Photo: Nafula Sharleen/Facebook
Hosting Africans from around the world comes with unexpected challenges, US-based Kenyan businesswoman and nurse Nafula Sharleen has revealed.
Through her hosting agency for DV Lottery winners, Nafula recently shared a story about a particularly superstitious West African guest whose paranoia turned everyday tasks into comedic chaos.
In a Facebook post that has since gone viral, Nafula recounted how the man, who had arrived in the US after winning the DV Lottery, was extremely wary of fellow lottery winners.
“He claimed he couldn’t share the fridge or any food with other DV Lottery winners because they might poison him,” she wrote. According to Nafula, even placing a small portion of food on the table would trigger panic, with the man accusing others of trying to harm him.
The story took an even more unusual turn with laundry chores.
Nafula explained that the guest would wash his clothes and carefully inspect the dryer, worried that someone might have sewn strange objects into his garments.
“He was paranoid to the point that even dryer sheets, which I use for scent, became a source of suspicion,” Nafula said.
She shared an incident where her lavender-scented dryer sheets caused the man to panic, claiming someone had put “witchcraft” in his clothes because they smelled like a baby.
Despite repeated attempts to calm him, the man remained anxious throughout his stay.
“I had to personally show him the dryer sheets papers to convince him there was nothing suspicious,” she explained.
The guest stayed with her for six months before finally moving out, with Nafula noting that his extreme paranoia made cohabitation challenging.
Nafula also highlighted the broader reality of hosting DV Lottery winners. She hosts people from all over Africa and has encountered various personalities and behaviors.
However, this particular guest stood out for his unusual fear of supernatural interference in everyday life.
Her story, told with humor and vivid detail, has resonated with many on social media, sparking laughter and sparking discussions about cultural differences, superstitions, and the challenges of hosting strangers in a foreign country.
Nafula concluded by encouraging others in her line of work to be prepared for anything, noting that “hosting Africans is always an adventure; you never know what personalities you will meet or the quirks that come with them.”