2019
Here’s to a reflection of the year it has been.
I am not sure how many of us keep journals or rather a track of events in our lives. I am one of the people who could have more than three diaries in a year because every day’s happenings should be taken into account. I have been thinking of writing on my 2019 journey, although it is February already, bear with me, but apparently one of my diaries went missing. I wanted to capture every detail, without leaving none unsaid.
I will be quick to mentioning one of the highlights of my year.
Study of the US Institutes (SUSI) for student leaders.
January began with a lot of enthusiasm. As every focused human being does, I reviewed my past year’s resolution and cross-checked those I had achieved and challenged myself to work on the ones I didn’t. My greatest 2019 goal was to fly abroad, and abroad to me was a far-off place to another continent, out of Africa. I am a believer, and what I know about God He needs you to be specific with your heart’s desires. So, I wrote a letter to Him mentioning the place I would like to go that 2019. Who could give a guess of my dream destination? Well, it was the desire of my heart to be In the United States of America (USA). I was not so sure of the state I would love to visit but San Francisco looked like a good deal since I am a techie and a techie’s dream would be to visit Silicon Valley. As is the custom, I signed the letter and sealed it and sent it to the One in charge of the bills. I once read somewhere that we should never be afraid to have dreams bigger than ourselves, what we ought to do is dream big and send God the bill, for He definitely could afford it.
Having sealed that deal, I worked on getting a passport, for you could not think of flying abroad without a passport at hand, that was supposed to be the first thing at hand. (Anyone who’s planning on having children someday, please ensure you get them a passport document as soon as they could have their first formal picture taken, it’s very essential. Make it a requirement in your home).
On the 19th of February that same year, I got nominated for an interview in my School, i.e. School of Science and Informatics at Taita Taveta University (and just so you know, I really love this institution) along with other four students from the different schools. The scholarship was on Student Leadership sponsored by the US Department of State. We did the interview via zoom having the interviewers as the US Embassy officials. We were told we would be emailed our results as soon as they were ready, probably within a week.
One week was over and the email inbox did not indicate any success or rejection information. I am sure those of you who’ve had the privilege of attending an interview could attest that patience is a scam when waiting for response especially from your dream company. I could no longer hold my nerves anymore and I had to go consult the faculty members on the whereabouts of the results of the interview. My professor told me that they had not received any info and therefore I had to be patient. That was in mid-March and there seemed to be no hope at all. I went back again to the faculty chair and the response I got almost broke my heart. I was told that it had taken forever for the embassy to respond and therefore that could mean that the shortlisted individuals were the ones who were contacted; meaning if we had not received any communication yet, that meant that I did not succeed. Having received such crashing news, I Had to contact my fellow candidates whom we did the interview together to confirm if there was any among them who was shortlisted. The response was encouraging, since we were on the same boat.
I had to have a one-on-one meeting with myself to comfort and encourage my soul that the year was still young enough and other opportunities could still come my way. I had to stay focused with my studies now that my expectations were nearly shuttered.
On the 20th March, 2019, I received this unexpected special call from the US Embassy congratulating me on my selection for the program. This was unbelievable. I had already forgotten about this part of my life but boom, here comes great news. I don’t remember being this excited before. I still got a picture memory for this very day. Oh, a picture memory is a picture you take in your mind when you are really, really happy. You close your eyes then take a picture, so when you are feeling sad or feeling scared or lonely, you could look at your picture memories. Who said dreams are never valid? Just dare to dream, have a dream bigger than yourself. It is achievable, it is valid, it is possible and yes you can.
My first time in the air was thrilling. You know those theories, myths and misconception that people have about flights. Being the curious me, there is this specific one I had to proof; if phones automatically go on flight mode as soon as you take off. For those of us who share the same thought as me, the answer is shoot your shot, dare to dream, and this time the dream should be flying on an aero-plane. As soon as you done kindly contact me with your answer.
Now, we landed at Frankfurt International Airport in Germany. Damn, this airport was really big, bigger that the biggest airport I knew at the time, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Anyway, I still love Kenya, my homeland. The experience was incomparable and really printed in my mind, I have a picture memory for that. The most interesting part about my flight was missing my domestic flight from Nairobi to Eldoret. You know the way people are left by buses and public vehicles, that is exactly how it is with a plane. It is non-refundable though.
