Is it wrong that I welcome the sugar shortage that's sweeping the country for the sole purpose of my not having to prepare gallons of coffee and tea for the many visitors I greet? Sigh. Actually it's an informative internship so far as they are supposed to be but I wish it was more in tune to my interest. I am learning more about how to approach my business though so that's a good thing.
Oh, I'm boycotting the BATA shoestore. Yes I will name them because their product speaks for itself. They have great shoes for safaris and school kids but if you're an adult woman, you're expected to choose from a selection ranging from uncomfortable high heels to uncomfortable ugly shoes. Urghh, I curse the way I used to look down on Payless. At least their shoes fit. These ones are horrible! They have some nice casual shoes but forget shopping for the office.
Ok, sorry this is brief but I'd like to get home before the sun sets once in a while. Long weekend ahead and it looks like I have to cancel the beach because all the airlines are solidly booked. BA got jumpy with it's regional carrier and they cancelled the contract in effect leaving hundreds of people stranded and forced all the other flights to be overbooked for this weekend. Long story, curses to them but hopefully I'll make this damn trip soon. I need a vacation soo badly it's starting to hurt. I think it's just more me wanting some serious book reading and alone time, something I took for granted before but is a necessary part of my existence.
Ciao bellas, at least I have a UEFA game to look forward to tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Nairobi sunsets
I forgot to mention, my office is in one of the few towers that form the Nairobi skyline. The other evening I was still at work and I went into the board room to prepare a package and I looked outside and caught my breath. The sun was setting in the horizon and the shadows and light playing between the buildings was absolutely stunning. There's an Islamic center right across and evening prayers were blaring out over the loud speaker and just to my right, I overlook the swimming pool of a nearby hotel and the lights hadn't yet been turned on but you could see the blue green water lapping in the breeze. It was so beautiful, the city actually seemed pleasant for a change.
Ok, enough, Man Utd. v. Newcastle in a couple of hours. I have my priorities. Laters
Ok, enough, Man Utd. v. Newcastle in a couple of hours. I have my priorities. Laters
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Just say No!
Ok, something important to touch on. I can not stress enough how careful you have to be here. Drugging is fairly common around here. I don't know if I mentioned this before but there are very many sad stories. This Belgian tourist got on a bus coming from Kampala, Uganda headed to Nairobi. The bus picks up passengers on the way but you have to purchase your ticket at an office prior to boarding. Her fellow passengers recounted that she'd chatted up two men on the bus and that at around midnight at one of the stops, the two men disembarked and went on their way. No one noticed something was amiss until the bus got to Nairobi and they couldn't wake the woman up. She was obviously drugged and barely coherent. One passenger asked her where her bags were and she pointed in a vague direction but sure enough they'd been taken as well as her passport and all her money. She mumbled out that they had offered her a banana and she'd eaten it and that was how she got drugged. She also said her name and gave her nationality which is how they figured out who she was. The camera crews were out there way before the police were filming this poor lady who was so out of it and had to be supported by fellow passengers. She was later put in a cab and taken to the police station and then they showed her finally being taken to the hospital.....that evening. So this poor woman was in a police station somewhere, conked out of her mind and they take her much later to the hospital. I don't know what happened after that.
I was talking to some colleagues who told me about one of the managers on one of our accounts who went to a very popular club/restaurant on the outskirts of town. It's right near the local airport and a nice place to hang out. He went on Sunday evening by himself just for a drink and to catch the game and woke up on Monday afternoon in his car in a very dodgy neighborhood all the way across the other side of town, his phone, wallet and shoes were gone. He doesn't remember a thing aside from ordering one drink and going to the bathroom and coming back and then nothing else. He had been drugged, probably escorted to his car by the people who did it under the guise of them taking an intoxicated buddy home, then they drove around probably looking for someone who would want to buy the car, take it to the Tanzania border and sell it from then on to parts unknown. (Fairly common practise to steal a vehicle and take it to the border which is about 2 or so hours from the city and then they scatter elsewhere. Someone mentioned seeing a car with Kenyan license plates in S.Africa and upon query of the owner as to where it came from the guy shrugged and quickly left.) So this poor manager had no idea what happened to him. The drug of choice if Rohypnol (sp) it seems. I'm not sure where they get it from but it's plentiful.
