In June 2021, I returned home from Kenya, and after experiencing the "21+40" quarantine, I began my "retirement" life in my hometown, and I planned to stay at home and no longer go to Africa, but a phone call made me change my mind.
Before I went to Africa, I went to Russia for a year because of the project, and after returning home, I worked in the mine at home, doing the work of protector and safety management, and my life was simple and peaceful.
But life is like this, when you are calm as water, there will always be a wind that will blow in your heart.
China Road and Bridge, there are several labor service companies in China, because there are new projects to be carried out, it is necessary to find a group of people to blast in the past, at that time, my company had No. 30 people, but no one was willing to go, one was too far away from China, and the other was dangerous in Africa, there was a lot of uncertainty.
I also had worries in my heart, but because of the good treatment, coupled with the experience of working in Russia, I moved my mind to see it, and the leader was also very optimistic about my work ability, thinking that I was careful, industrious, good character, and very willing to let me go.
After completing visas, demolition permits and other formalities and certificates, I took a flight to Kenya.
It was 2012 and I was 45 years old.
Most of the people who go to Africa are in their 20s-30s, and there are not many people who come to Africa for the first time at my age.
But I don't worry at all, I don't think age is the reason to stop myself from going out, coupled with good health, I think I have no problem working until I am 60 years old.
The days in Kenya are actually very simple, going to work at 6:30 every morning and leaving work at 6:30 at night, 12 hours. I hardly went anywhere but the dormitories and construction sites, not even the supermarket, so I had a safe life in recent years, and there were basically no robberies or kidnappings.
As for the work I do, the demolition man, although it sounds dangerous, it is actually safer to do it.
It's not every day that there are blasting missions, but as long as the engineers dig out the stones on the roadbed, we need to play.
The leader will call directly and tell the specific location, where the explosion is needed, I will look at the site in advance, if I can explode, I will take the explosives from the warehouse, and then pick a few smart and capable "elite soldiers" directly on it.
Blasting usually takes place at noon, and my working hours are 12:12 a.m., so I often take up time for rest, sometimes forgetting to eat even my meal.
Although it is a little hard, I am very satisfied, I am a very serious person, no matter what I do, I must do my best, which the leaders also recognize me. Being recognized by myself and being recognized by others is my greatest pride in my work.
When I first came to Kenya, I didn't speak English very well, and after a long time, I began to say some simple words, but when it came to the project, I had a big problem when I faced the local people recruited by the company.
Most of them do not speak English, because they are lowly educated, have little education, and speak the local Swahili language, which I can't understand, and the other party can't understand, and often make a lot of jokes.
Thinking that since I had taken them to work, there would be no mistakes in my work, so I found some materials and began to learn Swahili, starting from the most basic, first learning the most commonly used words of excavators, materials, and explosives.
Over time, slowly I found that it was really painful to speak Swahili with the locals, as soon as I opened my mouth, others knew what you were going to say, saving a lot of time and mistakes, while learning and saying, in a year, I learned a lot of Swahili, which is also the biggest gain in my work in the past few years.
I came home from Kenya last June because of vaccinations, and when I went out in 2012, I was 45 years old, and nine years later, I'm now 54 years old.
After a few months at home, the company leader called me and hoped that I could continue to work in the past, and he recognized my ability to work and valued me, which I was happy about.
9 years, can let a newborn who can not say anything, learn to talk, learn to walk, learn simple mathematics, not to mention adults like me, for Kenya, I have too many feelings, and want to go back to see, is my biggest wish at home.
I didn't think I was older, and the company's rule was to retire at 60, so I felt that as long as I was in good health, I could work for a few more years.
Because of my age, after I went home this time, I was dissuaded many times by my family, the company leaders valued me and hoped that I could continue to pass, and the children felt that I was older, worried about me, and did not want me to pass, I could understand the children's concerns about me.
But in my heart, I still have feelings for Kenya, and I hope that after the children get married this year, 2023 will pass, but this process, I have a number in mind, and it takes a certain amount of time to discuss.
I often joked with myself that I had been a farmer before, and I was born with a hard life.
The children once proposed that if they were bored, they could go out to travel and play, I didn't want to travel, I was used to work, I couldn't stay at home, I felt bored, and I always wanted to go out.
Although I don't have the pressure to support my family now, I don't have to worry about the lives of my children anymore, and I only have to live my own life, but I still want to go outside and struggle, and the money I earn is useless and I still want to go out.