Socializing the introvert- Claustrophobia

I have always loved small spaces, like John from Ally Macbeal, I need a hole where I can crawl in to get away from the rest of the world.

When my little cousins came to live with us, I looked for a bed sheet and draped it across the room to separate-MY side from HER side. In high school; my aunt, her child and nanny moved into the same bedroom. To me, I had been kicked out, there was no room for me.

Uncle cleaned out a store room and said we might use it as an extra room. I found a mattress and relocated right away, but he said the room could fit two beds. I put a padlock at the door.

Mean, right?

And selfish too

But I can explain.

I need space and not in the true sense of the word. I could be in a big room with only one other person but it still feels crowded, especially if the other person loves the sound of his voice.

When there is two of us in a room, this is how the space is shared out.

And I cannot write, think or pray when other people or other person is too close.

I will

Either have to leave the room

Start talking non-stop

Walk about doing nothing in particular, just collecting lint from the atmosphere

Or sit cross legged and read a single page for two hours

The discomfiture of seeing boundary lines puts me right in a tense mood

But I realise I might be claustrophobic and this can happen anywhere.

A few years back I was living near a bunch of people who needed people about them for them to think. They would be very offended that I turned down yet another cook- out that week.

We later became inseparable but there was always the question they could not get round, ‘why did I like to be so lonely?’ and made efforts to have my house warmed by guests at every opportunity, and I resented it and became quite cold towards them.

Many times I could have burrowed into the floor for privacy.

I would not have minded another two cats or five, but people around meant

I had to be on all the time.

On deeper thought, it might be genetic. My mother is happy in her own company. While uncle spend, 95% of his waking hours , I mean 97%.

He spends it inside the napier grass plantation and only comes out when the moorland is clear.

Granny, on the other hand loved crowds before ALZ hit. She was a public speaker and a good percentage of the families take after her. There might be a psychological explanation to this.

I’ll know some day

Meanwhile, I try to go against this by inviting people to hang out with me against my inner will.

It turns out well most of the time.

I get soaking with people-talk and have little time to think. How did I do? How did it go. One of my mother’s sisters understood me and kept me supplied with newspapers, magazines and reader’s digests and told people to leave me alone. But she died.

So really, these are my first steps at human interaction. I’ll get there.

(ONLY one sketch belongs to me. the rest are borrowed thank you very much)

Alzheimer's Patient Priorities

When a family member has Alzheimer’s disease in Kenya; often times it seems as though a bomb as been dropped into the family to scatter everyone. People vanish. And only the very strong ones; and those that have no choice, who tiptoe back to view how matters stand.

Truth is, if the person with Alzheimer’s is the family pillar; which is often the case(mothers, fathers, grandparents, older siblings), woe to the bystanders. Those that used to receive command from this one stand listlessly waiting for direction on what next.

Those that have their wits about them and have more heart than all of us cowards; stagger at the new responsibility of finding out just how different, how difficult the foreseeable future seems to be.

How not to Reel Over

Remember you are not the first to ever give care to an ALZ patient. So listed are a few pointers gleaned from the ALZKenya.org support group meeting, to help you find balance in your new capacity as the care giver.

1. Pray

Psalms 18:6.Ask for help from the one that understands stuff which no one else can. He will give you wisdom which will prove to be an asset in the coming days.

2. Involve other concerned members who genuinely want to assist.

Call that meeting, don’t postpone it. But you will need to be firm; unless you like to put up with rubbish without going insane. Suggestions are welcome but interference in your care methods are a no no. Are they ready to take over? No? Then may they kindly SHUT UP and let you do your job.

3. Get a backbone (borrow, lease, buy, or make one out of lead).

You will be with the patient every day, they will tell tales and prefer some family members despite you constant care. You know how much; emotionally, financially is required every day. A backbone will also be also useful when dealing with friends who will think:

• Your family member is bewitched
• Has lost their mind
• Meddled with someone’s property and now facing consequences.

If they have nothing positive to say, don’t be afraid to hurt their feelings by explaining how unnecessary their visits are.

4. Spare your money.

You will need to stretch your money longer. Find an accountant to value the patient’s property and help you budget. Avoid impromptu buys or treatment expenditures. Constant cash will be required for cleaning detergent, helpers, proper diet, transport and drugs.

5. Get a caretaker.

There is comfort in knowing your are doing your sick family member service by being their sole caretaker, but you need help. You need breaks and rests and get-a ways. A trained caretaker will even do a better job than you could accomplish with all your other responsibilities.

6. Open your heart wide and love your dear one.

They will thank you in their own way. In spite of downtime, you will get the satisfaction of doing all you can, and you will know you have their confidence by the trust and value they will show towards you.

