Victor Lidaywa - The Unexpected Bridges That Carry Us Through Life

What does it take to transform an abandoned, raccoon-infested restaurant into a thriving physical therapy practice? For Victor, it's the same determination that helped him navigate the journey from running a small fish and chips stand in Kenya to building a successful life in America.

In this honest, wide-ranging conversation, Victor opens up about the power of male friendship circles that provide essential emotional support. Every Friday night, he connects virtually with college friends scattered across the country—a ritual that's become a lifeline through job losses, family challenges, and even the painful loss of his mother to cancer. "It's more like a therapeutic session for guys," Victor explains. "As men, we don't talk about our emotions...unless we're sitting down actively griping about it."

Victor's commitment to giving back shines through his work with the Gladys  Organization, named after his mother. The foundation focuses on renovating a school in his mother's Kenyan village, replacing leaky roofs and broken windows to create better educational opportunities. His passion for this work reflects a deep connection to his roots, despite having lived in America longer than in Kenya.

The conversation takes humorous turns as Victor shares parenting adventures—from the extortionate tactics kids use when dad is distracted by friends to the frustration of teaching parents technology. "My kids give me a hard time about technology," he laughs, describing how his children's impatience contrasts with his desire to learn.

From struggling through Midwest winters without proper boots to becoming a naturalized citizen in 2007, Victor's story exemplifies the immigrant experience at its most inspiring. "I've put in my sweat and this country has been very good to me," he reflects, embodying the spirit of possibility that continues to drive his journey forward.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 2 (00:45):
Yeah, then I'm going to get another call when this is
all over.
Yeah, my buddies that I talk toevery Friday, we have a group
that we start.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
Oh, really yeah.

Speaker 2 (00:55):
Is it a group from Kenya?
It's a group from here, fromhere, From the US, you know,
went to school together, Okay,but everybody moved away.
And then when COVID and youknow you couldn't do much, so we
just started that group.
So we'll be more like a virtualbar, you know.
So you hang out with yourbuddies, you talk, you drink a
beer and this, so we justcarried on with it, you know, oh

(01:19):
, every Friday night and talk on, yeah, friday night on On Zoom
or something.
No, zoom On WhatsApp.
Whatsapp.
Okay, actually, that's onMessenger.
Okay, so we just video call andeverybody's there, it's awesome
.
Yeah, so that's good.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
Yep Finally made the move over here.
This place looks awesome.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
It is In terms of square footage?
I don't even know.
It's written somewhere, but Ican't even tell you.
I'm not good with that.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
When I was a kid, it was a Golden Corral.
It was a restaurant, yes, andit was a big buffet in here, yes
, and there was a back banquetroom yes.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
It was somewhere in there.
We've made a lot of changeshere.
It took quite a lot of changeshere.
It took quite a lot of work,you know?

Speaker 1 (02:05):
Yeah, I remember coming by, you'd have your
bandana on your head and yourshovel and gravel.
I know right?

Speaker 2 (02:12):
Oh, my goodness, you know raccoons were living in
this building.
It was really bad.

Speaker 1 (02:17):
The raccoons were in here.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
All over the place.
They had gone up on the Intothe venting Into the venting and
tore up stuff.
Uh, it was by the body, if yousee their paws and the on the
stalls and the bathroom stallsthere you know they had chewed
stuff up.
It smelled really bad, uh they.

Speaker 1 (02:37):
So it's safe to say you got a good deal on the place
.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
I did yeah, and I didn't know I was.
I contacted the guy who ownedit first and he didn't say much
about the building because hewas showing me another building
that he owns and I was like heshowed me the Mississippi Blood
Center, that one.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
So I went there and I saw what he had, but it was
already partitioned severalrooms, it was going to be
knocking down a lot of walls andI was like I don't know.
You know my heart was just soldand trying to get this.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
Yeah, and you're literally a half block from
where you were.
Absolutely so you could moveover with equipment you wanted
to.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
Yes, Because I think last time we talked you were
saying, yeah, you were going tomove some stuff over, but you
were going to buy new equipmentfor this facility.
Absolutely, yeah, most of thoseon that line there.
We added trailers and therecumbent bikes.
Yeah, almost all that new.
I've got.
A few was, oh, some of the uhupper body equipment there.

(03:38):
Those are new too, so and thenwe're slowly facing out those
was the side, the white side.
Bags are the older models, sowe're gonna face those out and
bring in new ones.
You know, yeah, yeah, but wejust brought in because you know
we're like uh, too much moneyspent already, so more
importantly, you got the big tvon the back wall.
Yeah, currently watching the pgamasters yeah, and I wanted to

(03:59):
be bigger than that, but theyonly go till what is it?
Well, 85?
.
Well, you need a projector then.

Speaker 1 (04:04):
Oh you know what.
You could go somewhere betweenthese middle two fans with.
Pvc pipe put a little projectorkind of like a crossing has
across the street.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
All right, before you know it, the whole place is
going to be like your man cavewhere you work.

Speaker 2 (04:23):
I haven't reclined.
Actually I have a recliner.
Actually, I took a nap when Icame in because I like taking
naps after my lunch I take naps.
When I came and I was tooexhausted, I put my bed thing on
, you know, blanket on.
I was out for you know, I usedto do like 20 minutes or 30
minutes.

Speaker 1 (04:37):
That's awesome, yeah, so yeah, he didn't bother
putting the mirrors up this time, so I don't have to look at
myself when I'm working on mybum shoulder, I know, yeah.

Speaker 2 (04:52):
I've kind of tried but I'm like where would they
fit?
But I have some ideas, but youcan notice the little sayings
and quotes that we had, wehaven't put it up.
I had planned on doing it and Istill plan on doing it, but I
just haven't got to that.

Speaker 1 (05:08):
And you had Andy Semhauser over here doing some
work too, didn't?

Speaker 2 (05:11):
you.
Who's that?

Speaker 1 (05:12):
Yeah, andy the tall guy.

Speaker 2 (05:13):
Oh, have you seen him also, he's got great stories.

Speaker 1 (05:16):
Yeah, I like him.
He's pretty good.

Speaker 2 (05:18):
Yeah, he did the outside work.
He was very reasonable and Iwanted to do the inside work,
but I think he becameoverwhelmed.
He said it was going to be toomuch and he didn't think he was
going to be able to pull it off.

Speaker 1 (05:29):
Is he 70 now?
Yeah, he's close if he's not,he was in his mid-60s when I
worked with him a few years ago,then he's probably thing down.

Speaker 2 (05:36):
So you know, uh, but that's what it's tragic to make
extra back, you know.

Speaker 1 (05:55):
So eventually I was like did you get out of the
other spot, though, or are youstill trying to sell it?
I wear that.

Speaker 2 (06:01):
I didn't even own that.
Yeah, you just leased it.
Uh, yeah, I just leased it forthe time I was there.
I can't believe I was there forlike almost six years, you know
.

Speaker 1 (06:10):
Yeah, I'd never even known about it.
It was after I had my surgerydone, yes, or before the surgery
, yes, and I was supposed tohave a consult and I can either
go to like yes, I won't saytheir names because I know right
there was some sketchy stuffgoing on during coven, and so

(06:32):
I'm not yes, I know I could gothere or I could go to, and I
was reading who the hell isvictor lead away.

Speaker 2 (06:37):
I was like I'm sorry this.

Speaker 1 (06:40):
They're like walk in.
It's like a really nicefacility and, yeah, really nice
equipment.
You knew your stuff.
It's like a really nicefacility and really nice
equipment, you knew your stuff.
It's like, well, this is goingto be fine.
Yeah, go and talk sports, talkabout kids.

Speaker 2 (06:51):
I know, yeah, that was that was good.
It was good Just vibing withfolks, especially you, you know,
you know you had a young family, you know family, not as young
as yours, but a young family.
You know family, you know.
So you know it was good talkingabout.

Speaker 1 (07:06):
You know we're hunting and all that stuff.
Yeah, the hunting.
And then you had kids headedoff to college or within a year
or two of going to college and Iworked in higher ed for a while
, so it's like absolutely youknow do this, but don't do that,
because they'll get you here.
Yeah, how old are your kids, bythe way, right now?
Oh, you would ask.
I know for men that's a hardone.
You know, six and seven, and myoldest will be eight in may.

(07:29):
Eight in may, okay, six, sevenand eight.
No, just six and seven.
Six, seven, okay, six, seven,okay, oh, eight, okay, and, and
yeah, daisy will be eight in may.

Speaker 2 (07:39):
Oh, wow, that's uh, I have an eight.
Hell, you man, you know.
You know how we used to hearlike all the folks say they grow
so fast they're not lying,they're not lying.
I was like.

Speaker 1 (07:48):
You know what it's true, luckily I listened when
and that was a first for me, butluckily I listened early on and
when people are just like enjoythem when they're young or when
they're little Cause, yes, andso I've just tried to.
There are days where I'm like,can you just please grow up so I

(08:08):
don't have to, you know, payfor your daycare.
But then there are days whereit's like I am so happy You're
small and daycare is care isanother monster.

Speaker 2 (08:20):
It's a monster in itself.

Speaker 1 (08:21):
I tell you, man, buddy, monster, it's a monster
in itself.
I tell you, man, buddy of mine,he's been on a couple podcasts,
marcus kelly, um, he's got alittle baby at home a few months
old, and I was asking him aboutgolfing, he goes.
Yeah, you know, if I have, yeah, we had some extra money and I
was like paying them daycarebills, aren't you?
He goes this stuff is expensiveman, it is expensive I remember

(08:45):
.

