First week in Nairobi has been busy but relatively uneventful. Life has been home -> 15min car ride -> office -> 40min car ride with typical Nairobi traffic jam -> home -> repeat
I think I caught something on the way to Nairobi, so am working on recovering this week. Hopefully I'll get to explore the city more soon.
Let's see, highlights this week:
1) Got my work plan, basically executing marketing plan and developing campaign for d.light's next fiscal year, which starts in March. Got a glimpse into the Unilever brand development + brand building model, which is pretty cool...I feel a bit like a geeky marketing collector, going around P&G, General Mills, and Unilever, and learning all about how they manage their brands...met everyone in the office and skyped with our Nigeria team. Everyone seems super nice, my boss can be a bit intense, but a BRILLIANT marketer, so I'm just soaking up all the knowledge like a sponge...and he does talk and walk like Mr. Bean...
2) Got out of the office on my own for the first time and met with a group of folks from Storymoja since I will be working with them for a partnership at their upcoming Storymoja Hay Festival, learned a lot about education in Kenya, and got super excited about the various Man Booker Prize and Pulitzer award winning authors/poets that's going to be attending. It's a bit funny that my foreigner status by default puts me in the high society here, and all of a sudden I have the opportunity and access to these events where the shaker and movers of Africa will be attending!
3) Powershortage! I am experiencing my first power shortage in Nairobi as I write this post...there was a tiny rainstorm just now after the sun set, and supposedly that triggered the power shortage...it's pitch dark outside and I can hear the backup generator going...this reminds me a little bit of when I was little in Taiwan, whenever there's typhoon or earthquake or something, the power could go out...so we always have matches/candles in various cabinets around the house...it was actually a fun event for me as a little girl whenever the power goes out cuz it forces the family together since we have to share the candles, I don't remember what we usually do or talk about when that happens, but it just feels like we are closest as a family when the power goes out...good times
4) Learning how a kikuyu (the biggest tribe in Kenya) will find a wife...so, according to Carlos, my taxi driver, traditionally, if a kikuyu boy likes a girl, he will tell his uncle/father about the girl that he likes, so they will investigate into the girl's family to see (a) if they are related to avoid intermarriage (b) if she's a nice girl ... then the boy will court the girl, and supposedly the families will monitor their courtship so no messing around...then the 2 families negotiate a price for the bride...the wealthier or the prettier the girl is, the more her family will get...I asked Carlos how many goats/cows he think my family will get if someone wants to marry me, he politely switched topic and proceed to talk about something else, very Kenyan...not sure if it's because I won't get very many cows/goals or what! After the marriage, the boy's family will give him some land so he can start his own family...this is why land ownership is pretty important as it's crucial from an inheritance stand point...was watching a TV program in the evening about all the orphans or kids born from rape in Congo, because they don't have land, their future is kind of doomed because they will have no worth in the community on top of already having a very low status bring born as the result of rape (from the war).
5) Met with a program manager from Shell Foundation and got a glimpse into life in a foundation...with nearly $400 million endowment, Shell only has 4 program managers that covers grants around the world...they basically live out of their suitcases and goes around to meet and check up on their grantees all year round. The guy look my age, if not younger, very bright with good business sense...seems like a fun job to have.
I think I caught something on the way to Nairobi, so am working on recovering this week. Hopefully I'll get to explore the city more soon.
Let's see, highlights this week:
1) Got my work plan, basically executing marketing plan and developing campaign for d.light's next fiscal year, which starts in March. Got a glimpse into the Unilever brand development + brand building model, which is pretty cool...I feel a bit like a geeky marketing collector, going around P&G, General Mills, and Unilever, and learning all about how they manage their brands...met everyone in the office and skyped with our Nigeria team. Everyone seems super nice, my boss can be a bit intense, but a BRILLIANT marketer, so I'm just soaking up all the knowledge like a sponge...and he does talk and walk like Mr. Bean...
2) Got out of the office on my own for the first time and met with a group of folks from Storymoja since I will be working with them for a partnership at their upcoming Storymoja Hay Festival, learned a lot about education in Kenya, and got super excited about the various Man Booker Prize and Pulitzer award winning authors/poets that's going to be attending. It's a bit funny that my foreigner status by default puts me in the high society here, and all of a sudden I have the opportunity and access to these events where the shaker and movers of Africa will be attending!
3) Powershortage! I am experiencing my first power shortage in Nairobi as I write this post...there was a tiny rainstorm just now after the sun set, and supposedly that triggered the power shortage...it's pitch dark outside and I can hear the backup generator going...this reminds me a little bit of when I was little in Taiwan, whenever there's typhoon or earthquake or something, the power could go out...so we always have matches/candles in various cabinets around the house...it was actually a fun event for me as a little girl whenever the power goes out cuz it forces the family together since we have to share the candles, I don't remember what we usually do or talk about when that happens, but it just feels like we are closest as a family when the power goes out...good times
4) Learning how a kikuyu (the biggest tribe in Kenya) will find a wife...so, according to Carlos, my taxi driver, traditionally, if a kikuyu boy likes a girl, he will tell his uncle/father about the girl that he likes, so they will investigate into the girl's family to see (a) if they are related to avoid intermarriage (b) if she's a nice girl ... then the boy will court the girl, and supposedly the families will monitor their courtship so no messing around...then the 2 families negotiate a price for the bride...the wealthier or the prettier the girl is, the more her family will get...I asked Carlos how many goats/cows he think my family will get if someone wants to marry me, he politely switched topic and proceed to talk about something else, very Kenyan...not sure if it's because I won't get very many cows/goals or what! After the marriage, the boy's family will give him some land so he can start his own family...this is why land ownership is pretty important as it's crucial from an inheritance stand point...was watching a TV program in the evening about all the orphans or kids born from rape in Congo, because they don't have land, their future is kind of doomed because they will have no worth in the community on top of already having a very low status bring born as the result of rape (from the war).
5) Met with a program manager from Shell Foundation and got a glimpse into life in a foundation...with nearly $400 million endowment, Shell only has 4 program managers that covers grants around the world...they basically live out of their suitcases and goes around to meet and check up on their grantees all year round. The guy look my age, if not younger, very bright with good business sense...seems like a fun job to have.
Loved reading your post. Hope you recover fully very soon.
ReplyDeleteI would pay at least 3 goats and a cow for you...MOOOO
ReplyDelete