African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 178: Chapter 167 Fisher’s Work

After Leiden gave a lesson on using chopsticks to these European immigrants without cutlery, he went off to handle other work. Whether they learned it or not, wasn’t Leiden’s concern.

Some people had already grasped the essentials and started to play with it, while many others scratched their heads, unable to use chopsticks properly.

When mealtime arrived, as expected, there were all kinds of blunders; the little chopsticks in their hands became all sorts of strange tools. Some even gave up and simply held the chopsticks in their palms, scooping rice into their mouths.

Those who learned used chopsticks to pick up food with a sense of style, savoring the art of it.

Some people had learned the concept, but their hands hadn’t learned it; they held the chopsticks correctly, but couldn’t pick up food or easily dropped it.

Unlike the European immigrants forced to use chopsticks in the canteen, the Fisher family now cooked their own meals in the house assigned to them.

During the first few days in East Africa, the Fisher family also experienced the local canteen, but they were quite well-equipped, having lived in a big city, they had seen cutlery like knives, forks, and spoons, and they also had them at home.

Before leaving Stuttgart, Fisher sold his small house along with the furniture, which didn’t fetch much since the house was small and worn out, and the furniture was old and rough, not worth much value, but even a little is something.

Fisher then put this money into the Heixinggen Development Bank, as the immigration staff advised him; there was also a branch in East Africa.

Besides the house and furniture, Fisher found hardly anything else of value, leaving only pots, bowls, forks, spoons, and some tools for construction use.

These few things were easily handled with a bundle. Thus, carrying all his belongings, Fisher led his family across the sea to live in East Africa.

In East Africa, the Fisher family was assigned a house in Dar es Salaam, which was originally a residence of the Zanzibar Sultanate.

The original owner had returned to Zanzibar Island with His Majesty the Sultan, and the property fell into the hands of the East African colony.

The house had brick and tile construction, the conditions were good, spacious enough to fully meet the current needs of Fisher’s family of four.

Just this house alone made Fisher feel that coming to East Africa was worth it; the assigned house was far better than the small one back in Stuttgart, not only in size but also looking relatively new.

As for other benefits like free education in East Africa, Fisher thought they were somewhat worthwhile, as he himself hadn’t attended school, and most of the people he interacted with were illiterate. In these times, the general public didn’t realize that knowledge could change fate, especially in a place like Germany where aristocrats abound.

Wages, however, were somewhat a miscalculation for Fisher; there were too few places to spend money in East Africa, and Fisher didn’t smoke or drink, so he couldn’t spend much. He had no choice but to continue saving in the bank.

As an important commercial hub along the Indian Ocean coast, the Dar es Salaam port also had a branch of the Heixinggen Development Bank.

Apart from handling the payroll for colonial officials, it mainly served merchants and sailors from various countries passing by.

No need to mention merchants, the Heixinggen Development Bank could gain a lot of benefits from sailors, who often had some sidelines, getting many good items overseas.

Taking advantage of Dar es Salaam’s location, it offered them a chance to unload goods, sparing them from having to take them to Europe, saving procedures and time.

...

”Attention everyone, the cement must be mixed thoroughly, don’t rush to add water, add it bit by bit, and keep mixing after each addition so the water fully integrates.

This won’t work! Add more sand, otherwise, it won’t stick.” Fisher was directing work everywhere at the construction site near the wharf in Dar es Salaam. The original Zanzibar structures had been demolished, and East Africa planned to build a hotel and beer house here to service the docked ships.

The staff from the original port went to Zanzibar Island after the Sultanate retreated to Zanzibar Island, seeking new paths.

These included providers of lodging, meals, gambling, and drinks for merchant ships.

However, initially, the East African colony lacked related experience to take over here, missing out on many profitable opportunities.

This time, while redeveloping Dar es Salaam city, the East African colony planned to reinvigorate these commercial activities.

East Africa was focusing on a European style this time, aiming to make European sailors feel at home, combining European architecture with unique tropical scenery, creating something distinct.

Opposite the Arabian-style buildings and culture along the Indian Ocean coast, letting those Arabian merchant ships experience the charm of European architecture.

At least, both consumer groups could attract some people to come and spend, especially before the Suez Canal opened, Dar es Salaam port’s geographical location was fairly good, and business in the coming year should be good.

European architecture was generally unified, famous for Baroque and Gothic styles. Of course, there was also Romanesque architecture, Classical architecture...these styles were borrowed from each other or were simply inheriting and developing related connections.

Stuttgart is in Central Europe, so Fisher could interact with both Baroque and Gothic architectural styles.

Fisher wasn’t deeply knowledgeable about these. It was all done according to ancestral experience and client’s requests.

Dealing with various clients over the years, especially those merchants with strict architectural demands, Fisher learned much, blending ancestral craftsmanship with the current architectural trends in Germany.

”The foundation isn’t deep enough, it needs to go down another thirty centimeters at least; this will be for a three-story building. If the foundation isn’t stable, it’ll be a big problem later.” Fisher said, holding a ruler while talking to the workers.

It’s a construction site for a hotel, and there can’t be any sloppiness. Hence, Fisher personally checked each process, immediately correcting any deficiencies until they were satisfactory.

Many East African workers were part-time farmers turned workers, clueless about construction.

Even though Fisher himself was originally a simple construction worker, compared to these so-called East African construction workers, he was quite competent, as Fisher not only saw pigs running but also ate pork.

Among the East African workers temporarily switched from farming, the best might have only experienced building houses in the countryside.

As a city, Dar es Salaam couldn’t use those small rural houses, especially since it mainly provided accommodations for those traveling by sea here. At least it needed to look more professional.