Speaker 2 (08:46):
I think we had talked about this because I had three
in daycare at the same time.

Speaker 1 (08:49):
Oh yeah, we did talk about that.

Speaker 2 (08:51):
And I'm like my goodness, You're working for
free and he goes.
It was like, oh, it's $500every week.
And you're like, my goodness,that's a lot of money for just a
young farmer.
Just try, you know, just try tomake it.
You know I'm like, oh wow, yeah, it was, we go behind quite a
lot of times you know we werepretty blessed.

Speaker 1 (09:10):
You know we would find a friend of a family who
was willing to watch them or hada small operation that always
seemed to work out pretty well.
We never kind of went the, Iguess.
The better term for it, I guess, is a commercial daycare where
they've got 100 kids on thatbuilding.

Speaker 2 (09:32):
You're so lucky because it's like you're going
to take them to commercial andyou're going to go to work and
it costs a lot.
And then you fall behind andthen you haven't paid for a week
, sometimes two weeks and youtake your kid there and then you
see like they're looking at you, like why are you bringing your
kids?
You haven't paid for a week,sometimes two weeks, and you
take your kid there.
Then you see like they'relooking at you like why you
bring your kids?
You haven't paid.
It's a bad feeling.
You know they're like, oh boy,but I gotta do this.
But you know, but god is greatman, because yeah, yeah, you

(09:56):
made, we made it through that.
And you're like how?

Speaker 1 (09:59):
I yeah.
So there are days I was like wewere trying to decide which
bill we wanted to pay, ratherthan Right, I know.

Speaker 2 (10:08):
And these are real struggles for a lot of families.
You know, oh, yeah, yeah, it'sright now.
Most of the younger populationdon't even have kids.
You know, they don't even thinkabout that?

Speaker 1 (10:18):
No, it's.
It's really differentdemographic, different
demographic.
There was a time where havingkids out of wedlock or you know,
or or not having gettingmarried at a young age or
something, kids aren't gettingmarried till they're mid to late
20s.
Oh yeah, you know, if they havea kid that's three or four
years old at that point, nobodyreally says anything about it.

(10:41):
I guess it's a good and a notso good thing at times.
Yeah, I know, depends on howyou look at it and how you
approach it.

Speaker 2 (10:48):
I know how I approach it because my oldest is 21.
And I was like he hangs outwith his friends and there's a
good group of kids.
They all played sports together.
They were just all thesewell-connected kids and I'm like
like only one or two are likeseriously dead in that group.
The other ones are like I'mlike, hey, why don't you have a

(11:10):
girlfriend?
He's like dad, I don't feellike it, man.
It's.
It's not like I I can, but Ijust want to save my money, or
try to make money.
Right now, hanging over me, I'mlike did you feel like you just
would?

Speaker 1 (11:23):
he's like I know I mean, and credit to him, because
my whole thought pattern alwaysyes, I want to go make a memory
, I want to have an experience.
I know right, you know, if Idon't have money tomorrow, at
least I can say I really enjoyed.
I know that's right, that's,that's the mindset for that
generation?

Speaker 2 (11:40):
yeah, the same thing, the generation I grew up with.
I, I think, phones maybe, uh,the technology has to do a lot
with this, I think yeah I don'tknow, you know, because, uh, I'm
a generation x, you know.
So, growing up, we, you know,we, we have cell phones, you
know.

Speaker 1 (11:58):
So you, played in the dirt.

Speaker 2 (11:59):
You build things out of junk, I know you have to have
to go talk to people, meetpeople.

Speaker 1 (12:05):
A phone, just having a phone in your house Having a
phone in your hand.
You've got every movie that'sever existed.
You've got games.
You've got whatever it is.

Speaker 2 (12:16):
Yeah, it's right there, it's right there.
And when you go together withyour friends back in the
generation, you are talking,you're you know you play
fighting, you're you know justthis?
I see my kids, uh, theirfriends come to see them, you
know, and they're all on theirphones.

Speaker 1 (12:34):
Yeah, I'm like, oh, you invented all your friends,
you guys want to hang outtonight, and they're all in the
same room staring at theirphones.

Speaker 2 (12:41):
I'm like, I'm like, oh, my goodness.
I'm like you could each be atyour own house so different, you
know.
But it's a generational thing,I guess.
Yeah, but where we all settledin here, it's uh, I don't know
whether you're studying apodcast or not, you know, so

(13:01):
just hanging out, yeah all righttalking.

Speaker 1 (13:03):
Yeah, you know we.
We went into the the upbringingon the last podcast and what it
was like.
One of my favorite stories isyou coming from chicago to
western to become on a train,not knowing what subway was, not
really understanding thecurrency at the time.

(13:25):
It's just a great story.
It is.

Speaker 2 (13:30):
And looking back and I'm like, oh my goodness, how
did I ever survive that?

Speaker 1 (13:35):
I think I told you your brother cooking the meat
With the paper.

Speaker 2 (13:39):
With the little paper still on it.

Speaker 1 (13:41):
I know All these flotties, I'm like, yeah, this
is special soup I want to see.

Speaker 2 (13:48):
Yeah, because I used to.
I walked, man.
I don't know how we did this.
You know, I think in thatpodcast I mentioned about
walking from.
We lived where InternationalSandwich Shop is.

Speaker 1 (13:58):
Yeah, yeah, and then you'd go clear out the Zeta or
something.
Yeah, I went to Zeta.

Speaker 2 (14:01):
I used to go to Zeta or something.
Yeah, I went to Zeta.
I used to go to Zeta and I hadit's winter I don't have boots,
you know and snow was somethingelse back then, you know.

Speaker 1 (14:10):
Just seeing snow had to be like, because it doesn't
happen.

Speaker 2 (14:14):
It doesn't happen.
I would ride my bike in thesnow, like folks are like you,
serious, what are you doing,dude?
And I'm going to work?
Because I didn't have a car.
And this, this girl felt sorryfor me and she asked her dad to
get to borrow that.
She borrowed the dad's truckjust to give me a ride every day
.
Really, yeah, that's nice.

(14:35):
Sometimes she'd pick me up,drop me a wagon, then she'd, uh,
drop me back home, you know,yeah I was like Did they have
any co-workers or anybody that'dgive you a ride?

Speaker 1 (14:45):
No, you know.

Speaker 2 (14:48):
And I'm just.
You know, it's the folks whoworked there.
It was a different kind of typeof demographic, you know.
That's fair.
Yeah, they were good people.
You know a lot of good people,but none offered me a ride.
I don't know.
But there was one person.
They were good people.
I mean, it's not like you know,maybe they just thought I just

(15:10):
liked to walk, or whatever, youknow, but I didn't mind, you
know.
And then one time we alsowalked with my buddy who's right
now.
He got his PhD from KansasState University.

Speaker 1 (15:21):
Okay, Is he part of the Friday night group?

Speaker 2 (15:25):
Yes, Nice yeah so he's a statistician, whatever
you call that word.
So he's a professor instatistics.
He works for a big company inthe East Coast.
I was talking to you.
I'm like do you remember weleft that Ben's we used to call
it Ben's apartment and walked inthe middle of a snowstorm all

(15:52):
the way to Aldi's to get abottle of salsa so we can cook
our African food.
And you know, snow all overpiled up everywhere.
And here are these two guysgoing to Aldi, and then we had
to walk back home.
We get home, our feet arefrozen in our hands.
I don't even know how we didn'tget snow, you know.
Oh, that was bad.

Speaker 1 (16:09):
What's the coldest it gets in Kenya?
It gets to.

Speaker 2 (16:13):
I'd say 50.

Speaker 1 (16:16):
50 is as cold as it gets there.

Speaker 2 (16:17):
50 is as cold as it gets, but the higher elevation
it'll drop.
Below that you know.
The higher elevation it drop to, you know you get snow too,
yeah, but it's way higherelevation.
Sometimes snow gets to thelower elevation around the
higher elevated area.
So we've had a few, you know.

Speaker 1 (16:38):
Flurries or something .

Speaker 2 (16:39):
Yeah, flurries or something like that you know so,
but you know it goes away.

Speaker 1 (16:42):
Is it more precipitation at that point?
Yeah, more precipitation atthat point.

Speaker 2 (16:45):
Yeah, just wet snow at that point Wet snow, but it's
time the sun sets out by 11, soit's just gone.

Speaker 1 (16:52):
When was the last time you went back?

Speaker 2 (16:54):
Actually, right now I try to go twice a year.
I try to go twice a year, yougo twice a year, Mm-hmm.
This time I may go three timesbecause I'm planning on a visit
coming up in June, end of June,and then I'll be there in
September.
September is when we run thebig, my mom's the gym run.

Speaker 1 (17:17):
So this is a- Okay, yeah, because you got a
foundation and her name, yeah.

Speaker 2 (17:21):
my name, yeah, and what's that called again, it's
called the Gladys ArenaOrganization.
And her name yeah, and what'sthat called again?
It's called the Gladys AreaOrganization.
And actually we're starting ourfundraising in a couple weeks.
Okay, the next week.
Yeah, we have a board meeting,I think this Sunday.

Speaker 1 (17:34):
And what's the fundraising geared towards.
So I think we talked a littlebit about it last time, but it's
a good cause.

