Farewell to Kenya: the last seven weeks

Habari,

Well folks, the time finally came for me to say goodbye to Kenya.  I spent the last 7 weeks of my stay exploring the country in more detail and spending my days as a ‘Lady of Leisure.’  I spent the bulk of my two years in Kenya living as a Kenyan.  I avoided the tourist traps and concentrated on my day-to-day living.  In the last seven weeks, I have tried to make up for lost time.

When asked recently what I will miss most about Kenya, the people, is an answer that flows effortlessly.  It is because the Kenyan people have touched me in a way that I didn’t know was possible.  They are a very warm people who don’t let the stresses of everyday life get to them.  I saw it in the people who worked for me and those I interacted with on a daily basis.  The genuine concern for my wellbeing and a willingness to help me with any problem I encountered was a trademark of most Kenyans I met during my stay.  Kangai, Ciiku and Brian (a.k.a, Kinoti) top the list of Kenyans who captured my heart.  Karen, Nelly (Kenyan native), Kimloan, and Sandra top list of Americans who shared the Kenyan experience with me.  Master Pu, as you all know, made this whole experience possible and I am eternally grateful.

I spent quite a bit of time in an establishment called Java House, which is Kenya’s version of Starbucks.  My coffee addiction is never far away from me at any given time.  The coffee doesn’t have the same jolt as its American counterpart, but the people are very addictive.  Millicent, Jacqueline, Joan and the other women who made me feel at home every time I entered the coffee house are perfect examples of the generosity of Kenyan people.  The Java House team was always concerned that my drinks were delivered as ordered and if the food didn’t meet my expectations, (this happened from time to time when an American dish didn’t meet my expectation) the manager quickly appeared to remedy the situation.  Everyone in the US knows that customer service has gone down the tubes there.  It is nice to know it hasn’t died everywhere.

 

The Kenyan people are full of tradition, but urban sprawl and economic growth has impacted many of their traditions.  I recently visited the Nairobi National Museum, which expanded my view of Kenyan history and its people.  There is one exhibit in particular that I really enjoyed called, “Cycles of Life.”  This wonderful display takes you through the stages of life for a Kenyan.  It begins with birth, goes through adolescence, then early adulthood, the life of elders and then the ancestors.  Each section of the exhibit talks about what the person goes through at that stage, what they wear and what are the expectations of them from society.  Of course the item that stood out was circumcision for adolescents.  I have included a picture of the crude instruments used for this ritual for your review.  The exhibit discusses the fact the female circumcision is no longer permitted in Kenya, but the boy’s ritual is still fair game. 

The highlight of the last seven weeks was definitely the safari in the Maasai Mara.  Everyone should go on an African safari in his or her lifetime..  This was TRULY amazing. Nothing in Disney World or any other captive safari can compete.  I got much closer to wild animals than I ever have in my life.  White Rhinos, leopards, lions, buffalos and elephants were all among the highlights of the adventure.  My only regret is that I waited so long to take the trip.  

The first sight when we entered the park was a huge buffalo.  Our safari guide decided that we needed to get a closer look.  He pulled right up to the buffalo, stopped and turned off the engine.  Once I started breathing again, I informed him that I didn’t need this close of a look.  I found out that I would be saying this throughout the day.  You see, the guides believe you get a better experience the closer you get to the animals.  LOL.  He just didn’t know, I enjoy the National Geographic experience on television just fine! 

The remainder of my seven week farewell was jammed packed with new experiences, trips, celebrations and most importantly spending time with those I care about most.  I have to shout out to my Nigerian contingent, who made a point to have a farewell of their own.  Although I only visited Nigeria twice during my two years on the continent, the Nigerians I met and worked with made a tremendous impression on me.  I’ve been told more than once over the past two years that my roots reside in Nigeria.  I proudly accept that.  My assignment in Kenya has been one of the greatest life experiences I have had to-date.  To Master Pu, once again, thank you for a tremendous journey.  To my new Kenyan and Nigerian families, I love you and will see you soon.  Asante sana.

