African city /life style of the building

This is just my own life style as an expat spouse in Brzzaville. I am sitting in front of my computer on the 4th floor of the liaison office bldg. in downtown Brazzaville. Feeling greatful for my new life style that the universe has given me for the next 3 years. This four stories building came equipped with basement consisted of huge commercial size fully equipped kitchen with two huge fridges , oversize freezer in a separate store room an office for the chef with computer. Plus a huge laundry room with washer and dryer. The first and second floor are formal office with reception area and big conference room that I will have a chance to see it in use for the frist time this month. There is a suite on 2nd floor office call Malonga suite by the locals. Named after the officer who alsways passed by Brazzaville and use this suite which consisted of sitting room, bed room and a full bath.The third floor ,which I call 4th floor, is where I live. There are two big bedrooms ,two huge full baths and a toilette room down the corridor for guest. This floor has a salon rouge , the louise 14 chairs set salon that most local managers like to bring their guests to see. To show off how wealthy this company is to have a louise salon in the pent house. No matter who the guests are ,the local manager has to receive them in this salon. And there is another small salon plus a formal dinning room that I use for my office. The dinning table is big enough for me to spread all my work and put my laptop. I also do my light body meditation at this tabel and put all my sacred objects in here. I feel safer here the most. This building has two security guards by the gate and at the front door. A full time cook and full time gardener as well as a full time cleaning person. There are two officers a female secretary who take care of everything and the travel assistant whose main job is to go pick up guests at the VIP room in the air port.The travel assistant has a 4 wheel drive car for his job which, off course, he also use for sending his children to school as well as picking up guests. The rest of the stuffs mainly just sit there all day with nothing to do. They are all stand by for guests to show up and tell them what to do. But guests only show up once or twice a month and they mostly are too much in a hurry to take care of their paid employees' free time to direct them what to do. So these poor guys are left on their own to invent something to do to past time. They need to provide their time to this buildging. For example eversince I came here the gardener clean our cars at least 3 times a day. He seem to be so happy to have something to do. He has a secateur that has been dull and broken long time ago. I make a note to give him a new one when my shipment arrive. But again we will be somewhere else. The cook is so profesional and has been trained for 3 years with a professional catering company. Each day he just open the two empty fridges and put filtered water in them plus pour water in ice tray to make ice. There are two sets of knifes and dishwasher and three full set of china and silverware for all of them to use and break. There has never been any soiree or anything that require full fledge kitchen. If this guy were in Poitne Noire, he could have easily become cook for one of the director and do all the soiree for him as well as cook for his family. But like anything else in Africa. The people want a guidance and direction. This guy know everything in the kitchen . When I arrive with all my stuff ,he even memorised all the dates on my frozen packages and remind me each day which meat package is going to be out dated and I need to use them. He is a gourmet cook but without much tool and ingredients. The first thing I ned to buy for him was a whisker to make cocktail sauce and off course after that he need butter, eggs, milk, salt and the list goes on. Because there is hardly anything in his huge air conditioned kitchen,his domaine. Every one like to go into the kitchen now the we are here. They like to take a look at what we put into the fridge and what they can take home. Most thing they like are dried stuff like salt , sugar, chocolate powder, detergent powder, storage plastic bags and all the empty jars.

The cleaning guy for example even take the seed of avocado to plant behind the building but the plant is off course not for the building when it big enough he put it in plastic bag to take away to plant at his house. He also take care of all the cleaning product and use the washer and dryer that he put on permanantly at 80 degree. He wash everything in the machine carpet, rag, rugs, with clothing and towels. All of them at 80 degree and hardly any soap because most detergent after perchased will disappear the next day. Luckily I have the expereince before so I lock my detergent and only use the machine on week end when they are all gone. I am hardly here for a month but the guy change soaps 2 times. I hardly use any soap he put in each bathroom. Even they are all new. He said the soap need change every month even if it is not used. And I don't know where they are all gone to. As far as I know this buiding has been so good to me and also to them. It give me shelter and at least there is one room on one floor that I started to feel at home and can work peacefully. I would like to do something for the building but am I allowed to do it. To plant some nice fruit tree in the back and in the front. My husband tell me not to do anything. This is not our place and we never know what people will talk. I can only pray to all the devas around this building please protect it from further abuse and harm. But actually there are this 5 locals guardians who run the building in their way and on their terms anyway.