Speaker 2 (17:41):
Yeah, it's a good cause, yes, a good cause.
Our organization deals withempowerment of women and
children, especially thoseliving in impoverished areas.
Sure Kenya you know it's athird world country, you know
there's a lot of poverty.

Speaker 1 (17:56):
You went into great detail on the last podcast just
how hard it is to come upthrough that system.
Yes, absolutely.

Speaker 2 (18:03):
And we've focused the past three years that we've
been around, we've focused onthis school, that we've actually
made an impactful change in theschool.
We only have like sixclassrooms to finish because
we're planning on putting newrooms in these classrooms.
Last time I was there, I wasthere in let's see, january yeah

(18:24):
, january I took a visit to theschool and there's some classes
that are abandoned because theroof.
You know they have holes,they're leaky, so students got
to use that class, so they justlocked them up.
And there's several students,they're like five of them.
I'm going to just lock them upand forget about them.
Yeah, they don't have enoughtables, you know, or desks, just

(18:44):
, you know.
Supplies, resources, you know.
All the windows are busted up,you know.

Speaker 1 (18:50):
And I'm like, wow, is this where you attended, or is
this other?

Speaker 2 (18:55):
So this is in the village?
Yeah, this is in the village.
It's actually my.
That's where my mother camefrom, so you can say that's like
my ancestral home, okay, wheremy tribal folks came from.
Yeah, so there's my mom'svillage, where she was born, she
was raised, she went to thatschool.
That's why we focus on thatschool, okay, and there's a high

(19:17):
school next to it.
The high school is well-funded,so it doesn't have some of the
issues that the primary or, youknow, the lower level school has
.
So this year our mission is tocomplete the roof, put in a new
roof on those eight classroomsand then, hopefully, the next
time we go there, we're going tojust finish with their windows

(19:40):
and then the paint, and that'sabout it, you know.

Speaker 1 (19:42):
That's cool.
You're trying to give back, youknow, to where you came from.
Absolutely, I think you like ithere.
I do.
It's nice to go back.
You know and figure out.
You know what you can do tohelp out here or there.
Yes, you know, back intohomeland.

Speaker 2 (19:59):
Absolutely, and you know Sorry.
I just remembered when I wasgetting therapy a couple of
years ago, you had a motorizedscooter and could not figure out
how to get this damn thing toKenya.

Speaker 1 (20:20):
Oh man, we were thinking of everything outside
the box.

Speaker 2 (20:21):
I know I remember that it's like how do?

Speaker 1 (20:22):
you get this through customs.
I know I was like I don't know,it's like well, I got this free
scooter and so, and thisthrough customs, like I don't
know, it's like well, I got thisfree scooter, and so and so
needs it.
Yeah, somebody needs it.
Better off just to sell it.
Give them the money.

Speaker 2 (20:31):
Let them buy a scooter, like they don't have
them there yeah, the lady wasappreciative of getting the
scooter because she has I thinkshe has MS and yeah, uh, she
uses it a lot.
And I mean I I felt like I hadto take the owners and be the
one in charge, you know causepeople are talking about it, and
I threw it up there.

(20:51):
We got all the money in, webought a scooter.

Speaker 1 (20:55):
Now it's just customs and paperwork and logistics and
it was heavy dude.

Speaker 2 (21:02):
I went to Southern Illinois with my brother.
We were like, yeah, I think wejust picked this thing up, two
of us, I don't think it's goingto be that heavy.
So we drive five hours toSouthern Illinois and the ladies
who sold the scooter to us, youknow, their dad used it and he
died of, I think, lou Gehrig'sor something similar to what

(21:23):
this lady had, you know, or MS.
So they told us, oh, it's righthere in the storage area, you
just go there.
And he's like, do you have help?
I'm like, yeah, I have help.
I didn't think that thing washeavy, didn't think that,
through, holy moly, yeah, wecould not lift that thing.

Speaker 1 (21:42):
It took us forever.
We did a similar thing with mygrandmother.
She had this scooter, but itfolded up in her trunk.
Yes, so we're just like it's inyour trunk, we'll just pull it
out.
It needed some tires orsomething on it.
We underestimated how heavy andstupid the scooter was it was
stupid.
By the time we found thesespecialized tires to put on, the

(22:05):
damn thing it was.
I wish we'd just boughtsomething else.
I know, it was so miserable.
But yeah it's crazy how thatequipment kind of comes and goes
.
You know, yeah, we struggled.

Speaker 2 (22:16):
We were there, we thought it was going to just be
like oh yeah, I'm just going tobe there, you know, 20 minutes
loaded up, strap it up and back.
It took us about almost two anda half hours just trying to
load that thing, because everytime we tried we just we
couldn't lift it.
But you, got it there and we gotit there.
We couldn't find anybody tohelp us too, because the storage
unit was like way back in whoknows where you know, like in

(22:39):
the woods, wherever you know.
And those ladies, they waitedfor us because you go, they are
late and they're like where youguys are like, oh sorry, we
gotta go, we're busy, whatever.
So they had already left by thetime we got there, but they
told us where it was.
Oh, we struggle, but we got iton, yeah.
And then shipment was anotherissue, but we finally made
arrangements and you know it wasgone.

Speaker 1 (22:59):
So you have to probably have a power converter
or something for that.

Speaker 2 (23:02):
once it got that it does.

Speaker 1 (23:03):
yeah, Because it was probably built for our power
grid here.

Speaker 2 (23:06):
Yes, and it's got to go by cargo planes or cargo
transportation.
You cannot just put it in aregular plane, you know, because
the batteries, I justremembered it was like a,
because I was coming in liketwice a week at that time.

Speaker 1 (23:19):
And it was just a saga Like I just had to know
what's going on with the scooterman.
He was like, oh the scooter.

Speaker 2 (23:25):
Yeah, oh yeah, it was a pain, you know.
You know, I couldn't believe myeyes when I saw it there and I
saw the lady using it.
I'm like this thing really gotthere, man.
I'm like, wow, Just sit backand enjoy it.
How can you explain somethingcoming from rural Illinois in
the middle of it, like southernIllinois, almost in the middle
of nowhere, makes it all the wayto Nairobi, Kenya, and

(23:48):
somebody's using it.
I think that's a remarkablestory.

Speaker 1 (23:50):
Well, I work at a company nowadays where we have
to get oversized loads down theroad and just the permitting and
the logistics and the logisticsand it just depends on what
state you live in or what countyyou're driving through or what.
You have to have approvedroutes for certain sizes.

(24:12):
You got to have flag cars orpolice escorts for certain
states, depending on the size ofthings it's absolutely insane
what it takes to move thingsfrom A to B.
I know it's money, it's all ittakes.
Oh yeah, there's a lot of tapein there to B.

Speaker 2 (24:24):
I know it's money, it's money, it's all it takes,
but it's there's a lot of tapein there too.
I know, yeah, red tape, ofcourse.
And then you know it's likeyou're gonna pay every little
step.
You know, you find out likeI'll get another one today if
you don't mind, mm-hmm let youuse your eclectic, my yeah,
bottle opening method.
I think my brother's the one whoshowed me these like it's, like

(24:46):
, that's cool.
Yeah, I think there's a way youcan just hold these two over
together and yeah, it's goodlearned like a true western
student, I know right, yeahthat's a leatherneck moment
right there.
I know, yeah, I remember backin the day, because Macomb
County was a dry county.
You know it's going on Westernoh Sundays, Sundays, yeah.

Speaker 1 (25:07):
Sundays were dry.
Sundays were dry, you know.

Speaker 2 (25:09):
And, of course, as you know, all the college
students.
When Western was, you know,close to 15,000 or 15,000.
Yeah, back in the heyday, yeah,back in the heyday, and we used
to have these big parties, youknow we'd go either to Adair or
Carthage, I know, yeah, carthage, yeah, carthage.
Or some folks would go all theway to Monmouth, you know.

Speaker 1 (25:28):
Well, your wife's from the.

Speaker 2 (25:30):
Carthage, but when?

Speaker 1 (25:31):
Augusta area.
Right, yeah, yeah.
So so you got to experience theparty the party circuit of
Macomb, and then you'd go hitthe honky tonks.
Yeah, yeah, honky tonks.

Speaker 2 (25:41):
And sometimes just go fetch beer, especially Temple
Grove, just so we spend a lot ofmoney there.
You know like you see all thesejust cars and sandals just
going.
See all these colleges justgrabbing all the Keystone Light
and all the Rolling.
Rock.

Speaker 1 (25:57):
Keystone.

Speaker 2 (25:58):
Yes, I know.

Speaker 1 (25:59):
I think Keystone was kept open solely by Western
there for several years.
Oh yes, oh yes.

Speaker 2 (26:05):
And I think Western sold the most.
I can't remember what thatwould be, I don't know whether
it's Keystone or Rolling Rock.
In the whole United States WestPS sold the most.

Speaker 1 (26:19):
McCollum Illinois.
Mccollum Illinois, westernIllinois University.
I know I'm like what.
They had to be known forsomething.

Speaker 2 (26:25):
Yes, I think I see those when my friend's calling
me.
That's about that time.
Let's go WIU, yeah, wiu, macombalumni, nice, they call around
this time, but I'll touch basewith them a little later.
This one goes on.
My wife knows, when they startlike you're really going to be
there for five hours, I'm like,yeah, it's Friday night, what

(26:46):
are you?

