Fair Trade

Nov 27th

Second day of lunchtime meetings. Today the Fair Trade people were in checking progress on all the proposed improvements to the stores, kiln, production etc. Alex (Kaizen PM) and I gave them the tour and they made some keen observations about safety and operation issues. Smart folks. They were impressed with the approach and the speed the changes being made. Of course it had resulted in a shed load of more work. They want to be able to apply our learnings to other company's that they work with and have requested we "storyboard" our journey. Also I have to put an IT infrastructure requirements document together. Them things don't write themselves you know.

Shariq (VSO volunteer) called over around 11am to drop off some stuff for the other volunteers. He is off back to India for the Christmas and won't be around Saturday for the VSO meeting. Finally got down to preparing the house for my visitors. I scrubbed and cleaned for 2 hours. Washed bed sheets and sweep out all the dirt and dead insects that invariablely build up on the floor. Tomorrow evening I'll go shopping and stock up on food and booze. I am unreasonably excited about the weekend. I really need to get out more!

The brother printed off the blog and showed it to the mother. She got a kick out of it. Thanks for keeping me updated on all the horses Ma, you're very good. I'm happy out so no need to be worrying.

M.
p.s. Thanks to all the people who have been sending emails. I'm doing my best to reply to them all.

Cultural Learning
In Kenyan, to start school, you used to have to be able to touch your left ear with your right hand. (Well of course YOU can do it. You're not 8 anymore you knoW! Hee Hee)

Strike

I wrote a blog at the weekend and managed to lose it somehow. Needless to say it was full of wit and sparkling repartee. But now it so last week. Also Blogger.com is refusing to upload some pictures so I may have to put them on flcker. (got 3 pictures up only)

The weekend was good. Went out to Kilifi on Saturday to see Cocky's girls playing in Coast finals. Watched some of the under 13 girls play. Impressive talents displayed with one Maradonna style goal from a solo effort starting at the backline. Then got biked into Kilifi market on a back carrier. 30 bob (shilling) a go.

Spent some time relaxing in an old members club restaurant that has seen better days but has a great view over the river. On getting back to Mombasa, Diana and I went for a few beers and an cheap Indian dinner. Nice.

Spent most of Sunday chilling and doing a bit of shopping, a bit of clothes washing, a bit of cleaning. Proper house proud I am. Paul called around later. Apparently there was trouble among the workers. Some have been informed that are being moved to production because the shop and cultural centre are quiet. There was a sit-in in progress in one of the manager’s offices.
Tomorrow should be interesting.

I left the house at 8am. The shop was still closed. The Cultural Centre was closed. The jewelry workshop was closed. The workers were on strike. Thankfully the most of them were gathered around the APDK offices rather than the Bombolulu offices so I didn't have to cross a picket line or nothing. Head down, say nothing. Through out the morning there were impassioned speeches, all in Swahili, and then all the parties went into meetings.

The following day all the workers were back to work but there are still a number issues near the surface. By Kenyan laws the strike was illegal. There seem to be a number of political forces at work that I know very little about. Thankfully, management seems to be focused on employee education and is looking at ways to remove the "them and us" mentality. Time will tell. We will all need to pull together if Bombolulu is to survive and prosper.

Workwise I'm flat out. Monday I analyzed product costing data. There was steam coming out my ears by lunchtime. Spent Tuesday helping to draw up a floor plan for the new kiln for drying out wood carvings. Was in the kiln for over an hour and it was like doing hot yoga. (I only ever did hot yoga once, honest! It was a phase, i'm over it now.) Wednesday was spent putting down floor markings for the Stores and packing areas. I was so knackered by finishing time.

Then, off up to Nakumatt with me. Had dinner out. Chatted for the evening with Diana instead of doing shopping. I should really be getting things organized for the weekend. Chris is up from Voi and Abi is going to stay at mine as well. There is a VSO Coast volunteers meeting, and a big night out planned after. Might even be some dancing. All the discussion will be around Christmas and New Year's plans. There is talk of a trip to Lamu, an island to the North.

News from home is that the Uncle's horse won in Chepstow. My brother Paul has been working the horse so there is great family excitement. Last week Cnoc on Ein (Birdhill in Gaelige) won in Ireland. The Uncle's on a roll.

In Kenyan, my life has a bit of rhythm back now. It's nice after a so much change.

M.

Cultural Learning
Every formal meeting starts with a prayer. Christians and Muslims praying together. Most people routinely talk about their relationship with God in general conversation. I'd be classed as a liberal Christian (I blame the dancing).

