Jambo Kenya Korea Winter Edition 2011 - Get a Free Blog

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12 The story of the Ombudsman!... He works behind the scenes more than he does at the podium. Others might be quick to ask, “who doesn’t know Oketch?” But before you jump the gun, you should pause to hear the story of arguably the most influential KCK leader. Vocal yet diplomatic, frank yet friendly, the man has been the unifying pillar in KCK. If you like, call him the moderator. Sadly, his time is up and he now has to hang up his boots. This is the story of the Ombudsman as narrated to Benson Kamary. Read on… Your full name, Sir: My full name is Richard Aoko Sumba Oketch. I was born in a corner of our house in Ruwe, Ugenya Siaya at around 2 am. That was was on June 3rd 1968. I have seen the exact spot as showed to me by my elder sister who was present during my birth…interesting! My timeline name is Oduor which means one born in the middle of the night. Oketch is my surname. How was your childhood like: I had a difficult but interesting background. My father married two women and my mother was the second. Unfortunately I lost my mom in a car accident in Nakuru in 1976. From the age of 8 years I went to live with my aunt in one month after her demise. A very difficult time for me adjusting to new family but it hardened and taught me a lot. I lived with my aunt through primary school, did C.P.E in 1980 and passed with 35 out 36 points but my dream of joining the then prestigious Nakuru National High School came to naught. I went to Menengai High School instead. I joined Garbatulla National High for form 3 and 4 passed again and went to Maseno National School for A-levels. My dreams for studying law went up in smoke when I acquired the minimum 14 points but they (JAB) increased it to 15 points due to the 1985- 86 double intake of university students. I joined Moi University and studied for Bachelors in Education and graduated in 1990 and was posted to Ramba secondary school as an English teacher…later on to Chemelil Academy as deputy principal then on to Mustard seeds schools Nakuru as Principal then in 2007 late to Korea as foreign Language instructor Korea... When and why?: I first came to Korea… believe you me on an E2 visa in November 2007. Yes, E2 visa gotten through the Korean Embassy at Anniversary towers. A friend Joshua Ochieng and fellow English language teacher (mentioned elsewhere in this newsletter) had got the opportunity to come here earlier in August 2007. He heard about this offer to teach English from contacts at Jogoo House who were connected to a principal of a high school in Korea. But in December 2007 we run into problems with Korean immigration office that realized their mistake and revoked the E2 visas. We changed then to D-2-C …then later enrolled as graduate students at Kangwon National University to study Applied Linguistics which I am doing to date. History had been made we were the first Kenyans to hold E2 and actually do the work successfully. It can happen. Your experience here?: My experience has been both rewarding and at times frustrating. First I was fined 7 million won April last year allegedly for working as a teacher illegally for 2 years this was reduced to 3.5 million which I paid through the nose. My old head has refused to internalize the Korean language or else I would have graduated long time ago. I finally passed the written Korean language test defended my MA thesis in Applied Linguistics which investigated “How Korean University Students learn the Spoken English.’ I am set to graduate in February 2012, but I am going home early to start tarmacking at the beginning of the year. The food is fantastic but expensive; I realized that many weeds in Kenya are actually food. We should be starving at all. Korea is still racist no doubt….I have many friends but if the worst comes to the worst the Korean becomes the worst especially to the African. I have learnt the virtues of hard work and good planning in Korea. We need to love our country and be dedicated and committed in whatever job/ task that we do and do it well. I have also learnt that Kenyans are not tribal when they are in the Diaspora, I don’t know what happens once they land at JKIA. Kenyans in Korea, what does that mean to you?: As said earlier they have adopted the Korean culture of being positively busy at all times. I like their attitude towards KCK and commitment to KCK but more needs to be done. Kenyans in Korea though many are students are not that ‘poor’ they can pull resources together and do something worthwhile back at home and in Korea if we are dedicated and united and organized. The birth of KCK, how was it like?: “KCK ina wenyewe!” was the motto. There were many forces that were bent on creating parallel KCK’s but we stood close to the people’s (members) heartbeat. We worked together, used our own money to travel to meetings and organize functions so we had to sacrifice a lot of time and money and battle resources to keep the dream alive. I am happy to see KCK moving forward. Is Ombudsman a Luo word or English? Never mind, what’s your job?: I am supposed to be the eye and eye of the members’ oversee that the officials are doing the right things for the benefit of the organization and its members. If they divert then I should raise the flag. Summarily; overseer and recipient of any complaints by members about KCK. Kenyan Embassy and KCK. What say you?: We have a good cooperative Ambassador, the Kenya government is recognizing the contributions and importance of the Diaspora; KCK membership should not let this opportunity by pass us. We must shape and be part of the whole new process and new Interview Mr. Richard Aoko Sumba Oketch. The outgoing KCK Ombudsman Photo/File found relationship. The Ambassador (Ngovi Kitau) has already shown us he is ready and willing to take us through his good new road. Kenya government needs to partner more with Korea there is a large market for our agricultural products here such as beef and milk, not forgetting the ‘weeds’ we slash and burn but are vegetables here. Infrastructure development and security are two lessons Kenya must learn from Korea. We cannot develop without these two. Hobbies... Does Ombudsman play?: I love to coach/play/ referee/watch soccer, play scrabble chess and badminton. I also love drama and theatre and poetry, plus music of course. Travelling and I cherish and love my friends! Menu?: Ugali na matunbo (mbuzi) fry and traditional veges…manago..osuga…..cowpeas leaves… Smagyetal(whole chicken boiled-bila ‘madoiodo’ mob). Tusker beer. Facebook status: Married with son. Dream for Kenya, Africa?: A peaceful, less potholed, less politicized but developed Kenya where houses don’t have the massive burglar proofing that is the case now. Philosophy: PRAY…then Be good, Do good, Work hard…then PRAY again! Wrap up: Long live KCK! Best regards to all Kenyans wherever they are!
