Mombasa MO

Not many things go as planned here in Kenya. Actually planning is not part of the African culture. People here acually think I am nuts for the way I schedule and plan. I sometimes come to question that myself.

It is an everyday occurence that shedules are delayed, changed or just plain do not happen. They call it "African Time". I can spend an hour traveling for an appointment only to find that the person is not yet in and after several phone calls and no answer, I eventually learn that person has traveled, not bothering to let me know. We have scheduled meetings off campus that require transport up to 3 hours and not know how or where we will meet until the night before. And it does not ruffle a feather except to this "mzungu" white person. These usually take place on my day off and the staff cannot understand why I sometimes don't come. I reply I have 1,2..3 scheduled, and then they try to convince me that is why I should not plan. 

The marketing department began working one month prior to us hosting our very first appreciation lunch to recognize the HR manager for the companies that currently take our students for attachments. We want to build those relationships and I really wanted us to shine! The event was scheduled to take place on Wednesday,  June 19th 12pm. We were to plan for 90 guests. I walked to the school the Friday before the luncheon to inquire on the RSVP's. I was told about 50. 
I spent the weekend writing a proposed menu, a requisition with all the costs to present on Monday. Monday came and went, so Tuesday afternoon while my boss and the committe were discussing the menu and cost, it was decided that all the staff were to be invited and decided to add an additional 4 items to the menu. 
I held Tuesdays service and food production classes over the school closing time to do as much as we could with the little bit of things we had in inventory. We arranged all the service items on the kitchen work tables so that on Wednesday morning it could all be taken to the Church hall to be set up. I arrived home about 6pm and thought ...oh how are these students going to know how to cook all these new items on Wednesday because there are no recipes prepared in such short notice. So, I broke down as much as I could and allocated the work load into 3 groups of students. It was late and I was tired and was time to shower and to bed. I thought I had better get my Wednesday uniform out and ready to put on only to realize that it was still hanging outside with all the other laundry my cleaning lady left because it had not dried. Out into the mosquito infested night I go to get my clothes and begin ironing. 

Wednesday morning came, prayer assembly at 8am and everyone reported to the kitchen at 8:30 to clear the kitchen of the service ware so we can begin to cook. Oh, so why in the world would no one in the entire coumpund not have a key to the banquet hall except the priest ......who was still remaining at home. More idol wasted time, well wasted only to me that is. These people are used to it and roll with it well, me not so much. We got all the service ware removed by 9:30 just as all the fresh vegetables began arriving. My boss, Madame Mwanaima, who can organize the students in a way that is understable to them was at the supermarket retrieving the remaining food items and arrived at 10:45. Her, I and 15 students prepared the following menu for 80 people and had it in on the buffet table by 12:15pm. And please bare in mind that this is Kenya, everything comes fresh and unprocessed. 

Roasted tomato and basil soup/crouton
Marianist Cole Slaw
Mixed vegetable salad
Fried Chicken
Beef Stroganoff
Braised mushroom and pea rice
Rattatouille
Rosemary Pototoes
Chippati
Fresh fruit triffle
Mango juice
Passion fruit juice
Watermelon juice
Coffee

I felt like I was back in the hotel kitchens back when I was in my twenties, and even Madame, the conservative Muslim madame she is was cought doing a jig every now and then in the kitchen to relieve the stress. I still do not know how it all came together. 
But this is life here in Kenya!