The view from my house

The Bird next door













Marking the Packing Area with Alex (standing)

Some pictures of the craft fair

Deadly buzz

Nov 16th

Another hectic week. Spent the week trying to finish off all the half finished stuff I had on e.g. floor plan for the store room, request quote for point sale software upgrade, write up production timings and observations etc.

The engineering work had been done on the punch machine so me and the Kaizen PM, Alex, walked down to workshop to test it out. 2 hours later will were still taking it apart and designing a slide rule to minimize raw material wastage. The punch machine is used to make shapes out of coke/fanta cans for use in brooches and custom jewellery. Very satisfying work but not really what I was here to do.

I have had a number of conversations with the management and have agreed that in 2 weeks I will be focused fully on Information systems. For now I was to get an understanding of how things worked.

The week was over before I knew it.

Then Saturday, Shariq, an Indian volunteer was organizing a craft fair in the local polytechnic, so I went along to support. A number of the VSO volunteers were there with there organizations. SOLWODI (Emma), Moving the Goalposts (Cocky) as well as Camara, the Irish educational computer equipment supplier. A couple of others VSO’s also came to support the event. I spent most of the day doing social networking. The Camara guys had a great welcome for me…”Conas ata tu?”. I tried the keepy-uppy(or ball juggling) at the Moving the Goalposts stand but failed miserable in the sandals I was wearing. Scarlet I was!

Some of the VSO’s agreed to meet for dinner and the cinema after (Quantum of Solace). After a deliciously cheap Indian we went to a ridiculously expensive movie (Euro 4.50). One of the ads at the start was hilarious.
--------------------------------
“Having trouble paying your rent?”
Visual – Tenant getting a dressing down from irate Landlady

“Is your fridge totally empty?”
Visual – close up of empty fridge

“Don’t worry.”
Visual – Man worrying

“Pawn direct shop is for you”
Visual – Man with quizzical look, changing to cheesy grin

“CD players. Jewellery. Electrical equipment. Cameras.”
Visual - Man ransacking his house

“What have you got for me?”
Visual – Pawnbroker to Man

“How much will you give me for this?”
Visual – Man gives stuff to Pawnbrokers

“50,000 shillings”

“Get some cash in your back pocket”
Visual – Cash goes into Man’s back pocket

“Where is my rent?”
Visual –Man paying rent to previously irate Landlady

Visual – Man taking champagne from fridge

Visual – Man drinking champagne with Landlady and random friend

“Pawn direct- IT’S FOR YOU!”
Visual – Man with Landlady and random friend pointing at camera
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By the end of the ad I was in a ball laughing. Whatever lad came up with that was neither a marketing or economic major.

The movie was good and after someone suggested a beer. After a quick one in Bob’s, a compound with blaring loud music, and Murphy’s Irish bar (yes I did, and no it isn’t) we moved onto Tembo disco. Anique, Diana, Emma and I danced our socks off . The girls got chatted up by various punters, mostly unwelcome and at one stage we were moved off the dance floor for an acrobatic show (preceded by the playing of a commercial – yes you guessed it - our friend the economic expert from Pawn direct).

Up in the bar area there was a sectioned off area called ‘lollipops’. The name was vaguely familiar. Then I realized were I remembered that name from. It’s the name of a famous Pole dancing club in Bangkok. The girls had a good look and got a great laugh out of it. I was too busy polishing my halo.

At 3ish we headed home; although the place stayed open till 9am. Deadly night out, but not likely to be a regular feature on VSO wages.

This evening I had my first guests for dinner. Paul, one of the Bombolulu tour guides, and his wife and son (5 years). We had a good laugh and I learned some Kiswahili and Muslin customs. I wrote this blog and now I’m going to bed. La La Salama (rest peaceful).

Mike.

Cultural learning
Kenyans dance like no one is watching even though they hope someone is.

OBAMA, OBAMA!

Nov 7th

They are all delighted here that Obama is President elect. His father is from Nangza province, in western Kenyan. Today has been declared a public holiday. They are calling it Obama day. All conversations start with and end with talk of the first African (-American) President. Uganda has declared a 2 day holiday to celebrate it but as we all know they are a bit crazy (so say all the Kenyans).