Yesterday, I was witness to this horrible crime. I joined my older brother and his friends at their fave haunt and sitting at the bar counter a little aways from us was a couple acting very strangely. Their heads were lolling about and their eyes were unfocused and they just looked drunk at first. An incredible story was then recounted to me. Apparently the gentleman in question is actually a commercial airline pilot for a major airline and he'd arrived earlier that evening with two female companions. They ordered one round of drinks and promptly engaged in PDA and then one of the females got up and went to the mercedes they'd arrived in. She jumped in and started to back out but I think she'd never driven stick before because the car jerked backwards and she was going very fast and managed to hit a car that was refueling right behind her. (The pub is built right next to a nice gas station) She tried to go forward but the station attendants jumped infront of her and someone cut her off with his car so she got out and somehow stalked off and no one stopped her. The cops eventually came and his car was towed away. Meanwhile, the staff went to find the pilot and his companion and found them looking very drunk. They knew something was up as they'd consumed nothing more than half a glass of wine yet acted so intoxicated. They kept trying to wake him up and get him to go outside because of his vehicle but he sluggishly tried to fight them off because he thought they were trying to rob him. Finally, they got him to go and see but he could barely comprehend what was going on. They were later moved up front to the bar where they could keep an eye on him while they tried to find someone who knew who he was. His phone and wallet had been stolen by the other woman and he wasn't really a regular so no one knew where he was from and who he might roll with. The girl said she lived all the way on the other side of town and didn't know where the pilot lived. They were so out of it, she got sick right there at the bar (gross) and he was talking to the wall. It was absolutely awful for the time they were there until luckily, someone came in who recognized him and immediately got them out of there.
Like I said, beware of strangers bearing gifts....literally. Another tactic is when people come up to you on the streets brandishing perfumes and spraying the air infront of you, "Would you like to smell this?" Next thing you know, you're in another part of the country with no money or clothes for that matter. Always go out with a group of friends you know and trust. You can't go to a pub by yourself unless you know the owners and staff they know you and you trust. Don't leave your drink unattended and if you buy bottled water, always make sure it's sealed with the little plastic wrap.
Other than that, lol, I'm doing fine.
Laters darlings.
I was talking to some colleagues who told me about one of the managers on one of our accounts who went to a very popular club/restaurant on the outskirts of town. It's right near the local airport and a nice place to hang out. He went on Sunday evening by himself just for a drink and to catch the game and woke up on Monday afternoon in his car in a very dodgy neighborhood all the way across the other side of town, his phone, wallet and shoes were gone. He doesn't remember a thing aside from ordering one drink and going to the bathroom and coming back and then nothing else. He had been drugged, probably escorted to his car by the people who did it under the guise of them taking an intoxicated buddy home, then they drove around probably looking for someone who would want to buy the car, take it to the Tanzania border and sell it from then on to parts unknown. (Fairly common practise to steal a vehicle and take it to the border which is about 2 or so hours from the city and then they scatter elsewhere. Someone mentioned seeing a car with Kenyan license plates in S.Africa and upon query of the owner as to where it came from the guy shrugged and quickly left.) So this poor manager had no idea what happened to him. The drug of choice if Rohypnol (sp) it seems. I'm not sure where they get it from but it's plentiful.
Yesterday, I was witness to this horrible crime. I joined my older brother and his friends at their fave haunt and sitting at the bar counter a little aways from us was a couple acting very strangely. Their heads were lolling about and their eyes were unfocused and they just looked drunk at first. An incredible story was then recounted to me. Apparently the gentleman in question is actually a commercial airline pilot for a major airline and he'd arrived earlier that evening with two female companions. They ordered one round of drinks and promptly engaged in PDA and then one of the females got up and went to the mercedes they'd arrived in. She jumped in and started to back out but I think she'd never driven stick before because the car jerked backwards and she was going very fast and managed to hit a car that was refueling right behind her. (The pub is built right next to a nice gas station) She tried to go forward but the station attendants jumped infront of her and someone cut her off with his car so she got out and somehow stalked off and no one stopped her. The cops eventually came and his car was towed away. Meanwhile, the staff went to find the pilot and his companion and found them looking very drunk. They knew something was up as they'd consumed nothing more than half a glass of wine yet acted so intoxicated. They kept trying to wake him up and get him to go outside because of his vehicle but he sluggishly tried to fight them off because he thought they were trying to rob him. Finally, they got him to go and see but he could barely comprehend what was going on. They were later moved up front to the bar where they could keep an eye on him while they tried to find someone who knew who he was. His phone and wallet had been stolen by the other woman and he wasn't really a regular so no one knew where he was from and who he might roll with. The girl said she lived all the way on the other side of town and didn't know where the pilot lived. They were so out of it, she got sick right there at the bar (gross) and he was talking to the wall. It was absolutely awful for the time they were there until luckily, someone came in who recognized him and immediately got them out of there.
