There’s plenty to choose from at lunch and much of the menu is familiar to someone from the British Isles. It appears that a burger is much the same the world over and the chips are much more like the European variety, rather than skinny American-style fries.

Marie is pretty good company. She has already been here for nine weeks and is scheduled to be here for a year in total. She spends the time while we eat to explain a little about what is planned for my time.

“I don’t really know how you like to do things, but I’ve arranged for you to meet the new employees tomorrow afternoon. That gives you the morning to get your office set up how you like it and become at least a little familiar with the offices themselves,” she tells me.

“Sounds great,” I agree. “I already have some structured learning plans, but much of it is going to be off-the-cuff. There’s an extensive suite of example faults and enquiries for everyone to go through. I’ve never dealt with such a big group before, but I’m sure we’ve allowed enough time. Am I right in thinking that we’ll be responsible for part of the basic training of the rest of the staff once we are up-to-speed?”

“I hope so. Is that what you do back home? Right now we have a skeleton staff from the UK and US, but the locals will be starting in a few weeks and any help you can give will be more than welcome.”

“Usually. Having the support staff do the training actually helps to reduce support calls. My hope is that we will complete our initial training in about eight or nine weeks and then have plenty of time to run through things with the various departments.”

Having finished our lunch, we wander down through the campus towards the parked cars near the main gates. “Are the walls and the razor-wire really necessary?” I ask, glancing at the pretty high walls on either side of the gate.

“It’s hard to say, this far from the middle of the city,” Marie admits. “It’s better to be safe and you soon get used to the guards and the walls. It’s not a prison, even if it might look a little like one.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure that the food is better, at least,” I suggest with a grin.

“Yeah, it’s difficult to show the required self-control sometimes. Just keep away from the desserts! It might be safe out here, but if you want to go anywhere in town, always take Joseph or whoever is driving for you with you, even when shopping.”

“I assume my credit cards will work?”

“Credit cards are probably good. Your bank debit card might not work, though. There are ATMs at most banks, but few elsewhere. They have guards and that’s for a reason. Again, driver with you. Petty crime in the city has actually fallen in recent years, but that’s more to do with harsh reactions than better people.”

Joseph sees us as we approach and moves away from the bench under a big tree where he is sitting with his fellow drivers. Apparently, we have four vehicles at our disposal. He opens both back doors and ushers the two of us into our seats. Again, the inside of the vehicle is pleasantly cool and we are quickly on our way.

We’re quickly on our way, the security man opening the gate for us and letting us back out into the real world. “You said this was going to be a safari lodge,” I say to Marie. “Isn’t it a bit too near the city?”

“Yes and no,” she replies as we approach the main highway and turn to the north-west. “That fence just through the buildings to the west of us is the boundary of the National Park.”

“I… What?”

“Nairobi National Park. You know, buffalo, lions, leopard, orphaned elephants, almost the whole safari experience.”

It’s all I can do to stare off to my left and across the broad expanse of open grasslands. I’d known, of course, that Kenya is a top wildlife destination, but somehow it had slipped my notice that there’s a park that comes right up to the city boundaries. I don’t get much time to think about it, as light traffic sees us passing the airport interchange and heading into the heart of the city.

I wish I could say that the city of Nairobi is beautiful, but it’s a bit hit-or-miss. It’s a mass of organic growth and overcrowding with some really nice green spaces and too much traffic for its own good. The company’s offices are in a modern high-rise building on the western side of the central district. It’s my first trip from home, but I know I could never find my way back to the campus from here.

Joseph, however, is an expert and he drives with a confidence and surety that I might never possess. He is recognised by the guard at the barrier that clearly leads us down into the parking garage below the building. There’s a small office right next to the main underground entrance and it appears that this is where the drivers wait for their clients. Once we are out of the car, Joseph heads off to park and Marie leads me into the basement foyer and a bank of elevators.

“We have six floors in the middle of the building,” She tells me as a lift arrives. She presses the button for twelve. “You’re based on fourteen, but we have from ten to fifteen inclusive. I’m on twelve, so we can start there. I have to work this afternoon for a couple of hours, but there should be someone to show you around.”

“Not the bosses on the top floor, then?” I ask.

“No. The layout was originally being customised for another company that was going to take more floors. They pulled out and we got a good deal. It may look like we are spending big, but we still have an eye on the costs.”

“It all looks very new,” I suggest when we step out into a surprisingly large foyer. “Everything is up to the latest standards?”

“Yes. Wiring and all of that is top-grade. Your floor was originally going to be meeting and conference rooms. We’ve done enough to make a few offices for you and large, open-plan spaces for the support staff, but you’ll be given a budget to sort out the actual workspaces if you can.”

“More work,” I suggest with a smile.

“I’m afraid so. This was never going to be a vacation.”

“I didn’t expect it to be, honestly. I’m ready to start and a little variety never hurt anyone.”

“Ah, here’s someone who can take over. Andy, can you show Will around his space on fourteen and then give him a quick tour of the rest of the office?”

“Sure boss. Welcome to Nairobi, Will.” He’s much shorter and stockier than Joseph, but has a certain set of features that suggest they are from the same part of the world. Possibly in his late thirties, he has a very receding hairline and very close-cropped hair on the rest.

“Pleased to meet you,” I tell him as we shake hands.

“I’m the logistics manager,” he tells me as we make our way back towards the elevator. Marie mutters something about work and heads towards what must be her office. “If you need Marie, then that’s where you’ll usually find her. If the door is open, then she’s in.”

The foyer on the fourteenth floor is much the same as the one we left behind, but the rest of the layout is clearly very different. I’m prepared to assume that the elevators, stairwells and bathrooms are all in the same place on every floor, huddled around the central core, but the rest is clearly custom.

“We put six offices in this corner,” Andy tells me. “We don’t think that you need six, but they are a good fit for the space. I’ve assigned you the corner one.”

He opens the third door on the left and I’m greeted with a good-sized space with a desk, an executive chair and space for three or four others to sit comfortably. The view across the city, however, dominates and captivates. Walls of glass on two sides give a spectacular overview of the hustle and bustle far below.

“I might want a second monitor for the PC,” I tell Andy as I try out the chair.

“No problem. We have spare. You can use your usual company login for access.”

“Thanks,” I tell him, waking the system up and quickly typing my credentials. I take a few moments to check that my email is working and then put the system back to sleep.

Andy leads me back out into the foyer and into a much larger room. “We have seven rooms that take up the entire floorspace,” he tells me. “This one is already set up as a meeting/training space, but the others are currently empty. I’ve been told that one of them – and perhaps two at some point – should be set-up for the local programming team.”

“One of the rooms is right next to the offices?”

“Yes, on the other side.”

“Good, we’ll make that the one for the programmers. They can be right next to the office space then. I would be tempted to leave the next room empty in case either team expands.”

“Sounds good,” Andy agrees. I can now see that he has taken his phone out and is making notes. I’ve only met a handful of people so far, but they all seem to be attentive and conscientious. I don’t know how hard it is for a graduate to get a good job here, but it looks like people want to keep one once they have it.

“I’ll need your input, though. I know what I’d like for the support teams, but not much about how to set it all up.”

“That’s fine, Will. It’s what I’m here for. Don’t worry, we have plenty of time and I’ll let you know right away if there’s anything that I think is impractical or if it is going to go over the allocated budget.”