Tag: work

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A virgin, a prostitute, marriage and co- wives in contracts

What does a virgin, a prostitute, marriage and co-wives have to do with Contracts? This week, I have been in a series of meetings whose agendas culminated in drafting or reviewing contractual terms.

We have a customer whose legal department has been plainly un co-operative. Actually this year I have interacted with a lot of them. They delay responding to emails, they work at a snails pace, only to show up to a meeting, unknowledgeable, unwilling to learn and condescending. In the guise of protecting their clients, such advocates sour the whole pot. They are akin to that green part of the chicken, though part of the whole, has to be keenly removed otherwise the whole chicken tastes bitter.

We had prompted this particular contract renewal 3 months before the existing contract lapsed. We further retained the same pre-agreed terms for ease in closing and freeing up my much needed time to attend to other things. Little did I know that Betty had just been admitted to the bar and was about to come flex her incompetence. Not only did she fail to respond in due time but when we issued an ultimatum, threatening to terminate the lease altogether for non adherence to renewal timelines, she quickly reviewed it adding “good to have clauses” clearly not understanding the relationship between us and her clients. I have since the meeting cut her some slack because in ten years, she will either be living off the skills she has grown or the excuses perfected; shalom.

In my afternoon meeting, one of the attendees suggested that we need to have a reward and penalty system for our service providers. We listened keenly to the suggestion and thought it could be the incentive to improve service delivery after the contract is awarded. “I disagree” came a loud unflinching voice. Guys this service provider is a virgin to our operations. They need at least 3 months to be well acquainted and at that point we can give them pointers where necessary but we can only judge their performance in the subsequent three months.

“I hear your suggestion on rewards and penalties, but we need to know whether we are establishing a marriage with our service providers or we have a prostitute in them.” This statement caught the attention of the room and even the attendees who were slowly drifting to sleep became alert. “A prostitute does the job but you need to pay for each service. Further, you can only call a prostitute when you have money, no money no services so each time you must be willing to pay”. “In a marriage on the other hand, we have to enter into the relationship understanding what need is paramount for each party and fulfilling that need. At times you ask for help, at times you fall short, at times you want them to go an extra mile and only a marriage can get you this.”

We have many similar properties which require similar services that we give different service providers. If one performs better than the other, we give the performing one more contracts and reduce the contracts awarded to the underperforming one, quality control. At no time should we have different service providers offering the same service on a single block or blocks in close proximity, those are co-wives and we will be inviting trouble upon ourselves.

I cannot remember why I was hesitant to publish this in August when I wrote it but reading it now, I think it is good material for consumption. Betty still has more to learn as at my latest interaction with her. I hope I always recognize my client’s interests and act accordingly so as not to jeopardize their business transactions. I also hope I never ran out of patience to wait for my clients to instruct me and even in circumstances when I think I know what would be best, I should always differ to what they actually want and lastly, that I always recognize who has the upper hand in a transaction and find a way to tilt the scale and if the odds are not in my favour, I hope that I will be wise enough to recognize that.

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Dare to Dream

Tuckman, a psychologist identified four stages of group development: Forming which is defined by polite, cautious interaction; Storming which encompasses power struggles or clashes in personality; Norming which happens when the group begins to resolve conflicts and establish norms for working together and lastly, Performing which is when members are competent thus needing minimal supervision.

While attending the studio launch of my wedding photographer, I had an epiphany. For him to get where he was, he was first employed. The constant earning and saving of income is what brought his studio to fruition. Okay, that, support from family, friends, well wishers and him daring to dream. I do get wild ideas. Wild enough with potential to take off. I do research, I develop interest but I never commit my finances to see the idea into fruition. If I did, I would currently have at least 5 flourishing or failing business under my belt but here we are. I remember reading in big magic something to the lines that ideas are like butterflies. They visit us and stay with us but when we do not implement them, they take leave and land on someone else. This was the explanation to why later in life we come across someone who implemented “our idea”.

