Are You The Right Person?

Many a time we set standards in almost all areas of our lives. Standard Setting is very advisable.

Standard setting is the methodology used to define levels of achievement or proficiency and the cut-scores corresponding to those levels. A cut-score is simply the score that serves to classify the candidates whose score is below the cut-score into one level and the candidates whose score is at or above the cut-score into the next and higher level. Clearly, unless the cut-scores are appropriately set, the results of the assessment could come into question. For that reason, standard setting is a critical component of the test development process.

 Take that up there and apply to day to day situations. We set standards for our friends, acquaintances. We selectively decide on who we allow on our friends' lists, even which relatives we visit or grow close to. (yes, there is such a thing as relatives we are not close to and others we don't like at all.)
Thing is, we expect people to level up and live up to the standards we have set. I'd like to think many a person asks themselves a question before they say yes to a friend request.. something like "are they the right person for the job?" Of course there is criterion that we all follow..but have you ever stopped and asked yourself if you are the right person for the job.
Instead of asking, if She is the right person for the job, ask yourself "Am I the right person for the job?"

I am running a fictitious story line about Siko, my Maid. Having a house help is one of the basic form of employer-employee setting. And maybe in my former life I was a worker bee, a house-help or simply someone who was in love with the so called lost causes but I get so unhappy when I see someone being punished or judged for their apparent shortcomings.

Alright, I'll take it a step higher, if someone on the team let's say accounting team does not know how to use a particular software- mark you- one of the latest- he is deemed incompetent. Before you do that, have you tried teaching them? Have you thought about the fact that this particular software was not on the market when they were in school? Or better still, can You, yes You Mr/Miss Judge your friends, can you use it? Or have you just heard about it?

Many times, we are inconsiderate to our employees or prospective employees, friends and other would have been additions to our lives.
Much as I am here advocating for the "Am I the right person for the Job?" phenomenon, I have many a time succumbed to that all human trait of judging others before I get to know them...

So, this my new year which kicked off today, will see me ask myself that question before I judge. However... perverts, porn vendors, outright stalkers, ex-lovers who create fake accounts and all those who assume that I am a nice person so they will take advantage of me- will remain under the judge them and cut them off before you give them a chance regime.

You could do the same thing, next time, you are about to yell at your house-help or your casual laborer, ask yourself that one question. Ask yourself if you have done everything to make this person better at their job. And besides, if this person was not there, would you do their job? Can you wake up at 5 a.m, get 5 children ready for school, get a husband and his wife ready for work, clean their house, do their laundry, make them dinner, go to bed at 1 a.m only to repeat the cycle at 5 a.m? Would you do that, Dear Woman who is claiming maids are bad people?

Do you ever take time to appreciate your casual laborer? Or do you just expect them to deliver all the time without any sort of appreciation or acknowledgement? Because many a human soul thrives on appreciation. Acknowledgement. We are vain like that. Many of us are.

So, that is if folks....but

Are you the right person for the job? Are you the Right friend? are you the Right lover? Are you the Right one?

Until then, thank you for all the birthday love i received today.

Truly,
Village Girl

..of month ends, trips, music and rants (Part 1)

Time Check? Way past official working hours.

The office room is deserted, everyone has gone home save for me. One would think I don't have a home to go. When In fact I do have more than enough reason to leave this place and rush home. See, (if you do not know) I have many children who have very many stories but seem to limit their vocabulary to just "Mummy?" when I am in the same building with them.

Someone calls out "Mummy?" and calls again and again. No matter how sweetly, rudely or whatever-ly you respond, they just keep calling. Don't get me wrong, I love being called Mummy, even when am in the bath and have soap all over my body and someone is screaming for Mummy at the bathroom door. Or when I just took my place at the toilet seat............ (you get the picture, right?)

So, I am in the office- Alone. Save for a couple of young men blasting away through my phone headset. There is this Song that I used to love and I think I still do love. Been playing it on repeat for a while this afternoon.

Takes me back to September last year (2013). 

