Mama Lucy Kibaki

Former first lady of Kenya takes a bow!

Mama Lucy was made of special material........

I just loved her

When she became first lady, that December I took part in a huge walk on World AIDS day which was organised in conjuction with the Office of the First Lady - i have been to many walks....but never enjoyed the walk as much as i did this one!! I dare say we were 10,000 (mostly women) on that day blocking all major roads in the city!! and flaunting our cream tshirts!!

Of course there was talk of her being rude and all that - but to me, she stood her ground else she could have been relegated to the sidelines...other fiascos aside, she showed that for some offices, you really need to stick your neck out!

and I especially loved the Success message that Former President Kibaki and first lady  Lucy sent to the first class 8 class that had enjoyed free primary education - talk of a motherly touch

well God gives and God takes!!!

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her... May she rest in peace. Amen

Some songs are just so inspiring...

"Alabaster Box"

Cece Winans

The room grew still
As she made her way to Jesus
She stumbles through the tears that made her blind
She felt such pain
Some spoke in anger
Heard folks whisper
There's no place here for her kind
Still on she came
Through the shame that flushed her face
Until at last, she knelt before his feet
And though she spoke no words
Everything she said was heard
As she poured her love for the Master
From her box of alabaster

[Refrain]

And I've come to pour
My praise on Him
Like oil from Mary's alabaster box
Don't be angry if I wash his feet with my tears
And I dry them with my hair
You weren't there the night He found me
You did not feel what I felt
When he wrapped his love all around me and
You don't know the cost of the oil
In my alabaster box

I can't forget the way life used to be
I was a prisoner to the sin that had me bound
And I spent my days
Poured my life without measure
Into a little treasure box
I'd thought I'd found
Until the day when Jesus came to me
And healed my soul
With the wonder of His touch
So now I'm giving back to Him
All the praise He's worthy of
I've been forgiven
And that's why
I love Him so much

Cross culture

Can you work cross culture??

Yes Yes...

Have you worked with people based in other countries and how do you deal with time difference?

Yes...yes...am willing to work longer hours if need be because of time diff, as long as we achieve the result we want :)

So these are some to the questions that one gets asked during interviews....then reality sets in

1. Time difference means some countries are still at work 7pm our time....so there you go

2. Unfamiliar alphabets are used in many countries....how to make sense of them??

3. Other countries left writing cheques a looooonnnnggg time ago - have to stop myself from saying, cant see copy of cheque :)

4. Boarding passes are on phone....so the best you can get is a scan of a screen shot....

5. Working with so many different currencies...careful not to make an artificial exchange loss!

You learn something new every day!

Can you work cross culture??

Yes....Yes....

#REPOST > Powerful images

May 2011

Staring at the clear blue Marsabit skys for the MAF flight to land last Friday, am anxious to get home. Now that the means of transport is approaching, the anxiety builds up. The 12-seater lands, some passengers disembark and the two of us board to join one more person, I wonder silently why we are using a 12-seater and we are only 3 passengers but... my question is soon answered – we are passing Korr then Nairobi. The pilots are a young Kenyan lady and a European man. As soon as we are seated and fastened onto our seats, the lady pilot turns round, looks at us and welcomes us on board and says a prayer….there is something surreal about this scenario, but I like it. She thanks God for the journey so far, for the two new passengers from Cordaid, and prays for mercies on the last leg, which will be 15minutes to Korr, and then 90minutes to Wilson. MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) is a Christian airline service providing the necessary quick connections to rural (those accessible by tough terrain) parts of Kenya and surrounding countries.

She had warned us that the journey to Korr would be bumpy and for sure!! I never quite get used to these rides, but when I compare with a 9 hour journey by road, I put on my endurance cap. We land in dusty Korr a few minutes later around 3pm and my oh my, kids kids and more kids. The lady pilot remarks, ‘…oh, seems we are just on time, schools have closed for the day…’ As soon as the plane comes to a stop on a rough airstrip, that has been lined by white coated stones, all the kids come round and stare at the pilots as they come out of the aircraft. They are all excited and speaking in rapid Samburu, boys and girls, alike, all happy at seeing the aircraft. Am sure this is not the first time they see an aircraft as MAF lands in Korr many times- my colleague reminds me that in rural western Kenya where he comes from, he can bet that there are many old people who have never been this close to an aircraft.

But what was powerful for me, was the fact that one of the pilots is a young Kenyan lady and the kids can see her coming out of the cockpit – meaning she is not a passenger, but the driver so to speak. I mean if that cannot send powerful messages to the young girls here that the sky indeed is the limit for them (pun intended), I wonder what else can!! For that moment, I wish I could understand the local language and that I had a camera!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are not allowed to disembark since it’s a short stop over to pick two more passengers and off to Nairobi. I wonder in my mind if she has ever taken a few minutes to talk to the curious kids…I remember a now high-flying friend who is fiercely proud of his birth place Korr…Note to self: ask him whether he was at one time that kid running towards the plane in Korr :)

Below - random pic of MAF flight taken in 2015 in Marsabit

#REPOST Memories of Chox

July 26, 2014                                          

Backwards never,</p>forward we go on

Never returning, always</p>lets go on

There is a challenge</p>we face, with pride and with strength

In fide vade, in faith we go</p>

That’s the school anthem…..and so as fate would have it, I get
a chance to go back to the school after 22 whole years!! Of course, having used
the route to the school a long long time ago, my memory of the route was
totally different. I vividly remember the route being fairly straight forward…passing
acres and acres of free land….till one reaches Banana Hill…..then more unused land
till Kamonde and then a 2km stretch of walk in between tea plantation…then you
reach the school. On entering, you pass through a long driveway past the hall
then library….then the rest of the school.

