Gladiators.....

Thanks to Olivia Pope some of our lives feel quite normal....all upside down....crazy work schedules....an all over the place personal life....late night tv....planning the future....looking forward to the Holidays.....
Oh yes it's count down o'clock......the holidays..,,it's been a minute....
7 months later...I am ok....really I am.....after blood...sweat and tears.....I have gathered the strength to keep going out here and to see the world,...thanks to my mentors for giving me that kick!! Of appreciating what I've got and the opportunity...I'm going with the flow....to wherever the winds take me....I will find what I yearn for...,eventually....
It's cold out here.❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️Yes people we have winter back in South Africa so I'm not hating it...RME👀👀👀... In fact I love winter...I can dress up! Summer....no I can't we'll?walk with no clothes....and the pent apartment just love it! Nice warm and cozy....
I still need to write about Mzansiiiii.....soon....for now? I'm good...cheers....

Ms Davos....

Hey there....🙋🙋🙋I'm back 3yrs later.....I guess the hiatus says it all....

Last time I wrote...I was in Mzansi....which I fell in love with.....and sadly I had to leave....to go see the world!

As I sit in my Basel penthouse apartment ( yes I'm in Switzerland),....I'm honestly too tired to write much and even coming down with flu....winter is round the corner...my assignment...the most intense bit of my career to date! *sigh!....

I promise to write more this weekend.....relieve Mzansi Magic moments...and tell you how Nneka is surviving in Europe!

😘😘😘😘.......yeah the emojis make it easy to express yourself though what Im feeling is 😓😓😓😓😓

MAMA COMES TO MZANSI

Okay because you never know what life has in store for you....always do what you have to do when you can.....so I decided to bring mama down for Easter... I guess for both of us it was a new experience.....we have never spent too much time alone...together in my adulthood....so I was looking forward to the experience.....somehow mama seemed apprehensive in the beginning but as time drew closer to her flight....the excites kicked in! I have never come across anyone so excited to be inside a plane...mum must have thought it magical or heavenly or as she says in kikuyu "maturing" There I was prepping for her arrival...food..room and off to airport...I have always taken for granted being picked from the airport...the anxiety of the person waiting for you....and their longing to see you appear at that exit door....oh mine was a magical experience...had never gone through it....I was in ORT early so had me coffee and then posed like the rest waiting to see her arrive....hehe she was in for a while and I kept hoping she had not gotten lost in the big airport or misplaced her airline....There she was.......magical moment...as usual I cried......tears of joy and love though....off home......enough eating and late night that was..... Easter in Jozi gets quiet as everyone goes out of town...I loved the serene feeling of having Jozi all to ourselves...we frequented the malls......museums....shopping centers etc.....thank God for Emily my GPS......I could get around Jozi just fine.... Hosting is actually not an easy task especially for your mother who already is set in their ways etc...and what activities do you carry out with them?...so balancing between how rules play when on your own and accommodating a new person..phew!that was something...the humour kicks in with the culture shock tantrums from mama...describing all the awesomeness of South Africa in our mother tongue Kikuyu was lol! Ahhhh this place is better than Muthaiga! Gutire rukungu? I.e. there is no dust...cars are always clean eh? Wet wipes.."tou twa maii" Pretoria Union Buildings...."heee...guku kuhana Jerusalem!" On seeing the Mcdies Mac Burger..."heee....hiii no kazi!" How about the awkwardness of wearing trousers or a sleeveless top?hehe woooiiii.... And the freshening up moments of "kanyamu kau ka armpits"... And those knee boots ready for winter.....hmmmm And the topless girls at the Umoja Concert.....serious awkwardness! And the colored clothes that went back to her suitcase after she noticed South Africans don't really dress up and mostly wear dark colored clothes e.g black.. Questioning Emily on why she is making us get lost?is she not an expert? The list is endless... And just like that ten days went by and I was seeing her off to the airport....I did learn a lot from this trip but most importantly...human beings are all soooooo different.....and you can never really know or fully understand them..their motivations...their dreams....what they hope for etc.....even when you think you know them.....never take that for granted...e.g. I found out now when my mother is 60years old that she has never tasted ice cream!hmmmmm...what more don't I know of her.....and what does she not know about me......I guess love is what makes it easy to overlook these conditions..... And as I sign off...my mother's dream for me is to get a husband and three kids.....hhhmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