So, I started the day with a lay in. Nice. Then I met Emma for lunch in Nyali. (Missed my stop so had to go to into Mombasa and come back out). A caffine/sugar fueled affair. Abi and Hannah joined us after a while. They are living in Shelly beach which is less developed and more rural than Nyali. (Mob justice is quiet popular there i.e. they burn thief's to death). Nyali is the main tourist area with white sandy beaches and a cool breeze. We let lunch settle while relaxing on the beach. Not long before one of the locals engaged us in conversation. Unfortunately you always have to be on your guard for chancers and con artists but some just genuinely want to talk and share the celebration of Obama day. This guy was a bit shifty so we moved on.

After a quick goodbye I headed back to Bombolulu (via Bamburi because of a thick headed Matatu operator who deliberately got me into the wrong Matatu). There was a football game just started...ould lads against young lads. (The pitch is 10 meters from my front door). I played the second half at right corner back. We won 4-3, and I was only responsible for one of the goals. After my shower I heard the doorbell go (well the door bell actually talks, “open the door” it says – must be set up for the hard of hearing). It was Kevin the electrician (centre back). He handed me a bottle of sprite. There was one for all that played. He waited while I poured the sprite, because the glass bottles would be sent for recycling, for a profit. The Sprite had the sweet taste of a good day, Obama day!

Had a call from Chris in Voi (my roommate from Nairobi). He is in Mombasa for the weekend and will be staying in my place. Time to get the beers in.

Mike.

Cultural Learnings
I don't remember learning anything today.

Busy out!

Have been getting around to all the offices and workshops asking lots of questions...my forte. The IT support guy is good so that has left me free to concentrate on looking at the Information Systems and process improvement. Because they are implementing KAIZEN all meeting are in the GEMBA (workshops), often very noisy and distracting but good in that it is very hands on. I have a list as long as my arm of things to do.

I met Paul when I was walking by the Cultural centre. He was with Edison, the gardener, and another lad in a Man Utd top, who asked if I wanted to play soccer. They had a training session that evening. They have a game every Sat and Sun. But not this Sat because Man U are playing Arsenal. The guy in the Man U top, Katana, was actually an Arsenal supporter. That's the way it goes here. I have declared myself a Man U supporter. Who knew eh!

I suffered through the warm up in the humid evening, although the actual game was grand. All the lads mostly under 25 so I'm glad I didn't make a fool of myself, even though a young lad of no more than 15 skinned me twice. The footballers are mostly sons of the disabled workers.

I've just had a cold shower (is there any other kind) and a vegetarian rice dish for dinner so feeling much recovered. I have to cook for myself every evening here so will have to learn a few more recipes. Rice, pasta, noddles, fruit and veg are my staples. Meat is a luxury, although the guy next door sells chickens (kuku) for 200 shillings (2 euro) a pop. One of the Ladies in the Craft Shop has promised to show me how to cook Ugali (local tasteless stuff made from maise), which looks like congealed rice pudding, with souesiqui (spinach like stuff I think).

The kids still shout Muzugu (white man) at me but most are realizing that I'll be around for a while and are making a real effort to make me feel at home. I find some of the evenings long but reading, writing and learning Swahili fills most of it.

Looking forward to meeting all the volunteers on the coast on Sunday...all 12 of us are meeting up to trade stories and drink a few bevvies.

Mike.

Cultural Learnings
Matatu drivers are just plain crazy. I think some have death wishes.

Orientation

Nov 2nd

My first day off! Diana and Emma, and Diana's friend Kathryn called out to Bombolulu for a look around. We met Ali, one of the tour guides and he kindly offered to take us on a tour. We ended up the shop were the girls bought a few items and we bumped into Paul, a tour guide also. Paul suffered from polio in his youth and is wheelchair bound. It was the first time we had met so Paul promised to call over later for a chat, as we are neighbors.

We headed out of Bombolulu and got a Matatu to Mombasa's central, Digo street. From there Emma took us to a small restaurant. I had the special with beef...rice, beef stew and a bread yoke (naan bread type thing). Then we headed for the Likoni ferry to the southside of Mombasa, to Shelley beach to see were two new volunteers were working.

Hannah would be working with TWAAYF – Total World Against Aids Youth fund, an organization setup by street kids for street kids. 16 children and 4 men in their twenties lived in cramped conditions but provided education and youth activities as well as a secure environment for them to grow. They were very welcoming and a joy be around. You could see that Hannah was already getting attached to the kids, and them to her. Abi's house wasn't ready (no water or electricity - the employer was messing about) so she had to live with a local family. First evening she was asked for money for the dinner they gave her. Abi was moving in with Hannah for the next few days but her place was very basic and not satisfactorily secure. I appreciated how lucky I was having Bombolulu as an employer. Hopefully they will get sorted soon.

