Filling In for the Queen

Me Across from the
House of Parliament

Habari,

Happy birthday to me.  Happy birthday to me.  Happy birthday dear me….happy birthday to me!  As you all know, Saturday, October 29, 2011 was my 43^rd birthday.  Yes, 43.  I’m not ashamed.  I have to say, I’ve been having the time of my life.  Thanks to my dear friend Carol, 43 was one of the best birthdays that I’ve celebrated.  She was gracious enough to play hostess to me in her hometown of London, England.  Considering the fact that I’ve never been to London, I was thrilled that she was willing to let me come there to celebrate.  Now, I pride myself on being a really good hostess, but I will say Carol can give me a run for my money.

First, she has the cutest house that she has painstakingly seen through a full renovation.  It is equipped with a beautifully renovated kitchen, bath, marble-surround fireplace and the cutest garden that she maintains herself!  See, she trumps me right there because I just can’t do the garden thing.  I tried, but it just didn’t work out.  Brad from Johnson Landscaping does a fine job of keeping my garden up to par and who am I to deny him a job.  I do my part for the economy.   But Carol has a garden in the front and back of her house that she maintains with occasional help from her mom.  Considering the fact that Carol works in the high pressured banking field, I am impressed.

Carol and I became friends on a 2009 trip to Athens Greece and the Greek Isles.  We met through our mutual friend Tanya.  We hit it off immediately.  We have a lot in common and similar temperaments…okay, I’m lying Carol is MUCH nicer than I am. LOL.  But, I have the same intentionsJ.  When she heard that I was going to spend my birthday away from friends and family, she was more than willing to have me come to London to celebrate.

She went out of her way to make sure my birthday was special.  This was perfect since Queen Elizabeth couldn’t find time in her busy schedule to be in the city during my visit. SMH.  That’s fine, cause I was Queen Della for the days I was there.  Carol took a day off work the Friday I was there and played tour guide for me late into the night.  She cooked breakfast for me in the morning.  Now this is where we differ again.  I will take you to my favorite diner for breakfast when you come stay with me, but chances of me cooking are slim.  LOL.  Even her mother and brother were so kind to me while I was there, making sure I didn’t get lost on their transportation system.  I was proud of myself for getting around on the train system (at least the Piccadilly Line) while Carol wasn’t around.  

Eros Statue

Friday was a whirlwind day. It started out very leisurely with Carol making omelets for breakfast. She let me sleep in so we didn't get out of the house until almost noon. Once we did get out, we walked all over God's creation and rode the subway (oh I’m sorry, the tube) back and forth. I felt like I knew the system by the time the day was over. In the middle of the day we went to this fabulous champagne bar that overlooks the city.  It was suppose to be a quick drink, but we both ended up getting tipsy.  LOL.  London was so much more interested after that.

Carol took me to see The London Eye, Westminster Abbey, the House of Parliament, Big Ben, Shakespeare's Globe Theater, Buckingham Palace and Oxford Street all in one day. I was exhausted. On our way to dinner, Carol kept telling me about this wonderful statue of Eros in Piccadilly Circus.  I couldn’t wait to see it and be near it to see if something could rub off and bring me that beautiful, sane man I’ve been asking God for.  She had built it up so much that I was expecting a replica of The David (which if you have ever seen it in person, you know it will take your breath away). 

What I Saw

What I saw made me stop in my tracks and laugh hysterically!  Sorry Carol I had to tell the story.  The statue was this tiny little thing perched on top of this huge base.  It got lost amongst the tall building and large crowds of people.  When I told her what I was expecting, she had to laugh herself and say that maybe she built it up too much.  My expectations were way too high…could that be the problem with finding that beautiful, sane man?  Hmmm. 

Anywho, we ended the night at a Cuban restaurant in an area called Piccadilly Circus. Dinner was amazing!! After dinner we took the train and a cab back to Carol's.  I was a complete tourist, taking pictures of the cab.

On my birthday, we decided to travel outside of London to Bath Spa, England.  We took a train with a very scenic route (Carol pronounces this ‘root’) that satisfied my yearning for the October turning of leaves.  The weather was very October-esque and we didn’t have any day washed out by rain.  For two thousand years Bath has been a spa town, built around Britain’s only hot mineral springs.  It is beautiful.  I will have to return just for a trip to Bath to stay at one of the fabulous spas.  You all know how I love spas!

Bath Spa, England
I took this picture!

We returned directly to the city’s center when we left Bath.  We went to a cute little French restaurant for dinner.  The place we went to was in a wonderful piazza in Piccadilly Circus.  There was tons of shopping, musicians and performers.  It was a great atmosphere.  I definitely need more time to explore London.  We didn’t even scratch the surface.  We returned home that night, we popped a really nice bottle of champagne and finished it. LOL. 

