I enjoy opportunities to keep things light in the blog, and here's a great one.
Ross Kehl, who has a blog on WindowFilmMag.com, wrote a very interesting post earlier this month about a trip he made to Nigeria as part of a contract to put 168,000 square feet of security film of a "major government oil regulation headquarters."
The headline on the column hints that this isn't a typical business trip: "Nigeria … Not Exactly Paradise."
If you've ever had a bad business trip, it probably doesn't compare to this one. Starting with the inoculations that were necessary in advance, then moving on to the travel issues, plus Kehl's observations about the frequency with which he ran into people toting AK-47 assault rifles -- this was nothing like a typical customer visit.
"We finally got to our destination and our assigned driver was supposed to take us to the hotel," Kehl writes. "We pull up to a 'compound' with 10-foot-high block walls topped with barbed wire, guard gate with armed guards (AK-47's of course) and I ask the driver what's this, he replies, 'It's your hotel.' Holy heart failure, Batman."
On top of all that, he runs into technical issues on the job site, when he finds out the rubber molded attachments he had in mind for the glass doors won't fit.
Funny stuff. Keep it in mind the next time you have a business trip from hell. Chances are pretty good you won't be feeling like you're putting your life on the line to sell 168,000 square feet of window film.