Nairobi life: My experience at Aga Khan Hostpital

In the middle of night on Thursday, I walked in the Aga Khan Hospital. I had high fever, stomach ache, vomiting and little hope. After having proper treatment, I am now getting much better as you see me writing this blog. 😉 Although I had some knowledge about medical care in Nairobi, it was not that easy to sort it out by myself when I was so sick…. Therefore, today I want to share my experience for future reference.

<Contact numbers>
The most popular two hospitals among foreigners in Nairobi.
Nairobi hospital: 020 271 4400
Aga Kahn hospital:  Accident and Emergency Department, Telephone +254 366 2020 / 22 or 3740000 ext. 2020 / 2022
※在ケニア日本人大使館のページに掲載されていた番号はつながりませんでした。きっと夜中だったからなのかもしれません。また、いくつかの日本語のページ(公共のものも含む)に掲載されていた番号も一桁たりていなかったりとかでつながらない番号がありました。機械のメッセージを聞くと、こういう状況では落ち込むものですね。 私は、上述の3740000でつながりましたが、携帯からだったので020をつけました。
ケニア在住の人は、携帯から電話をかけることがほとんどなので、020を頭につけることを忘れないようにしましょう。政府系のページも、そのあたりのことを考慮してくれるといいのになぁと思った次第です。

<E-Plus Ambulance >
0700 395 395

I did not use Ambulance but a taxi. My friend told me that it does not always come on time so probably a taxi or your private car would be much better choice.

<How it worked?>
First, I called the hospital. Since my place is close to Aga Khan, I just tried to call Aga Khan but not to Nairobi hospital. I tried to call many different numbers which I had but all numbers did not work. Moreover, internet at my place was terrible so I could not find a correct number of the hospital via internet. It was around 2:00 am so it was too late to make phone calls to my friends in Nairobi. (At the time, I still had some energy left to hesitate to disturb my friends’ peaceful night) So, what I had done was to ask my friend in the other end of the world to check hospital’s website. He was online on Skype and was much easier to access internet! Thank you for the innovation of technology.
Then I called a hospital and told my condition and then checked availability of a doctor.

Second, I asked a guard man at my apartment to call a taxi. I usually call a taxi by myself for my security reason but I did not have no energy to do that at the time. 20 minis after, a taxi came to my apartment and safely drove me to the hospital.

Third, after arriving at the hospital, everything was not difficult but just took time. The only thing which made me annoy was that I needed to walk one place to another place to have different treatments and pay before I have each treatment. I payed 4 times until I got my injection and infusion. Furthermore, I talked to different doctors and nurses as I moved from one section to another. The system was so different from one in Japan. Also different from the one in the Philippines. On the other hand, nurses and staff were reasonably kind to patients. While I was waiting for the result of the examination, I could lie down on the bed. Although I had to wait for about 45 minutes for the result from the laboratory room, I did not get tired of waiting for the result.

Finally, I could leave from the hospital after about a 4-hours stay there. It is not really recommendable to go to the hospital during night time; however, if it is necessary, I recommend you to go to the hospital. In my case, I dramatically recovered after having the treatment.

<Payment method>
You can pay by credit card. But according to my friends, it is not recommendable to use credit card since they mistakenly charge you double…

<How much did I pay?>
All together, I payed about 15-20,000Shils. If you do not have any insurance, I strongly recommend you to apply one before you come to Nairobi. Thanks god, I have an insurance card!! Yey.

I hope some information will be helpful some other people in Nairobi.
Thank you to my friends who helped me to find information about hospitals and medical care in Nairobi. Miyabi chan, Ann, Miki chan, Ayaka chan, Patrick, Eugenia, and all! Your advice were so helpful. Arigato!

ちなみに、アガ・カーン病院はとても広くて快適な場所でした。診察室も平均的にきれいに保たれているのではないかと思いました。診察を待つまでに寝ていたオペレーション部屋のカーテンの色が赤と茶と黒のストライプだったのは、 さすがにアフリカだなーとぼんやりと思いました。

Nairobi Gourmet: Okonomiyaki お好み焼き

Okonomiyaki is the one of a Japanese savoury pancake which contains a variety of ingredients. You can add almost anything in it. Okonomi-yaki means, grille what you want. Therefore, literally you can add anything you want in it. Osaka is the famous okonomiyaki place. My friend Aki-chan from Osaka cooked this okonomiyaki for me and her husband. I used okonomi-yaki source which Saito-san left for us! In fact, source is very important and we must use ‘Otafuku source’ to enjoy proper okonomi-yaki.