Still while at the launch, the guest speaker cautioned us against sharing our profound ideas with friends and family for validation. He mentioned, and I will borrow from the butterfly analogy above; The idea only came to you. You are the one the butterfly visited. It is pointless asking friends and families what they think about a butterfly that did not land on their porch because it was on yours. He said when you have that idea, sit down with yourself, understand the idea as best as possible, execute it.

I am liking the flow of this post. It enables me touch on the various tidbits. My current read is a book called Execution. I am forced to put a pause on it because I have to finish The Pearl that Broke its Shell, my until 2025 consistent book of the month book club read and quicky re read Before I let Go by Kennedy Ryan the book of the month for my until 2025 inconsistent book club. In Execution, the author points out how several companies have a strategy but a failure to execute the strategy leads to the downfall of most companies. The book gives scenarios of various companies failing to execute strategy. It does this by looking at the leadership strategy employed by various CEOs faced with similar challenges.

Earlier in the year, my strategy was to focus on the book club reads of my consistent book club as I had limited time and anyway this book club had a proven track record of hosting the discussions each month without fail thus my reading would not be in vain. I attended the first meeting of the inconsistent book club because I thoroughly enjoyed their December book pick and also to reconnect with the members as it had been my OG book club. As the year carried on, my inconsistent book club consistently read, discussed and picked books each month while the so called consistent book club met only once. My strategy going to the next half of the year is to read and show up for each as one or the other might fail to meet.

I pride myself in being so confident, I do things scared. Lately, I also developed the confidence that whatever I channeled my energy in was bound to succeed. Safe to say, I have currently had 3 humble pies and the pies were not so humble. I did have egg on my face. The egg I was sure will miss my face has now landed and as usual, I lack wet wipes or tissue papers with me. At the very least, I tell myself, I should at least have wet wipes or tissue. a handkerchief even. Oh well, maybe this is the lesson that I learn from and better yet, a colleague has plugged me on the best smelling affordable shea butter in the market, I am about to unlock girl 101 habits.

While I have not been getting egg on my face, I have been listening to Kenyan True Crime documentary called Silent Shadows on Youtube. This of course heightened my apprehension of humanity because people are willing to go great miles. My memory of Nairobi roads is now anchored on the true crime I was listening to while on that road.

I may no longer be attending book club discussions of my inconsistent book club. Last week I kept time only to wait for an hour thirty minutes. It is one thing to be thirty minutes late but one hour thirty minutes in and no show?! A book club member who joined me an hour into my wait time shared that she only waits for 30 minutes and then leaves. Her resolve is far grounded than mine because even when you walk in as she was getting up, she will not seat for the meet up. This exact scenario happened to us and as I was now taken under her wing, we both left. to say the least I am still very disappointed in the utter disrespect of people’s time but I should not have expected any better.

more egg on my face even this week but you know what, punda huchoka.

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THE MASK

People who mean everything they say think everyone else does too.
I am really tired.
tired and angry.
tired of office politics.
tired of reading in between the lines.
tired of friendly faces meant to deceive.
angry that I trust easily and think everyone means good.
angry that when people were throwing each other under the bus, I did not realize I was already under it.
angry that I allowed myself to be under the bus.
tired of sharing fake smiles.
angry that when I claim my turn an example is made of me.
angry that I have to second guess colleagues and their actions or inactions
tired of listening to what is not being said when someone is speaking
angry that I get it all wrong and I am cautious when I need not be and I let my guard down when I should not.
angry that I let myself trust the process
angry that I let myself believe hard work pays and disregarded that the reward for hard work in corporate is more work as you can work well under pressure.
tired of picking up slack
angry that when I do not pick up slack my reputation is marred alongside the slackers
angry that I do not have a mask, I do not wear a mask, I do not mask my feelings and facial expressions
the other players do not get tired or angry
they try me everyday and apparently me showing them I am tired and angry fuels them further.
Since my personality makes it hard for me to wear a mask, I will carry a mirror.
I will be what you want me to be
I will make you believe in me
whatever you see is what you will get and I will be telling you what you want to hear
finally learning to ride the wave and not swim against the tide

No disguise, only reflection

Listen to make you believe – Lucy Hale

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May

Books

This month’s Book Club read was Circe by Madeline Miller . I still remember the discussion we had around its pronunciation. I pronounce it as sass, a fellow book club member pronounced it as s-i-r-s-i, we were informed google pronounced it as suh. see, take your pick.