At 4:30pm we headed for home as we didn't want to be out after dark. The girls got off at there stop and I was on a Matatu for the first time on my own, standing out like a sore thumb. On the short walk back up to the Bombolulu workshop I bumped into Paul and his wife. I walked with them as they shopped in the market and was invited to visit with their extended family. The youngest, only 18 months, took a while to warm to me but in the end shook hands. I invited them for coffee and tea at my place and we sat and talked for 2 hours about Bombolulu, work and family. I learned some Swahili...and Paul is convinced I will be fluent in 3 months. He is a kind and funny man, and a good teacher to boot.

I had a shower to wash the dust and grim of Mombasa away, and at 9:30 I was ready for bed. Tomorrow is the start of my first full week in Bombolulu. Or at least I thought it would be a full week.

M.

Cultural learning
The Swahili clock: 7am CET, is 1 o'clock Swahili time (saa moja)

p.s. I will load more pictures soon. I know some of you only look at the pictures ;-)

Kaizen

The guesthouse was great. It had a fridge, a cooker, a cold shower, even a water dispenser. Even better the rains had come so it was cooler than normal, still hot though, 24 C. Stephen called for me about 8:30am and we went to meet the bosses, Mr Seifeit and Mr Kivulli, and the rest of the Bombolulu gang who were all at a Kaizen meeting. Kaizen is a Japanese manufacturing methodology based on continuous improvement. We spent the morning reviewing the approach and reciting the Kaizen creed….because I was new I was honored with the task of reciting it and having the others repeat. We were divided into task groups. I would be working on stores/inventory improvements.

The rest of the day was spent in the storeroom moving inventory, red tagging old inventory and reviewing the inventory analysis tools with one of the Kaizen guys. They needed a summary of the last 12 months consumption so I spent until 7pm with Stephen working on getting the information from Sage to Excel and into MS Access for analysis.

The following day, Saturday, was more of the same with a wrap up meeting in the evening to review and set improvement activities for the next month and beyond. It was all very intense and I wasn’t yet sure were I fitted into the operation.

I strolled around Bombolulu and tried to properly orientate myself. There are a number of workshops, jewellery being the biggest, with tailoring, wood carving and leather. Also there is a cultural centre, with a stage for the cultural show, a restaurant, and a number of tribal huts from all over Kenyan and Africa. Near by there is a showroom/shop stocking Bombolulu and other Kenyan made crafts. APDK (Association for People with Disabilities Kenyan), the mother organization, also have offices on the compound. Behind the shop was the football pitch, and just beyond that was the Zimmerman guesthouse, my home for the next year.

As I cooked up a storm (pilau rice and vegetable curry) I felt a pang of homesickness. I’d be calling Johnny or Chicken man about now to see if they were around for a few pints. I thought, “I could fry an egg on the rocks, if I had an egg”, and laughed to myself. I was most probably dehydrated.

M.

Cultural Learning
When you go to shoot a goat sometimes you find a better target. – Swahili saying, badly translated by me.

Karibu Mombasa!

So, I'm landed to the airport at 4:15am by the taxi after a memorable send off from my friends at the Instruments of Peace. I met a few of the other volunteers traveling out in Heathrow. They has the red VSO t-shirts on so were easily recognizable. From there we had an 8 hour flight to Nairobi, were we met more volunteers. We were now 7 in all, 1 Scot, 3 English, 2 Canadian and moi. We were met by VSO drivers and deposited at the Methodist Guest house (no smoking/no drinking!). The air was cool (19 degrees) and as we checked in it was explained by Lucy (VSO Kenya office) that we would have to share rooms due to budget constraints. I would be sharing with Chris, an easy going London boy. After a quick meal we collapsed in a heap. Tomorrow, Swahili lessons.

I was pleasantly surprised by the standard of the Hotel, equivalent to a 2/3 star in Europe. Our first )few days were filled with Swahili lessons (Jina langue ni Mike. Jina lako ni nani?). The grammar is straight forward enough with less exceptions than English, but unfortunately there is no word for Ireland in Swahili so I had to say I was from Ulingereza (England). Foreigners/tourists are welcomed here. Americans are very popular here as long as they support Obama, whose father is Kenyan. Obama fever has gripped the country and everybody is either directly related to him, or else their Grandmother lived beside his Grandmother etc... (His roots are originally with the Luo tribe of Nyanza province.)

