Unforgettable

Its been long since I posted something.
No excuse....plain laziness!

Here is a poem that I wrote for someone special.
Its called Unforgettable

I heard our song the other day
What a way to start my Monday
Unforgettable, that’s what you are
Come to think of it, its only you
With whom I have a song
Twas pleasant to be reminded of you
Though our love faded away
Though we don’t talk anymore
Our song still lingers
Sweet, smooth, soothing thoughts resurrect
I know no future exists b/n us
But thoughts of you are unforgettable
Especially when our song plays
Unforgettable is what you are.

Here is Nat King Cole Singing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GVKbhYrcGM

No excuse for those who want to learn

Learning can be difficult and expensive.
In many cases adults and kids alike find particular subjects boring, or hard to understand . That is usually because there is no foundation to understand these subjects. I personally have a distate for sciences....my dislike for science started in high school where I found myself lagging behind other students and not relating to what the teacher was teaching. So I grew to resent the subjects.

I have a four year old nephew who has totally amazed me due to his competence. He can read; play technical games, puzzles, surf the net etc. I give all credit to his parents who set the foundation early. He is now learning spanish at a very fast rate.

Foundation in learning is very important. Simple things like teaching a child how to link certain words; provide him/her with simple memory tactics; give him or her items to relate to what he/she is learning is very important.

In this day n age, parents have absolutely no excuse for not setting the right foundation, except for laziness! There are tons of material online and hard copies that a parent can use to lay that firm foundation. A parent does not have to be very educated to teach his/her child. As I hang out with my nephew I am learning new concepts of conveying technical material to him. And the more I do that, the more he enjoys and the more I find pleasure in teaching him. I took spanish for three years in high school; its been over 10yrs, but am enjoying remembering the language as I teach him.

Online schools are many. MIT has been offering free online courses for over a decade. http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/

Another very captivating school is Khan Academy. Sal Khan has loaded over 1400 videos on various subjects online for everyone to enjoy. I used his videos to teach my nephew, I could help but regret that I didnt know of some of the addition, subtraction, division techniques that Sal does so effortlessly.
Sal Khan has taken the time to explain various subjects in the most simplistic manner. And the beauty of the online videos is you can pause, replay, ask a question in the discussion board etc.
It makes learning fun.

check out the website for yourself: http://www.khanacademy.org

Virtual schools are here to stay and you can learn at a reasonable budget which consist of: your time, your dedication and obviously a reliable internet connection.

Kenya Funeral Assurance in the US

Let's face it, many Kenyans abroad do not have medical insurance leave alone plans for their final arrangements. Harambees are popular in churches and community gatherings in the US. These Harambees are arranged to raise fund to send a Kenyan who died in the US without prior arrangements.
Well there is no excuse anymore.
A fellow called Henry in Missouri is now offering Kenya Funeral Assurance.
For USD 119 a year you are guaranteed a transport and funeral in Kenya.
This is an innovative idea and a needed service.

The website is: http://www.kenyafuneralassurance.com/

The company also offers discounted family plan.
I think it would be nice if Kenyans spread the word about the services, so that last minute harambees can be avoided.
It is also comforting to know that you will not burden others when that time comes for you.

Groupon comes to Kenya!

Groupon is a deal-of-the day website that is popular in the US and Canada.
The concept behind it is to empower consumers and retailers within a community.
For example: your local cafe may be willing to give 30% discount on all their drinks if 100 people purchase their product within a given day. At the same time, consumers may be willing to frequent the local cafe if prices were more pocket-friendly.
Groupon is the solution to this problem.
Groupon uses the web to advertise the group coupon offer. Once the minimum number of commitment are met, the coupon goes into effect.
A friend of mine Eston Kimani has brought the idea to Kenya. It is an ingenious idea of empowerment. I have used the service in Atlanta, GA and to be honest am always looking for new offers!
If you are interested check out: http://www.sokopal.com/

So far, Eston has been able to get Cafe des Arts next to the US Embassy to sign up. I hope more offers will be coming up soon.

I wish Eston the best in this new venture and I hope Kenyans will start using the service. I also hope that business will see the benefit of groupon and join sokopal.

End of a Chapter and.....

After spending three and a half years in kenya, I have decided to go back to the US. It has been a worthwhile experience. I can now say that I know Kenya, and i will stop romanticizing the country and see it for what it is.
My decision to go back to the US is mainly financial. I hope to go, work very hard for a given period and come back with a sober image of Kenya.
My trip is on Thursday and Friday, so the next post will be from Obamaland.
I hope my relocation will generate more worthwhile posts.

Najivunia kuwa Mkenya!

US Embassy Frustrations

I have been lucky not to enter the US Embassy though I have travelled there many time.
Many of my family members and friends have told me of their frustrations and these frustrations got me thinking!
If you are a young person who just cleared highschool and you have the ambition to go study in the US, you will most likely spend countless hours preparing and lots of money before you finally go to the US Embassy for an visa interview.
Some of the things that you would do is:
1. Research and shortlist a few universities
2. Take the SAT or ACT
3. Take the toefl
4. Apply to the shortlisted schools---each school will charge an application fee (not less the 50USD)
5. Wait patiently for test results, wait patiently for school acceptance or rejection etc.

Once a school accepts you and offers you an i-20, you can log on to the US Embassy website to schedule an appointment.
A visa interview cost money (money that majority of Kenyans struggle to afford)

I have been told that the Interview is short, to the point and in a few minutes you can know whether all your efforts were in vain or you have been cleared to go the US.

My problem with the process is when people get rejected.
The US Embassy does not bother to tell anyone why he/she failed the interview.
If they disclosed such information, the individual can go and rectify that issue and come back.

It is a known fact that once you have been rejected once, chance are you will never be granted a visa. Isnt it dishonest and cruel to send someone away without a reason after all that hard work?

I believe the Kenyan Government should lobby for its citizens; petition the US Embassy to at least give a reason for rejecting an individual.

Visa interviews are a cashcow for the Embassy!
Visa Fees: at least Kshs. 11,200 per person per visit
Les say they interview 20 people per day...that would mean that they are collecting Kshs. 224,000 everyday. To make matters worse, they have a big notice on the website: Appointments once booked cannot be changed or cancelled.
That means if an emergency occurs on the day of, or there is huge traffic and you are a few minutes late, you have lost Kshs. 11,200.

As I mentioned, I am glad that I have never gone to the US Embassy but I think they are mistreating Kenyans and other foreigners with their stringed policies.

IIEC and Voter Registration

Voter Registration started March 22, 2010 and lasted 45 days.
This was to ensure that the voter register for the referendum was in place.
Referendum has now come and gone, and we have a new constitution.
I live in Juja Constituency where a by election is planned to take place Sept 20th.
Since voter registration is closed, how does one go about voting for his/her MP of choice if you had not registered during the referendum?
I am asking this because I have some friends who have come back from abroad since the voter registration process closed and they want to vote; IIEC has told them that they are not registering new voters at the moment. Isnt that being denied their civil rights?
Besides the guys who were abroad, there are young people who have become eligible to vote since the voter registration exercise...what about their rights?

IIEC should clarify their stand on new voters registration process.