Maybe I should tell you the story behind how I got to first interact with them, to shed light on just what was going through my head then.
Early one morning, I got a call at 9 a.m., from Diana, staff at Kuza Biashara, telling me that there was a shoot for a certain video, at the Safaricom House headquarters. I considered this information for a moment, and decided that it’d be nice to visit Safaricom House, since it’s a one in a thousand chance of ever getting another chance to go there ever again. The other huge motivator was the fact I have to embarrassingly admit to, lunch was being provided for.
So there I was at 10 a.m. security screening desk and a couple of rigorous scans later I was in the elevator. Safaricom house is indeed big and clean. Soon I entered the room, where the actual shoot was being done. In the room were about eight characters, two of them of whom I was familiar with from my former school, Daystar University.
At the far end sat a man, in his mid 40s, who seemed to be directing the shoot. The cameraman kept rearranging everybody in the room, explaining his actions with phrase like “the mic is in the frame!”, or “sit there away from the window, the light is blinding my shot”. Everybody had a role that they played harmoniously, and it was obvious to me that they were a very cohesive group. Could I be part of such a group?
Back at their office we had our first interview. We were three of us who had been successfully selected for the positions. The two men from the shoot were there, asking us all sorts of questions, with their eyes staring intensively trying to figure us out.
Work started almost immediately with a general tour of the premises, and a brief demonstration of the many awesome gadgets the company owns. From the looks of it, it dawned to me that to be part of this cohesive group, one had to earn the right.
We were initially three interns, now we are only two. It’s obvious the other could not handle the work needed there, and bowed out. I wish he stayed just a bit longer, and see it’s not as bad as he probably thought.
It’s been a rollercoaster ride experience, where, besides getting introduced to equipment and their handling, I have learned so much about the Indian culture. The best part of it is that it’s just the beginning; we still have a long way to go and lots more experiences to share.
