Preparing for interview

In the last week or so I have been applying for jobs left, right and center.

I will complete my PGCE – Science course at the end of June, I can’t wait for that day. It has been one busy time, the last 7 months. With assignments, adding information on the e-portfolio, preparing for lessons in placement school, teaching, observing other teachers etc.

There’s never a time when I just sat down rested with nothing bugging me about the whole course. Not that I am complaining, I love it when I am busy. My friend says my brain works best when it’s being challenged. Because when it has nothing to  work on, my oh my, it shuts down completely.

For my job application, I must apply only to schools that are licensed to offer Visa sponsorship because I am an international student in the UK. Second, I love my spiritual family here in Canterbury. They have been great towards me and helped me settle in this beautiful ancient town. Very few schools within my category are located here

I want a school close by where I stay since I have a nice 3 bed house in a nice village where I have made friends and I won’t want to move. If only wishes were horses!

My first invitation to an interview is from a school in South London, 1 hour drive from my home and 3 house journey by public transportation. I don’t own a car!!!

It is scheduled for this Friday. I have two days to prepare for the interview. I am dreading it. Really scared out of my skin.

But then my family in Africa is counting on me securing a job so that they can come as dependants on my Visa.

I solder on. For my little girl who, when I left was 4 years old, guess by the time I see her again she will be five.

It breaks my hearts 💕

So I put in more effort, working against that voice telling me to give up.

No one knows this, I doubt if anyone would understand exactly how I feel.

I wish they did.

Baby fat

Where does it come from. Fortunate are the mothers who loose weight when nursing.

I know they think we are the fortunate ones. People always assume it’s greener on the other side of the fence, Irony of life.

It’s been seven months of adding weight. Imagine I have added so much that I can’t fit in my maternity dresses, how crazy is that.

And then this quarantine, stay at home, work from home.

I just found this in my drafts. I have no idea where I was going with it but it must have sometime in April 2020, 7 months after having my daughter and one into  lockdown.

And yes, I am still working on my weight, my mouth loves what it loves, my body suffers, and I am still overweight.

I want my size 10 back…wishes wishes

Teachers are Inteligent creatures

It’s mid 1990s, am in standard four about ten years of age. At that time we try to copy what the adults do, and in this case we wanted to have long painted nails like they do.

Its not part of school uniform and not allowed by parents unless on very special occasions like weddings.

We always tried to hide our long nails from teachers and when they called for unannounced checks we would bite them off.

My class teacher was called madam Paulyne, she’s a genius for coming up with a strategy that ensured our nails were kept short without her needing to check us regularly.

She said, “Those who keep long nails are witches. Their families practice witchcraft and the reason why they keep long nails is so that when they visit their friends they hide food during mealtimes in the nails. These tiny bits of food are hidden under the nails they take home and bewitch their friends and family, the one who invited them for the meal.

Those who come from Western Kenya understand this. And because my school was in western Kenya and understood exactly what that meant, we kept our nails short always for fear of being called witches.

That was a genius strategy 🤣

Kenya Postal Services still works

January 2020

The last time I received a parcel through Posta was way back in High school, a decade and a half ago. It’s was success card or cards.

Since then we send our letters and parcels through private courier services.

Some postal establishments have been converted to Huduma Centers GPO Nairobi being the biggest of them.

And because of this I assumed Posta was dead or something.

Even the bank itself is not popular. I only know of one person who had an account with them, a college mate of mine by the name of Joy not sure if she still uses the account.

Or maybe pensioners, I think my grandfather collects his pension through post bank.

Other than that I had very little knowledge of their services and if they are still working.

This morning I received a call from them.

I was in my bedroom breastfeeding. Then I heard the song Fire by Diamond and Tiwa Savage. I made my way to the sitting room thinking it was playing on TV. Then my husband handed me my phone, it is my ring tone.

My phone rarely calls. I mean in a week my call log would be empty with calls from my husband only. And since he’s been in the house lately on sick leave, it never rings. Maybe one or twice from a relative. I don’t call people often unless I need to pass information or receive. It’s that bad, Jay tells me it’s wrong to live like that, but wolla!! This is me.

Back to the call.

It was a new number on my screen. I tried to think if a knew it, I just changed my phone and lost some numbers, but I did not recognize it.

Then my mind went round try to think if I had any unpaid mobile loan. You know, the Equity mobile loan or Mshwari or Fuliza. I haven’t tried Fuliza yet and I have vowed not to take any loans, after I overstayed with their loan and they kept calling me.

Once all this was cleared I received the call.

Posta; Is this so and so?

Me; Yes

Posta; I’m calling from Posta, please come collect your parcel.

Wow.

I had bought some items online through wish app. It’s was my first time buying online and wasn’t sure if it works. The sellers were from China so was a little bit sceptical.

I made my way to Posta, after having Jay get direction from his friend.

And for sure I received my parcel from China.

