Blog: Full of future November 22, 2013

October and November were extreme travel months. I worked in San fransisco, Shanghai and Nairobi. Being in such different places I asked myself the question: where is their urban future heading?

In San Fransisco, the wise old lady wants to change the World for the better. Shanghai wants to live to the fullest not being wise but being alive 24/7 and Nairobi wants to keep up with the exceptional annum growth. Comming to kenyatta international Airport gives a good overview after the fire earlier this year. Try to prevent all tensions from burning. A delicate balance. Even though all these city’s are so completely different, I feel totally at home, safe and secure in everyone of them.

Last night I was talking to a German entrepreneur in the lounge of the Fairview hotel. He was complaining about the airport. I must admit a burned down airport is not the best facility.He told me he was so angry he tought he was getting a heart attack, his material didn’t arrive and now he was stuck in this hotel having a conversation with me… I asked him if his material was found and it had, a chauffeur was on his way to pick it up. That’s great I said. He didn’t think so, still so angry….I told him my airport story hoping it would comfort him.

Immigration didn’t accept my dollars because they were from the year 1999, for some reason they aren’t accepted in Kenya. Because of the burned airport there were no other facilities to pay than cash. Difficult because I only had dollars and my credit card. The immigration officer wanted to sent me back to the end of the line to see if something wonderous would happen in that time. I knew it wouldn’t. Being friendly as always I explained to him that he was solving a problem with a new problem, that I would be at his desk again in 15 minutes and what was he going to do then. That I cared for him and his problem and understood how difficult this was but that maybe he could really help me.

He was totally confused but in despair asked for an immigrant officer to help me find a bank that would accept the 1999 dollar note. I agreed but asked him to keep my luggage next to his desk, I would come back soon.

Ofcourse no bank would help me.

I returned and when I told him no-one could accept the note, he was heartbroken. His creativity had reached its limits. I now felt totally obliged to help him and looked at the line that was irritated as hell by all the delay. I picked a lovely woman from the line and explained her my problem, if she could borrow me 40 euro’s or change my dollar bill.

She looked at me for a moment and gave me the euro’s in exchange for the dollars. I offered her my hotel address in case anything would go wrong.

The immigration officer was dancing for joy and we all, including the line, felt happy. We all forgot the irritation in a split second. The immigration officer, named Wilson, was smiling from ear to ear. He gave someone else his seat and walked me and my luggage out of Kenyatta Airport to find the driver that would bring me to the hotel.

Being biased by our Perfect World philosophy, I always try to find the state of the perfect World in these kind of situations. For once, never accept solving problems with new probIems…. but in the car I realised that when we run into problems people tend to sent us back to the past, rules and regulations, looping old stories. Guilt and blame. No creation.

I was thinking of a line a UK friend dropped me earlier that week from Rainer Marie Rilke, the poet. “Here I am full of future, then why do you feel safe by bringing me the past!”

That was the true perfect World I found. An invitation to create a new reality of progress on Kenjatta International Airport.

The German entrepreneur still impatient and restless inside, waiting for the driver to enter the hotel lounge, looked at me for a moment, then gave me a big smile, hug and bought me a wine. We toasted on the future!

By Jenny Elissen. Co-founder and owner of Perfect World Principle. Together with David Smith, launched a book on the ‘Perfect World Principle’ on July 4t 2011. Do you want more information, please drop us an email: info@perfectworldprinciple.com or check www.managementboek.nl