The plight of the tennis coaches

Wherever there's an expat community, there's a micro economy surrounding it. It varies from country to country. In some places, like Indonesia a household requires at least 5 staff. Cook, maid, driver, gardener, and cleaner. In west africa, two is pretty normal, driver and maid (stewardess) with the occasional family also having a cook.

Besides household staff there are others living off the obruni (white man). These people include artists, wood carvers, massagers, and tennis coaches. At the main compound, there are four full time tennis coaches. They do actual coaching as well as providing someone to play against and can source ball boys for that ultimate in luxury. The expat wives are ferocious players and the courts are booked solid every morning.

Someone decided that the courts at the main compound needed resurfacing. And that it would be better to close them all down for the 4-6 weeks while this was going on. This threw all the coaches out of work. These guys are not exactly rolling in dough. They get paid about $10 for an hour, a couple bucks more for ball boys. With no courts, these guys are really hurting. At our place, the court is still open so my wife had her lesson as usual on Sunday. The coach was happy for the work but was bemoaning his fate saying he was reduced to begging from family and friends to pay his rent until the courts were finished.

One of our more heartless neighbors said the coaches should "get another job". That's just it isn't it. There aren't any jobs. Very few people have what we would consider a regular job, like where you go everyday and get paid regularly and can depend on it. So many people are like these coaches, they found a niche and developed a livelihood and are clinging to it. I wonder if the resurfaced courts will be worth the pain the process has caused?