Life's Lessons from Kenya!!

#1. Small things often make big things bearable.
Whether it is the stupid rooster with no sense of timing who starts waking you up at 2 am, the warm greetings from the Aunty at the Cyber cafe, the fire lit every evening or the pregnant cat who takes refuge at the house - small things can give you pleasure in an inexplicable way.

#2. There is nothing you cannot do.
Till last week I thought that I was incapable of sitting quietly. I needed to talk and talk and talk. In the past week, I have hardly spoken - just speaking the minimal required words to survive and I am managing quite well :) And for those who thought I can never sit calm and quiet - come and see me here.

#3. It is more important to be friends with the house keepers than the house owner for a comfortable stay.
Because they stay in the house all the time and know everything you need to know. Specially after the Canadians left today, I discovered that I am surviving well because I made friends with Grace and Elizabeth.

#4. Doing nothing is more painful than working from dawn to midnight.
One week of a laid back life and I am finding it almost impossible to contain my energy. The workaholic that I am known to be is dying to find some work. The fact that we have to be inside by 5 pm as it is dangerous after that and there is no internet at home is making it difficult to be productive.

#5. Books are true friends in a strange land.
After suffering a bit through #4, I have taken up on reading African Literature. Currently reading I dreamed of Africa y Kuki Gallmann gifted to me by Siddharth Bhaiya, I welcome all suggestions for rich African Literature.

#6. Home Sickness is a great way for self discovery.
Something which Wan Xin said to me really touched me and I found it so true - "Be in deep experience with your homesickness Shub. It itself is a wonderful self-discovery. =) And Shub, you are strong enough to take this experience, and at times you feel you don't, let yourself break. We are here to catch you! Love, Wan Xin "
But remember that #5 doesn't help in home sickness. You might end up reading the same line for over 5 hrs and still not understand it. Then resort to #7.

#7. Find a child to laugh with.
Whether it is a 2 months old or someone who has just entered his/her teen, children have a beautiful gift of taking you into their world, totally immerse you in their life till you forget about your own. Make stupid faces with a baby, talk about issues with a 10 year old or watch a dumb teenage movie with them, you will soon find a sense of happiness which adults unfortunately can't give.

#8. Be open to break your own rules.
Do you remember me saying that I don't even drink tea, coffee and soft drinks.,I am a healthy girl and drink Milk and juices only? Well, I stayed stubborn on that for 2 days till the damp and cold weather slapped me hard. Now I drink hot tea (called Chai here) atleast 2 times a day. I still don't enjoy it and will go back to my old self when I leave Kenya.

#9. No matter how hard you try, you will always be different from them - Just accept it.
I am known as the "Wasungu" here - "the different one usually used to refer a white person". When I walk on the streets, children point at me and shout Wasungu. Everybody shouts "How are you" at me without even understanding its meaning. Weeping children stop crying if I smile at them. Matatu drivers want me in their Matatus so that they can attract more passengers. At first I used to find it very annoying but now I have realized that it is better to accept it. After all, being the different one does give a power of its own.

#10. Be in touch with your Mum.
Mothers have a gift to making you feel comfortable with all the discomforts even when she is miles away. I look forward to her next call as soon as she hangs up. Her voice is a constant source of strength in everything I am undertaking.

Leia Mais…

End of the Beginning!!

“This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

-Winston Churchill

Finally, this is the last week of my university life (hopefully) and a life of a student in general.. The secure and most care-free time of life is about to end.. Now, I will have to face the world and worry about small little things.. Parents won't be an ATM anymore - if I get a job soon.. But it is exciting.. 

May be how Monica puts it in F.R.I.E.N.D.S. "Welcome to the real world. It sucks!! You will love it"

Leia Mais…

Stranger Friend!!

Have you ever had a 'stranger friend'? May be someone who travels in the same bus with you or eats at the same place as you do.. Someone who you have never talked to, don't even know name, might have smiled once in a while? Its strange how such a 'stranger friend' gives a sense of assurance to our minds..