Like I said, beware of strangers bearing gifts....literally. Another tactic is when people come up to you on the streets brandishing perfumes and spraying the air infront of you, "Would you like to smell this?" Next thing you know, you're in another part of the country with no money or clothes for that matter. Always go out with a group of friends you know and trust. You can't go to a pub by yourself unless you know the owners and staff they know you and you trust. Don't leave your drink unattended and if you buy bottled water, always make sure it's sealed with the little plastic wrap.
Other than that, lol, I'm doing fine.
Laters darlings.
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Internships and such
I've been terrible about keeping up with the blog and I'm terribly sorry. I've been so busy. I started my internship at the beginning of the month and I'm usually at work from 7.30 until 5 but last night and for many nights to come, I stayed until 10. First quarter reporting is due and interns are required by law to perform what is humanly impossible and undertake all tasks deemed unfit by the boss and others. It's actually a really nice place, an investment firm and the atmosphere has been very good. A nice place, considering I was dropped in like a fish out of water and started from scratch and couldn't differentiate a cash sheet from an equities portfolio. I hope this explains the absence.
The only thing that sucked in the beginning was taking the matatu so early in the morning and sitting next to people doing the "walk of shame" or just plain crackheads who can't sleep. Also what sucks ass is if I stay late, I have to take the matatus home and the station is not in the safest of places at night or even day for that matter. But by evening, you'll find some of the conductors and in some cases the drivers are high on "miraa" (a hallucinogenic that you chew) or Chang'aa (the cheap toxic brew) or plain stoned. Oh yeah, weed is cheap here. You can get a joint for less than a dollar. Lol, not advertising the country as the place to get high but the prices are quite reasonable if that's your thing. IT WAS ON THE NEWS! I SWEAR! Lol. I will also point out that it is very illegal and the fines and(not or) jail time will be super restrictive on your holiday plans should you choose to indulge in practise.
Interesting news stories: A woman at a local university posted a list of 118 men on the bulletin board with whom she'd had sex with. She said she'd been intimate with 124 men but only six used condoms and had in fact deliberately infected the careless 118 with the HIV virus in the same manner she'd been infected by a fellow student who'd neglected to mention his status. She also claims that there were several lecturers on the list.
Deep breath
Since I am here and I've observed relationships, I can tell you that most of these men/boys/infants are married, will in fact not tell their wives/girlfriends/boyfriends etc. and thus the disease will spread and yet another cycle begins. Also, don't men talk to each other anymore? It's not a big university and usually about the 40th or 50th person who would boast about her as a conquest would start to figure out, hmmm, something's not right here.
I will touch on the impact of the disease at some point but the depth and the scope that is visible and present on an almost daily basis has been overwhelming and I feel I should dedicate more time on what I've observed later. It's very, very, very sad. But the response by the government and community has been "positive" and that's very reassuring. It's only when you read such stories in the paper that you realize that someone just took 118 steps back in the progress that had already been attained.
What else? Oh yeah, the president is a bit of a running joke. People talk about him saying he's either always sleeping or out on the golf course and his wife Lucy is actually in charge. Funny couple to watch on the telly but I won't risk saying anything bad about them because an MP got arrested yesterday for singing about them and saying exactly what I said just now. Oh well, Kenyan jails promise to be interesting. I'M KIDDING.
Personal note, Corinne, Fleur, Fluffster and Talley, thanks for reading. Oh yeah, my darling VD, who just came back from Hawaii where he was schmoozing with celebs, thank you for reading as well and commenting. You totally rock and I'm sorry you have no drinking buddies....but just wait until your baby's born and for eighteen more years and hurrah, you've bred your own drinking buddy.