The postal Corporation of Kenya still works.

Network Marketing

Network Marketing is a marketing strategy employed by some companies that excludes the advertising agencies and all the middlemen and directly uses individuals to market and sell its products.

In this case all the commissions are enjoyed by the Network marketer. That’s why you’ll hear about too much money in Network Marketing.

The marketing and selling is done in a Multi-level structure or a pyramidal structure. Each individual will start his own network and grow it downwards as more people join his tree line.

Network marketer earn commissions from their own work and from the work of other marketers in their network or tree line usually called genealogy. The bigger the network the bigger the cheque.

Last year alone Safaricom used about 7.9B advertising it’s commodities. Network Marketing companies use individuals hence they get a share of all the billions that would rather be spend on TVs, radios, billboards, FB etc adverts.

One fact you’ll notice about Network Marketing companies, they deal with high quality products. You display this products in the supermarket shelves and they’ll be passed by due to their prices. Hence the need to have people who already using them to recommend them to other people. Most of those products need explaining to new buyers before purchase that’s why they are sold directly by users.

For a small assignment, google “what billionaire say about Network Marketing”

Opposites Attract

Comfortably seated on the couch on a Sunday afternoon scrolling through the TV looking for a movie we both will enjoy.

Now that is one long search. We are the exact opposite when it come to entertainment. For movies I enjoy mystery, investigative, intelligence kind of stuff. He loves war movies or the kind with cars in jungles etc, he can spend the whole day watching documentaries on vehicles, solders or travels even animal and the blue world. I won’t spent a minute of my time on that.

The only documentaries I watch is munder in the heartland or serial killer stuff. He wonders how in the world watch that kind of stuff.

It’s been an hour since we started looking for a movie, we’ve watched a dozen trailers and still looking. Maybe we should just settle on The Notebook. That is our Sunday afternoon gone just like that.

I haven’t even touched on our different tastes in music, we are the real opposites.

But what do they say…Opposites Attract.

Network Marketing

Stop your ignorance.

Network Marketing is not a pyramid scheme.

It may be pyramidal is structure but give me an example of an organization that’s does not form a pyramid in it’s structure.

Let’s consider our universe for believers: there’s God then the angels then us humans, tell me if that does not form a pyramid.

Secondly I’ll use the structure of the organization I work for. We have the principal, deputy principals, head of departments, us teachers and lastly the students. A perfect pyramid.

As a matter of fact, pyramids are illegal for they fail to provide a product or valid service.

So what is Network Marketing!

I Am a Teacher

They call me mwalimu or Madam.

I am still getting used to the name, I have only had it for two weeks anyway.

I am a Surveyor by profession, so how did I find myself in a class.

It all started when I moved from Nairobi to Kisumu two years ago. All my clients are in Nairobi, sometimes I would travel to Nairobi just so I would do afew jobs here and there. With time it become hectic, I stopped.

That is when I started looking for a job in the government, permanent and pensionable. I needed a regular comfortable life.

By this time I was expecting, and so a regular job with flexible schedule would be good for me and my baby, my family too.

When public service advertised for vacancies in their technical institutions, I knew my prayers had been answered. So I applied. I was 4 months in expectation.

At six months I was called for an interviewby Siaya Institute. Didn’t like it at all. It’s like they asked me how to use a phone booth when I am a smartphone era babe.

Guess I flopped.

Then when I was past 41 weeks I received a call from TKNP inviting me for an interview the following week on a Thursday, it’s was a Tuesday. I was 2 days past due date, heavy, fat and tired. But I confirmed my attendance anyway.

Saturday morning I received my bundle of joy and on Thursday I went for the interview with my five day old baby girl.

Months later when I had given up and planning on starting a business I was called and asked to collect my acceptance letter from the Kisumu Polytechnic.

On 26th February I reported for work. Two days later I had my maiden class (a story for another day).

And walla I am a Teacher.

You can call me Mwalimu.

March 15th.

Been A While

Been a while for sure!!

Things went fast.

Am the kind that moves with speed.

But alas! This was fast.

He first called on 10th of January 2018.

10th of February we were meeting the parents.

His in Nakuru where we had late breakfast or call it early lunch.

I mate his mum, sister together with son and his cousin and husband who were in Nakuru visiting a daughter in boarding school.

Then we drove to Lugari, where we shared late lunch with my grandpa, uncle and sister.

Message was we were courting with intent to marry soon.

April 28th was set for dowry payment or ‘rurachio’

His family came to our home, it was a beautiful ceremony with hiccups though but we enjoyed.

June 9th we wedded.

The ceremony was held in Kisumu

And off we went to start our life together.

It is said the first year of marriage is a difficult one, and yes we had afew hard months of adjustment.

We celebrated our first anniversary with a six month only pregnancy.

And today we parenting a two months old baby girl.

It’s been one year nine month since that first call.

Pretty fast,,, don’t you think.