I don't need anyone to tell me" attitude toward foreigners. I rode and maintained motorcycles for many years as a Peace Corps Volunteer, but I have learned to not get involved in any maintenance problems here. My suggestions are not considered from the outset.
I stand corrected and thank you, It should read as the subject heading
JACK OF ALL TRADES, Madagascar has none
We Foreigners pay more attention to detail, it is part of our education and it helps to work in several skills.
I just explained to my mechanic that the reason why the nut keeps falling away is because it needs a lock washer and then he buys a regular washer and I say that it is not the same he says it is the same, that little detail is beyond this university student turned driver/mechanic ability and I have to be careful as losing face is more important than being correct.
I might as well pour some coca cola on the bolt and nut that holds the arm aperture on the front that connects to my wheel of the car and rust it up to prevent the nut from falling off.
in short I agree with your observations..
LilBuster---I appreciate the catch on the spelling and I hope others who pass this way are now caught up
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I was happy to have my technician (electric/solar) take care of ALL my problems: He is one of those rare species you describe as lacking in Madagascar - and more: sometimes I told him "oh can you please repair this (this damned Chinese crap that serves to flush the toilet and always breaks) or that (flat tire, install a new locker in the door...) - and often he answered "I did it already".
As the streets and roads are incredibly bad - even in town in Mahajanga, especially after the rainy season - there are holes of more than 20cm in the street, there is almost no difference between in-town and out in the country... which is extremely weary for you car. If you are no mechanics yourself, you NEED a man permanently to take care of your car (my experience).
And be very careful - especially when you are new to the country - to take your car to a mechanic. I had a loose screw in the floor panel and wanted it to be fixed, They told me my brakes were totally worn out and VERY DANGEROUS! They finished unmounting my (until then) perfect original Mercedes 100 brakes and replaced them by handmade ones which they polished on a little rock....
I failed to have three accidents thereafter, because the brakes had absolutely no effect.. Be warned! Don't let your car out of view when somebody repairs it...