Fast forward to today, and I wake up early hoping to reach
school at the agreed time of 10am…wapi….i seem to be driving for so long. I passed
Ruaka which I have never seen before (so you can imagine my shock at all the
buildings around there)!! I pass Limuru….and am thinking to myself, I doubt if
we used to reach this town…anyways, I still think am on the right track since
sija fika Kamonde…..and then its evident that am lost when I now see very tall
trees on either side of the road….wonder where I was! I boldly asked some two
men on the side of the road and they confirmed….rudi nyuma hadi barabara ya kuingia
Limuru, alafu…..needless to say, nilifika late lakini sawa tuu.

Walking round the school was surreal….so many memories!....
for sure I seem to have floated through high school…..the girls around me
seemed to have so many stories and I could only remember snippets of it. Amazing
memory people have!! Photos photos and more photos…..everything seems to have shrunk!!
The main block, the dorms, the chapel, the parade area….aiii….ama how big have
we grown really??


Finally we had a chance to speak to some current students,
really touched by their stories. Situations may seem desperate…but it’s really
not over if one is still alive, right?….hope the short talk we gave them
inspired them! Indeed backwards never….and in faith we go on!!

Please call me...

My son has become an expert at sending the auto text 'Please call me, thank you' and when you call back he is mteja! aiii..

Anyways, I remember the first time I read this text from someone....since my line is a Zain/Airtell/Celltell line..I didnt know of this new service...so its nearly 9pm and I get this text 'Please call me thank you' and the sender is an elderly woman I have known for a while now

So of course am concerened

What could have happened??

Why does she want me to call her now??

 I didn't have enough credit then (not now with Unliminet, am always with credit)...so i dash to the nearby kiosk, get some credit, and promptly call her...hoping its not something bad...that she needed to be so polite when asking me to call her

Ehhh Hilidaaaa, habari??  ulipata message yangu?? ehhh...nilikua tuu najiribu kama inafanya kazi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aii....no words

at least not an emergency!

Filling the mind...

I recently decided that I need to fill my mind with different ideas that would of course, enrich my thinking

So I have placed a reminder on my phone for the Sisterhood series that happens every 1st Tuesday of the month and conveniently at All Saints - very central!!

April 5th found me seated in the auditorium listening to Hellen Mtawali - never heard her live before!! waaaa what a voice!! very gifted that one!!

The topic of the day was Mother-Daughter relationships - sounded interesting for me so, and I must say it was not a waste of my time, and thankfully I didnt give up given the pouring rain. The presenter was the author of the book  - Celebrating Friendships among Women  - Margery Kabuya - very interesting talk!

My take home was the need to articulate (NGO-ese language tihihihi)
the values that you want respected in the home - the negotiables and the non negotiables. Action for me was that I will rally all to have a prayer for #TeamSamson so that the kids know and internalise that values like respect, honour, faith, honesty etc are important in our home

#inspired!

Katika ile hali ya 'fill your mind with those things that are good and deserve praise' Phillipians 4:8

Maktaba.....

Today I decided to sample our national library

I was headed to the office and thought, mmm, as opposed to driving all the way, I can get some work done here at the library. There is construction going on so parking is limited, but at least I got a spot. The charges are 20bob...20 shillings only....and no, no internet today, wifi crashed (yes thats the word the gracious lady used).

So I paid the entrance fee and as just I was about to pass through the revolving entrance, the soldier (guard) came and asked me, are you staff?? am like, no? then you need to leave your handbag..ehh...yes, thats the rule...my handbag is a tiny one ((fashion change ever since my shoulder ached because of massive-handbag-syndrome) .. she says remove valuables and leave it...so as opposed to emptying all contents i decided to just leave it in the car

Now am seated, back to work

Quiet enough!!..reminds me of those days when I used this space to study for my CPAs!

This could end up being an option, now that schools are about to close....mmmhhh

..oh and I need to remember to carry my modem; and adapter...and....I need to remember not to all allow all devices to connect to my mobile hotspot!!!

Powered by Stima...

Am a city gal

And this is why

Everytime elec goes off, am rendered useless

There are so many things I can do that dont require power

But Nooooo

I cant manage!!

Oh where is power

When will it come

Let me send text to 95551

not working...

Let me tweet KPLC care (or sthg like that)

They respond

Their Engineers are working on it!!

Arggghhh ...so many things to do....let me go to a place where there is power

Poof

ELEC is back

Am back to normal now :)