A life in the day of .... A security guard

I am always up by 5 a.m. I try and pray every morning for ten minutes but I don’t manage it every day. I then do my house chores and take a quick shower. I have to be at my work before 7 a.m. I leave home at around 6.35 and get a bus to work. On the bus I think about what responsibilities I have to do and make sure today is as successful as yesterday. At work in Kimihurura, I take over from my colleague who worked at night. We work at the premises of United Nations High Commission for Refugee (UNHCR) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Kimuhurura. I make sure that all things are in order before my colleague goes away. Breakfast has never been part of my routine. My finances don’t allow me to pick up something from the shops for my stomach. I’m assigned the duty of attending to the many people who come to the premises. They include visitors, UN workers, journalists and refugees. I check them for any prohibited items like metals, knives and guns. I don’t check our regular workforce; I know them all, because I’ve been here since October last year. Those visitors with appointments are allowed in after I’ve called their hosts. I have all the office lines for every desk in the office. I then send them to the next check point where they are given budges to take with. The work is tedious because you have to stay put in the same place. The hardest part of my work is denying someone entrance when the person his or her host denies them audience. I become the culprit yet am just doing my work. I even get insulted sometimes. It’s also my duty to look after the safety of the cars in the parking yard. It’s very hard for someone to understand that his side mirror was stolen yet he parked it in my presence. When I’m not attending to visitors and the cars, I spare some time for my nursery bed where I grow cabbage. I studied and obtained a diploma in agriculture from Groupe Scolaire de Jumba, in the Western Province in 2003. Despite the fact that I’m a security guard, I still have dream of doing what I studied and this is why I keep reminding myself of the things I learnt in school. I also rear over 180 rabbits back in the village. Agriculture will always be my passion. All the same, I like my work. Whatever I eat is from my monthly salary of Frw30,000. Unlike other youth who are idle, I’m proud to have something that gives me a living. The only thing I hate about what I do is the fact that I’m doing something I did not study for. Even if I get the money to join a higher institution of learning, I wouldn’t have the time to work and study. Due to my tight daily schedule, I hardly get time for lunch. When I do, it’s a very light one. It comprises of a doughnut and tea or milk. I send usually send a passerby or the cleaners here. The meal I cherish most is the one I prepare my self when I get home after work at 5 p.m. I cook it myself because I live alone, my other family stays in the Northern Province. Normally I cook potatoes, beans and greens. After the food is ready, I take a bath and settle for dinner. I retire to my bed at 10 p.m. after saying a short prayer. Contact: Bryok14@yahoo.com