I’m sitting in a café in Nairobi doing some work. I once or
twice a week I’ll step out of the office and sequester myself in a place that
brings me good coffee and enables me to concentrate. Generally works pretty
well.
At the table across from me a guy just walked in. Spitting
image of Tin Tin (for those of you who are familiar with the character). He has
the fair complexion, the hair, even the way he’s dressed, including the shoes.
If I were doing the movie, he’s the guy I would cast. Maybe it’s really Tin Tin
and he’s in Kenya on an adventure to capture another international bad guy…
There are a lot of foreigners in this town. They were quite
a bit rarer when we were living in Bujumbura. Makes one wonder what they are all
doing here? I know the government has been asking that question. There’s been a
crackdown this past year on people who are working here illegally. I’ve heard
they’ll even show up in a restaurant and ask people for documentation. Fair
enough. I think the thrust behind it is to make sure that foreigners aren’t
doing things that locals can do. It’s the same in any country. And in this country,
you have a ton of high-end schools generating a lot of well-educated Kenyans
(though I’ve heard there are far more crappy schools than good ones).
So this post is pointing back to May-June, non-work stuff. I’ll
start with what I wrote back in May regarding the royal wedding:
---
(written in late May)
I have a break from travel and am looking to make the most
of it. It’s Ramadan and though I’m not Muslim, it does offer me some respite
from skipping from place to place in airplanes. The majority of the travel I
will have between now and July will be to Somalia. But during this month, my
travel to the country will be limited. The fasting, which includes no food or
drink (including water) during daylight hours, is a blessed but sometimes
challenging time for Muslims – particularly those from hot climates. I can’t
imagine doing that for a full month. It’s impressive to say the least. As a
result, our work hours are modified somewhat (start earlier and end earlier)
and afternoons are a bit of a challenge to get things done. This not only
impacts our internal workings but also external meetings. My visits to Somalia generally
fill the day in order to justify the time and expense. As such it implicates
security staff, drivers, cooks, administration, program staff, etc. On top of
this there are generally concerns about enhanced security risk during Ramadan.
Though in Somalia the past couple of years have demonstrated little to no
difference in the number of recorded security incidents during this time,
people are generally on heightened alert.
So unless something important comes up, I’ll hopefully sit
tight for a few weeks and focus on some things that need my attention that
don’t require travel. This will involve tasks like the annual revision of our
strategic plan, mid-term employee reviews, lots of reading of reports/articles
that have been piling up, etc. I’d like to think that this might mean less work
during evenings and on weekends but that’s likely not going to be the case.
There’ll possibly be a bit less panic though.
I did take time to watch the royal wedding at the big UK
event in Nairobi. I was invited, not because my wife is English, but because
I’m director of an international organization. Alas, because she wasn’t able to
attend, I shouldered the burden of sipping a cocktail amidst the dapper
multitude of royal watchers. I was told that there were something around 2,500
in attendance. It’s fair to say that it is the largest garden party that I have
attended.
Ladies’ hats were out in full display. Dozens of various
military representatives were in full uniform including medals and so forth. I
did attend a queen’s birthday event in Bujumbura but it was nothing at all like
this. Very impressive.
It was unfortunate that such an event fell during Ramadan.
Though I saw a few Muslim friends in attendance, I’m quite sure many stayed
away. Food and drink were everywhere you looked and I would think that the
sights and smells would make such an event rather brutal.
The wedding itself seemed to have been a hit with most.
There will always be the detractors but by and large most that I spoke to,
particularly Brits, appeared to be happy with how it went and pleased to have a
mixed-race, activist American actress to temper the stuffiness of the royal
family. Granted, my sample size consisted of those who mobilized to attend the
event and I suspect that it was not only for the free food and drink. Most of
the “meh” crowd probably stayed home and/or didn’t spend a lot of time online
to say they could care less one way or another.
I was particularly interested to see the footage of Windsor.
I was there about three years ago for meetings. Our British CEO arranged for us
to have a private tour of Windsor Castle that week which turned out to be quite
fascinating. The queen was not in residence at the time though I’m told it’s
where she spends most of her time. I do see the appeal. It’s an impressive place
with centuries of rich history behind it. Probably quieter than Buckingham.
Lovely quote for the day:
“I am
patient with stupidity but not with those who are proud of it.”
-Edith
Sitwell, poet (7 Sep 1887-1964)
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