My China story

As one of the longest serving Kenyan reporters for Xinhua News Agency, I can attest that working for the official Chinese news agency has been a worthy experience.

My close to seven years at Xinhua has helped me to hone my writing skills to international standards in line with our editors' maxim to 'write stories that even President Barack Obama can read.'

My time at Xinhua has also made me to know much about the Chinese people, their work ethics, some aspects of their culture, how to pronounce Chinese name, the Confucius institutions, Chinese cuisine and several other facets of Chinese tradition.

In 2008 during the run-up to the Beijing Olympic Games, I accompanied a TV crew for a shooting stint in the town of Iten, which is the cradle of Kenyan athletics.

Iten is a high altitude area where runners from around Kenya and outside the country take advantage of the rarefied air to boost their oxygen level ahead of competition to boost their performance.

It is a natural way, unlike doping and is recommended by international sports associations and it does not only happen in Iten but even as far away as parts of the Andes in South America which has the same elevation.

Our visit was informed by the fact that Kenyans were hot favorites in a number of track events and the Chinese government felt obliged to relay the news back home about the story behind the 'secrets' of a contingent that within a few weeks would captivate the Chinese hosts together with the rest of the world.

And as it turned out, Kenya's performance in Beijing was the best-ever Olympic outing in the country's history of the Games, and I am delighted of my contribution in sensitizing Chinese citizens about the then impending good performance by the Kenyan athletics team.

While en-route to the town, I made one observation. When we stopped for lunch, I alongside our Kenyan driver proceeded to a restaurant for a meal. Chinese counterparts remained in the car. Upon return, they were eating fruit lunch they had carried with them!

I concluded that the Chinese are very frugal people who spend only when and are contented with making use of what they have. Could that be the secret to their lean and lithe bodies?

When we got down to work, punctuality was the mode operation. Lateness was not entertained and if the reporting time is 8.00am, it has to be 8.00am.

This, I have observed during my other subsequent travels with other crew members for other assignments. But I had already been initiated, and punctuality has since become one of the tenets I observe.

The work ethic of the Chinese is unprecedented. When we went to the refugee camp in Dadaad for official work in 2011, it was work, work and work. Only recesses like lunch breaks would break our work cycle.

I reasoned out that since we did not go on holiday but to work, work it had to be. This is a work ethic I have since adopted.

I do remember an incident where we were supposed to do some interviews at the United Nations Nairobi office. My Chinese colleague was already there ahead of time and I called her to request her whether she would mind if I was a few minutes late?

Her reply was brisk and curt. "Get here anyway you can on time even if it means you using a helicopter!"

Those who saw me running in town and weaving through traffic might have wondered whether I was one of the famous Kenyan athletes practicing for an upcoming city road! I made it on time.

Working for Xinhua has made me to understand the Chinese people better. Having grown up in a culture where the Western media portrayed the Chinese as unfriendly people and violators of human rights, my close association with them has proved the contrary.

What has emerged is a people who are quick at making friends, but have no time for triviality. The temerity with which the Chinese embrace their culture is mind-boggling.

My close association with them has unraveled a people who are not prisoner to any other culture, in as much as they would like to learn about other civilizations.

During my numerous travels with Chinese crews, they prefer to patronize Chinese restaurants that are dotted all over Kenya for their nourishment if only to touch base with home.

During the forays, I have also become a beneficiary of Chinese cuisine of which I have bragging rights as a local authority in Chinese culinary.

Whereas majority of Kenyans are struggling with how to pronounce Chinese names, the same has stopped being a tongue-twister to me.

Take for example the organization we work for - Xinhua. Whenever I attend media functions and introduce myself as a reporter with 'Shin Hua' (the correct pronunciation), I am met with ‘which one is that?'

Only when I pronounce it the local way am I received with bouts of aaah… Also I learnt that the first name of the Chinese is the surname, hence President Xi Jinping becomes President Xi if you are to subsequently use only one name in a story after introducing both nouns.

Before I joined Xinhua, I would wonder what Confucius institutions dotted around three of the four public universities were all about, until I was sent there for an assignment.

Since then I have interacted with lecturers and students at the Confucius Institute at the University for interviews whenever an assignment beckons to an extent that I have become the Kenyan reporter who handles all assignments related to Confucius Institute. My curiosity has been assuaged.

Xinhua like other employers pay its employees a salary. The remuneration is always on time, which makes one able to project ahead in terms of fulfilling financial obligations.

By means of the earnings from Xinhua, I have been able to uplift my personal well being and that of my family. If given another chance to work for the organization, I would readily jump onto the opportunity.