random memes }

Tanzanian Tech Support

Philip Greenspun’s Weblog » Tanzanian Tech Support When checking into the fairly upscale Hotel Seacliff here in Dar es Salaam, I asked the reception clerk if there was an adaptor in the room for a U.S. power plug. He seemed confused, so I pulled out a cell phone charger to illustrate. He had been chatting with a woman on the other side of the counter and said “She will go up with you to show you how to make it work.”

Once up in the room, this woman displayed a charming childlike ignorance of all things 90-250V. Her technical skills were not required in any case because the outlet next to the writing desk accepts European or American plugs directly. What was her ordinary job function? “I work here in the hotel for companionship and massage.”