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Kenya! Wow, it is truly a magnificent country. I recently spent close to 5 blissful weeks in the capital city Nairobi. The city and country in my opinion are going through dramatic transformations that we, that live in BC can truly learn from.

My wife’s good friend and celebrity ‘Sunny Bindra’ and I met for a brilliant Ismailia Bhajia lunch at his offices near State House, as we sipped on fresh fruit juices, organic foods and the chai...ahhh the chai and cookies...we discussed Kenya at length. He reminded me, that when I lived there, that both my wife and I were not in awe of the physical country but we were in love with the people of Kenya and in particular the people of Nairobi.

Nairobi is as sexy as Paris, New York, London and Africa all rolled up as if in one mega expensive Cuban cigar. It takes time to light up and you puff a lot of air trying to make a fire then all of a sudden it floods your lungs with smoke and you have to exhale quickly, yet you do not want to be known as a rookie so you slowly grudgingly let out the stinky, yet aromatic burnt Cuban leaves from your nose and mouth....rookie...

The mix of people in Nairobi is eclectic, you meet the UBER Rich who cannot help but to fall into more million dollar deals, you meet the middle class who are all looking to the modern world and wondering whether their lifestyle will be compromised or will their sacrifices benefit their children. Then you meet the poor or those on the poverty line and you see and experience something beautiful, you experience empathy, compassion, generosity and selflessness, you experience smiles and love that knows no strings attached. I experienced all of these people and just as my wife and I experienced Nairobi...it is the people that make up that great city of Nairobi. You need not travel there in transit or to see game parks, or eat brilliant organic food, or watch towering buildings come up anywhere anytime, or watch in amazement how technology is at its best. What you should do is travel there and meet the wide array of the most beautiful and kind people that exists today.

Just like the Cuban cigar, the trip was over and the experience was blissful, yet what happened in those weeks changed lives. When you visit Africa in general you realize how blessed we are in BC with its vast nature, it’s brilliant civil society, its fun loving people, Tim Bits and delicious food. You will realize that as a BC resident you have lived and experienced Canada at its best, you have undiscovered capabilities that can change and improve lives in Africa. As brilliant as you are I promise you if you go to visit the people in Nairobi you will either lead or be lead into improving livelihoods.

In life and possibly judgement day for those who believe in that particular day...you will ask yourself...did I really help improve anyone’s life or did I simply indulge in my own ego? Was I able to actually see, experience and risk my personal abilities to change and improve someone’s life while I was alive? Was I able to continue this improvement long after I was gone? Did I invest in the one thing that matters most on this planet? Did I really look after humanity and God’s creation? Did I really act like a nobleman? Or a noblewoman?

As my trip ended and I flew through Frankfurt and United Kingdom to get to British Columbia, I sat next to an American diplomat and asked him what his government’s future plan was with Africa..he looked at me and said ‘we know exactly what’s going on in that continent, we know what the foreign governments are doing, what the Politicians are doing and what the local people are going through and when we are ready we will simply buy up the successful companies that survive the onslaught of being in Africa’

Wow I thought to myself, I am on the right track here, set up a company in Nairobi, provide skills and self employment to unemployed Nairobi fathers and eventually sell the organization to the government to scale....

While on my trip I went to renovate a couple of places and I ended up opening a small organization that helps unemployed Nairobi fathers to learn a skill in painting and varnishing to become self sufficient. The unemployed African fathers are now partners in the business and Guess what I named it in honour of Canadian ethics and values?.... ‘Canada Painters’...... anything is possible....

If you do visit Nairobi, visit the array of people in particular, do not be scared but be responsible and respectable, I guarantee you will find peace and happiness where you least expect it in Nairobi, the city that I love dearly...