Every bite is an expedition

At BRCK, we are people first, design second and then technology brings it all together.

The reason why I like today is because we really got to do the people part really well.

Be helpful
On expeditions we keep to a very tight schedule in order to complete all our scheduled stops and tasks. However this morning we got a call to go rescue a truck that was stuck in the mud after heavy rains had swamped the road.

This was a bitter sweet call, sweet because it is great to be called to save the day, bitter because the swampy conditions were on the same road we had to travel today. When we got to the scene we understood the severity of the situation. The land cruiser had sunk to the diffs. To get it out it took a high lift jack, several individuals and TWO Land Rovers.

Lending a hand

Our kind gesture was also returned in the form of geographical intelligence which informed our route adjustments for the day.

Ask for help.
The road today was full of beautiful scenery, some questionable roads, very many river bed crossings and very few towns. When we finally got to a town, we needed several things, food, drinks and fuel. Towns off the beaten path have no gas stations but you can always find a local supplier who sells petrol or diesel from a small shop.
I was designated the chapati guy on this trip because no matter where we went, I was able to find the freshest off the pan chapatis. This was a challenge in this town because they didn’t have restaurants, however after asking, I was directed to a Masaai manyatta and although they didn’t have any ready chapati, asking for a referral led me to a second manyatta that had 9 off the pan chapos.
The last request was asked by Erik who inquired about the availability of a cell service signal in the area. We gave a local guy a ride and several kilometers away from the town and under a tree, voila, Philip was on the phone with his family and we had a great picnic under said tree for lunch.

The connectivity tree

Delegation intelligence
Our company motto is “we can do hard things”. We often have and overcome challenges of different magnitudes. We learn from every situation. A big part of overcoming challenges is to deligate duties according to people’s strengths.
When dinner time came, Philip was appointed/volunteered to make the sauce for the spaghetti. It was very flavorful however we all agreed that we gave the right job to the wrong person. Philip has many strengths but pasta sauce might not be one of them. Every bite was an expedition into breakfast, lunch and dinner since the recipe included bacon, beans, scotch, wine and peanut butter to name a few things. It was an experience in world cuisines all in one meal.
Live a little
Tonight is our second to last night, the area of the country we are in is the most beautiful part of Kenya that I have been so far, to try and explain it to you would be difficult and pictures do it no justice. Whatever emotions are invoked when one mentions Bali are what I’m feeling right now. There are 5 individual mountains surrounding this river Beach Front property that I pitched my tent on, no soul in sight for a while then a few boys come with a soccer ball and we play together, then some younger kids come to swim.

God’s country

Best ideas win
This expedition comes as I’m about to celebrate my first year with BRCK. Both at the office and outside, we foster a tradition of collaboration and dialogue that helps the best ideas to rise to the top. Rufus has challenged us with his vast knowledge of diverse subjects in music, literature and world trivia. It is this ability to research and be well read that makes him such a great customer service and support guru.

Dinner time

It has been a great expedition, many lessons learned, I finally earned my expedition badge alongside Jeff and Rufus, a BRCK team tradition. I also did cave in and shaved my beard by the river, the itchy 5 day scruff was driving me crazy. stay tuned.