Reflection 13 ABC of my Korean life & lessons Continued... from page 11 The Ombudsman’s Critical Eye Churches are a big thing in Korea….everybody has a church or sort of and there are churches everywhere, above shops underground etc and everybody wants you to attend their church. Many don’t realize that Christianity came to Africa long, long time ago and some of us even studied the bible like an academic subject and –passed! The only qualm is that as much as many are Christians their attitudes/behavior rarely reflects the tenets of Christianity. Care for (animals/environment) Koreans take exceptional care of their pets some live more luxuriously than the average Korean. There are few stray dogs and cats not that they wouldn’t end up on your plate but the care and protection given to the animals is worth emulating if we can afford it that is. Is Nairobi green city in the sun? Far from it almost all streets in major cities in Korea are aligned with flowers and trees and they don’t yank them down during demonstrations or strikes. Our city planners should try and borrow this idea of environmentally friendly cities. Diligence, Koreans work hard that’s the truth! There is no idling about here or else you will just die and be cremated. Kulega lega and waiting for handouts from ‘serikali’ or donors or relatives is not their style. It’s sometimes painful to see Ajoshis and Ajummas (60 to 80 year olds) scavenging garbage for valuables to sell to recycling firms. Looking at them working hard a Kenyan may wonder “Kwani hakuzaa watoto ama wajukuu wamsaidie?” That’s the other thing we need to borrow heavily….proper and organized disposal of wastes and garbage to enable recycling. There is a lot of money and employment opportunities in this recycling business. What I never discovered during my stay was whether Koreans also recycle tissue paper! Dressing, this is an issue that we need to be careful about….especially young ladies Koreans don’t mind much about the minimal ‘madiabs’ that God gave them but take exceptional care for the mammary section. It is not uncommon to see flimsily dressed ladies walking around in bare minimum clothing and the good part is: it’s none of your business!!!! Korean clothes also have a life term mostly a year or two or less. You cannot wear clothes for 3 to 4 years here they may not last the washing machine or so to speak –fashion. Education, is the key to all development or else who will manage the ultra-modern Tatu city, the new Thika Super Highway, a computerized new Lamu port, the electric train, our nuclear plant etc? We Kenyans must invest heavily in quality education and manpower development and maintain the personnel to be a developed country. Koreans enjoy and struggle to work in Korea and not abroad…we Kenyans fight to work overseas. We complain about students being given tuition during holidays in Kenya while Koreans study all the time every time everywhere. Kids go to school from 8 am and leave school to go to hagwons (tuition schools) up to midnight for some of them and almost 6 days a week. Entertainment …Koreans get entertained in a variety of ways…they love shows and festivals…they love their mountains (hills) and climb them every weekend all their lifetime. Their love for nature and scenery is something we should emulate. We have the hills and mountains the rivers the waterfalls the list is endless. Domestic tourism must be encouraged and made affordable in Kenya to sustain the tourism industry. We have a country 5 times bigger than Korea with flora and fauna ranging for deserts to lakes to wildlife to snow peaks…..It’s a perfect adventure country. Koreans would love and enjoy visiting Kenya only if they knew more about it and we improve our security and infrastructure. They also love their ‘soju’ and drink it responsibly. Every ‘bar’ sells drink and food …or food and drink and it’s compulsory in some of them. They don’t need “Muthutho laws” to govern their drinking habits because like I said, you don’t work in this country you just die! Foreigner, you will always be an outsider in Korea even if you have Korean citizenship. The Koreans are very jealous of their ‘blood’ and don’t like it being adulterated with foreigner blood. Foreigners married to Koreans and “Without culture, and the relative freedom it implies, society, even when perfect, is but a jungle. This is why any authentic creation is a gift to the future.” - Albert Camus Koreans married to foreigners are victimized and looked down upon. This is a very negative trend and perception. Friendship: Koreans are friendly people very curious/ wary about foreigners