So I promised myself I'd go to Mombasa at the end of this internship. I still haven't read Chemories yet and I'm dying, craving to see people's smiles. I've been blessedly distracted lately by work which is so fun. My only complaint is that my very expensive Nine West's are killing my feet! I'm going to bow down and buy the local brand, BATA because they're cheap and comfy.
Btw, I try and avoid naming the places I go to because I'm not endorsing anyone or getting paid for it. The latter being more of the reason. However, I'll be happy to take you to a wonderful club that is so like NYC on safari and where you'll spend $50 in ten minutes without even realizing it because the ambience is so amazing and relaxing and the prices will make even you who come with your dollars gasp when you ask, "Ngapi?" "How much?!?" Lol, it really is a nice place.
Ok, off now, it's Friday evening and there's a very cold, much deserved beer calling my name...I have to work tomorrow so not too much. Oh yeah, I have to work Sunday too but it's worth it. The experience, wow.
Laters!
The only thing that sucked in the beginning was taking the matatu so early in the morning and sitting next to people doing the "walk of shame" or just plain crackheads who can't sleep. Also what sucks ass is if I stay late, I have to take the matatus home and the station is not in the safest of places at night or even day for that matter. But by evening, you'll find some of the conductors and in some cases the drivers are high on "miraa" (a hallucinogenic that you chew) or Chang'aa (the cheap toxic brew) or plain stoned. Oh yeah, weed is cheap here. You can get a joint for less than a dollar. Lol, not advertising the country as the place to get high but the prices are quite reasonable if that's your thing. IT WAS ON THE NEWS! I SWEAR! Lol. I will also point out that it is very illegal and the fines and(not or) jail time will be super restrictive on your holiday plans should you choose to indulge in practise.
Interesting news stories: A woman at a local university posted a list of 118 men on the bulletin board with whom she'd had sex with. She said she'd been intimate with 124 men but only six used condoms and had in fact deliberately infected the careless 118 with the HIV virus in the same manner she'd been infected by a fellow student who'd neglected to mention his status. She also claims that there were several lecturers on the list.
Deep breath
Since I am here and I've observed relationships, I can tell you that most of these men/boys/infants are married, will in fact not tell their wives/girlfriends/boyfriends etc. and thus the disease will spread and yet another cycle begins. Also, don't men talk to each other anymore? It's not a big university and usually about the 40th or 50th person who would boast about her as a conquest would start to figure out, hmmm, something's not right here.
I will touch on the impact of the disease at some point but the depth and the scope that is visible and present on an almost daily basis has been overwhelming and I feel I should dedicate more time on what I've observed later. It's very, very, very sad. But the response by the government and community has been "positive" and that's very reassuring. It's only when you read such stories in the paper that you realize that someone just took 118 steps back in the progress that had already been attained.
What else? Oh yeah, the president is a bit of a running joke. People talk about him saying he's either always sleeping or out on the golf course and his wife Lucy is actually in charge. Funny couple to watch on the telly but I won't risk saying anything bad about them because an MP got arrested yesterday for singing about them and saying exactly what I said just now. Oh well, Kenyan jails promise to be interesting. I'M KIDDING.
Personal note, Corinne, Fleur, Fluffster and Talley, thanks for reading. Oh yeah, my darling VD, who just came back from Hawaii where he was schmoozing with celebs, thank you for reading as well and commenting. You totally rock and I'm sorry you have no drinking buddies....but just wait until your baby's born and for eighteen more years and hurrah, you've bred your own drinking buddy.
So I promised myself I'd go to Mombasa at the end of this internship. I still haven't read Chemories yet and I'm dying, craving to see people's smiles. I've been blessedly distracted lately by work which is so fun. My only complaint is that my very expensive Nine West's are killing my feet! I'm going to bow down and buy the local brand, BATA because they're cheap and comfy.
Btw, I try and avoid naming the places I go to because I'm not endorsing anyone or getting paid for it. The latter being more of the reason. However, I'll be happy to take you to a wonderful club that is so like NYC on safari and where you'll spend $50 in ten minutes without even realizing it because the ambience is so amazing and relaxing and the prices will make even you who come with your dollars gasp when you ask, "Ngapi?" "How much?!?" Lol, it really is a nice place.
Ok, off now, it's Friday evening and there's a very cold, much deserved beer calling my name...I have to work tomorrow so not too much. Oh yeah, I have to work Sunday too but it's worth it. The experience, wow.
Laters!
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