Yey, this is how we cook Okonomiyaki. In japan, we use special teppan for okonomiyaki; however, here in Nairobi, it is hard to get one. Left side of picture below is ‘Before cooking pancake’ and the right side of it is ‘Now cooking pancake.’

You have to wait until both side of Okonomiyaki-grilled enough. DO NOT Push the pancake which you are grilling it. It will spoil the softness of Okonomiyaki.

Well done. This is Okonomiyaki.
On the top of grilled Okonomiyaki, we put some green laver an Japanese mayonnaise.

Here we go!! Yey, now we can eat it!!

We love okonomiyaki!.

By the way, I was born in Osaka, where the okonomi yaki is aid to have originated.

Happy Valentine’s Day in Nairobi!

Cheers with Australian Champagne!

Last night, we celebrated happy valentine’s day with lovely ladies. Lovely ladies brought a bottle of wine, chocolate, and dessert to share then we enjoyed the special night together. Sorry for those who could not make it. It was an unforgettable night.

The night started around 8pm at Nina’s lovely house in Spring Valley. The house is so gorgeous and we all enjoyed the night. At a maximum, about 20 people were enjoying V-Day cocktail party. I have never had wonderful Valentine’s Day like this before. Thank you Nina for hosting this lovely party and Charlene for organizing the lovely night. You are awesome!

Those pictures will tell you how the night was great without words. Life in Nairobi is so great even for those who do not have the only Valentine. 😉

I wish all my friends had a wonderful Valentine’s day.

Useful Information for Japanese People Living in Nairobi

今日はバレンタイン。ナイロビでもカップルはどうやら祝うらしいです。ということで私も皆さんにちょっとしたプレゼントを。それは、これからナイロビに住みたいと検討している方に役に立つ便利な生活情報です;-)　はい、色気はありませんけどどうぞ。

先日みんなでランチを食べているときに、どんな情報があったらうれしいかな、ということを日本人の皆さんに聞いたところ、多かったのがグルメ情報、生活便利情報、旅行情報などでした。確かに、生活の便利情報って貴重。私自身は、サービスアパートメント（電気やガスがサービスに含まれていて、最低限の掃除は週に何回かメイドさんが来て実施してくれる）に住んでいるので、あまりシリアスに考えたことがなかったけれど、特に電気や水やガスが止まったときはとっても困る。もし私が自分でLPGを持ってきてもらったりとか、電気の交渉をしたりするなんて、とてもじゃないけど時間がかかりすぎるだろうな・・・

先日世銀の調査データを見ていたら、これはビジネスの場合だけど、新たに電気を引くために待たないといけない日数が数ヶ月、費用がGDPの何倍っていう数値が出ていた。これは極端な例だろうし、すべてが当てはまるわけではないだろうけど、それにしても何でもかんでも自分でしないといけないということになったら大変そうだ。大昔にマレーシアに住んでいたときに、電話がつながるまで2ヶ月かかったのを思い出す。おいしいお菓子とジュースを差し出し、少しでも作業をスムーズにしてもらえるように願うしかなかった。つながったころには引越しだったな。

そこで、今日の目玉？はこちらの情報。JICAさんが、ナイロビに赴任される人対象にまとめている生活情報。ナイロビに住む人は必見の情報です。意外と存在を知られていないみたいですけど、世界各国のさまざまなバージョンがあるようです。また、毎年内容も更新されており、一般公開されているので是非参考にしてみてください。JICAさんのwebsiteには、ここからいけますのでどうぞ。

http://www.jica.go.jp/seikatsu/pdf/Africa/Kenya-p.pdf

Nairobi Gourmet: Home Made Banana Cake

I know that people may ask me “Why Gourmet? Seriously???”

I baked Banana Cake, Yey!
I used no butter but olive oil instead 🙂
Can you believe that I did not use a scale at all?
It is simple but good for your breakfast.

