Two things that stick out from my journey so far in the Beyond Borders program are the preparation that is necessary to get me to this place, one month from leaving to live in Kenya for the summer, and the gratitude that I have to all the people that got me to this place. Both have been integral parts of the journey so far and I could not have achieved this without the people involved.
First off, preparation. I have had two terms in class, learning about development issues and the complexity of the problems involved. The first term was learning from different sources, from non-fiction to fiction, small journal articles to long three hour documentaries, to learn about what we will be getting ourselves into over the summer. I was continually taught the lesson that no issue is black and white; even something seemingly simple like HIV/AIDS is a complex issue. The second term barely had any classes, only five, and was instead mostly a self-learning environment where we wrote about the lessons we were learning at volunteering at the Kitchener Working Center along with the fundraising efforts we had to get ready for our placements.
Why is preparation so important? I think it is because it gives each of us a choice; I can listen to these lessons and learn it or I can ignore it. There are many times where I, deliberately or not, choose the second option and those are the times where I fail. One thing I have learned this term is that leaders are never a fluke. They prepare extensively to get to where they are. They are organized and have put a lot of thought into each problem, and if they do not know what to do, they will learn from their mistakes and do better the next time. This type of reflection is important because it shows that every situation is important and that the preparation aspect of their task is not taken for granted. The preparation for Beyond Borders has not been wasted on me. I have put my heart into this program and I am in a very good place a month before my trip starts. It is only because I made a conscious choice to put all I have in this program and I followed through with it. I hope to make this choice, to not ignore the preparation needed in Kenya to get the most out of my trip, during my time in Nairobi.
The second part is gratitude. Despite my readiness for the program, I have had many down moments where I did not think I would be ready. However, the support I have gained from friends, family and random strangers has meant the world to me. Last Monday, I was a bit overwhelmed after our last class for the term but did not have time to contemplate all of the lessons that we talked about at the Working Center. I had a big paper due the next day and after the joy I felt at class, I was back into the paper zone: dour and focused. On my way into the library, I met two old friends that I talked about Kenya to. The first had not known about it, but his genuine enthusiasm for my journey meant the world to me. Then right after I ran into another friend, who told me, unsolicited, that she really liked my blogs and hoped I would have a great trip. This type of support, genuine and heartfelt, is the type that we all need in our lives and that I am so grateful for. It does not always come from places you would expect but it shows the power of human connections. I always try to be nice to people that serve me, whether that be waitresses at restaurants to janitors at school. This is because I always try to think that they are not robots but instead are humans, like you or me. I will only see strangers in Kenya but from everything I have heard about the country, they will be gracious and will welcome me into their country with open arms. I am glad to say that I saw this type of human togetherness in Canada this term, when I was at my lowest. We are all connected, and showing gratitude to your friends and family is the least you can do to show that you recognize these special connections.
Everyone that has helped me on my journey so far has been appreciated for their help and in return I will pay this forward in Kenya and be the nicest, most open person I can be. I want to ensure the lessons that I learned these past eight months will help me be the best ambassador in Kenya that a Canadian can be, and one that all of my friends would be proud of.