The book is way out of my comfort zone. I struggled with the Greek mythical characters, personification is not my forte. I am happy to announce that despite the difficulty I finished the book!!!! Announcing this gives me so much joy. It is proof of my endurance, resilience, commitment to the book club, and dedication. I will definitely have this as an example at my next job interview.

The member who suggested said she wanted us to read about strong female characters and true to her word, the book is all about women empowerment without trying too hard at it. We first see Circe’s helplessness and inconsequential existence. She is finally thrown out of the palace and condemned to live in a deserted island by herself. The most impressive thing about the island to me was how supplies never ran out and dirt cleaned itself up. This could make a good modern day fairy tale; most women just want to be. To live their best lives and not worry about the mundane tasks that take up much of our time. The cooking and cleaning men are not subjected to despite women also doubling as bread winners, home finance managers and investment decision makers.

I admired the names the writer came up with for the characters’, they were very befitting of the Greek mythology narrative. The pace of the book was alright, the tidbits of surprises would keep most people going (but me). Much as my reading experience was difficult, I am glad that I know Circe’s story and you too should.

I love June’s book club read, Confessions of Nairobi Men by Joan Thatiah. I have wanted to read this book because of the hype in the Kenyan market and the opportunity to hear men’s stories. Well, It would be better if the book was written by a man but a win is a win, at least we get to read the stories.

Work

A steady growth curve. These days scrap that, I always stand up for myself. This year I have had opportunities where I needed to remind colleagues of boundaries, mutual respect and work ethic. I have gone through the roller coaster of questioning the meaning of life and wishing I could be my own boss to enjoying the perks of an employee and realizing that self employment has its downside.

Life

My face is beaming at the thought of celebrating my birthday tomorrow. I am looking forward to opening my birthday gifts, I sure will get a slice of Art Caffe’s rose something cake. That in itself is growth… chocolate fudge cake has been a birthday staple and celebratory cake since my 19th birthday. The Art caffe cake was gifted by my friends in March and I have never wanted to eat a whole cake by myself until I had a bite of that one. Dear friends, thank you so much for the plug.

On Tuesday I was rather disappointed that I did not have a plan in place on how I will celebrate the day. I came up with a plan then abandoned it, all I know for sure is that I want to look good in a new outfit preferably that will be as new as the day I am born. I want to eat good food, I want to do an activity or two and eat cake.

AOB

Lately I am happy, I am content with my choices in life, I am humbled by some life experiences but mostly I am changing. I am becoming aware of moments when my anger is building up and I decide whether to feed it or let go. I am grateful of the beautiful moments I am experiencing alongside my friends, I am being challenged with decisions that I have to make, I am praying. ( Listen to Nyashinski’s time of my life)

I tried recreating a KFC Chicken recipe and it backfired bigtime. Luckily, I cut my loss early enough and changed tactic so that most of the chicken was still edible. I had major success recreating a pasta dish that I had at a restaurant on valentine’s. The restaurant menu was haphazard and the pasta was being served after the main course (feel free to let me know if I am the one who is clueless about dining etiquette). I felt they wanted to justify the cost of the valentine’s menu considering the price was increased from the previous year’s yet the menu options were limited. This creamy pasta with chicken, mushroom and cheese is comfort food and thinking about it leaves me feeling enveloped in a hug. I should not be spoiling for a fight but I only got the recipe after talking about the pasta and thanks to the Instagram microphone, it appeared on my suggestions. The recipe was in Turkish but thanks to the see translation option, I was able to know the ingredients.

That being all from me, remember to have your heaven down here.

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There are no toxic jobs

Monday evening after work, I had the pleasure of being part of an audience watching a screening of The Cleaners. It was primarily about content moderators who work for social media sites and the nature of their job. They sieve through content uploaded by social media users across the world and their task is to delete or ignore a post or photo or video that does not meet the particular social media community guidelines.