Exhausted doesn’t begin to touch the surface of what I felt, but I had to get up the next morning to catch a 10am plane back to Nairobi.  I certainly felt like a queen for the three days I was there.  Someone had to fill in for the Queen…why not another queen ;-) 

See you next week people!

Asante Sana,

Della Rochelle

Copyright © 2011 by Della Rochelle Williams

Operating On High Alert

Habari,

I’m writing you from the comfort of my apartment in Nairobi, Kenya after a long, hard day at work.  The day was chaotic, not because of the recent terrorist activity in and around Nairobi, but because Master Pu returned to the office after several weeks away in the U.S.  Now I’m sure many of you have heard the news about the growing military activity by Kenya against Al-Shabaab in Somalia.  Al-Shabaab is a terrorist group of militants fighting to overthrow the government of Somalia.  We have been operating under high alert since Saturday, but the alerts started coming out last week. 

This all began with the kidnapping of two Spanish aid workers who were captured in Kenya and carried over the Somali border.  Now, my hat is always off to the thousands of people who travel into these conflict zones to help their fellow man, but there have alerts for a while now telling foreigners to stay away from the Kenya-Somalia border.  I know everyone has a calling, but my calling would have been delayed a bit until Al-Shabaab lost interest in snatching people up and dragging them into Somalia. 

This isn’t the first time people have been kidnapped in the same vicinity.  These people made the third kidnapping in a month’s time.  SMH.  Nairobi is pretty far from the Somali border, we’re talking hundreds of miles away and I’m not planning to travel there any time soon, so please no worries.

If I were back in the States watching this conflict unfold on CNN, I would be wondering why those crazy Americans were living and working in a war zone.  But, I must say being here, in the midst of things, this is the most inactive conflict I’ve ever been a witness to.  I have witnessed more activity when the Philadelphia Police Department executes a drug bust in North Philly. 

I can understand how ex-pats can get a false sense of security in this type of environment.  I’m not saying that nothing will happen, clearly plenty has already occurred (bombing of a night club, bombing at the bus station), but there are no sirens or alarms going off anywhere.  People are going to and from work like there’s nothing happening.  There’s more noise and activity on the floor of my apartment building with the bad ass kids who live next door.  LOL. 

I must say, the US Embassy does a great job of alerting their citizens of dangerous situations and informing them of where NOT to go, like a night club.  I’ve sent out notifications to the IBMers in Nairobi, telling them not to go to high profile locations and to put off treks to remote locations (these folks love to hike something).  SMH.  All in all, we are being careful, besides, I’m leaving for London in two days.

Yes, I’m going to London to celebrate my birthday.  My friend Carole has so graciously invited me to come spend a long weekend with her.  I cannot wait because I’ve never been to the Queen’s hometown.  I’m feeling a little run down and home sick so I’m looking forward to the change in scenery.  So, join me here next week when I’ll give you the 411 on my London adventure.  A western society may seem boring to me after being in the third world for four months. LOL.  See you soon.

Asante sana,

Della Rochelle

Copyright © 2011 by Della Rochelle Williams

Home Sick for October

Habari,

Sorry for my absence last week, but work is getting a little crazy.  Anyway, I’m back on track so here is goes.  October is my absolute favorite month of the year and that’s not just because it’s the month of my birth. I love the cool crisp weather, the turning of the leaves and the colors of the season.   I love wearing wool sweaters, cashmere scarves, light leather jackets and who can resists the cute boots that come with this time of the year.  I miss seeing the leaves change in the northeastern part of the U.S, where the vibrant colors peak during the month of October.   I love the comfort foods of the month and I could hurt somebody for a Pumpkin Spice Latte right about now.  I SO miss Starbucks.  J This is the first time in this journey where I’m feeling a little home sick.   

It doesn’t help that the Kenyan government is holding my medication hostage in customs.  I can’t even blame customs because they are behaving exactly like I expect them to behave.  I’m getting use to it and am starting to take pride in my ability to maneuver through the system.  Now Federal Express, on the other hand, is on my s#*! list.  They charged my mother $157 to ship the package in four days two weeks ago!  In hindsight, I must have been crazy to ship medication into Kenya, but I didn’t have a choice.  My insurance company won’t ship into Africa.  Really? 

Well, anyway, Fedex told me that customs needed me to get my doctor, who is in the U.S., to send a copy of the prescription.  Are you kidding me?  Well, thanks to the support of my family, who already think I’m living in hell, LOL, my doctor sent the proper documentation without delay.  Now wouldn’t you think that if your company is in the business of ensuring the safe, timely delivery of packages, that you would follow-up on the package after your client has provided the required documentation?  Maybe that’s just me being crazy by believing in customer service! 

Mind you, Fedex believes that you can just let things sit in customs without checking and it will magically get released.  Hello, this is Africa!!  I was trying very hard to be calm as I spoke to the young mindless drown on the other end of the phone, because the pills I’m waiting for are for my hypertension.  High blood pressure, stress and lack of medication is not a good combination.  SMH.  My poor mother has been worried to death every since the package left Philly.  Needless to say, I took matters into my own hands and contacted customs on my own. 

