*** Snippets of my life >>> after campus ... (Part II)

After the Grand finale party >>> What next?

I am hoping that by now you have read part I of “Snippets of life after campus” to fully connect with what am talking about.

I had stated earlier that one of my Lecturers used to compare life in campus to that of a passenger in a bus… and after alighting this bus many always find themselves in very interesting situations!

The graduation mood… the week just before graduation is one that is always full of happy moments and anxiety! I remember being so excited about it and as we lined up to go pick our gowns, most people especially the ladies would take their time just to get the right one that fit… really? those gowns are so oversize & it would take a century trying to find the perfect fit! You should have seen the expression on the faces of the dudes on the queue… for them it was a long wait; but I guess we ladies are just special.



On the D-day; the rehearsals have been taken care of and everything is set… the excitement, still intact: for a reason or two I arrive at the graduation square late and to make it worse I find my seat missing: each seat had a name tag on it, it was there a day before and now missing?! You can imagine how frustrating it is! At that minute I am up and about looking for the registrar: wait, and how I’m I gonna explain that my seat was present the day before and now it’s missing; it’s not like I expected her to do much considering the fact that she had already lined up for the procession, but somehow I felt like it would offer me some sense of relief. I finally spot her and I go like ‘ummhhh… excuse me Madam, my seat is missing!’ everyone on the queue by now including the Vice Chancellor has this ‘are you nuts?’ look on their face, just then… ‘I thought I had shown you how to adjust your gowns, come closer’ what? that’s all she could say, and as if to console me… she adjusts my hood and the cap and then she releases me! I mean that’s all she did..! Let me just say, my excitement had been driven away by little frustrations that accompanied the day.

Despite the excitement and all, I have learnt that Graduation days do sometimes present a lot of confusion and drama, actually that was not the only situation that I was faced with, there were quite a no. and later I came to discover that I wasn’t the only one who went through some sort of confused moments going by my friends stories a few days later… though this just a by the way.

After the party… what next? When being ushered in to this other side of life which many like to refer to as the “Outside world” the fresh graduate is usually celebrated by family and friends and all sorts of advice given. What happens a few days later is quite interesting… What was it like for you, just in case you have experienced it?! This is the period I usually refer to as “The defining moment” it’s like that moment when one ponders on what to do and all the dreams and aspirations you had while at the University suddenly strike your mind; and you are left wondering where to start from, who to call, probably those that had been promising to take you in their organizations immediately you graduate.

I can assure you that after the graduation party everyone is back to their business and you were possibly thinking that they would be around to walk the rest of the journey with you! When I graduated, trust me, for a reason or two I thought and expected that I would achieve quite a good number of things that I had planned to while at campus; I must have imagined that if I applied for a particular job opening as long as I met the requirements stated, it would automatically be mine!

This is the moment reality comes hitting back at you and all your fantasies from campus are merely turned into shadows…!

{You must be wondering by now how I survived without a seat on my graduation day, somehow when I went back to the graduation square a friend of mine had already sorted me out and there I was comfortably seated!}

The story still continues… Part III of Snippets of life after campus…coming soon!

Written by:

Dorcas Waringa

July 15^th 2012

>> CITY COUNCIL PATROL TROOPS>>> Are they going rogue?

They have been tasked with ensuring and maintaining sanity in our city… but whenever they are around, we never seem to get the point… why?!

I am not sure if it has something to do with the way they carry out themselves or if the problem lies with the public… that I leave, for you to decide.

I always like using the City of Nairobi as my point of reference because every time I walk through its streets I can’t help but notice one or two odd activities taking place…

Picture this: A busy day it is in Nairobi town; it’s business as usual and though illegal, Hawkers have displayed their goods all over the streets all in one mission… “a chase for the shilling!” Just then… one of the hawkers is heard shouting ‘Kanjo!’ and before you know it everyone has taken to their heels struggling to get away from one common enemy!

‘Kanjo?!’ who are they and why do they seem to have this effect on people? It is very likely that you will always hear small-scale business owners mentioning this name every now and then. Apparently that name has always been mentioned for all the wrong reasons.

Those new to this whole experience might be wondering who I am referring to: these are the Nairobi City Council Askaris… they are mostly seen in yellow overalls with the CCN badge on it. Whenever their presence is witnessed around the city, probably on a lawbreakers’ hunt; people never seem to be at ease at all even when on the right side of the law.

They have been known to attack when least expected and during these times, anyone even passers-by would easily fall prey to their actions. This just explains why these askaris send waves of fear to city dwellers and business owners whenever they are around. I am not shocked at the fact that some people would rather deal with the common policeman/woman as opposed to a city council askari. I think the problem is not with people being caught on the wrong side of the law or not; but there is just something wrong with the way these askaris handle people who they claim to have broken the law.

I have never had any personal experience with them, but some of my friends have; and trust me you wouldn’t like the experience at all. They rarely take any explanations from people and if caught in any situation that irritates them, you would be roughly dragged away into their pick-up vans.

Have you ever asked yourself where these alleged lawbreakers squeezed in those old pick-up vans are usually taken? You must have guessed the police station…right? Think critically... it has been alleged that most of them are usually freed before facing the law… so what happens en route to the ‘police station?’

Is it a question of ethical standards gone down? If you thought the city council askaris are the only ones to be blamed for all these… take a second read!

                                                       


 Written by:

     Dorcas Waringa

        July 7th, 2012