At first, I thought, such a cool job. I determine which posts stay uploaded and which ones are taken down. In retrospect, that job would be a menace! I do not spend that much time on social media and constantly seeing other people’s thoughts and engaging in other people’s content will not help me reach deep within and create. Also, I have days that I disengage so what will happen then. Probably why my solution to the toxicity of this job would be to have the content moderators work one day and take the next off. This will mean they get ample time to disengage from what they see on a daily.

There was a robust discussion following this screening that made me miss my school years. People with differing opinions on whether this particular job was toxic or not. It opened up to the root problem which is the content people upload on their phones. This reminded me of a recent tweet by Nkatha which raised a hullabaloo. I think she innocently tweeted about how an intern in their law firm was sent to run an errand within Nairobi CBD and the intern used an uber.

On first reading I got how that struck her as appalling. Back in the day when I started this blog, I was an intern and we covered most of the distance walking, if need be we would be given bus fare. I remember being given uber fare once but that was more an exception than the rule. In my reading of Nkatha’s tweet, I Imagined the place the intern was sent around the vicinity. Sides were taken, and the people who shared my line of thought confirmed that within the Nairobi Central Business District it would take one longer to use an uber than walk on foot.

The tweet did not reveal whether the intern was sent with documents that hindered their movement or made it more reasonable to use a car. I remember my colleague and I using the trolley guys to help us ferry the documents we had and they go so fast! Luckily my colleague would keep up with their pace and I would catch up with them.

this is what we used; image sourced from google

Nkatha was muddled with tweets stating how she is a toxic senior for posting that about her intern and they attributed all other evils to her. I imagined how distraught she must have been reading those spiteful comments from people who do not know her in person but went to the extent of looking up her workplace, school history and getting her image. To make it worse it continued the next day and it still comes up in reference to toxicity. Yaani on average 3 people interact with your tweet then one day as you are tweeting with just your audience of 3 in mind it blows up to the unforgiving Kenyans on Twitter (KOT) and that is your end.

I consider the following when determining a toxic work environment:
1. lack of boundaries when it comes to employee breaks
2. An understaffed department that over works employees instead of recruiting
3.How seniors in the team handle mistakes committed by juniors who are new in the team
4. General interaction amongst employees

I had an interview earlier this week and boy do I think I have grown since interviewing for my first job. I was more timid then thinking if a particular organization does not want me I will not find one that does. I thought not getting a call back after an interview reflected a lack on my part. Now I understand that interviews are two way, they get to see whether I fit in their organization and I get to determine whether I will conform to their organization or find one that already accomodates me.

I do recognize that having supportive parents allows me to have my basic needs met in the absence of a job. I have also known how much getting a job that I am constantly trying to conform to just to provide my basic needs is harmful in the long run. These effects may take a long while to dissipate if I notice before making them the new normal. Frankly, between healing my inner child and adding onto work related trauma I would rather handle the former and avoid the latter.

The content moderators in the film tried having their concerns addressed and they were reminded of their bad economic position and the supervisor without micing words said you signed a contract shut up and work. A man in the audience saw no wrong in that comment. He told us that there are no toxic jobs. The film creators set out to appeal to people’s emotions; from the background music selected, to constant potrayal of poor neighbourhoods insinuating that as the lives the moderators led. He boldly informed the audience that content moderators are well renumerated and they knew what they were getting themselves into.

The audience became charged from that comment and many hands shot up in a bid to bring the context closer home and explain to him how individual circumstances vary. Notwithstanding the content of the employment contract, some people’s troubles deprive them bargaining power and thus the law should create an even playing field for such disadvantaged people. Tech Bros in the room were cautioned not to create the world’s biggest problem while trying to make the biggest pay cheque from their innovations.

What’s your take, are there toxic jobs?

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Not dropping the ball

sourced from pinterest

It is easy for me to write book reviews because I am always reading even when busy. It is quite a shock that even in months that come hard at me I still manage to read. This month, I have read 4 books that I could write about but I really wanted a different kind of post. I have been working on a very introspective post being my birth month but it went off tangent and I cannot salvage the bits of me left.