Enjoy the bananas’ natural sweetness and feel refreshed by flavor of olive!

If you want to use scale, below is recipe.
1. well ripen bananas: 100-120g
2. wheat flour: 100g
3.  caster sugar: 100g
4. egg: 1
5. milk: 30g
6. Olive oil or vegetable oil: 30g
7.baking soda: 3g

In basic, mix all ingredients following order below and bake it in an oven with 170℃ for about 45 mins.
(Mix banana → egg → sugar → baking soda → milk → oil → flour)

It is so easy! If you have an oven, you should try it!

ケーキ型と、ケーキ作成のために使ったヘラは、先日日本人学校で行われたバザーでゲットしました！！とっても助かってます。ありがとうございます！

Acumen Global Fellows Report on Tokyo Foundation Website

Today, my second and third report for The Tokyo Foundation were uploaded to their official website. Reports are written in Japanese. Sorry for friends who does not understand Japanese… Be noted, Google translator might not the best choice to understand Japanese in any website…

Tokyo Foundation Japanese website: http://www.tkfd.or.jp/
Tokyo Foundation English website: http://www.tokyofoundation.org/en/

The Tokyo Foundation provides a fellowship for the selected fellow. They sponsors a fellow who is equivalent to that for the other AFFP fellows covering necessary expenses for the duration of the program. S/he should be a Japanese national or a permanent resident in Japan. Therefore, I am a fellow sponsored by The Tokyo Foundation as Acumen Global Fellow. It’s my great pleasure to be able to be a member of The Tokyo Foundation. Although there is no no special treatment for the Tokyo Foundation’s candidates even before and after the selection process. The reason why I am proud of being The Tokyo Foundation – Acumen Fund Fellow is that I share believes with them. I am here to commit myself to tackling complicated social problems through marketing solutions in developing countries, such as Kenya. Moreover, I believe that the world is connected. I am hoping be able to contribute to tackling complicated problems in Japan while I am facing the challenges as TF-Acumen Global Fellow. One of the good examples of this is that the case which I helped chamber of commerce in my hometown when I went back to my home during last Christmas holiday.

So, below is a list of the report. If you can read Japanese, please read those and send me some comments. Your comments and requests for relevant topics for the next report are most welcome! Hope you enjoy them.

アフリカに光を！―ニューヨークレポート（２）―強い信念と困難を乗り越える力を得た研修（井上直美）
http://www.tkfd.or.jp/fellowship/program/news.php?id=123

アフリカに光を！―ナイロビレポート（１）―スリ、強盗、ダニでスタートしたアフリカ生活（井上直美）
http://www.tkfd.or.jp/fellowship/program/news.php?id=124

 

Nairobi Gourmet: Alexandre Bakery and Pastry Shop

Strawberry cake@ Alexandre Bakery, Yaya Center. Yummy strawberry cake which is not available everyday. You can enjoy it at 500Shil without Tax.(I remember it was much cheaper when I bought it last year… probably, they increased prices) It is a bit expensive though, worth to try it when you really really want to eat a nice one.

 

 

My another favorite is chocolate tart. It reminds me of chocolate tarts I fell in love with when I visited France. Only because of that, I repeatedly visited Paris…

 

It locates at the ground floor. You can also enjoy French style breads and sandwiches. On 1st floor, you can also enjoy French dishes at same restaurant. I have never tried it yet, I hope that I can try it once!

 

Tomoya-san’s Birthday Party

We celebrate Tomoya san’s birthday at Suguru san’s place one day before of his birthday. Yummy foods, drinks, cakes and stories which people brought on that day were unforgettable.