Surprisingly, I got a response in minutes.  The only contact information I had was an email address.  The woman on the other end of the email, Jacqueline, quickly informed me that the drug inspector didn’t work on weekends and he would review the package today.  Now, why couldn’t Federal Express make that one gesture to put their client’s mind at ease?  SMH.  There I go again thinking with a customer service mindset.  I think Federal Express needs to rethink their decision to do business in Africa.  They don’t do it well.  So, if you have a package to ship to Africa, send it through DHL!

Now, this was not at all what I intended to write about, but it is holding my brain hostage right now.  Hopefully the package will be released tomorrow…or else.  As far as October goes, there are no traces of it here.  The weather is pretty much the same as it was when I arrived, although the Africans think its freezing.  I admit it gets a little chilly at night, but they are wearing wool sweaters!  There’s no turning of leaves here and no Starbucks so there’s definitely no Pumpkin Spice Latte.  Next year I may have to make my trip home in October.  I didn’t realize I would miss it so much. L

I’ll see you back here next week folks.  Stay tuned.

Asante sana,

Della Rochelle

Copyright © 2011 by Della Rochelle Williams

Our Differences

Habari,

For weeks now I have been trying to figure out how to share my boardroom experiences with all of you without uncovering too much of IBM’s corporate culture.  What I’ve come to realize is that what we are experiencing here isn’t the IBM culture at all.  You see, there is a certain protocol that is used when conducting yourself in a business environment.  At least, that is what I was always taught.  Even the most nonchalant Dilbert wannabe among us, knows how to straighten up and conduct ourselves appropriately in a boardroom meeting.  This sense of heightened awareness is increased two fold when there is an executive present. 

Now, I understand that I’m in a multicultural environment and I’ve tried to take that into account as I experience this, but, I’ve encountered all of these cultures in boardrooms in the U.S and I haven’t seen anything like this.  Usually in an outsourcing deal, the relationship between the Outsourcer (IBM) and the Outsourced (the client IT department), is like a dysfunctional family where most of the children were given to an orphanage and a few were kept by the parents.  Okay you know what; Master Pu won’t let me tell that story.  Any who, the outsourcing relationship is supposed to be a partnership, but it takes time to develop. 

A few weeks ago I was summoned to a Saturday meeting where the client would be present.  Usually our weekend torture sessions are reserved for IBMers.  This time it included the client and some of our vendors.  I was expecting a more formal environment with presentations, pleasantries and order. Well, first of all, the presentations that some of my colleagues painstakingly put together were not allowed to be reviewed. 

They were instructed to just talk about the subject so there could be an open dialogue.  At that moment I was thankful I wasn’t the person presenting, because I would have been pissed and the tone for the day would have been set.  We would have had to have an open dialogue with my presentation as a slide show in the background.  I mean, these presentations take a long time to put together and to have them thrown aside and to have your Saturday taken away would just put a bitter taste in my mouth.

On the issue of pleasantries and order…HA!  I have never experienced so much chaos and disorder in the presence of Directors, Vice President and Managing Directors in my entire corporate career.   And all of the aforementioned executives were either complicit in or active participants of the chaos.  Master Pu kept watching my reaction to the mayhem.  During one of the few breaks we had, he could not contain his laughter as he came over to me to gauge my reaction.  It was like I was watching the human version of cock fight.  First of all, there is no such thing as allowing an individual to speak without interruption.  Everyone speaks over everyone and the tone in which they talk to each other is so aggressive that it’s hard to determine if you should be offended or ready to fight.  LOL.

Usually there is a gathering before the client meeting to make sure the team is on the same page and I’m sure the client does the same thing.  You would never believe there was any alliance at all as you watched the fur fly in this meeting.  Members of the same team jumped on each other and called each other a lie.  SMH.  Even Master Pu was asked if he was calling the client a lie.  I had to laugh at that one.  The level of yelling reached a pitch that would make you believe you were in an asylum.  

I couldn’t stop shaking my head in disbelief.  I was paralyzed by the display.  It was hard to understand where to jump in or if you should jump in at all.  Master Pu has said several times that he won’t be employable when he returns the States.  I can completely understand that statement now, because in order for you to adapt here and get the job done, you have to lay down all of business etiquette you’ve learned and get ready to rumble.  I’ve told Master Pu I refuse to submit to this altered reality…I need a job when I get back home!! LOL 

Ok folks, I’ve tried to give you a glimpse into the corporate culture here.  Now, I guess I should be clear, the brawlers in the boardroom here aren’t Africans.  My colleagues further east are the real culprits…you all know who you areJ.  That’s it for me this week.  Stay tuned.

Asante sana,

Della Rochelle

Copyright © 2011 by Della Rochelle Williams