Translated material
RENT JAMAICA ON THE BEACH
PLOTS
How can two programmers from Jamaica make money in Russia? It turns out that the greatest profit for young professionals can bring their exotic appearance. Why sit in an office if you're black? Sasha and John for the third season...
How can two programmers from Jamaica make money in Russia?
It turns out that the greatest profit for young professionals can come from trading their
exotic appearance. Why sit in an office if you're black?
Sasha and John have been working on the city beach for the third season
the village of Loo, in Greater Sochi. From ten in the morning until six in the evening they roam the beach and
taking pictures with vacationers. Clients are lured by obscure
chants:
— Oooo-ooo-ooo-ooo! Bamboo! Oooo-woo-woo-woo!!!
The cries of the Jamaicans have long been an integral part of the beach - such
same as the soundtrack of resort snacks: “Churchkhela! Hot Whites!
Khachapuri with cheese! Hearing the hooting of black "models", vacationers
they are wary - so as not to miss the queue. Dealing with them is not so easy.
attraction is extremely popular.
- Well, in ten minutes they already took off with three, - shows
Sasha on the newly happy tourists.
Russian holidaymakers are greedy for exotics. Children surround the "bamboo",
they pull at the ends of their rope skirts, strive to tear off their fancy headdresses,
and parents have no choice but to fork out.
- One shot - 50 rubles, - Sasha and John report.
True, clients are rarely limited to one photo. Withdrew
in one position, and Sasha and John immediately offer another, even more spectacular one.
The guys from Jamaica have a gigantic arsenal of gestures:
“At first we just stand side by side. People take pictures, pay
50 rubles, and then we offer to take it in your hands! And they still pay...
For the most generous tourists, a genre scene is in store for
titled "Abduction". True, the reception only works with children.
Do you see the bamboo stick? Now we are holding hands and feet
we'll tie it to it, take a stick on our shoulders and carry it to fry on a fire! - scare
admiring boys and girls.
On average, vacationers, having contacted Sasha and John once,
take three or four photographs. Unlike Rafik, who is on the same beach
invites tourists to pose with the crocodile Gena, blacks do not own cameras
have. Vacationers use personal cameras, while, of course, they are afraid
that the precious frame failed, and they make duplicates. For every button press,
pay, otherwise ... But no one wants to find out what the Jamaicans are like in anger.
— And what about us? If someone defiantly does not want to pay -
let's force. We know everyone here on the beach, we’ll call the Armenian guys right there, no
there will be no problems.
Sasha and John, despite the color of their skin, are at home in the village. Partly
probably thanks to a phenomenal memory - the guys do not forget a single client.
Even with those with whom they took pictures a week ago, today is a must
say hello. They called me an Englishwoman and proclaimed me for the whole day every day.
Loo:
Hello, Englishwoman!
The fact is that the native language of Sasha (actually Alex) and John
- English. And they speak Russian, though fluently, but with a strong accent,
therefore, it is easier for those who know foreign speech to communicate with “models”.
Three years ago, when the guys were twenty years old, they,
college classmates from Kingston decided to get an education in Russia.
We chose Kuban State University, Faculty of Physics and Technology:
- Here a bachelor's degree is given, but the cost of studying is much less,
than everywhere. And the weather is better than anywhere else in Russia,” John laughs.
It was also important for the children that the Russian School of Informatics
appreciated in the world.
We don't really plan to move permanently to another
country. In two years we will return to Jamaica and we will be specialists there with a good
foreign education.
In the meantime, in order to become good specialists in their homeland, Sasha and
John has to survive in inhospitable Russia. First you had to learn
language (the benefit of the Kuban State University accepts foreigners without
knowledge of the language), get used to living in a hostel, where foreign students are accommodated
three per room.
We cannot call ourselves rich. Three years in Jamaica
only managed to go once.
Jamaicans can get to their homeland with only three air transfers.
First from Krasnodar to Moscow, from Moscow to Frankfurt or London, but only
then you can take a plane to Kingston. The round trip costs over three
thousand dollars. And this is even more than the cost of studying at the university.
– A year at the Kuban University at our faculty costs
fifty one thousand rubles. And you have to pay for the hostel, but this is already
a little eight. And little things - books, a library ...
The first year, both Sasha and John lived on the money they brought with them.
And closer to the summer, the hostel neighbors suggested to the guys a way to earn money.
There are a lot of blacks studying at the university. All from different countries
but for your tourists it doesn't matter.
Sasha and John sewed "national" clothes from improvised
materials. “Skirts” were collected from the world by thread - they found suitable ones in stores
fabrics, attached ropes to them. Necklaces purchased in ordinary tents,
selling jewelry. Headdresses were made from fabric and cardboard. from afar
the outfit looks quite exotic.
- Costume? Real, Madagascar, they are cunning with vacationers
Sasha and John
In the evening after a working day, the guys hang out near the stall with
CDs. Seller Misha turns on r'n'b, Sasha and John, not at all embarrassed
passers-by, dance on the sidewalk, drink beer and cocktails, communicate with
acquaintances.
- Misha helped us get settled here. When we arrived here
we got to know him, he explained with whom you need to do business.
"Doing business" in Loo means actually friendship with the "roof". How
we understood from the vague explanations of the "models" that the police have no influence on business in
the village does not provide, several local residents are in charge of everything. Every month for
“doing business” takes a thousand dollars. Many, but no way out.
“If you don’t make friends with anyone, the police will come. We have a year ago
there were such problems - they started pestering, asking for a work permit, taxes
some... Then there may be fights.
To avoid problems, Sasha and John "unfasten the roof", and for
it not only have the right to work on the beach, but also can count on
help.
“Anything can happen. At a disco, for example, someone might
try to make a scandal, a fight. You got a lot of those that blacks don't
love.
Guys always remember this. Therefore, communicating with vacationers on
beach, consciously behave like savages, like people of a different sort.
- If you try something seriously, humanly say
girl - there will be problems. We treat everything with laughter, and no one is on us
pays no attention.
In addition to the "roof" you have to spend money on housing. True, for
"their" prices in the village are not at all the same as for tourists. For a private room
a house with two beds and a closet, Sasha and John pay six thousand a month
rubles for two.
- In general, the hostess takes two hundred rubles per person a day, but we
made a discount because we are guaranteed to live with her all summer and because
we were recommended by our friends.
Sasha and John live in Loo from late June to early September. A
then they go back to Krasnodar. Both Jamaicans are paid for by their families, but
Parents are not able to send money for life.
— We also work in Krasnodar. In different places. Sasha
worked as a waiter,” says John. - And I also carried announcements around
in the evenings, and worked a little as a bartender ...
But "winter" work brings children much less than summer
holidays on the Black Sea.
- What we earn over the summer, we then spend the whole year.
Therefore, even if we are tired, we still go to the beach - our life depends on it.
life.
Income per person (rubles per month)Photos -—60
000Expenses per person (rubles per month) "Roof" - 14 000Housing -
3000Food - 6000Entertainment, alcohol, cigarettes - 5000Suits,
shoes – 500 sunburn cream – 500
Total income: 60,000
Total expenses: 29,000
Net profit: 31,000 rubles per month