ということで、ともやさんの誕生日会を優さんのお宅でお祝いしました！
ハッピーバースディ♪　ともやさん！！

こういうのは、海外で生活しているときの楽しいイベントのひとつでもある気がします。 もちろん日本でも誕生日は祝うけれど、誰かの家でホームパーティ風に祝うのは、あまりない気がします。おそらくその理由のひとつは、家のサイズではないでしょうか。私自身、東京の家でパーティをしたことはあるけれど、家のサイズ的に10人入ったら息苦しいくらいでした。それから次に、便の悪さ。例えば、東京で働いているたちはいろんなところから通っていて、例えば千葉にお住まいのAさんが企画するホームパーティに、湘南から来る、なんてことになると行くだけでも大変ですし。。。最後に、便利でおいしく手ごろな価格で楽しめるレストランが街中にたくさんあること。ナイロビにもたくさんお店はあるけれど、選択肢は東京とは比べ物にならないくらい少ないです。（私の実家のある町？よりは随分たくさん選択肢はありますけど。。。(^^)）

と、前置きはこのくらいにして・・・

本日のバースディケーキは、あやかちゃんが買ってきてくれたマンゴームースとチョコのケーキ(YaYaセンター、Alexander)と、優さんお手製のティラミスケーキ！！

ケーキ入刀は、ダブルトモヤで。

ホームパーティで楽しいのは、いろんな人が持ち寄る料理やドリンク、デザートなど。そしてホストの方が用意してくださるお料理など。いろんなジャンルのものが集まって、とっても楽しいです。幸せなひと時が過ぎます。

この日のバースディパーティでは、ともやさんが、○○歳の抱負として3つの誓いを立てました。ここではその詳細は内緒にしておきますけど、ビデオもとりました。大切に保管しておきます。将来のために！

↓　こちらは、プレゼント進呈。

みんなで歓談。
 
↓ナイロビでKFC食べられるなんて思いませんでした！

優さんとハルキくん。ラブリー。

もうひとつハッピーなことに、カズさんがこの日挙式日を決定しました！おめでとうございます！！来年の春が楽しみですね。

Real experiences deliver the benefits of products and expand imagination of the customers. d.light

 

Real experience is the key for us to let potential users to understand the benefits of our lantern products. Our products are low price and has high quality; however, without touching it and using it, it is difficult for customers to imagine those benefits.

 

From the end of last year and the binning of this year, we d.light tried one promotion campaign at Nakumat supermarket. Customers at shopping center could see the demonstration of lantern products. Moreover, sales person who had been standing at the demonstration corner answered questions from potential users and help them understand the benefits of solar lanterns.

Although Nakumat is not the shop where people in BoP market go for shopping, the learning from the promotion was great. For me, it was great opportunity to learn how it is important for people to FEEL THE BENEFITS of lanterns by themselves. Customers are amazed by using real solar lanterns. Furthermore, after using the lanterns, they decide to buy lanterns by themselves knowing that huge benefits they can have from purchasing only one lantern.

I  remember what happened when I demonstrated solar lanterns at Laico hotel in Nairobi when BoP mission, JETRO came to Nairobi. After I finished demonstrations, staff at the hotel talked to me and asked me more about lanterns. Some of them came to d.light office some days later and purchased our lanterns. Some people bought lanterns from Nakumat.
It was my a- ha moment to recognize how customers take action when they recognize the benefits of lanterns and imagine the future betterment of their life.

How can we reach our target customers in the way that we can also maintain our benefits? That is the big challenge for our business. However, I believe it is very important for our business to deliver real experiences and let them recognize benefits of products before customers buy our products. I want to find the way to deliver this experiences in sustainable way and expand the peoples’ imagination toward future betterment.

This is Africa: One step forward and probably three step back…

Surprisingly what, this morning we could not connect to the internet.

Can you imagine how I was disappointed this morning. Can you imagine how colleagues in our office could become mean to me? I hope they understand that this is not my intention; however, it is really painful when they just look at me with mad eyes and say “Internet is not working. I spend for two hours for nothing now. What are you going to do.” Not only one person but most of them come to me and they were almost going to kill me… seriously…

Therefore, I had a conversation with those IT guys and they say that we have to accept this problem. What kind of person in this world can accept this situation. This is not 18 century but 21 st century when you are forced to use internet as primary communication tool.

I talked to them again. “We need to tackle root problems.” Let’s discuss how to tackle the prime problem. I continued. Amazingly, somebody who used to be my prime contact person  now says that I should talk to somebody else who does not understand the circumstances very well.

In basic, I love Kenyan people. However, I cannot be very very patient when they have no will to listen to me.  Here we go! Flexibility and patience are very important skills for us to survive in Africa. Be cool, but hot in your heart.

Next week, I am planning to set a discussion with them. I hope it will be much better than what we have now.