June 2022 has been very peculiar. It feels like a roller coaster and when the ride slows and I can finally catch my breath, someone opens sprinklers with ice-cold water and I am wondering whether it is refreshingly cold because my heart was just about to escape my chest or whether I am experiencing hypothermia and the fight for my life is not yet over.

Since the inception of the blog in August 2019 I have never missed posting each month and June 2022 is not about to be the exception. It takes the hand of God for me to push that publish button because the writing no longer remains private. No vision board could have predicted my starting a blog but either way I still beat myself up because I do not have one; a vision board that is.

I have heard people talk of their dream jobs and I tried picturing what that is for me. I could not name a particular company but thought of attributes I would want it to have. I want a job that is fulfilling and engages me. It should also have those tasks that I can easily carry out on those less productive days. I want a job that has travel opportunities or one that will pay me enough to organize the travel on my own. I should be able to detach from work during leave days and the weekend because personal time is respected.

I want a job that is interested in training its people to ensure they are all-rounded and gives them the opportunity to relate. I want good healthcare insurance but mostly a job that will not contribute to me developing any health problems. It will be a bonus if I do not dread Mondays. My dream job is not limited to employment, I am open to any money-making venture that will have those attributes.

My Linked In has been ablaze with my peers announcing the start of their careers and yet for me it feels like I am juggling and I am barely holding onto one aspect of my life before I have to hold onto another that is slipping. It is not really juggling but more of participating in a sport whose task is to carry a pale of water using strings and the art is controlling the tension of the strings as this will help you safely pour the water collected into the empty bottle. Throughout the exercise there is a lot of shifting and figuring things out. This was an activity we did for team building earlier in the year.

I have lots of time. I have been binging Orange is the New Black every day and night for a week now. I take breaks in between and spend an unhealthy amount of time scrolling my phone as I move from whatsaap, pinterest, instagram and twitter. Whenever I try muster the energy to do something productive like studying french or resuming my online courses so that I can explain the gap in my CV and have something more to bring to the table, I convince myself that bingeing is a worthy cause and that I do not have to be constantly productive.

June 2022 has really shaped my adult life. I have enjoyed a week-long solitude and realized that I do not have to travel outside the country to discover myself. In today’s session, we realized that I have a cavity and I was instructed to keep monitoring my tooth. I am currently not in pain and it is not posing a risk so we decided to leave the tooth. I am encouraged to find out how other people are managing their cavities.

June 2022 brought my nearest and dearest back to the fold. I am always in awe of the beautiful friendships I have been able to nurture along the way including one with my mother. Like the man in the picture, I am not dropping the ball.

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The office Episode 2

The office was a series for a reason. All the things that happen in there have to be documented over time. When you think you have got the hang of it, ta da!

This week has really tried me.. one week in and I already have something to write. ( of course I never finished writing during that week ) I have decided to write lessons that I had to learn the hard way and maybe then they will stick.

Rule no 1. Do not make plans out loud. I remember this afternoon vividly. I had had a busy morning by busy I don’t mean running helter skelter busy, I changed departments and where I’m currently at, I can afford to smell the roses. Its not that there isn’t much to do here, Its because I came from a more demanding team where everything was urgent and needed a second ago. Having finished my deliverables, I went to talk about this and that just to sharpen my wits. I mentioned how things were going well for me and that my deadlines were always met. Between the walk from that office to my sitting area, I got phone calls and emails with instructions on what I was to work on. I did not leave the office late because with working from home my laptop and I are the office. We work from anywhere anytime and that’s how my not so busy time took a turn of its own.

Rule no 2. Cross the river at the shallowest. This is my mantra the whole year. I always strive to get work off my desk the earliest possible and so far so good. Its a bit of a balance between this and managing expectations because once people know things don’t sleep on your desk, they tend to push over the last minute work to you. After all, you have worked hard to prove time and again that you have a fast food chain same day delivery work ethic.

