MY CHILDHOOD, SCHOOL LIFE CHALLENGES THAT LINKED TO MY CAREER-FRANK DE STYLIST

Frank De Stylist || Barber

Frank De Stylist || Barber

One thing my clients have always asked me is how I became a stylist of my own kind. The truth is that personally I don't even know, I didn't attend any beauty school or any training for this career. 

  I am born in a family of creative minds, my late dad was a professional architecture contributor in designing the Kenya Coat of Arms. His brother a painting artist. My Grandfather a commercial artist. Myself a creative artist.

      I started barbing back in 2012 while I was in Form 2. This was not intentional, most of the time I would miss classes not willingly but situation matters, "sometimes I have not paid for meals, sometimes people would go for high school trips, I was always on the list of "Who have not paid for the trip? So I was always left behind as others went for the trips. In my entire high school life I was only able to go for one trip, the days of Nakumatt Mega Kisumu. 

My dream career was to become a journalism, I remember i was even dropped out of journalism club because of small registration fee, When people used to go for Journalism conventions in the neighboring institutes I was always left back...

          

So, what could I do?

There was that " Ka-Small Kinyozi next to our school, the guy used to use car battery as his electricity, that's where I now used to go and chill until evening . I started watching as the guy shaved his clients of the days. He used to charge Ksh. 30/= for a haircut... From outside he had Kibanda for selling sugarcane "Kidokidogo I became his helper ( mtu wa mkono) alianza kunituma kumuletea battery kutoka charging" thereafter akaanza kuniacha Kwa shop akienda lunch" Now you would find a customer comes and he is not yet back... Mimi huyo nachkua machine, nanyoa madoadoa tu... Na najikausha"

 Slowly by slowly I developed both interest and confidence, the guy started training me ( Thanks to Boyi ) a k a Zaddock Andanje Shiatsala Market Butere District, God bless you, you were just a wonderful destiny helper.

So I started knowing how to barb, now it was between school and Kinyozi... 

After some time, school fees started becoming a problem too, it was so miserable life, when I realized that my grandmother would celebrate seeing me come back home "juu nimefukuzwa school fees" the best of her moment was kwenda Kwa shamba, because I didn't want to be a village boy, I decided to keep it Kinyozi... 

        Now even on fine school day, I used to go to this barbershop every evening, as my schoolmates spend their games time to go for school clubs and preps classes, I just left for Kinyozi. I started doing barbing, my schoolmates started becoming my loyal customers, I used to shave 2 of my teachers na kesho yake tunapatana Kwa class... They started making fun of me... " Oh My God !!" It was hard time indeed, I would keep a smile on my face in public but behind the doors I was one serious miserable guy.

      ON WEEKENDS, this Kinyozi owner started taking me to his home early in the morning " kupalilia miwa" we used to leave the shamba at around 12:00 noon. We get home for tea and githeri, no showering, ni kuosha miguu, ananifungia miwa Kwa baisikeli namtangulia kinyozi. From this guy's home to Kinyozi, laazima ungepita Kwa gate ya shule, karibu na gate ya shule kulikua na kamlima Fulani, laazima ungeshuka bike, uanze kung'ang'ana kusukuma baisikeli Hadi nipite gate ya shule So you can imagine, kupalilia miwa from 8:00 to 12:00 PM... Kuenda Kinyozi kunyoana, battery ikiisha ni Mimi naendea... Then salary in the evening is 40/=

This is what I used to pay for exams and some small upkeeps of those days. I left this shop when I lastly got arrested

My single mum  who visited me oce in my high school days, sent me cops to put me under arrest when she heard that i had dropped out of school to work in a barbershop.

i was put in custody for few hours then later released after my grandfather visited me at the police station.

I went back to school for some few more weeks only when i again now did it completely. 

By writing a letter to my guardians seeking for small amount of money to set up a business, but my request bared no friuts.

The funny hustle contineud untill when my Aunt picked me from the village to the City. The best pledge she had offerd me was a security job  which sounded to have a good pay of 15000 Kenya shillings. T^his  amount of money sounded alot for a village boy like me not knowing that in Nairobi people live on bills. 

My Aunt Enrolled me For Computer Studies Instead

Which was a better starting point for me, I managed to do computer studies just for the certificate. After this my same aunt witha good connection to people, she got me a friend who sponsored me for a technical study in Parapet Hospitality And Business Studies . You can Immagine a 2 week study with 2500 School fee offerd me a proffessional housekeeping and Business Management  Certifficate. I was therefore transfered to serve as housekeeper ina Bank {CfC Stanbic Bank

Served here for 2 and a half years earning 11300 Kenya Shillings and left as a Housekeeping Team leader in 2016.

Scalling the heights of Hair And Beauty Industry by passion . 

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