Nobody said it was easy

No one ever said it would be this hard

Alzheimer’s in Kenya- why you should join a support group

Alzheimer’s is not well known in Kenya despite the greater majority of our parents going down with it each day.

Our grandmother has it, and it’s been quite a load.

I wanted to gather recent information to share with my uncle and his wife, who are her primary caretakers. And I came across ALZkenya.org. They invited me for one of their support group meetings and what a meeting it turned out to be.

Why you should join a support group

Like in other issues:

• Emotional release: It helps to talk about issues you are facing.
• Empathy: It is a relief to listen to others talk about similar experiences.
• Information Pool: You can access contact information for clinicians that deal with ALZ.
• Training: You can access training to enable you be a better caretaker.

You will not find a textbook with the title: How to act when a family member has Alzheimer’s in Kenya- for dummies.

And many times you will be plagued with things that you may be doing wrong. Which you will find, it is really not your fault.

We are all dummies in this and lack of clear, open and accessible information about Alzheimer’s in Kenya is the cause. Many are just trying and erroing(sic), injuring themselves, the sick family member and all around in the process.

No one is to be blamed. Not serikali, not God, not yourself, not your other family members who suddenly started to behave funny. Reason is, ALZ is like a time bomb ticking faster than a clock, it is also the most confusing disease yet to be discussed.

One day things seem to be just fine, the next you can’t explain what happened or what is to be done.

Is it to get another doctor?

Or call the family together?

Or crawling under the bed to bowl like a five year old?

There is a way to fix this and it is only by getting as much knowledge about the disease as there is.

You will know everything from how to talk to a patient to how not to change the setting and plot (patient’s familiar surroundings.). That will be the theme for the next article.

(all pictures googled)

What do Content Writers Do?

Every Organization that wants to survive this century relies on brand popularity to know if it’s a success, or a failed venture.

In order to stay above the current, an organization needs to be in touch with its target audience. This here is the digital information era and new as well as long established set ups are becoming dependent on the internet to market, sell and rely information.

Content writers play the role of attracting people to view data on the organization’s site.

Even so, ours is a digital multitasking age, and the faulted belief that web content can be provided by anybody in the organization has carried weight.

The reason:

‘He’s been with us since we started, what can’t he do?’  Wrong.

Content has to be presented in a certain way.

Information for a web page is very different from information that appears on the company’s annual newsletter. Who has the time to scroll and scroll 5,000 words down?

Web content is like a marketing campaign.

Less words, more visual.

There is a way to write web content. I don’t mean just good grammar and punctuation; that is quite obvious.

There are keywords which make an article  up easily on search engines.

Content writers know how to construct sensible phrases that hook search engines right away.

So what do content writers do?

1. They combine text and visuals to create short, fun articles for the web.

2. They optimize articles by use of key words to ensure they are visible online.

(images googled)

Happily working online in Kenya

Just admit it, the internet is the new ruler of this era. And it is now very easy to get online work in Kenya

Why such a bold statement?

I have been under its rulership for over a decade; and it has been a happy one. In fact, 75% of my income comes from the relationship I have with the internet. In business, and in writing

Do not ignore the red blinking banners.

It’s a deep sea; this Internet. Ignore the guidelines and you will end up in the alimentary canal of a big WWWF (worldwideweb fish).

Before you take out your gadgets and start coming up with passwords for that online work website that popped onto your social media page, take time to learn what working online is all about.

It is one area where someone somewhere will always know better than you do.

And some of these want to make a quick shilling out of someone elses’ eye torture.

Where can I learn this stuff?

To learn about working online in Kenya; get onto the internet and search

Working online in Kenya, or Working at home in Kenya, online jobs in Kenya, Writing jobs in Kenya. Then read what others have to say. 

Read blogs and websites about writing. The reason for this is that there are many ways to do the same thing and the more viewpoints you can collect the better.

My favorite site about online writing in Kenya is http://freelancerkenya.com. The administrator, Walter is great with tips.

Why are no jobs coming my way?

It happens, all the time.

Writing online depends on, bidii ya mtu (your own efforts).

Don’t sit at your computer chatting away and expect that friend that has been on this job for long will send you alerts. Get onto the writing sites, sign up, bid for jobs, go through those writing tests, and constantly enquire about jobs on writing sites. Kuhustle proper.

How to be happy writing online in Kenya.

! Do your research thoroughly.

! Don’t trust everyone online (si unajua tu).

! Hard work, for high achievement and eventual happiness (Our Primary school Motto).

! Work Online. It’s cool.

picture borrowed from tnooz (http://www.tnooz.com)