Homesick

Habari,

Folks, believe it or not, this week was even tougher than the last.  Not because I’ve been devoured by more bugs, but because for first the time, I really miss home.  My adjustment back to Kenya has been slow and work has been on my last nerve.  This week we had our first knock down drag out fight with our client.  The honeymoon is definitely over. 

Now, I’ve spoken in the past about the brawls that break out in our normal meetings.  Master Pu has referred to the activity as, “going to a fight and a meeting breaks out,” but I’ve learned that these are just love taps like those shared between siblings.  Although we all care for our siblings, very few of us have resisted the urge to knock the shit out them from time to time. 

That has been the relationship we’ve shared with our client, but this weekend was way different.  First of all, we were all working on another damn Saturday.  Now, I’m not afraid of hard work and long hours, but if you ask me to come in on Saturday, it can’t be just to kick my behind.  I was upset that my Saturday would be impacted by this impromptu meeting, but you will all be very proud of the fact that I didn’t lose my cool.  Oomph, I wonder if Master Pu can say the same. J You see, I just sat there with my lips pursed because I wholeheartedly believed the onslaught was unfounded (turns out I was right). 

I thought my entire weekend was ruined, because I also had to prepare for yet another audit starting on Monday.  It turned out pretty nice though.  One of the executives on the account who is Vietnamese American invited me and two members of my team to hang out with her for a girl’s day out.  First we went to a restaurant in a nice hotel called Ole Sereni that sits on the edge of a Kenyan National Park.  The name of the hotel is taken from the Maasai name for the area meaning 'place of tranquility'.

Ole Sereni Hotel Restaurant

We sat out on the terrace where you can actually see some animals, nothing too hair-raising.  The entire time we were there, there were a couple of impalas grazing in the field.  I took a picture, but it didn’t come out very well.  I remember thinking to myself; this is why I came here.  I’ve also seen ostriches and giraffes in the park.  The park and hotel are actually across the street from our office.  I could feel my mood lifting as soon as I took a sip of my drink.  LOL.   Just kidding. 

We went out to a shopping mall called Junction that I hadn’t been to before.  This was a nice little mall, nothing like the Sandton Sun in Johannesburg, but cute.  Once we walked and shopped until we were tired, she is a girl after my own heart...she tried on four pairs of shoes and bought 3.  LOL.  We were tired and decided to head to her home for dinner.  She had offered to cook for us.  Now, I didn’t mention it, but when we first got in the car, I realized where our differences lie. 

You see, when we went to put our bags in the back of the car, we realized that she had a large bag of chicken feed in the trunk.  Yes, I said chicken feed.  Turns out, she has chickens in her yard.  At first I thought, who the hell goes on international assignment and buys chickens to put in their backyard?  I’ve seen a chicken killed when I was little and I wasn’t hungry enough to have her wring one’s neck for our dinner. 

What I found out was kind of cool.  She keeps the chickens so she can have fresh eggs.  What happened to going to the store and buying a dozen?  SMH.  Who knew?  We ended up having a very relaxing girl’s day out.  You all know how therapeutic that can be.  The discussions we had helped me remember why I’m here.  The change in mood has helped me tremendously, because the week is going well so far.  Well folks, that’s going to do it for me this week.  I will see you here next week.

Asante sana,

Della Rochelle

Copyright © 2012 by Della Rochelle Williams

Fresh Meat

Habari,

Folks, this has been a tough week.  I must have been gone from Nairobi too long because the bugs here thought I was fresh meat when I returned.  The first day back to the office, I decided to work late and the mosquitoes had a feast.  The worst part about it was that I didn’t feel the bites.  The next morning I woke up feeling lethargic and sore.  When I looked in the mirror, I had bites all around my neck and across the right side of the face.   I mean, I was just talking about a few lumps, I looked liked a battered woman. 

When I made it to the office, my staff was stunned by the number of bites and concerned about how they were swelling.  I was going out of my mind with the itching and scratching, but I had to stay in the office because we had auditors onsite.  I was scheduled to be interviewed by the auditors that morning and I couldn’t disappoint them.  You all know how auditors can be. 