Rule no. 3 I will be done in just a moment means take a break. I know I did mention that my department allows me to smell the roses but knowing there are seasons and roses do not bloom all year round, the same applies to work. Every time someone has told me or I have told myself it will just be a moment, it becomes several moments. Our cleaner used to pity me on my first weeks at my first department. She would call me for snacks, she would offer to warm my food as she told me work never ends, I have to schedule my breaks. To date, this advice has saved me from developing ulcers and I tell my boss that I’m off to lunch. I can only eat so much so its a guarantee I will be back at my desk.

Rule no. 4 share but don’t reveal. There is a very thin line between office gossip and colleague bonding. Not to mention that we have various personalities with ulterior motives. It is quite unhealthy to always have your guard up expecting for someone to pounce. You’ll just have to trust your gut on this. If you think something is off, act cautiously.

Rule no. 6 its okay to screw up. Your first time won’t be your last. I remember how my colleague’s jaw dropped when I told her this. She was in a fit, judging herself harshly like I do. Today you make a mistake that you know is going to cost the company money and tomorrow another that is going to cost the company a client and your gut tells you today is the day you get laid off for that. You dread the confrontation and you willingly accept your fault and you are ready to pack up but that is exactly when you should stay. Growth at times comes from the most uncomfortable situations and we have to wait it out.

Rule no. 7. There is no job without hurdles. For some reason I used to think some people have it easy. That I would do what they do anytime without breaking a sweat. I would envy people who do online writing and think they make easy money. On a hectic day I envy the cleaner because there is nothing hard about cleaning or my boss because I would think all they do is delegate and supervise. I realized that the cleaner probably has a hard time and there are things in their line of work that they dread. Bosses have to take in a lot. They make hard choices that we never know about because they shield us. It is true that everyone is fighting battles we never know about.

Rule no. 8 clap for yourself. If you wait, others may never and you will be demoralised. Set your own parameters, your goals you are your truest coach. Remember only the shoe wearer can know where it pinches. Most times, I only get feedback if the work needs amending and the other times not even the computer generated well received. I do my best each time because success is rented not owned and rent is due every day.

Rule no 9. Plan your meet ups after work. You might be thinking, who has energy for that; not only will you but you will also get to feed off that energy. On my most stressful week, I pushed my two weekend meet ups to during the week after work. All week I was looking forward to that and it kept me going. On the day scheduled for my meet up, work was going overboard; it was one of those days that demanded putting in extra hours. I assured everyone that their work will be delivered on time but that I needed to leave the office. Not once during my meet up did I think of the work waiting for me when I got home. I enjoyed myself and headed home full of renewed energy. I’m sure the opposite is true that I would have hated whatever would have pushed me to cancel my plans.Getting away gives your mind and soul a breather so you can get back to the grind with a refreshed perspective.

Speaking of planning, sometimes we just have to take a leap of faith. Looking at my calendar, there is never room for working at the beach. I could go for weeks working remotely and when I tell myself perhaps this is the week to work from Coast I guarantee you the day will not end before I am needed to be physically present in the office. This is the shallowest of my rivers, other departments will never allow me this luxury.

Today has been one of those eye opening moments.. maybe I have been doing it all wrong, maybe there is no right way to do anything apart from just attempting. I was invited for a graduation ceremony and when I was accepting the invite, I literally had nothing on my desk much as I had gone the extra mile of offering my assistance. When I was about to leave for the graduation, my boss emails me that he needs some work done by C.O.B . Nevertheless, I decided to make an appearance even if I would have to work through the ceremony. I’m glad I did because on my way home, I see a picture posted in one of the whatsaap groups advertising the availability of my current job position. It is contract based anyway and I should not be shocked, I replaced someone in the same manner. Probably a good reminder that enjoy the present because this too shall pass. This just makes it to rule no. 10

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The Office

The office is apparently the most streamed series in America in 2020. I have watched enough episodes to bring the concept home. Much of 2020 was adjusting to working from home and working in shifts but currently some work spaces have resumed working from the office. As in every other situation, there were pros and cons. The biggest pro for most was eliminating the commute. Have you walked in this hot sun? It’s worse when you are dressed in a full suit your bag heavy with packed lunch as you try to maneuver the busy streets getting knocked on your shoulder every so often.