Speaker 1 (26:47):
going to do Same thing your kids are doing.
You just don't have like avideo game controller.

Speaker 2 (26:52):
I know right, and our topics range from a lot of
things you know.
You know they go from politicsto women, to sports, to whatever
you know, disasters or whateveris happening, to personal
issues too.
It's more like a therapeuticsession for guys, absolutely.
It is, you know, and I think alot of men need that you know,

(27:14):
because we, as men, we don'ttalk about our emotions, we
don't talk about it, we don't,we don't, we don't.

Speaker 1 (27:20):
Unless we're sitting down and actively griping about
it.

Speaker 2 (27:23):
I know which.
Everybody needs a little bit.

Speaker 1 (27:25):
Nobody wants to be that guy.
That's like griping toeverybody.
Yes, yes, I guess there arepeople that want that, that want
that.
Yeah, most people want to beable to talk about their
problems without burdening otherpeople, without burdening other
people.

Speaker 2 (27:39):
There you go, thank you Without abiding other people
Without abiding other people.
There you go, Thank you, Yep.
Yeah, true, and but I foundthis group to be very
therapeutic because we know thestruggles that we've gone
through and most of these folks,all of them, actually went to
school with here at West Indian,you know, and then everybody
just spread out and everybodyhas their career in different
areas.
You know, Sure, but you know wealso have issues in our lives.

(28:03):
You know whether it's with ourspouses or whether it's just
health or kids or whatever youknow work or work you know.
But you never know within thatgroup of friends who's been
through that before.

Speaker 1 (28:15):
Oh yeah, and this worked for us, so it might work
for you, absolutely.

Speaker 2 (28:19):
And that kind of accountability helps.
That kind of accountability.
I remember years ago there wasone of our buddies, roar he's.
He had just been laid off fromwork, you know, he had moved to
Kansas City.
He had a good job laid off andyou know, uh, so he was, it was
the middle of summer, you know,and his air had just quit on him
.
It was bad for him.
He got laid off, his airconditioning quit and he was

(28:47):
told he was going to need likealmost two and a half grand to
fix that air conditioning in orget a new one.
And he's like god, they don'thave this money.
So he's just, you know, told us, hey, uh, you know, if you guys
can help me, everyone like,yeah, sure, right, no problem,
you know and so many other ones.
So my mom passed away.
You know this group was therefor me.
They, they call me, they put inmoney.
They, you know they, this groupwas there for me.
They called me, they put inmoney, you know.

Speaker 1 (29:05):
When I was spending time up here, she was still
living with you guys in yourhome.

Speaker 2 (29:09):
Oh yes, she was.
And I tell you, man, thatcancer man, that's, it was nasty
stuff.
It's nasty stuff, man.
When I hear that word cancerman, I just shiver man.

Speaker 1 (29:20):
Well, everybody's affected by it somehow some way.

Speaker 2 (29:23):
Yeah, I saw my mom shrink from.
She was.
She had a good body on her andman, she became this tiny little
thing.
I was like, oh, my goodness,you know.
And when she passed away Ithink I mentioned this in the
other video it was like a 24hour thing, cause I, she and we
took her back there?

Speaker 1 (29:40):
Yeah, that was the cool part was she got to go back
to Kenya, which was one of herfinal wishes?

Speaker 2 (29:45):
Oh, yes, and then we had to make a turnaround because
she passed away.
I just go home.
And then we had to turn aroundand go back.
I'm like, oh mother, why didyou do that?
Yeah, but I guess that was ourway of telling us.
Okay, you're going to have tocome back for me, you know?
Yeah, yeah, but the foundationhe's doing pretty well.

(30:07):
We have a very good group.
It's a group made up of folksfrom different regions.
Actually, we have folks fromCanada, the US, Kenya, Australia
.

Speaker 1 (30:19):
Which foundation the Gladys?

Speaker 2 (30:20):
Erudite Organization.

Speaker 1 (30:22):
Okay, my mom's.

Speaker 2 (30:22):
Yeah, from my mom Gotcha, australia, which
foundation, the Gladysorganization, okay, so we have
all these folks, you know, whocome with different experiences.
Some of them have beendifferent organizations, you
know.
So we blend in.
Well, you know, we have somewho've come out and then just
the period ends and they're likeokay, somebody else comes in,
so and then we have those whojust stay much better cause than
a metal show, and we've learneda lot of things along the way

(30:46):
too.
it's, it's kind of and you knowit's it's very hard because, uh,
like you, if you're kenya,especially for somebody who's
not, who does have the ethnicityof that area, yeah, so if you
go there, people will justthey're going to figure it out.
But they also think you have alot of money, it doesn't matter.

(31:08):
They're like oh, you are white,you got money, you got money.
They don't care whether youlive in a.
They're like yeah, brother'swhite, he got money, he got
money, he's white, he's gotBrother's white.

Speaker 1 (31:19):
He got money, I got your money.
White is your money.

Speaker 2 (31:21):
That's it.
It's white, Looks like moneythere, you know, oh man.
And then when they figure uswe're from America, it's the
same thing.
So they expect us.
You know, Everybody comes.
It's like you cannot satisfyeverybody's problem.

Speaker 1 (31:38):
You cannot just choose and pick who to hire,
because otherwise, man, youwon't have anything.
You know, yeah, I'm part of parkboard there in my hometown and
fundraising is needed andessential, but in my mind, like
it's right up there with coldtail, cold all cells, oh yes, oh
yes, it's like the worstfeeling is to walk into a place

(31:59):
and beg them for money.
I know is to walk into a placeand beg them for money.
I know it's necessary andneeded for us to have programs
for our kids and be able to dothe things.
Yes, yes, you know, and youlearn to get past it, but I just
would rather be slapped in theface with a dead fish than go
into some of these places,especially.
You know you've got your localjfl football program or you've

(32:23):
got, uh, the pool or you've gotthere's so many different things
going on in one community andyou're asking a business to
shell out more money for yourcompany.
Yeah, I know right, and it'slike you're beating up the same
people non-stop and it's just,it's, it's, it's very hard, you

(32:43):
know you have to do this, butit's.

Speaker 2 (32:46):
it takes a certain yes, cause the meeting I had
actually today was in regard to,uh that, you know, uh it was.
Uh I went to meet the SpoonRiver, a director of what is it
called Like funding or whateverFoundation.
Director of foundationFoundations, over you said Spin
River College.

Speaker 1 (33:03):
Yes, we will call it Okay.

Speaker 2 (33:05):
Dustin Berg and the conversation I had, because he
was telling me there arestudents who are here or spouses
for students who are alreadyhere.
You know, they're here legally,I mean, but even students, you
know, they're trying to getscholarships but they cannot get
scholarships.
So he was asking me if I knowsome place these students can

(33:25):
get scholarships, and I told himI did not know anybody around
who does that, you know, andeven it's.
It's a big a problem that we'refacing, even like in kenya,
because a lot of kids rely onour assistance to, you know,
help and further the education,you know.
But we can only hand pick whowe're doing that for.
You know.
Help and further the education,you know.
But we can only pick who we'redoing that for, you know,
because we can't help becausethere's so many, you know

(33:47):
Everybody will tell they need,you know, tuition, they need
this, they need, you know, andwe can't help all of them, you
know.
So I told him I don't knowanybody.
The money that we raise, weraise from the generosity of
people who put in money and thenwe'll pick a few students who
we think need the most and thenwe'll just go with those, you
know.
But his point was trying tofigure out if there are

(34:09):
companies that would, you know,fund these students and then
have them go back and work forthem.
I know there are companies thatdo that.
Most of them are, you know, arebased under the United Nations
umbrella, but I don't know howthey operate, so I showed him
I'll just look into it and justget back with him.

Speaker 1 (34:31):
Yeah, yeah, so Kind of like get the scooter to kind
of I know right, I know like, oh, there's a way to do it, but
it's not going to be fun, it'snot going to be fun.

Speaker 2 (34:39):
I'm like I'm going to find this out again.
I'm like I'm like I'll just,I'll probably just find somebody
.
I'll find somebody.
Here's a grant writer.

Speaker 1 (34:48):
Leave me alone.
I know, yeah, god, you do that.

Speaker 2 (34:51):
I don't want to deal with these.

Speaker 1 (34:52):
I'm like I didn't want to bit different approach
to my fundraising for the dial,the wild productions and shows
and podcasts and stuff.
It's like I I could be bangingon the door of pella or walmart
or somebody just so they can cuta check you know and and help

(35:16):
out what I'm trying to do.
But I I would rather go andhelp you.
I want to see your business,business Like.
I'm cheering for you.
I want to see you win it's justlike when I would go to you know
, Jackson street pub, Carol.
I tell her there's a cause,Boom, Boom.

Speaker 2 (35:33):
She's like how much?

Speaker 1 (35:34):
what do you need?
What?

Speaker 2 (35:35):
can I?

Speaker 1 (35:35):
do for you, you know, and it's the same thing with uh
, you know in the past I've hadMichael Field over in the at the
jujitsu gym.

Speaker 2 (35:48):
I've had Corby Foxall over at MacTown.

Speaker 1 (35:49):
you know, and it's you know, I'm I'm not trying to
haunt these people for money.
I'm just like hey, I want tosupport your cause, you want to
help me support my cause, andthen we all just kind of work
together and I would it's's.
It's a much for me, it's a muchmore organic way of everybody
trying to help each other out,and that's the way it should be.

