QAIS Staff Profile of the Week – Chris Borodenko, Facilities Manager
What is your favorite traveling experience and why?
My wife Lauren and I were hiking with friends in a park in South Africa where we used to live. A guy in front of me kicked a stick that rolled while he was walking. When I looked down I realized it wasn’t a stick but a Cape Cobra snake, one of the deadliest snakes in the world. I looked down and the snake that had just rolled looked up at me a little dizzy. It was a big Cape Cobra, over 2 meters long.
I jumped off the trail which ran along a ridgeline. As I leapt, it went to strike me with its mouth open wide and just barely missed me. I skidded down the hill where I landed about 2 meters and turned back to see the snake eye level on the trail looking at me. I stood still with my hands up with the snake staring at me, body coiled and standing up about half a meter glaring at me. We all stood still waiting for the snake to calm and bring back its hood. It took about a minute – but it seemed like 10 – and then we carried on to go swim in some water.
What is your favorite family occasion and why?
My favorite Christmas was with my wife Lauren and our daughter Lily had Christmas in Italy. We had rented a house and the landlord had put a Christmas tree in for us which was lovely. However, she had never watered so when our daughter bumped into it one day, all the dried pine needles fell down. We had to change her outfit because she was covered in pine needles but it was absolutely hysterical.