but generally a friendly people who value their friends very much. Friendship here is by rule never across the ages it should be within your age bracket. Food: Korean food is good, with lots of variety and well balanced but mostly hot. During my stay in Korea I learnt there is no need to cook vegetables as we do in Kenya, we don’t need lots of frying, we should eat more of those plants we call weeds….and that we should never starve in Kenya if we are creative. Many different kinds of our foods can be preserved for use during lean times. I also felt we should adopt the use of chopsticks to eat certain kinds of food but we cannot afford the over 20 side dishes meals that they have. We simply cannot afford the cost of the dishes or find enough different kinds of food to fill them. Ginseng is a wonder plant here like the Loliondo stuff ...It cures all sorts of ailments and is found in multiple products. Hosting, this is basically an economic income generating undertaking. Koreans are ready to host any event especially if it involves foreign countries. It gives Koreans business hence they have hosted numerous meetings events shows etc. This is something Kenya and Kenyans must also adopt. Our country is peaceful and has necessary facilities and infrastructure to do so. Hosting an international event/meeting can never translate into a loss whatever the nature. Honesty: Koreans are honest people and expect the same to be reciprocated by foreigners. They mostly keep their promises and don’t lie about their ages, matrimony status and other details. Conning fellow Koreans is almost abominable offence. I wish Kenyans were as honest and things like ‘mipango ya kandos’ corruption and petty conning stuff would reduce significantly. Hair: Koreans value their hair most and take long hours and invest on it heavily. A Koreans hair is his/her temple and they can clean the hair at the expense of the body. This is to me too much and I would not wish to import it as a culture. JOy: Koreans love receiving presents and gifts. This spirit of giving and thinking about others is worth emulating. Korea: Anything made in Korea is the best! Koreans are proud to buy made in Korea and those goods etc are not cheap because most goods made in Korea for Korean market are thoroughly tested and certified and mostly of high quality. We Kenyans should be proud of “Made In Kenya and buy our products always!”. Kimchi is the Korean food brand, it is their national identity and it is good anywhere any time of the year for your health. A meal is not complete without it. It is cheap and easy to make and a great substitute to the expensive “kachumbari”. Luxury: Koreans love luxury goods and items but who would not want to be pampered once in a while if not all the time- if you can afford it? Lifespan: Koreans have a long lifespan. It is not unusual to see many very elderly people around doing various chores to survive. I wish that Kenyans would also live long but be strong and useful in their old age not burdens. Mountains: A mountain to a Korean is God sent! It is a leisure resort and they will climb it up and down every day …it is business. Motels: these are numerous and mostly clean. The uses of motels are varied but they are not always associated with negative connotations. Lodgings in Kenya are taken to be brothels or place where people go to engage in illegalities. Yes, they should be made clean and attractive for hosting visitors for meetings and conferences; they should not be tied to bars because that is where the temptation starts. Noodles: This is part of the main stream Korean easy to make and is eaten everywhere all the time. It’s a snack that I would love the Kenyan youth to adopt as long as they can access ‘clean hot water’ and master the use of chopsticks. North Korea: remains an interesting and fearsome place. The threat of attack is never too far nor too near the South Koreans minds. It’s the outside world that hypes the possibility of an attack of S. Korea by N. Korea. One thing I learnt about this relationship is that the best way to deal with your rival is to be better than him/her.
Page 1 and 2: Winter Edition Vol. 4 Kenya @ 48 Wi
Page 3 and 4: Jambo-Kenya Korea “The start of a
Page 5 and 6: KCK News Kenyans celebrate Chritmas
Page 7 and 8: Regional Round-up Kenyans win secon
Page 9 and 10: Regional Round-up KCK Contitution a
Page 11 and 12: Opinion/Letter 9 The editor welcome
Page 13: Winter Special Winter Fashionista S
Page 17 and 18: Discussion Forum This is a forum wh
Page 19 and 20: KCK Annual Humanitarian Event Jamuh

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