This is the end of On Assignment In Nairobi (OAIN), but I’m sure there will be more adventures to come.  Thanks for taking this journey with me.  Take care and God bless.

Asante Sana,

Della Rochelle

Copyright © 2013 by Della Rochelle Williams

The Beginning of the End

Habari,

Folks, the count down has begun.  As I stated before, I will be returning to the United States on Friday, July 19^th.  Wow, that’s just one month from today.  I can’t believe it all has come to an end so quickly.  My role with IBM has officially ended, but my role as a temporary Lady of Leisure has just begun.  Although I have stopped working, I’ve decided to keep my July 19th departure date so I can explore Kenya and other parts of east Africa.  In the two years that I’ve been here, I haven’t completed as much of the touristy things as I would’ve liked.

I was reluctant to tell my family that I was taking some time to just explore.  They are hard working people who I’m sure would say, “you need to get your behind home and start working.” That would be the logical thing to do, but it wouldn’t take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity.  I have the means and the opportunity and I think it would be wrong to deny myself.  Some of you may be thinking, why July 19^th.  Well, that was the original time for me to go home for summer break and the ticket was purchased as the second part of a round trip ticket.  It was an omen. 

On June 5^th, Master Pu and his talented wife threw me a lovely party at a great restaurant called Seven, to kick things off.  I got the chance to invite only those individuals I wanted, which made it all the more fun.  I didn’t have to be political and it felt great. There were personalized menus printed, ¾ of which consisted of alcoholic beverages.   I at least thought to wonder whether or not I should be offended, but I wasn’t because it let me know they knew me well. LOL.  The night went late considering the fact that the next day was a workday.  They bought me some lovely gifts, one of which was a spear. J I was hoping I would leave here with a weapon.  It’s good they gave it to me AFTER I stopped working, because there could have easily been bloodshed. LOL. 

As I spend my days leisurely, I can completely understand how people can get caught up in this life.  I've been trying to shake the feeling that I need to find me an old rich man with a bad heart condition...LOL. Okay, that was bad.  You all know I'm just joking, right?  I'm sure I will get bored very soon and I won't be able to wait to start working again...I'm sure of it. ;-) I know my friends are getting sick of me texting and calling them after I've spent a day sightseeing, shopping or taking an afternoon nap. I thought adapting to this lifestyle would have been harder for me, but I surprised myself.  But, I'm sure I will tire of the leisurely lifestyle soon.

Tonight I went out to dinner with the male Nigerian contingent of our account team.  They were unable to attend the send-off, so they took me out to Fogo Gaucho.  We had such a good time.  I love these people.  It’s going to be so hard to say goodbye.  This weekend, a group of us are going to Mombassa to hangout and celebrate Kangai’s 30^th birthday.  All of this leisurely living and celebration is just going to make saying goodbye harder.  A good friend of mine, Lara is coming at the end of the month with her 10-year-old daughter Allison.  We are going to spend a week trying to take in all of the sites of Kenya.  Allison will give both Lara and I an opportunity to see all of the sites that are made for kids, but are really cool.  I can’t wait.

All of this free time has given me a chance to go see sites that I didn’t have time for previously.  I’ve experienced some interesting places like the Nairobi National Museum and the Bomas of Kenya so far.  This will give me a lot of material for the blog until my departure.  I will begin with the next blog.  Until then kwa heri (means goodbye in Swahili).

Asante Sana,

Della Rochelle

Copyright © 2013 by Della Rochelle Williams

The Unexpected

Habari, 

Mama and Me

Well folks, here I am again apologizing for a break in blogs.  But, once again I have a good reason.  On the morning of May 15^th, my brother rang my phone at 6:38am.  When I first heard his voice, I knew something was wrong, but I assumed it was with one of our elderly relatives.  As he was explaining to me what was wrong, I had no idea who he was talking about.  I was half sleep and he kept referring to the person as ‘She.’