Let me take you to shortly before September, My Boss then decides she wanted me to join her in Dubai for 3 days! In my mind I was like,... "........" Yes. My thinking pad went blank for a minute. A whole sixty seconds. So, I told a few people around me and they got excited enough for me. Relatives got writing shopping lists, friends- well friends cheered me on. So, i started thinking- "Now, three days with my boss...eh!"

So, Yes was not mine to say. It had been decided. 

Missed my piece of cake

Travel Documents processed, suits borrowed, Hair redone- Dude!!! and I was pronounced ready to go to outside Countries and Make 'em proud! :)

It was a five day Journey which by the way saw me miss my Little Boy Cut his first Birthday Cake. 

Day 1: 

I left home in a commuter taxi (am not one to show off) was slated to have breakfast with a very good

Yes, that is a weave. (Facepalm)

friend then at 10 a.m  (Gundi Waddawa?- We should do a katogo for old times' sake one of these days).
Was in my everyday faded jeans and little tee-shirt. To me it was a normal thing- I mean like going to the next town or something. But when I got to town and rested my little travel bag at a friend's shop- she went up in arms as to how I was dressed as compared to where I was heading. (eyeroll? yessuh!)

She bought me a dress!!! and forced me to put it on there and then! So, by the time I met my friend, I had on this un-ironed dress but Friend is a nice person, they didnt mention the state of my dress- well not that day.

Katogo done away with- Time check? 11 a.m. Flight is scheduled for 3p.m. So, that leaves me 3 hours to get to Entebbe airport, check in and etc. I sit in a matatu and it starts raining!!! Time check, 11:45 a.m and we have not set off yet. Well, we did set off a little after 12p.m. By the time we got to Kitooro it was raining!!! Now, there was no airport taxi in sight!! I did a Boda to the Airport!!! YESSUH. BODA BODA with my suitcase!!! 

Got to the the airport a few minutes after 2p.m. Should have checked in by 2pm but i was getting there after 2pm. In my mind i was like.. "My boss is killing me, and imma refund all the money she's spent on me this far"

But Luck was on my side. Trust African Airlines to be late. Our flight was delayed by two hours!!! Yay!! Me. I did the forex things, checked in and sat back to listen to the mixtape my friend had given me. Back to Basics 5 Mixtape. Had on it the likes of Lil Vicious (remember that kid?)  and others. 5p.m and we were called to board. 

The Plane reminded me of those taxis that go to Nsambya Hospital!! Ayi!! If you've been to Nsambya hospital using a Taxi from the Old Taxi Park, you know what I am talking about. Those things can induce a woman whos labor contractions have stopped faster than any drug the mzungu has ever come up with.

Next stop: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport-NBO. Since we had delayed by 2 hours, the flight to DXB had also been pushed two hours ahead. Here, My laptop battery was flat. My phone battery died too, but not before I managed a few texts to Boss, Family and Friend (I think Friend missed out on the NBO txt)

Well, I had thoughts like, What if I never return? What if we crash? What if my luggage disappears? What if, What if and more what ifs?

Tomorrow, please board with me that Kenya Airways Plane. Fly with me for 4 hours and let's stop at the  Dubai International Airport Terminal 1. 

For now though, gotta get home to my little people. One was asking me the other day to get her a new Daddy! She is not too amused by the fact that for a while now, her own Daddy makes promises he never keeps. "Will pick you up for Ice cream on Friday" promises that have refused to mature. 

Oh! The month ended yesterday (duh!! It's July 1st) and payslips were presented. Had the misfortune of peeping at someone's payslip! How on earth does an employer deduct someone's salary just because they lost a very close relative? Whatever happened to leaves of Compassion? So, if an employee is still on probation, do they cease to be human? Are they excused from things like falling ill, losing a loved one, and all the rest? 

That rant against that other boss might take me another hour, because I am so unhappy right now, I wish I would change a few things about certain things. If I could, I would, but I can't. 

I can only rant!!

Tomorrow, we'll board that plane.

till then,