MZANSI MAGIC

Sun City,Stone Haven at the Vaal,Cradle of Mankind,Pretoria,Walter Sisulu Gardens,Soweto,Apartheid Museum,Gold Reef City,Carnival City...the list is endless.......South Africa is beautiful and I have only just had a glimpse of it... The Umoja Concert at Victory Theatre,The River Dance at Monte Theatre,Monte Casino,breakfast at Tashas,Sunday Church service at Rivers Church,The sandwich at Kitchen Bar,Design Quarters,the veggie wrap at Rhapsody's Bedfordview,Saturday ribs dinner at Trump's Grill...coffee from Mugg and Bean....wow!amazing lifestyle....I must admit..one could get used to this...and yes I was told I would fall in love with South Africa......it is still too early to tell what next.....we we will see... I love my job...easy and has given me a break so I can rediscover myself and figure out what is important in life....I truly believe whatever it is ...is on the way... As for a "hook up".....boy do I have lessons to learn....one step at a time.... And for family back in Kenya.......the time is here....possibly start letting go......?time to do me.... I guess it's tough to blog about Rainbow Nation.....too good?to be true??? Yes there are downsides.... Winter is here and suddenly I have to change my wardrobe into jackets,trenchies and boots...plus warm the house with electric blankets and heaters....nobody told me to prepare for this?Mummy! but above all.....making friends is so much more tougher than in Naija.....I actually concluded recently that in South Africa you have things to do but no one to do them with...in Naija....there were people all over but nothing to do with them...so yeah I hang out with Kenyans and then God for Susan who is much more than just a colleague.....she makes living away from home bearable.... And finally.....the spending culture is oh so draining...the glitz and glamour of the malls...and fancy cars is a manifestation of just how rich this country is...but trust me this always finds its way in your pocket....a good life is indeed very expensive to maintain... But do not be fooled by the City of Gold....Joburg...or the touristic cities of Capetown and Durban........while they mirror affluence and boast of greatness....there is the dark side of South Africa which is still larking out there.....there is a clear difference between white and black neighbourhoods.......Sandton City is your New York and frequented by mostly white folks.....while Soweto,Pretoria and townships such as Hillsbrough,Alexandria have all the blacks in them....Maponya Mall in Soweto no I did not spot a white person!But I now truly understand what what "rainbow" nation stands for......Diversity at a very high level....

YES...EVENTUALLY I LEFT NIGERIA.....

It has been four months since I left Naija! I guess I needed time to get over it...settle in my new home country...make new friends...fit into a new company and build some equity.....

All done now folks....I`m more happier than ever......now in the Rainbow Nation...I guess I will have to start a new blog as this experience is a far cry from what being in West Africa was.....

Everyone asks me about Nigeria and I become animated about it...that is how special it was...in every way.....Off course there is things you miss....the people were good in making joli!..the music..the champagne...the flooded roads...okadas......danfu`s....yam fufu......the notorious drivers...the unexposed househelp....pidgin english...endless list..

But *sigh*.......it was enough....and end of an interesting chapter of my life.....let us see what South Africa has in store for me.....Adios Naija!!!

BUSTED!

Yes it finally caught up with me....I jumped de lite and cops came breathing down fire...So apparently the fine is Naira 25k...they take away your licence and car plus you go back to driving school for 3 lessons!lol!
Ok the guy wanted moni so we negotiated from 15k down to 3k......Ah Nigeria......
In other news this week...apparently it is not surprising for agencies to rig pitches i.e. steal each others ideas and present them to client as their own.....My Oh My......integrity clearly not a concern...
Long weekend...started on a good note with nite out with the RB boys...saying bye...Tks Israel,Tehseen,Rohan & Ahmed.....+Otis and Anne....that was a blast!Marqee and Club 10....TEN OVER TEN!
Ok just remembered I have to work....aaarrrggggghhhhh........

NNEKA PREPARES TO LEAVE NAIJA....

Hallo!!!Anyone out there?Somebody.......yes......I have been MIA and how things can change in five months....
So finally..after giving it my best.....I`m leaving Naija...I know I know.......why now?Eeeehe?Are you sure???I don`t understand....you are making a huge mistake...??Gosh?Shocking?Damn?What????
So five months into 2011...started off with a new driver...Bright and new househelp Patience.....as the names would suggest......good people right?Yeah right?It is just sarcastic to give people such names because the truth of the matter is their actual selves do not mirror their names...from getting my lunch menus wrong..to getting lost at night since my driver does not know the Island very well?Oh Naija....
A year of exodus indeed.....enough people have left RBN this year...Dare..Ata.....Clement...Baset....and even Bart...and no Ade I had nothing to do with our Global CEO resigning...it was just "fate"....
Ha ha...I`m I excited to be leaving....yes people sure....I have a chance to refresh my life..careerwise and from a personal perspective...and live in a more developed city...Jozi!Not ready to go back home yet....
I finally managed to get out of Lagos and went into Abuja twice....I did think I would be impressed but Abuja is really a dead city in comparison to Lagos....Lagos chaotic.....Abuja...serene....but damn hot!And those weird hotels that cost $450 per night....should have followed instructions and just checked into the Hilton........the two nights were worth it though cause I got to nail a big initiative on one of my categories...yeah yeah catching the NMA President comes with some serious sacrifices...
I cannot say Naija let me down...because in the process of being here for one and a half years...I have grown in many ways and learnt to appreciate life,friends,relationships,people and to eat life with a BIG SPADE! and drink champagne like it is water!Good life!....
I have met many people and as I told someone recently...everytime I went for a gathering...I met new people which was quite unlike my home country where everyone is familiar.....
The elections in April...well thankfully these went well with the only hitch being the curfews imposed over weekends....you are literally paralysed from movement and if you think you are already enclosed while in Naija...then this time was worse...oh and did I mention postponing of day one of elections?that was amazing...again I say....dysfunctional country this is......
RIP driver Johnie...this was a rude shock but I guess big cities always come with their own crime patterns....just that this was too close for comfort....
And from a business perspective...well..we have been thoroughly harassed with reviews on a monthly basis as the scramble to get back business on it`s feet continues...Aluta continua.....
RIP Uncle Pete.....you lived your life the best way you knew how to......I guess it was time to take a BIG BREAK....gone too soon.....
Oh and the WEDDING???Yeah my youngest brother...I`m still pondering over this subject so let us keep it under wraps for now......
As I near packing off to Jozi.......I can`t help but wonder what I will miss about Naija...Lagos......I`m sure it will come to me when I`m out........
TICK...TOCK....