It wasn’t until he said, ‘they put her into a medically induced coma,’ that I realized he may be talking about our mother.  I bolted up in the bed and said, “Are you talking about Mom?” He confirmed that he was definitely talking about our mother.  It wasn’t until then that I captured the details of what happened.  Apparently my mom had an allergic reaction to something that caused her lip to swell, then her throat and lungs.  The doctors were forced to put her into a coma to slow things down and gain control of the situation.

After I had a minor meltdown, my brother told me he would call me and let me know if I needed to come home.  LOL.  I’m sorry; but didn’t he just tell me that my mother was in a coma?  I got up out of the bed and started looking for the first flight leaving Nairobi.  I found a KLM flight that was leaving that night.  I still had to wait an entire day before leaving.  I sent a message to my team and my manager letting them know that I wouldn’t be in that day.  I packed my bag and informed my driver Brian that I wouldn’t be going to work, but needed to get to the airport that evening.

My mind was an absolute mess the entire day while I waited.  I got numerous emails and text messages from my team and other colleagues with prayers and well wishes. I couldn’t talk to anyone because every time I said, ‘coma,’ I would breakdown.  The idea of my mother being intubated and placed in a coma, brought images to my mind that I wasn’t ready to deal with.  All I kept saying was, ‘I’m not ready.’ Three members of my team (Kangai, Ciiku and Mutiu) came to my apartment to see me off.  Kangai and Ciiku accompanied me to the airport along with Brian.  I was thankful for the prayers, hugs and warm wishes.  I left Nairobi scared to death about what I would find when I got home.

May 15^th and May 16^th were the longest days of my life to date.  You see, it took me 25 hours to get home.  The plane flew from Nairobi to Amsterdam then to Atlanta and then home to Philadelphia.  The layover in Amsterdam was a short hour and a half, but the Atlanta layover was three hours, which seemed more painful since I was already on American soil.  While in Amsterdam, I was temporarily held in security because my trip hadn’t reached the system yet.  When the security officer asked me when I had purchased my ticket, I hesitated because I had to think about it.  I had already travelled over night and was a little disoriented.  When I saw that his line of questioning was going to become more intense, I blurted out that my mother was in a coma and I was trying to get home.  It was the first time I had said the word ‘coma’ since I left Nairobi and my eyes immediately teared up.  The poor man was taken aback and quickly took me over to the customer service desk and cleared me to board the plane.  I didn’t feel any embarrassment about the incident at all.  I just got myself together and got on the plane.

When I arrived at my seat, I saw that God was going to continue to test me, because I was in the second seat of a 4-seat row, between a very large man and a basketball player.  WTH.   The basketball player and I got real cozy since I was trying to escape the large man and he needed to stretch his legs by sharing my legroom.  Sorry girls, although he was very cute, there was no love connection.  He reminded me of my nephew Greg (plus he couldn’t have been more than 22) and I found myself talking to him like I was his mother. SMH.  The 9 hour trip from Amsterdam to Atlanta was very entertaining, to say the least. 

By the time I had reached Atlanta, I had been traveling for 20 hours and I was exhausted.  I did receive good news from my brother once I landed.  The doctors were taking my mother out of the coma.  They were able to stop the swelling, but she was still not breathing on her own.  By the time my layover in Atlanta was over, she was off the ventilator and breathing on her own.  My brother’s message made things sound so good.  I boarded the plane for the last leg of my trip in good spirits.

By the time I got to the hospital, everyone in ICU was expecting my arrival.  I was completely exhausted, but anxious to lay eyes on my mom.  When I walked into her room, I was a little shocked by what I saw.  The woman in front of me didn’t look exactly like my mother.  The lower portion of her face was swollen and she was clearly still under the influence of the drugs.  I looked at my brother and said, “This doesn’t look better to me!”

She was completely out of it and wasn’t quite sure it was me.   My brother assured me that she was much worse.  He then proceeded to show me pictures!!  WTH.  Men…I will never understand them.  My other brothers and uncle found time to take pictures of my mother during this whole ordeal.  I will not horrify you by including them in the blog but believe me, they took several. SMH.