Speaker 2 (36:07):
I agree it should be.

Speaker 1 (36:08):
I agree everybody's got a cause.
Everybody's got something.
Yes, they need.
Yeah, it's like let's find ahealthy, constructive way to
help each other out, rather thanjust banging on as many doors
as you can to get as much moneyas you can can you imagine the
changes we've had since we didthe first podcast, just sitting
in the office there, and nowthis huge room is stretched out

(36:30):
out there.
Well, the TV was a lot closerin the other room.
That's why you said we need abigger one.

Speaker 2 (36:38):
We need actually a bigger one.

Speaker 1 (36:40):
You need the projector.

Speaker 2 (36:40):
I told one of my boys , hey, can you find me a bigger
TV?
He said no, it only goes up to85.
I'm like I don't even know what85, you know yeah.

Speaker 1 (36:49):
So, but I think a projector will be a big one.

Speaker 2 (36:50):
You know how you fix that you tell him that, like you
find the right projector andyou tell me, play video games,
and before you know it you got anew projector hooked up to an
xbox.
I do love that because I havethis one kid the middle kid is
very technologically savvy, youknow he's.

(37:12):
He's the one who, like he,likes the technology stuff.
He's the one who does all thisstuff.
He's the one who bought a car.
You know, I told you about thatstory.
Yeah, yeah he's.
But he's always been inclinedand he's taking, like, piloting
classes right now, not pilot.
Yeah, he wants to be a pilot.

Speaker 1 (37:31):
A pilot, so he's taking flying classes.
I thought you said parentingclasses Pilot.
Yeah, Good luck with that.

Speaker 2 (37:37):
You're like oh, we are too young for that, he's 16,
so let's hope not.
Yeah, he young for that.

Speaker 1 (37:45):
He's 16, so let's hope not.
Yeah, he wasn't I know?
No, we don't want that.
I tell everybody the same thing.
I've got two daughters and onegoal.
I have to defeat teenagepregnancy and I win.
All I gotta do is defeatteenage pregnancy, that's all my
kids.

Speaker 2 (37:55):
I am not gonna be ready to be a grandparent, you
know, okay, I am am now.

Speaker 1 (38:01):
My parents were 19 and 21 when they had me, and I
saw the struggles that they wentthrough.
That's probably why I waiteduntil I was about 30 years old
before I had kids.

Speaker 2 (38:12):
I was 31 when I had kids Really.

Speaker 1 (38:15):
I was 36 when I got married and I was 30 when I had
kids.

Speaker 2 (38:18):
Yes, and that 30 was even my mom pushing, because if
my mom wasn't pushing I couldhave.
I could have waited no longer.

Speaker 1 (38:27):
Oh, the I want to be a grandparent before I.
Yeah, the guilt trips, yeah,From the wife was almost as bad.
It was just if I heard mybiological time block is ticking
one more time.
No, I, we heard my biologicaltime clock is ticking one more
time.
No, we made sure we thoroughlyenjoyed our 20s.

Speaker 2 (38:47):
I know right that's, that's what it was.
I was just doing fine and thenmy mom comes and say oh, you
know what victor you are theoldest.
You know why.
You know, my friends havechildren already and they almost
have the guilt trip.

Speaker 1 (39:01):
You know you need to get married.
I need to see my grandkids.

Speaker 2 (39:06):
I'm getting old.
I'm like, oh mother, seriously,you know, yeah, he was just
constant, just you know nagging.

Speaker 1 (39:13):
I'm like okay whatever, I was on my honey.
I was on my honeymoon after wegot married and we're down at
some little B and B in SouthernIllinois doing the wine trail
yeah, and a great time, greatplace.
But I went out and I did my run.
Obviously I haven't done thatin a while, but I got up and I
did my run and stuff.
And I got back and I think Iput something on Facebook like

(39:35):
hey, you know, got up, did myrun, had my breakfast, going to
be another good day on ahoneymoon, blah, blah, blah.
I think my mom messaged backsomething like why are you
running?
Think grandkids?
Like mom, you can't put that onFacebook.
Like you know, everybody cansee that it's called social

(39:56):
media for a reason.

Speaker 2 (39:58):
Yeah, but I was just blasting you out there.

Speaker 1 (40:00):
I know she was so ready for grandbabies way before
I was ready to have them.

Speaker 2 (40:04):
I know, that's the same thing with my mom.
And then, because I had thefirst, you know, one of the
first grandchild, you know, andthen my brothers were like it
was like go bang, go bang, gobang, go bang.
And then they're like, oh,there's too many grandkids
taking my way, I don't want tooh, yeah, yeah, no, I've been
pretty blessed.

Speaker 1 (40:23):
I got my parents about 15 minutes away and I got
my wife's parents another 10, 15minutes away.
Oh, wow, that's pretty good, itworks out nicely, and there are
times where it's like, no, wedon't want your children here,
but it's not very often.
It's not very often, yeah, butI don't blame them.

Speaker 2 (40:39):
It's very good to do it, because you know you can get
time out with your wife, or youknow, or?
Use your time to go do yourstuff.
You know, you know it'ssignificant how that you know
works out nicely.
When you live close to familylike that and my kids know their
grandparents, I know right theylearn a lot of cool stuff from
them.
Very important.
Some good stuff, some not so badand I've had grandparents say

(41:00):
you know, you have to have kidsfor a little bit, spoil them and
send them away with their momand dad, oh yeah, fill them full
of chocolate and send them home.
Yeah, and I hear storiesbecause you know with the
population that we see here, youknow, we see, actually were you
in the military.
Yeah, yeah, so, yeah, thanksfor your time.
So we see a lot of militaryfolks here.

Speaker 1 (41:23):
Yeah, the most amazing folks.
The military wasn't the easiestthing on a person's body.

Speaker 2 (41:27):
No, yes, and they're the most amazing people.
They just tell it the way it is.
I'm like, oh my goodness, I seea lot of military folks here
and we have one of our staff.
She just started, she's also.
She just retired from themilitary.
She's been there for 20something years.
Really, yeah, nice lady, nice,nice lady.

Speaker 1 (41:47):
I don't see a lot of people doing 20 years anymore.

Speaker 2 (41:50):
She's a she's a very nice lady.
She's she's taking a master'sat Western, you know, and yeah,
so she's, she's doing thisbecause she loves to do this and
she's just going to physicaleducation.
So I'm like, yeah, it would benice to have you.
So this is more or less comingin and then she's going to do

(42:12):
her internship here with us.
We've had a lot of very goodinterns here, actually, by the
way, travis, very good.

Speaker 1 (42:26):
Well, you don't always necessarily base your
decision for interns andemployees on their resume.
Like you will hire somebody fora week or two to see if they
have the right mentality forwhat you're trying to do,
because you have a certain vibeWe'll call it here where it's
relaxed, it's laid back.
You want everybody to becomfortable, absolutely
Personable, have a good time andlike if you're extremely good

(42:48):
at therapy, like physically,know everything, every muscle,
every joint, yeah but you're nota people person, you're not
gonna last year yeah, you mayhave that and it just you know
it.

Speaker 2 (43:00):
It's the relationship that you don't really have to
you don't need to go to schoolto learn about.
You know, right, it's theinterconnectivity that you have
with people.
You know.
Yes, I tell my employees, youknow.
You know, just, people like tobe talked to.
Everybody comes in just talkingto somebody because they come
here.
You know they have issues andall that.
You know, just, how are you?

(43:21):
How are you doing?
How was your day?
You know, we'll try to help you.
We'll do the best we can.
You know, and some of thesefolks, they don't have that.

Speaker 1 (43:29):
Well, for example, when, after the surgery, I came
to you and we had done the thingbefore the surgery for several
weeks and then I had the surgery, then I came in and, and you
know, for lack of a better term,I'm on pain meds.
I'm not sleeping well I'm veryvery cranky you're asking me to

(43:52):
do all these you know, okay, canyou move your arm here or there
it's like no victor I can'tmove my damn arm, you know but
you're asking me to do do.
But each time I come in I'm likethis is gonna suck.
I hate this, but then after awhile, you're just like how's
the kid yeah things goingabsolutely, you know how you

(44:12):
know, well is I did this atwestern and it's like, well, I'm
going.
Well, oh really, you went towestern and before you know it,
then it's just we're sittinghere drinking corona's doing a
podcast?

Speaker 2 (44:20):
absolutely yeah, you, you gotta connect that.
Then it's just we're sittinghere drinking Corona's doing a
podcast.
Absolutely yeah, you got toconnect that because it's just
not a patient coming in orcrying and just okay, just do
this, and then you go and youknow, you got to relate that,
make them feel that people missthat.

Speaker 1 (44:34):
You know, because that's part of the social media
and that's probably why you doso well with your silver seniors
and stuff too.
Is is like they want to come in, you know, if their family it
was something that I was taughtearly on in pest control is like
if I have a bi-monthly or aquarterly account at somebody's
house that's elderly, like Icould see them as a pest control

(44:58):
technician more than their ownfamily.

Speaker 2 (44:59):
Oh yeah, so you become family, oh yeah,
technician more than their ownfamily.

Speaker 1 (45:02):
Oh yeah, so you become family.
Oh yeah, so if you know so andso, comes in and they're needing
to use the bike for a littlebit, you might be their only
social interaction all right forthe week for the week, yeah,
yeah, and some of these, andwe've, we've created a good
cycle it's a fun community.

