The Perfect Office?

Most of my working life has entailed being in an office, and being bound to it because of the data that’s been held on the server, the accounting software, and simply because that’s where I needed to be to do the work I was employed to do. My current role however has elements to it that don’t restrict me geographically in this way. Technological advances have helped too:
• Having a laptop rather than a desktop;
• Being able to download everything I might need on the server onto a small postcard-size external hard drive;
• Being able to access the Dallas server remotely (can't do this with the Nairobi one yet unfortunately);
• Being able to access my emails wherever I am (not always a good thing!);
• Being able to skype chat with colleagues around the world.

Working on the front porch of Hadada Cottage

A week on Sunday, we have a week-long biennial Project Funding and Finance workshop starting, in a conference centre just outside Nairobi. Most of the SIL finance people across Africa will be coming for training, along with some of those from the African Wycliffe organizations. Unfortunately, 3 of the 5 people I’d had down to facilitate are unable to come, so rather more is falling to me than I’d reckoned on. And somehow, preparation for this in the office setting just doesn’t happen. I’m too accessible there, and am way too likely to get caught up with other work-related matters. Last week, I chose to work from home for a couple of days, and made good progress, and this week, I’ve come right away, to one of my favourite weekend haunts, a cottage on Oldien Bay near Lake Naivasha. I did wonder this morning if this was a good move, when I was 2 hours later than planned leaving Nairobi, and hence (with the 2.5 hour drive) lost a whole morning of working on the workshop prep. However, once here, all that dissolved. What a setting to work in! Being someone who did all her summer exam revision (from O levels through A levels, Chemistry degree and then accounting qualification) outdoors, I very quickly decided to sit at the table on the front porch with my laptop rather than stay inside. What a view – aloes, acacia trees, the flamingo-pink fringed lake, and hills beyond,- and all accompanied by the melodious sound of a multitude of assorted birds, and the occasional grunting of hippo! Definitely a very therapeutic environment to be working in. My only concern – that I will get too distracted by the beautiful surroundings and fail to get on with why I’m actually here!

All I want for Christmas is........

Well, not my two front teeth, though that was the case many years ago when I was decidedly gappy for a year or so (partly thanks to my brother who had knocked one out with a rather accurately thrown lego brick!)! This year, my Christmas wishes were rather different. Wanting to do something completely different, I arranged for a group of us, none of whom have family in Kenya, to go away on safari. We had one night at Treetops in the Aberdares National Park, and then 3 nights at Shaba National Reserve, close to Samburu and Buffalo Springs. The contrast in scenery was quite dramatic, from the green, hilly, lush countryside around Nyeri, to the stark, desert, arid, mountainous landscape of Samburuland. So, my Christmas wishes:-

1. To see Mt Kenya clearly. I’d circumnavigated this 17,000 feet mountain a couple of times, and both times, it was completely obscured by cloud. Imagine my delight the first morning, when I opened the curtains at Treetops and was looking directly at this majestic mountain. We continued to have stunning views of it that morning as we drove past on our way to Shaba, seeing the glaciers very clearly. And even from Samburu itself, it was clearly visible. What a treat! It was rather nice too to feel that I was getting something of a white Christmas without any of the freezing temperatures! One of my friends was convinced that the fascination with the mountain was an indication that I should climb it (she’s been up 7 times), but hearing her stories of cold, wet and the effects of altitude sickness did nothing whatsoever to entice me. I’m much happier to appreciate the beauty and majesty of the peaks from afar!

Mount Kenya from near Nanyuki

2. To see a leopard, preferably on Christmas Day. Now, this one seemed a bit of a tall order. I’ve lived in Kenya for 8 years now, and have been on quite a number of game drives in that time. Leopard sightings can be counted on one hand, and really on just a couple of fingers! My best ever remains my very first safari in 1987 when I was over visiting two close university friends. We were in Samburu, and had a leopard walking right between us and a couple of other vehicles. Little did I realize at the time how special and amazing this was. I’ve seen trees that may or may not have had a leopard in them (on one occasion, the bit of tree that we thought was a leopard still appeared to be there the following morning, …..), and one time had an incredibly fleeting (not long enough to take a photo) of a leopard, whose markings were vibrant and striking, as he/she walked along a rock near us and then disappeared from view.

On Christmas Eve, we got to see elephant, lots of grazers, an abundance of birds, and just enjoyed the beauty of the place, choosing to just relax at the lodge in the afternoon. On Christmas Day, we were treated to lion and cheetah sightings in the morning, in addition to lots of ellies, greater kudu, reticulated giraffe, gravy zebra, oryx, …... But, still no leopard. We all agreed that it’d be good to do an additional afternoon game drive. And what do you know? We were rewarded with a beautiful sighting of a leopard sprawled on a branch of a tree, its four legs and tail hanging down.

A beautiful spotted big cat - as requested!

No Christmas wrapping or ribbon in sight, but what wonderful gifts these both were!


The Christmas Safari-ers: Julie, Rosie, Jill and Me



Mud and Misdemeanours

It rained yesterday evening, and most of the night. Unseasonably so, as the rains aren’t due until the end of March. However, I’d heard over the weekend a report of one person saying that it always rains on 14th February, and true enough, it was still raining this morning. A good thing as we do need it. The downside though is the traffic that results (even worse than normal), and the dust that has been prevalent turns to mud. Consequently, the mud road down to the office was just that – thick with mud. Knowing how it would be and not fancying having shoes and feet caked in sticky red mud at the start of the day, I drove the 800m or so to work. Even in my 4-wheel drive, I skewed around a little bit, but my tyres managed to maintain a reasonable grip. Saloon cars perhaps wouldn’t have fared so well, and anyone going uphill would have had a harder job.

 

Precisely because of that, when I had to drive home later in the morning, I chose to go the rather longer, though tarmacked (albeit with potholes in abundance), route. This drive could only have been about 5 minutes in length but there seemed to be an abundance of driving misdemeanours in that time:
• Somewhat sporadic driving on the part of one driver, due to their talking on their mobile phone.
• The car in front of me indicating right at one T-junction, but then turning left. Amazing to have any indicators on at all, but not exactly helpful in this case! Perhaps he thought a T-junction is like a filter lane?
• The next T-junction is at the top of the hill. There’s a very clear road sign in the approach for those going uphill, that there’s no right turn allowed there. At least 3 of the cars in front of me turned right!!
• As I was coming to the left-hand turn into my road, a car coming out of it clearly wanted to go right, as he was completely over on the right-hand side of the road, very effectively blocking my way!

 

And that’s without venturing beyond the immediate neighbourhood onto any of the main roads! People do get fined for driving offences here (those who don’t then pay bribes that is), but every day, there are an abundance of others who between them, break most of the rules in the book. To be fair, today's tally did seem to be particularly concentrated.