After getting something to eat with my brother while the doctors examined my mother, we came back to spend time with her.  The one good thing about ICU is that you can stay with the patients all hours of the day and night except for the hour that the doctors do examinations.  I sat with my mom after my brother left.  She was in and out of consciousness and I found out later she didn’t remember any of the time we spent or the day after. LOL. 

Over the next couple of days, my mom regained her strength and I was able to take her home that Sunday.  It turns out that a medication that my mother had been taking for years, Accupril (also known as Quinapril) caused this near fatal reaction.  The drug is used to treat hypertension and heart failure.  Although the doctors told us about the possible side effects of this drug, no one mentioned that the reaction could happen after 10 days or 10 years of using it.  AND, Accupril, which is an ACE inhibitor, has a higher incident of angioedema in black people.  That should be plastered on every piece of paper concerning this drug.  I was thoroughly disgusted after hearing this, but these are the risk the drug companies are willing to take.  SMH.  It’s a shame.  The message is that we have to be very vigilant when it comes to the medications of our parents and ourselves.  I felt I had a good grasp of my mother’s medications, but I didn’t know this.  Well, you live and you learn. 

I returned to Nairobi on the 22^nd of May.  It was a world wind week and it took my body awhile to adjust.  Many of you know I had been looking for an opportunity to extend my time in Kenya for another year.  After this incident, I decided not to look for anything after my current assignment ends.  So, I will be returning to the States permanently on July 19^th.  The celebration of my departure has already begun.  I will write about that next time. 

Asante Sana,

Della Rochelle

Copyright © 2013 by Della Rochelle Williams

Mother's Day Around the World

Habari,

Yesterday, Mother’s Day was celebrated in the United States and in many countries around the world.  One thing I have discovered is that people in the United States take this holiday very seriously.  This is particularly true in the African American household.  I asked my driver this week, “What are you getting your mother for Mother’s Day?” He looked at me and said, “When is it.” I looked at him like he had two heads.  I quickly explained to him that he wouldn’t last very long in an African American household.

You can forget a lot of things, but Mother’s Day is not one of them.  Many mothers have raised their children on their own for one reason or another and you better believe they expect their children and everyone else, for that matter, to acknowledge their efforts.

I made the near fatal mistake of not acknowledging Mother’s Day for my mother once when I was a teenager.  The matter was made worse when throughout the day all of my friends who came to visit quickly acknowledged her by saying, “Happy Mother’s Day Ms. Rose.” I called myself being angry with her for some reason I no longer remember.  The resulting lecture I received from my mother and every other female relative I had at the time guaranteed that I would never forget this important day again.

Here in Kenya the day went on peacefully enough, but there wasn’t the same fanfare you see in the States.  There wasn’t a rush on the card or flower store that you see in the States and you could easily get into the restaurants, which is impossible States-side.  I know we tend to overdue everything in the States (that is more clear to me now than ever), but I couldn’t help but feel that more emphasis should have been placed on Mother’s Day here in Kenya.  The sacrifices are no less great here and in many instances, much greater than in the States. 

My Mom

My admiration runs deep for mothers because of my own mom, Rosalie Godfrey.  Her herculean efforts are what made my brothers and I what we are today.  I am eternally grateful to her and in awe of her achievement of raising five god-fearing, good citizens of the world, on her own…not to mentioned the dozens of children who passed through our home over the 29 years she served as a Pennsylvania state certified daycare provider.

Mom, every day that I breathe, I realize more and more what you’ve really accomplished.  I thank you for the role you’ve played in my existence.  I love you and have the utmost respect for you.  Happy Mother’s Day Mom!  To all the other mothers in my life, I hope you enjoyed you day yesterday.  My hat is off to all of you.  You really do keep the world turning.

I will see you all here next week.

Asante Sana,

Della Rochelle

Copyright © 2013 by Della Rochelle Williams