Speaker 2 (45:16):
It's a fun because we got different folks who come.
So you see, like in the morningwhen you come you know, know
the alley risers who come here,their own community.
They know who's here in themorning.
They are high-fiving, they'retalking and then they leave.
They're the quiet group, youknow.
So they leave.
And then the 9 o'clock the loudgroup comes in 9, 10, you come
here it's like loud.

Speaker 1 (45:37):
And if somebody's not there and they didn't say
something, they're likewondering why?
Yeah, why is he here?
Why is he here?
I'm going to call now.
We better call and check on him, oh yes, absolutely so.

Speaker 2 (45:51):
it's a big discrepancy between the early
morning crew, because they'remore tapered down, just chill
and just quiet, and then the 9,10, I don't know, because they
slept too much.
They're really talking to youwhy.

Speaker 1 (46:01):
And then you get Ready for their coffee and their
recumbent bike.

Speaker 2 (46:04):
I know, right, you get the early afternoon group.
They're also kind of talkative,but notice the 9, 10, 11 group.
That's a wild one, you know.
And then the mid-afternoon, theearly afternoon group.
Yeah, they're a littletalkative.
And then you get to the eveningso you get the younger crowds.
You know they're working class,you know they are good kids,

(46:27):
people getting done with work,yeah, the school, you know.
So you see that group, you know, so it's.
It's.
It's very interesting to seethat change, you know, and how,
you know folks come in, you know.
So, yeah, but but you know, Iwant to say I'm from coming in
america and coming to the pointthat I am here, you know, I, I
count my blessings a lot, youknow.
Yeah, I've been blessed, youknow it's God's hands, you know.

(46:49):
I mean, you cannot pull some ofthese things without you know
there's something that's goingon.

Speaker 1 (46:54):
There's a lot of work on your end, but every once in
a while it's nice to get a break.

Speaker 2 (46:59):
Whether it comes from God's hands or a nice stranger
or something.
Yeah, and the person that picksbreak.

Speaker 1 (47:03):
Whether it comes from God's hands or a nice stranger
or something.
Absolutely yeah, and the personthat picks you up in the pickup
truck takes you to work.

Speaker 2 (47:08):
I know, right right, what is happening.
There's something, somethingout there.
I remember.
You know, you've gone throughlife sometimes and you're like
God, I don't know how this weekis going to go.
And then, out of nowhere,something happens that you did
not expect.
Like what the heck man?
I had no idea.
Or you look back at some placesthat you've come from.

(47:31):
You're like, how did I manageto get through that?
You're like, ha, there'ssomething out there that
sometimes just pulls us to,lifts us up.
Absolutely, yes, absolutely,and I've always counted on that.
Whether you call that god ordivine intervention or whatever
you call it, you can call it adifferent name it is what it is,
you know.
So, yeah, yeah.
So I and I love that, you knowI, I love that.

(47:53):
Uh, I think I told you I had abefore I came here at a fish and
chips business in kenya.

Speaker 1 (48:00):
Okay, I'll tell you that I don't know if we
discussed that or not.
Yeah, it was just you were.
You were working for a vacationspot or something.

Speaker 2 (48:08):
Oh yeah, I was like you were telling me about that
and that's what kind of preppedyou to make it over I didn't
hear about the fish and chips,so the fish and chips came
before so, so the fish and chipswas right after high school.
So here I am I've graduatedhigh school, you know?
Yeah, I'm happy then that, yeah, we're gonna walk away out of

(48:35):
this you know, one more, onemore for each.

Speaker 1 (48:37):
So I know, right as well, let's go.

Speaker 2 (48:39):
Yeah, I'll get that bottle and open this one up.
Yeah, empty bottle and put thisone up here.
Yeah, so.

Speaker 1 (48:46):
I should be taping.
That's why I should.

Speaker 2 (48:48):
I know it's awesome yeah, so there you go.

Speaker 1 (48:54):
Were you a bartender in a different life.

Speaker 2 (48:55):
No, I wasn't.
I don't even know how to mixdrinks or anything like that.
You know, tom Cruise talk, yeah, stop going over here.
So yeah, it was right.
After high school, you know.
So I'm this young kid, you know, I've just graduated high
school.
What are you graduating?
You're 18, or whatever 17, 18.
I think I was, yeah, 17, 18,there, you know, and I'm like,

(49:17):
oh, I just graduated high school, I'm waiting to go to college.
You know, right, you know Ipassed my, you know exams, I'm
waiting to go to college.
But college was always delayedbecause of the political climate
in that country, in Kenya, youknow, because there was only a
one-party system.
You know, like it was just aone party, like you can imagine
that in America, just having oneparty, either Republican or

(49:38):
Democrat or independent,whatever it is, you know, yeah,
and that was it.
You know the way China is rightnow one party system.
That's how Kenya was.
You know, you had to be amember of that party.
There's no other party.
If you are any other party, youare arrested, you're put in
jail.
You arrested, you put in jail,oh, wow so.
But college, college studentsback then were the voice of, uh,

(49:59):
the public.
So they would go and protest,and you know, and cause havoc
when they disagree with thegovernment, and the government
will shut down all colleges.
There were only like four then.
You know, oh, wow, so what thatdoes, you know, indefinitely so
.
So if you were supposed tograduate in three months and you
shut down indefinitely.
It's pushed back, you know.
So it just kept getting pushedback and students who are

(50:23):
graduating were not starting ontime because you had to wait a
year, sometimes two years,before you started.

Speaker 1 (50:28):
Before you get in.

Speaker 2 (50:29):
So we were in that weird vacuum and I'm like, oh
shoot, I'm just going to start afishing chain for me.
So we're in that weird vacuumand I'm like, oh shoot, I'm just
going to start a fish and chipsbusiness.
So I made a shark, you know,out of wood and all this, you
know.
I'm like, you know, my brotherswere like, yeah, you know, they
helped me do it, you know ashark.
And you know I started with,you know, frying, you know, got

(50:49):
some potatoes and just startfrying them in a pan and oil,
you know, and selling them, youknow.
And and then people, peoplejust started coming and we made
a little money.
We bought, uh, we bought anelectric, uh, potato boiler,
whatever you call it.
Fryer, uh, fryer, yeah, fryer.
And then we bought the warmerto put the fries in, you know.
And then, um, so this is good,I I mean, I haven't even gone to

(51:13):
college, you know.

Speaker 1 (51:14):
And then, after, that I was I more out of boredom or
necessity.

Speaker 2 (51:19):
It was like cause, you know, like unemployment rate
back then I think it was like40 something percent unemployed
unemployment rate, you know.
So it was boredom and you wantto look for, you want to get
money, cause you're young, youneed money.
Yeah, you need to buy someclothes, you're trying to have
the cuties look at you differentbecause you want the, the nikes
, you're the good shoes.

(51:39):
What are you seeing on mtv?
Or yeah, there you go.
You know, because we had a lotof american influence back there
.
Tvs are showing a lot ofamerican shows, you know, with
this fresh prince of bel-air orwhatever, you know.
Yeah, uh, so we, so you try toget to that level, you know.
So that's why we did you know.
So we tried to get to thatlevel, you know.
So that's why we did this, youknow.
But it grew and constructed amore permanent place and then

(52:03):
the opportunity came for me tocome to the US.
I came and my brother ran it.
Is it still there?
No, it was done.
When my brothers came over,nobody could ride it.
Our two younger brothersbecause we have six boys in our
family I'm the oldest, the otherthree after me are here and
then we have two back in Kenya,but they all came here for

(52:25):
school, right?
Yeah, four of us are in school.
The two are still in Kenya, butthey are my half-brothers
actually.
But there's a gap between usand them.
There's like a I'd say, maybe aeight, close to 10 year gap
between four of us and them.
You know, because they wereyoung, you know so.
They were young to do stufflike that, you know so.

(52:47):
So it was just shut down andsold this stuff.
That's crazy.
Yeah, so it was.
We know, we called it CaféBel-Air man.
It was from.

Speaker 1 (52:58):
Fresh Free Zone.
That's awesome.

Speaker 2 (53:03):
It was Café Bel-Air man From Fresh.

Speaker 1 (53:05):
Free Zone.

Speaker 2 (53:06):
Bel-Air, come get your fish and chips.
Come get your fish and chips.
And it was popular with theyounger crowd.
They loved it, man, because wewould play music from.
You know those cassette tapes,you know, oh, yeah, yeah, just
put it in.
You know, you know we play allthe nice music and you know
american music, of course.
You know, yeah, everything,whatever they played, you know

(53:26):
you know it's awesome, it was,it was, it was nice living.
You know we had americanhaircut.
You know we had.
I mean, it was just you'reliving a thought of, but you
kind of almost like trying tolive that american life because
you watch a lot of americandoing the old uh two live crew
and a two life crew mc hammer mchammer that's so cool.

(53:51):
It was, uh, it was, it was, andI remember.
And then I had a girlfriendthere.
Mary Ann was my firstgirlfriend Serious girlfriend,
you know Like serious.
That's when I was like, oh mygoodness, I mean love, Love.

Speaker 1 (54:05):
I'm going to be married.

Speaker 2 (54:06):
I feel something you know, I'm young, I don't know
what it is, and my mom didn'tlike her.