We visited several states, namely: Delaware, DC, Atlanta, New York, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Maryland among many others. We also visited historic sites such as Martin Luther King center (Atlanta), Center of Disease Control CDC(Atlanta), CNN headquarters (Atlanta), UN headquarters (New York) among many others. I am yet to visit Silicon Valley, San Francisco it still remains my dream destination.
The Study of the US Institutes (SUSI) program for women student leaders was very intense. The SUSI program is fully-funded by the Department of State and focuses on female students in leadership globally in the various disciplines between the age of 18–25 years. The 2019 cohort brought together 88 women from 23 countries. It is coordinated by the Women Global Leadership Consortium (WGLC). We had three women from Kenya, that was an achievement. The program was conducted at different institutions namely University of Delaware, University of Kansas, Green River College and St. Mary’s College. The program nurtures your leadership skills and provides practical situations where you acquire leadership skills from practical situations.
So, for a typical Kenyan like me, money is a thing especially when we are dealing with US dollars. Who does not love US currency, basing on the fact that it has higher value than our own currency. I remember there is this day we did a meal at Chipolte (Mexican grill)restaurant and the cheapest meal we could get was at 15$. You know how much that is in Kenyan shillings, you add some two zeros and there you are 1,500/- With that amount of money you can visit a three or four star hotel in Kenya and get a full course meal. And by the way, I really missed Ugali (I am no sure what’s called in English) throughout my stay in the US but good thing I got a chance to eat it twice with some Kenyan families we met there. PS: Enjoy eating ugali while it is still possible. A time will come when you will be surrounded by people who don’t even know what kind of meal that is.
We had five star accommodation and The Marriott hotels. So there is this great friend from Uganda who thereafter became a very close ally. You know those places where you have to swipe a card to access all the services and facilities in the premises. Some of you would think that swiping a card was paying some money. No, this one card would act as authorization to the room and any other service. So, there is this first day when we were just from the airport and we could not find our way out of the elevator since we had to use our card to unlock the elevator and we had no clue about that. An enthusiastic woman from a small sleepy village in Uasin Gishu County had never had such an experience. The greatest privilege she had ever had was riding on the Kerio Valley Development Fund (KVDA) elevator during her tenth birthday. I am sure every Kalenjin from Eldoret is familiar with the tallest building in town.
The US experience was fun, interesting and we had a lot to learn. It was my first time to do zip lining, a spotting activity that really needs courage and high self-esteem. For those who wish to try, Karura forest and Elgeyo Marakwet county offers this spotting activity. I had a very good experience with the host family who were immigrants from Morocco. They were very loving and caring. We established such a great connection/bond and we ended up planning for a vacation in Puerto Rico someday.
My most memorable experience was celebrating independence day on the 4th July. Damn, I fell in love with their patriotic spirit. The way everyone would gather in a common stadium together with their families, do a barbecue and celebrate the freedom of their country. The fireworks moment was really interesting. I have a picture memory for this event too.
To sum it up, here are some take offs for the day;
-In handling leadership challenges/tasks, you have to ensure that you are well educated about it.
Believe in yourself, because if you don’t, no one else will.
Find that which you are passionate about and pursue it to the end.
Challenge yourself everyday to be a better person than you were yesterday.
Today is the opportunity to build the tomorrow that you want.
Don’t be afraid of new beginnings, of new people, new energy, new surroundings, new challenges. Embrace new chances of growth with happiness.
If people are doubting how far you can go, go as far that you can’t hear them anymore.
Becoming isn’t arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim,. It is a forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously towards a better self. The journey doesn’t end.
Learn to celebrate your wins and achievements no matter how small they might be.
Once upon a time, you were a little child with big dreams that you promised you’d make real one day. Don’t disappoint yourself.
My biggest dream this year is to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration in The US. I think this opportunity would give me a chance to be in Silicon Valley (my dream destination). As I said, dreams are valid. I have dared to dream, so will you?