So, I was getting to know the other volunteers. A good few were also heading to the coast. Emma and Diana, 2 English girls had already been in Mombasa 2 months so were able to fill me in more on what to expect...heat and humidity, suspect accommodation, packed Matatu's (mini buses, the main form of commuter transport). I couldn't wait!

(Picture of most of the coast volunteers>>>>>>>>>)

The Employers were due on the Tuesday evening but on Tuesday afternoon I was given a post-it. My employer wasn't coming till Wednesday afternoon and we were leaving first thing Thursday morning. There was an important review meeting in Bombolulu on Friday and I was expected to be there. I would be starting work earlier than expected. The fact that I had been flexible with departure dates so that I could attend the in-country training; and now would miss 2 days of it; and had been informed of this by post-it; had limited information as to why; and there was nobody who seemed to know were the VSO coast coordinator was; I let all this go. I could deal with the uncertainty; it was part of the adventure. (It did take a stressed half an hour to reach this conclusion).

Stephen Ondoro, the purchasing manager for Bombolulu arrived on the Wednesday. Nice chap about the same age as me. His wife lives in Nairobi but he had to go to Mombasa to get work. We had a VSO social on Wednesday evening and left on a bus to Nairobi at 9am the following morning. The road is under construction so the first two hours was fairly bumpy but the last 6 hours were smooth enough. The Bombolulu van (brings tourist from hotels usually) came to collect us in Mombasa central. Simon the driver and Mr Ng'ono, the HR manager were the first to welcome me.

From there we headed out towards Bombolulu with a stop off at the local Nakumatt (think Dunnes) for food and general household stuff. I was advised by Stephen on what to buy. I would be doing all my own cooking. I bought lots of noddles. (Note: Nakumatt is too dear for most Kenyans). Mr Ng'ono gave me his Nakumatt points card to credit the points I earned. I would need to get myself one of those.

By now it was late evening. The minibus turned up a long lane and passed a security barrier. We finally arrived, in darkness, to the Bombolulu compound. I was pouring with sweat. My African adventure had well and truly begun.

M.

Cultural learning:

Kenyans rarely curse, although it is perfectly acceptable for old men to tell dirty jokes. Proper order.

The Gayest thing ever

It would have been hard to imagine this a year ago. I'm sitting in a guest house, on a compound in Mombasa, Kenya, after finishing my first days work in Bombolulu cultural center. This time last year I wasn't long back from South East Asia. For those of you who read my previous blog, my Mum made a full recovery. Then she fell and broke her hip and has now made a full recovery from that. She is not long back from a trip to Lourdes so I have a fresh supply of Holy Water to bring with me to Kenya.

It wasn't long after my jolly in Thailand, that the economics of modern living resulted in me taking a contract job with APC, in Galway. I couldn't have asked to work with nicer people but I was in a holding pattern. I was applying for a couple of long term volunteering jobs with either Dharmsala (in India), and VSO international looking the most promising. In the end I was invited for an assessment day with VSO, got accepted, did two preparatory training courses and finally got offered an IT Specialist role in a disabled workshop; Bombolulu Workshop and Cultural Center (BWCC). I will fill you in on more about VSO and the people I met along the way in the course of the next few months. There will be plenty of long lonely evenings to bore you in splendid detail with stories of the last few months.

Leaving this time was hard. I finally got around to visiting all those friends I had been meaning to visit. Mark and Ails in Abbeyliex, Conor and Sarah in Sligo, the college bookclub in Spanish point, the Amdahl boys traditional farewell historical pub tour, etc.... Also I had to say goodbye to all my new and old friends in Galway. Apologies to the tag crew for not being able to make the Liquors v's Underdogs showdown. Sadly, one of my last visits was to Achill for the funeral of the younger brother of a college friend. Sometimes life is just plain unfair.

I spent the last few days with family and friends in Birdhill, England and Dublin. Many times I wondered why I was leaving all this behind. I might have said it before but I am blessed with the family and friends I have, and also I am lucky have 3 wonderful Godchildren; Medbh, Callum and Daire. So why leave?

I am looking for something. My search has taken me to Africa. For now it is were I should be. My heart tells me so. My cousin Mark says to me just before I left “By the way Mick, that blog, gayest thing ever!”. (You'd have to know him). Cous, you ain't seen nothing yet.

M.

P.s. some pictures of my gaff. It is a former guest house so of pretty high standard for a volunteers (I have a fridge and a tele with 1 channel). Some of the others in Mombasa are not as lucky. More on that later. Will upload some pictures of Bombolulu tomorrow.