Speaker 1 (54:13):
That's usually the first red flag, oh no, my mom
doesn't care about Marianne.

Speaker 2 (54:18):
I've been loving Marianne and you know I'm
hanging out with Marianne, youknow.
And you know when I left I cameto the US and it was hard for
me because when I came I reallymissed her and I missed my
friends.
So the first three months werereally hard for me.

Speaker 1 (54:34):
Yeah, I her, and I miss my friends.
So the first three months werereally hard for me.
I wanted to go back, man, I waslike.
I called my mom it's cold.
I don't know how to use thecurrent.
I don't know what it is.
They got this weird food calledSubway.

Speaker 2 (54:44):
I don't have maria in here, you know.
I just want to calm my mindLike hell.
No dude, just take that.
She made the right choice.
She made the right choice.

Speaker 1 (54:54):
Oh, because you came here, found a country girl and
yes, I know, yeah, and she's.

Speaker 2 (55:00):
She's been a blessing in my life.
She's pretty nice lady.
She's she's counsel She'd haveto be to deal with.
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (55:05):
I know.

Speaker 2 (55:08):
She's, the more type of more calm, more chill, more
you know.
Very smart lady, very smart.
I have a lot of respect for mywife.
Is she still at Western?
Yeah, she's still at Western.
She's in the purchasingdepartment.
She's the director ofpurchasing at Western she's been
there.

Speaker 1 (55:22):
I didn't remember if she had retired yet or not.

Speaker 2 (55:24):
Yeah, she's been there for 20.
Long time, 25 years.
Right now she can actuallyretire if she she wants.
You know, I think, west, wheredo you retire western?
Is it 25 or 30, something likeI don't know?
I think that's a state thing, Idon't know.
Yeah, so, but she's been there,she's, she's been a blessing.

(55:45):
Uh, she's, she's the quiet part.
I'm the loud, obnoxious, likeyou know the brains of the
outfit, yeah we talked aboutthat on the last podcast.

Speaker 1 (55:54):
Yes, she was here taking care of the kids and
stuff.
You were going back and forthfrom Michigan State yeah, from,
Michigan.

Speaker 2 (55:59):
Yeah, and she hated it.
When I came back because, youknow, I messed up our routine,
you know, and she was like, yeah, she was like thank God you're
gone because you just come hereand you're all disrespectful to
my schedule.
I got the kids sleeping at acertain time.

Speaker 1 (56:16):
Oh yeah, daddy's home .

Speaker 2 (56:16):
Daddy's home.
I'm not going to go sleep.

Speaker 1 (56:20):
Yeah, I understand that one.

Speaker 2 (56:22):
Yeah, when we make our women go through man, I tell
you that's no joke.
It's kind of I feel like asdads, you know, sometimes I feel
like we don't put it as okay.
We do a lot for our kids, youknow, Right, but the mothers are
there all the time with them,but the kids see us different,

(56:43):
you know.

Speaker 1 (56:43):
Well, don't Like.
Mothers are women a lot oftimes, and women are details,
details, details, details.
Yeah, and we're just like Ididn't throw some clothes on,
get your ass to school and thenI'll.
I'll get told it's like why didyou send her to school looking?

Speaker 2 (57:04):
like that, she's, she's fine she's fine, she's
just fine.
She dressed herself she looksnice yeah it's cool, but sheets
the old eye.

Speaker 1 (57:14):
Roll in the side and let it go, you know.

Speaker 2 (57:19):
But it's true, you know, we've had those.
Like seriously, I can't believeyou did that.
I'm like why it's fine.
Yeah, they're having fun,they're just having fun.

Speaker 1 (57:28):
It's good, it looks good, they're covered in mud.
Give these evil mud build up toyou.
I think dads are more like afree spirit.

Speaker 2 (57:37):
You know Even worse when they're with your friends,
because and my kids know whenthey want something from me,
yeah, if I'm talking to myfriends, that's the time they
know they'll approach me and getwhatever they want.

Speaker 1 (57:52):
Yeah, it's like hey dad, I want to yeah, just get
out, just leave me alone.

Speaker 2 (57:57):
I'm talking, I want my you know, my uh virtual thing
, you know?
Yeah, just get out.
And they do that on vacationtoo.
They play us, you know, but theyknow like they're not dumb they
know, oh, our uncles or dadsare there, they're having a beer
, they're just enjoying, they'retalking.
They know.

(58:17):
They surely know we hate themmessing up our conversation,
because they'll know like theywill just say whatever just to
get to get them out of where youare.
So it'll be like, and then thenext day you're like who ordered
this on Amazon?

Speaker 1 (58:38):
why are you sleeping in my house?
You said you could stay thenight.

Speaker 2 (58:42):
I know, oh, I did oh, I did, mmhmm sheesh, I've had
things like bought on Amazon,like cause I agree, like hey,
just go back, leave me alone.
Talk to your mom if she saysright, just go, yes, yes.
So the cousin are conspiring.

Speaker 1 (58:58):
They're like oh, the kids, you know, and they're the
worst is when the wife calls inand she goes did you say that
so-and-so could do this?
No, no, no, no, no.

Speaker 2 (59:08):
That was a good idea, yeah I know right, and they've
got a smart.
My kids are real smart rightnow.
They record it too.
Yeah, they come recording likehey dad, hey Uncle Sly, hey
Uncle Max, hey Uncle Felix, wejust wanted to get this and this
.
Can we do that?

Speaker 1 (59:30):
Because you know, like, just get the heck out of
here.
If you're going to be thatsmart and play me like that, you
better be a damn lawyer orsomething at some point.
Better take care of me when I'mold, I know right.

Speaker 2 (59:39):
So, yeah, that's good science.
It's funny how families arejust similar.
Yeah, because you go throughthe same experience.
Yes, and even families in theUS and families like in
developing countries it'sdifferent.
I mean, there's poverty there,but generation is a generation.
The younger kids see the oldergeneration as being out of touch

(01:00:00):
with a lot of things.
My kids right now.
They give me a hard time abouttechnology.
I can find, like you know, thepatience about technology.
Like, if you give me a cellphone, I can go at my own pace.
I can have a cell phone.
I can go at my own pace.
You know I can have a cellphone but I'll take me time.
You know I'll figure it out.
But if I have my phone and Ihave my daughter there or my son

(01:00:23):
, hey, can you try to get me to?
I need to do this.
You know they just get in andscroll in like real quick.
I'm like slow it down.
I want to see how you're doingso I don't have to call you here
again to help me but that's thetact.
I'm like why?
I'm like, okay, just do it,just do it.

(01:00:45):
And then you know, I'm like Ican do it.
I just I don't want to spend afull hour trying to figure this
thing out, but we can do it in afew seconds, you know?
Yeah, but I want you to gothrough it slow so I can see
what you're doing.
So next time around to call andthe impatience.

Speaker 1 (01:00:59):
They lose patience.
Yeah, your dad, just let me doit.

Speaker 2 (01:01:02):
No, just let me do it , let me do it, I just do it.
Yeah, you know, like I wastrying to link my phone, I have
another phone that I use justfor music and all that To link
it on the big screen at home towatch music videos, you know.

Speaker 1 (01:01:25):
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Yeah, I know right.

Speaker 2 (01:01:31):
So, and I'm struggling, I'm just trying to
do that thing on YouTube thatconnects automatically.
You know, I'm not pulling outmy TV, I'm like, but I used to.
I know I've watched it there onthe cell phone.
It used to be there.
So I'm struggling with it.
And then my son comes in.
You know, like, hey, bryson,can you come help me out here?
Ah, you come help me out here.

(01:01:57):
He's like, he's already, he'sgiving the ah, what I'm like
just can you hook this tv up,because I'm trying, I can't find
it.
It's there.
You know, oh god, I don't know,just like, but I want to show
me.
He gets really upset.
You know it's like this whydon't you figure this out?
I know I've been there for likeone hour trying to figure this
out and I'm like okay, I don'thave the patience, I don't want
to go to YouTube.

(01:02:17):
But he figured it out withintwo seconds.
He was like pep, pep, pep, pep.
I'm like he's there.
I'm like how'd you do that?
Don't worry about it, I got it,that's all.
I don't want to have to explainthis to you.

Speaker 1 (01:02:34):
Would you believe it?
We've been doing this for anhour.
Oh you kidding me?
No, it goes by pretty quickonce you get going, oh my
goodness, that's good.

Speaker 2 (01:02:42):
Yeah, it's been awesome.

Speaker 1 (01:02:43):
This is fun.
Yeah, I enjoy coming to townand getting to catch up with you
from time to time.

Speaker 2 (01:02:48):
I'll see you at Western Games and stuff.
I know Right games, I don'twrite right right and I like
this vibe, you know.
You know what, next time I'mgonna invite my brother around,
so that'd be a good time.

Speaker 1 (01:02:58):
Yeah, so I actually tried to get neil armstrong to
come up and shoot up neilarmstrong is a pretty good guy
dude.
He's such a great dude, butthat just means he's doing
something all the time.

Speaker 2 (01:03:07):
Yeah he's uh, we, we are kind of rivals when it comes
to soccer, because he watched alot of soccer, you know he's a
big Arsenal fan, I know.
Arsenal and I'm a Chelsea fan,so I'll just go back and forth.
You know, yeah, yeah, If we canbring him next time next year,
and then I'll bring my brother,we'll figure something out.
We'll figure something out,that'll be good.
Hopefully all my brothers willbe here.

