it’s 40…

No, it’s not my age… I wish! It’s the number of countries I have explored across the world until now, and my 40th country is Kenya.

Greetings from central Kenya – more precisely from the Ol Jogi Conservancy, not far from Mount Kenya National Park – where I have started a new contract 😃. I was here back in April for a week of ‘discovery’ and will now be back here regularly over the next 12-18 months to upskill the wonderful people who work here and further elevate the guest experience. It’s a very special property, something which I have never seen before and doubt that I will again – take a look!

In terms of wildlife I have also been incredibly spoilt. I have seen some different species of very known animals – this is the Grevy’s Zebra, which is different because of the much thinner stripes, their large, round ears and its stripes do not continue under the belly – so beautiful! And how cute is the baby?!?

I also saw a different species of Giraffe – below is a reticulated giraffe – take a look at this distinct pattern with much thinner white lines and the much darker colour than other giraffe species! And how about that view!

But most of all I was very excited to see the Sothern White Rhino and I was so fortunate to be able to see them at feeding time in April. Since there had been a long drought in the area, it was necessary for the conservancy to find a way to feed the endangered rhinos… it was a very special sighting! I also learnt that they are called white rhino, not because of any colour difference from the black rhino, but because of it’s wide jaw, as they are grazers (the black rhinos are browsers). And apparently it was a ‘lost in translation issue’ – wide in Afrikaans sounds like white!

But let me talk a bit about the work I am doing here. It is a slightly different brief to previous contracts, because it’s not ‘just’ training. The owner has also asked me to look at the operation. This lodge was originally a family holiday home and has never really been set up as a business, so there are a few things to adjust in how they do things – and that makes it a very exciting project for me indeed!

Many of my contacts and ‘students’ in Tanzania have asked me ‘how do you see the comparison between Tanzanians and Kenyans?’ and the other way round with my new ‘students’ here… there is definitely a little rivalry which makes me chuckle.

In general, I don’t see a huge difference in terms of the cultures – I am sure some of the tribes are very different but I have not been her long enough to experience all the nuances, however there is an evident disparity in terms of the education & English language levels – both are much higher here in Kenya!

That has also meant that I have needed to change my facilitation approach a little. I can jump straight to some of the more complex topics without a lot of explanation before and I do not have to worry so much about using simpler English! It has taken me a little while to adjust, but what a great learning experience for me!

Anyway, I am looking forward to spending a little time in the Kenya-out-of-this-lodge before heading back to Denmark at the end of June. I am curious to see if the quite colonial, subservient behaviours I am seeing here on the property are also obvious out in the ‘real world’. It has been so apparent and I am not sure if that is because of the large presence of white Kenyans… 🤔 different cultures and their origins never cease to amaze and intrigue me!