Never smile at the local girls. Ever.
Just curious, why you are so adamant regarding this statement.
It was back in 2008 I think, but might have been 2007. We were in Zim hunting buffalo and had been stopped at yet another of their pointless road-blocks. There were any number of uniformed, and safety vest wearing people there, though whether their actual function was police, military or just holding up a uniform was never clear to me. Anyway, I'm waiting our turn to go through and looking around like a partly bored, partly interested but trying to look casual tourist would. As it happened I somehow locked gazes with a bright eyed uniformed black girl and returned a friendly smile with one of my own. I wasn't expecting her to consider that all the invitation she needed to try to jump in the truck with me, much to the howls of mirth of the trackers and skinners. Now I had to try and look casual in another direction while the PH talked us out of the situation, perhaps explaining that I didn't want to be sole or part owner of a local girl with limited options. Times were tough, and perhaps jumping in with the first remotely friendly white foreigner seemed one of the better of her limited options. When driving away the PH offered his understated opinion that it was probably best if I never smiled at a local girl again. Ever.
