Life Abroad: Former Miss Kenya Speaks of Her Struggle to Make Ends Meet by Not Gold-Digging as is the Popular Belief (PART II)

Here’s part 2 of Rachel’s story

I was back to square one and too embarrassed to go back to Transit TV with my tail between my legs to beg for my old job back. That pride thing again… One of my greatest vices. It got so bad (the depression) that my beautiful amazing mother had to come all the way from Kenya and my equally beautiful and amazing big sister had to come from Canada to whip me back into shape. I’d gained like 30 pounds too in my despair. They whisked me off to Arizona for a full month and that was the beginning of my healing. (Also there for me in Arizona was my beautiful friend. My sister from another Russian mother, Alena Egorina, who would sit with me and my family and give me the most encouraging words as I cried. I’m not normally a crier but jeez! At the time I was like the Niagara Falls. It was like I was constantly on PMS overload! See, she understood very well what I was going through. She lived in LA for a year too. In fact, I took over her lease in her apartment when I moved here because that was right about the time when she got fed up with LA and opted out. And she’s not even in the entertainment industry! We had both lived in Miami before where we’d met and become fast friends). The two people who have always loved me unconditionally were there for me. I thank God everyday for that. They soothed me back into reality. Reminded me who I am and where I’m from and that I am still capable. Wow. I’m crying now remembering this. Those two women saved my life! Thank God ever so much for them! That was September to October of last year by the way that this was happening (my mom and sis coming to my rescue). I shudder to think how far into that deep hole of depression I could have gone had it not been for them. To put things in perspective, I was deep in depression when I penned the Alisha Popat rant. Now, I still believe my sentiments were right and my opinion still stands but maybe this Rachel, who is no longer depressed, would have kept that opinion to herself rather than say it out loud. Sometimes it is perhaps best to keep valid- though controversial- opinions to ourselves. Anyway, this is to show that you never know what is going on in people’s lives even though their lives may seem glamorous from miles away and on social media. I literally thought it was over for me at that point. All the hard work and sacrifices, fighting hard to stay on the good and narrow and not sell my soul, balancing all that work with school… At the time, it felt like it was all for nought.

Fast forward to the present. I’m out of that place. I’m happy again and revamped. Going for my dreams even more fiercely than before. That is why I penned my latest song “Nguvu” (Strength). I love it because to me it signifies getting back up. (Watch the video on YouTube by the way. Yes. This is a plug, lol). Anyway, back to now. As I hustle to attend auditions and what not, I am EXTREMELY blessed to have stumbled upon a “bills job” that I absolutely LOVE! I work for a wonderful company that’s been around for over 2 decades called Closets By Design. I am an interior designer! I went through grueling training and I now go into clients homes and help them redesign and reorganize their homes. In this picture is some of my work. It is such a gratifying job! Turns out I really have a knack for it. It’s not for everyone but it suits me just fine. More than fine! It amazes me how much I love it each day. From the first day of training I knew that this was it for me. It comes with a flexible schedule (a Hollywood dream chaser’s dream), I never have to sit at any desk, bored out of my mind from 9-5, 5 days a week and it pays me well. Very well (for my standards at least ). I visit one to two homes a day sometimes for as little as 1 hour per home to over 6 hours! Mostly it’s an average of 4 hours a home though. I enjoy it so much that I never see time passing by. I go in, consult with the clients, hand design a beautiful space for them and then I’m on my jolly way. I work almost every day, including holidays and some Sundays but I look forward to each appointment. I design closets, garages, offices, pantries, wall beds, wall units and everything else except kitchens and bathrooms. Now the clients! What an interesting assortment! I service mostly high end areas like Beverly Hills, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Bel Air, etc but I also go everywhere else, which is why most selfies of mine are taken from my car. LOL! Always driving. I thought I got close to stars interviewing them on red carpets before, but now I have found myself in the homes of some of the world’s biggest stars redesigning their intimate spaces. What a blessing to be entrusted with something so personal! I love ALL my clients. I love to chat with them and get to know them. Especially my older clients who always have so many stories to inspire me.

I’m writing all this (yes, I know it’s another long one) to say, when it rains it pours but the rain has to stop some time. It may not seem so when you’re deep in a rut but I can promise you IT DOES. I hope this can inspire someone to look forward to brighter days. As for me, I’m still chasing my dreams. I’m still a TV host, singer and actress. I also go back to school for my third degree starting this fall. However, now I can be happy knowing that even if I never get to be among the 1% of the 1% that make it, at least I’ve found a “bills job” that I really wouldn’t mind doing for the rest of my life if I had to. Cheers to everyone fighting for their dreams out there and taking no short cuts! Like I said earlier, my Benzes and Rovers will come some day, but when they do, they will be MINE. Gotten from my own sweat and tears just the way my momma taught me. See why I get upset when people automatically assume that being a former Miss Kenya and model, I am automatically a gold digger? This girl has NEVER laid on her back to get anything from anyone. I say it again with pride and conviction and let anyone who would like to say otherwise provide receipts to prove it. It’s unfair to judge us all beauty pageant/ model girls so negatively but that’s a rant for another post, another day. Wait! I already did that one! Hahaha! Outspoken old me. This mouth shall land me in trouble one day!

Back to my declaration of driving expensive cars some day… I may need to sell a lot of closets or I may finally get a Hollywood “break” in my entertainment career but I’ll get there… It really doesn’t matter as long as I stay happy and far away from depression. I wonder if this explains to some of you why I have been making little changes lately like my new natural hair/ no weaves do? It’s all a part of my growth. Have a blessed inspired week everyone! PS: some evil people will try to bring you down and kick you while you’re down. They will try their best to dim your light but keep those who truly love you close and keep your eye on the prize. That prize, I’ve learned, is H-A-P-P-I-N-E-S-S. One of my friends once told me when I decided to move to LA that I’ll be just fine in this life because I’ve got the “hustle bone” (shout out to Dr. Maina in Miami). You’re damn right I do!