(01:03:30):
You know That'll be good.

Speaker 1 (01:03:32):
I don't know if I can handle more than one picture.
We'll definitely give it a shot.

Speaker 2 (01:03:36):
Oh, then we'll give you some stories.
Man, these guys, man.

Speaker 1 (01:03:40):
Yeah, we didn't talk about the fish and chips last
podcast.
That was hilarious Bel-Air fishand chips.

Speaker 2 (01:03:47):
Yeah, bel-air, yes, bel-air.
Fresh fish, yeah, we justBel-Air, you know.
And then I have these.
Do you have pictures of thatsomewhere?

Speaker 1 (01:03:54):
Oh yeah, I do.
You need to send me those.
I will, I will send you, I willpost those Like that's awesome,
I will send you.

Speaker 2 (01:04:00):
I will, I have some.
Yeah, I'll find, I have them.

Speaker 1 (01:04:03):
I do have it.
I want pictures of you, yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:04:07):
I'll send you that, the wooden structure that we had
, you know, like a shack, andthen I sent in the one that was
done too Nice.

Speaker 1 (01:04:14):
Yeah.
You know, there is that littleshack there across from West
Pierce Liquors.
Give me a deal, bring back thedream.
I mean you're established herebut nothing saying you can't get
your fish and chips going again.
I know right.

Speaker 2 (01:04:31):
That was, yeah, I had fun, you know it was.
I was young, you know, and Iwas making money that, you know,
was a lot of money for a youngkid who was in the teens, you
know yeah.
And then I had a girlfriend whoknew how to spend the money,
how it goes, I know right, Ididn't even question it, you
know like oh yeah, love's afunny thing, love's a fool fools

(01:04:54):
.
They say yeah, fools, full fullsoccer around you know, yeah, so
, but uh, my, my, my experience,america is the best.
I, I love, I love living here.
It's it's, it's home, like I'velived here longer than I lived
in kenya yeah, yeah, and you'vemade the most of your
opportunities here.
Yes, absolutely yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:05:15):
That's the big thing.
Yeah, we don't have to go superpolitical with it, but like
there's so many people that wantto be here, when they get here,
I know Like, take advantage ofevery opportunity that you can.

Speaker 2 (01:05:28):
I know, absolutely.
I've loved it and I've put inmy sweat and this country has
been very good to me and I'veput in my sweat and this country
has been very good to me and Ilove it and I always do.
My kids are born here and mywife's from here and I'm from
here now you know, I got mycitizenship.
I got naturalized in 2007,.
You know, and that was a bigday for me.

(01:05:48):
Actually it was in Gettysburg.
I went to Gettysburg to get mynaturalization.
I didn't even know what to do,Swearing in so much for
naturalization.
I was like Gettysburg yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:05:59):
Yeah, no, but I mean, you're an example of you know,
come over, you do it the rightway and Absolutely.
Learn how to how to build onwhat you have here.
It was it was and just you canjust sit back and drink a beer
and look what you've built.
I know it's cool as hell.

Speaker 2 (01:06:17):
It is.
It's hard to fathom.
You know, like when you build ahouse and look at it, you look
at your house like, oh mygoodness, have you gone home?
Like a man sometimes in thisstreet.
Oh, my goodness, I'm the man ofthis house.
These kids look up to me.
My wife looks up to me.
I'm like a man sometimes inthis street.
Oh, my goodness, I'm the man ofthis house.
Yeah, these kids look up to me.
Yeah, my wife looks up to me.
I'm the protector.

(01:06:38):
Yeah, this house, I'm theinitiator.

Speaker 1 (01:06:42):
I'm the man.
I'm the man.
I figured this out, you know.
And then the next minute, likesomething's exploding, the kids
are freaking out about something.
Yeah, something's broken.
It's like I'm not the mananymore.

Speaker 2 (01:06:55):
I know, right, because you know it's weird.
You know we're just men to bemen of the house.
Yeah, your wife, if somethinghappens in your house right now,
she'll call you.
Yeah, travis, we got somegarbage disposal here working.
Oh, we got water in thebasement.
Oh, we got.
You know, you got to figurethat out.

(01:07:15):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:07:16):
She just explained my last like two months.

Speaker 2 (01:07:21):
Just so you know.
You know you got to spendsleepless nights figuring that
shit out.
She's going to be in bedsleeping.

Speaker 1 (01:07:27):
I got a buddy that's been staying with us.
He's in the basement and I'mjust so glad that none of that
water or drywall made it ontohis bed, you know.

Speaker 2 (01:07:38):
It's amazing, you know it's always.
The kids look at your wife andthe kids look at your daddy's
going to handle it.
Once your wife has told you theproblem, she expects you to fix
it, She'll go to bed and sleep.
You are not going to go tosleep.
You just came from work.
You're tired Now.
You just came from work, you'retired Now.

Speaker 1 (01:07:52):
I've got to deal with some water leak.
I don't know what's worse.
It's just like the house beingwrecked or that look you get
sometimes when it's just like Iknow right, figure it out.

Speaker 2 (01:08:02):
I know, figure it out .
You know, and you look at yourwife she's out there sleeping,
she's just out.
You know, and you try to figureout oh shoot, how do I get this
?
How?

Speaker 1 (01:08:20):
you know, let's figure it out.

Speaker 2 (01:08:21):
That's why men die early.
You always, you just figure itout.
Let's, uh, let's.
They say men die early becauseyou always, you know, relied
upon, you, always called upon to.
You know you the stress fallson you.
Yeah, if it does fall on you,you know it's supposed to.
Yeah, it's just how it is.
It's just that's does fall onyou, you know it's supposed to.
Yeah, it's just how it is,that's what it is you know, and
you're you know.

Speaker 1 (01:08:41):
Not only are you expected to be the protector and
the fixer of things, but whenshe's having a bad day or when
the kids are having a bad day,you've got to tap into that side
too.

Speaker 2 (01:08:53):
You've got to tap into that side.
Very true, you're going to showthe softer side of being a dad.

Speaker 1 (01:08:58):
Sometimes I just want to fix something instead of
trying to figure out why you'reso upset about sea turtles or
something I don't understand.
You're six years old.

Speaker 2 (01:09:11):
You're not supposed to understand, you're not
supposed to understand, just bea kid, yeah, so yeah, that's
pretty good.
I've enjoyed talking to you,man, yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:09:20):
This is fun yes.
We'll do this more often, we'llfind more people.

Speaker 2 (01:09:25):
Yeah, we'll find more people.
If we're doing it here, we'lldo it here.
You know, and I hope, if I geta projector, I'm going to tell
Neil I'm going to try to get aprojector.
There you go, when you havelike maybe a wild cup or a big
tournament, we can just have it.
I mean, I may just watch somesoccer.

Speaker 1 (01:09:40):
We actually had a big podcast on the World Cup last
time they had it.

Speaker 2 (01:09:44):
You did- I'm not a big soccer guy.

Speaker 1 (01:09:47):
Yes we're going to get you to be a soccer guy.
Cole Johnson who's.

Speaker 2 (01:09:52):
Coach Johnson's son, I know.

Speaker 1 (01:09:53):
Cole and he's just like well, this is what happens.
I'm like just come on podcastTell me how World Cup works.
And we broke it all down.
He showed me how it all goes.

Speaker 2 (01:10:03):
It was a good podcast .
What are you going to do,travis?

Speaker 1 (01:10:06):
Pick a team, you're not going to like me.
No, no.

Speaker 2 (01:10:10):
Just Google English Premier League.
Oh yeah, choose one team.
It's an Arsenal, tottenham,whatever you choose, it doesn't
matter, you know.
Yeah, there's an American dudethere with a team right now, you
know.

Speaker 1 (01:10:20):
So just pick a team and just start following it and
then, like I like how they do,their tier base, your tier base,
you can drop a league.

Speaker 2 (01:10:28):
You can drop completely out of soccer.

Speaker 1 (01:10:31):
You can drop longer exist by just sucking Relegation
.
I really wish that we did thatwith American football, american
football basketball.
They should do that.
Yeah, if you suck you're goingdown?

Speaker 2 (01:10:42):
Yeah, because these teams, they'll be there for a
while.
They know they're going to bethere next season.
It doesn't matter how suckythey are.
Relegation, you're fighting forsomething.

Speaker 1 (01:10:50):
You're like holy molyly you watched the 30 for 30
on what was it leads.
Yes, they have like.
How many times over the years Iknow I saw that I'm like oh man
, let's go again like a badpetty man.

Speaker 2 (01:11:07):
It won't go away it's bad because you know you lose
money, you cannot recruit, youknow, then you drop to the
second tier.
You know, and yeah, it shouldbe like that everywhere.
You know, I agree it should be.
Yeah, there's no need of theseteams.
You know like the Bears shouldhave been relegated.
I'm a Bears fan.

Speaker 1 (01:11:29):
Bears should be playing D3 football right now in
college.

Speaker 2 (01:11:33):
Yeah, they should have dropped to D3 and then find
their way back up.
You know, then maybe that wouldhave given some incentive for
the owner to be like fairargument.
I know I'm like yeah, so thankyou so much my brother.

Speaker 1 (01:11:44):
No, thank you, man.
We appreciate your support.
I appreciate everything Iappreciate coming.

Speaker 2 (01:11:47):
Yes, that was great.
I'm out you.