Cutting costs on lunch money was also a major pro of working from home. Actually eating at your convenience was more of it not to mention dressing as you pleased. This luxury was more expensive than anyone could have anticipated. Work became round the clock as opposed to the neat 8 – 5. It is no brainer getting that work call at 10pm heck some bosses even send that email at midnight. Here is the reality check that you are no Cinderella, more of Snow White’s seven dwarfs.

After the niceties, oh you have changed! What happened to your hair and all other changes that could not be detected over zoom calls the office gets back to work. HR of course reminds you to sanitize, no sharing of pens and paper, social distancing and minimizing the number of people in a meeting or taking up bigger room. The office experience does not start when you get on the lift to your floor, it starts when Nani picks you up.

There is a lot to say on lunch hours at the office. Some organize lunch that is paid for, others just contract a standard supplier but each employee pays as they eat but the one that sets people apart is those that leave you to fend for yourself. You could carry packed lunch like your pre school days or find a decent place to eat; emphasis on decent. I am wondering whether to get to the different employees you meet at this stage… I shall restrain myself for a few paragraphs.

Lunch time at the office gives me anxiety. I remember the packed lunch I forgot at home on the table and how I have to think of plan B. It’s not only the change of food that I mind, the fact that I had the meal planned and I knew the taste to expect come lunch. We have great food vendors but their prices are over the roof for an intern. I was shook once when I got basic chapo beans at 250!!! This is the holy grail to rate establishment just like tea. Once the price of a cup is over 200 do not bother looking at anything else on the menu if you are on a budget.

My chain of thought was finally flowing on some work I had taken over 2 days with and I did not want to interrupt that with a meal so I looked at my delivery options. I remembered a place we had visited whose fries were 100ksh and they had informed us they do office delivery at no extra cost. Meanwhile the 250 chapo beans still need 20ksh delivery. Being on a budget I made the call.. I kept waiting for my delivery till I assumed they got lost in their way because they had admitted they were not familiar with my location much as they have been serving people around my area since time immemorial.

Finally at 3.30 I get a call that the lady is at the reception. As I walked on the hallway, something told me to use the 4th Floor stairs and peep before presenting myself as the intended recipient of the food but my affirmations side kicked and assured me confidence. I walk out and see the lady carrying a ‘paperbag’. The receptionists with a sneer in her voice remarks ” kumbe ni wewe, nilikua namuambia hakuna mtu hula chakula kama hiyo hapa kwetu ” So rude don’t you think but weeeuh, I was the one in for a shock.

The lady informs me that she needs the bag back.. I look at the contents, it is nothing I imagined!! Butwaa beat me 😆. There I was expecting my food in this transparent tins and next to it two packs of the 5ksh tomato sauce but instead, my eyes were met with a greasy brown bag, heaven knows how clean that bag is as it has been ferrying every other order around and the transparent nylon papers filled with the Jerry can sauce and tied like a ball. Hehe.. I felt like paying for the meal but refusing to walk around with it.

She’s over reacting you think.. huh well, I have not painted the picture of what office lunch my colleagues partake. It’s either pasta and fillet, stir fried rice and Mongolian beef, the aroma just tells you the cook was not trying to make a meal but is one who aims to please. Did I mention they are in glass tins so that they are conducive for micro waving you know, cancer and all, then picture me arriving with my greasy brown bag and toothpicks as forks. If someone brought me my bag I would have left for home and called it a day. In another world, there were employees receiving their greasy brown bags with joy.

“Angalau muache abebe na mfuko mpaka kitchen aweke fries kwa plate“; the receptionist said. The lady agrees and fast I walked. Thank God I could at least make it presentable while there if no one walks in on me. It was the distasteful appearance of my meal that made me instantly full. After 5 mouthfuls I just threw it in the bin. They sure lost me as a customer with no fault on their part; just a girl faking class before she makes it.

I write this recollection as I lounge on my coach supposedly working from home. I am giving myself the much deserved rest because when work comes, it will demand every ounce of my energy and I have had to learn that it is equally as important to schedule rest and not just take it when you have the time. I will also schedule time for love because the effort I put in my work is not transferred to my compatible other. We don’t want jack to be a dull boy do we? 😉

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