The funny thing was that our CFO was scheduled to be interviewed with me. Michael is known for coming to the office very early or staying late at night.  So, needless to say, he was also the victim of the mosquitoes. 

When we went into the room to meet with the auditors, their faces said it all.  We looked like a drug addicted couple who had just had a fight.  LOL.  With his arms all tracked up and my neck and face swollen the auditors couldn’t help but wonder what the hell happened.  One auditor even asked the CFO, “What happened to you?” He explained the infestation we suffer through in the office and her eyes bugged out a little bit. 

I had gotten to the point where I wasn’t obsessed about taking my malaria pills, but at that point I checked my supply and documented the last pill I took.  The itching and scratching was driving me crazy and I wanted to go back to my apartment and slather myself with anti-itch cream.   Having clothes on at that point was offending me.  Finally, I left the office and returned to my apartment.

Within a few days the itching subsided and my neck and face returned to normal.  Next thing I knew, five tiny bites showed up on my right hand in a trail.  In no time at all, the bites started to swell.  By the next day, my hand was the size of a small loaf of bread.  Everyone agreed that I should go to the emergency room.  Now, this was the one thing I swore I would not do while I was in Kenya.  I had heard all kinds of horror stories about the hospitals and I really didn’t want to go unless I was bleeding profusely or completely unconscious.  I know that sounds crazy, but this is the point I had reached.

However, my arm was continuing to swell and it freaked me out.  The itching fits I went into were making everyone else in the office itch.  Needless to say Master Pu told me to get out of his daily meeting and go to the hospital.  Now, with my preconceived notions about what Kenyan hospitals were like, there was no way I was going to the emergency room alone.  I asked my trusted employee Kangai to accompany me to Aga Khan Hospital.

I had heard good things about Aga Khan, but I still didn’t want to go there.  I don’t know if I thought I was going to go into a refugee camp of something, but I was scared to death.  Once we reached the hospital, I was pleasantly surprised by the normalcy of the waiting room and it wasn’t crowded!  The second concern I had was whether my insurance would be taken. 

I heard stories about having to pay cash before doctors would even touch you.  I couldn’t imagine how much money I would need.  Now, I was also thinking with an American view.  When I got to the admin desk, I discovered that my insurance wouldn’t kick in unless I was admitted (scary thought).  Then he told me the fee would be the equivalent of $15.  I was relieved because I had that amount in my purse. 

After I paid the fee, we were told to go wait outside of the exam room.  It wasn’t long before the nurse called my name and I went into the exam room.  I was pleased to find that the exam room looked a lot like exam rooms in the States.  My pressure was taken using the same machines we use in the States.  I wasn’t surprised when the nurse told me my pressure was up.  I had worked myself up thinking about what I would find in a Kenyan hospital. 

The only strange occurrence happened when the nurse went to take my temperature.  She looked at me strange when I went to open my mouth.  Why wouldn’t I open my mouth, isn’t that where you put thermometers?  Well, not here.  She put the thermometer under my armpit.  Had couldn’t help but laugh at myself.  LOL

The rest of my hospital visit was a non-event.  The doctor told me I had an allergic reaction to the venom of the bug that bit me.  Now, I never saw the bug and I still don’t know what it was.  I had my landlord replace everything in my apartment and fumigate the place.  I wear strong bug repellant to the office and I carry bug spray to work.  It doesn’t matter how I smell, I’m convinced my prince charming is not in Kenya. L  Anyway, the doctor gave me antihistamines and I got some Benadryl. 

You will all be happy to know that my arm has returned to its normal size and the bug bites are disappearing without any marks.  It has taken a few days for me to feel comfortable again in my apartment and I still jump at everything that brushes up against my skin in the office.  I hope I don’t have any more incidences like this in the next 21 and half months I have left here…yes, I have started to count.

Well, I will see you all back here next week…hopefully bug bite free.  Stay tuned.

Asante sana,

Della Rochelle

Copyright © 2012 by Della Rochelle Williams