Worked really hard to wrap up the time to event analysis, and sample size problem. I’d spoken to a friend over the weekend, who does research at the University back home, and feeling so much better about things. She explained that sometimes, as a consultant you do feel out of your depths, but she had some really good suggestions, like making a check list of questions to ask when your client asks for advice. I liked this idea, because often after students left, and I began working on their problem, I'd think of questions I should've asked them. Also, she said you won’t be able to answer the problem straight away, it was normal to have some exchanges back and forth to understand the problem, and the objectives of the study. Often, the client would have a vague idea of what they wanted to achieve from the study, but it takes some interrogation to get what specifically they want. I guess I need to learn to be patient, and realise that I can't always resolve these problems instantaneously. I mean, i've been working on some of these problems for weeks now.
At lunchtime went up to withdraw cash from Barclay's. The cashpoint didn’t dispense. When I called my bank, they said the money had been debited so then I wondered whether it had been dispensed, and I'd walked away too quickly (especially since my colleagues said the cashpoint can print faults on the screen, but still dispense the money!). My colleagues said I should go back to the bank, and enquire. The cashier explained that when the cash point dispenses, it debits your account first, then dispenses, but then if it has a fault, or is out of cash, the money has already been recorded as debited, and is not corrected straight away. In which case, the merchant would not go back to your bank to confirm the transaction. I was later to learn, this would happen again, and that Mondays isn't a good day to withdraw cash...ERGH! Seems that the cashpoint was just out of cash...perhaps Monday's is top-up day?!
One of the data manager's, was fitting a cable in the office, so I can get connected to the university network, without using a modem, however, I've heard the university internet can be unreliable, so have been advised to have a modem too. Mira texted asking if I could buy some candles, as we were having a power cut from 6.30pm – 9.30pm. I didn’t have enough money to buy them, so we’d have to sit in darkness tonight! Luckily, the paper was wrong, and we didn't have a power-cut. Mira put on pasta for all of us.
Read a sad article in the Standard tonight. Basically, a British woman came to Kenya, and whilst out on the beach was approached by a Masai Warrior in Mombasa. They got chatting and she fell in love. She sold everything back home in the UK, and moved out to Kenya to live with him. After some time, his relatives moved in (not just his relatives, but his Kenyan wife, and cousin!) The Masai Warrior had kids who she believed were the relatives. When they called him ‘dad’ he just said it was part of the community spirit. When she returned to the UK for a break, he spoke to some dishonest lawyers to change the legal documents so everything was in his possession, and he left her. Seems that this isn't a unique case!
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