Recently, while studying for my exams in the library for the past 2-3 days, I have made such a 'stranger friend' too.. She sits next to me everyday - we both sit at the the exact same place each day, smiles at me every morning at 9 am when I reach the library, and smiles again when I leave the library around 8:30 pm.. Thats all the regular interaction we have had, aside from the occasional whining about the noisy Exchange Students.. We also have some unspoken agreements - we look over each other's laptops and other belongings when one has to leave the room; if one of ours place has been taken by someone else we make room for the other one and general respect for each other..

Actually, I didn't realize her importance until she left the room this afternoon taking away all her belongings.. This was the first time she did that!! It was a moment of inexplicable relief when she came back.. And I did something which I had never done before - I talked to her, asked her how her exam was, which faculty, which department.. Its kind of interesting that sometimes we get so engrossed in our own worries, work and "issues" that we make them bigger than the people around us.. I usually avoid doing that with people I know, but today I pushed the limit to people I don't know as well.. In the world where virtual communication is taking over face-to-face communication so fast, smiles are just not good enough.. We need to create more "Human Moments" for keeping the sanity of our kinds intact..

Leia Mais…

The Stranger who cares!!

Each small act of kindness reverberates across great distances and spans of time, affecting lives unknown to the one whose generous spirit was the source of the good echo, because kindness is passed on and grows each time it is passed, until simple courtesy becomes an act of selfless courage years later and far away.

~ Unknown Author (Copied from Rachit's email sign off)

There are so many people who we don't know, have never met and may not even be aware of their existence who make a difference in our lives - sometimes big, sometimes small. One such person who every graduating student from Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department would know of is Ms. Susan A. Silva - Undergraduate Final year and project matters responsible in the ECE department.

Susan has been taking care of our final year project (FYP) details, making sure that we all file for graduation, everyone is able to graduate and millions of other graduating matters. Even though that might be her job description, she has a special touch of care in all the matters. Where a lot of times we face bureaucracy issues, Susan makes sure that the final year students are free from handling all these issues. From sending emails to make sure that we go collect keys before our FYP presentation, that we submit the FYP thesis on time to making sure that we don't fail the degree requirements and fail to graduate, Susan handles it all.

I actually have to thank her personally. The online degree requirement check was showing some problems with my iLEAD modules, thus failing me to graduate on time and that too without the minor. However, with Susan's help that problem is now solved. Unlike most other people, Susan didn't ask me even once to come down to the office. Her email conversations were clear, facilitating easy communication because of which the problem was solved easily and in a very short time.

I would like to thank her on behalf of all graduating ECE students for taking so much pain for us and solving our matters and to let her know that her help is highly appreciated. 

Leia Mais…

Increasing Excitement!!

“I learned that the richness of life is found in adventure. . . . It develops self-reliance and independence. Life then teems with excitement. There is stagnation only in security.” - William Orville Douglas

Its exactly 4 weeks before I leave for Africa which means that I need to start taking my Malaria prevention pills from today! Wow!! Finally taking pills and all.. Thankfully, all the vaccination shots are done and I survived them :)

The excitement is on a constant increase nowadays. I have been introduced to some people in Kenya and I can already relate to what everybody has been telling me about the warmth of the people there. Anyone and everyone who has ever gone to Africa tells me that I am going to have an experience of a lifetime, something that I will cherish forever..

I particularly liked Jovin's response - "shub, here's why you should NOT go to africa!

- you will me mesmerized! you would not want to return to the lion city, after you'd have courted the real lions!
- you will see the soccer talents, take up women's soccer, and show them how you can juggle with many balls at once
- last but not the least, the wonderful people you'd meet would break your stereotypes on hospitality and love and seduction!

you want not be a victim of all this in your one and only youth, do you?"

Makes me want to leave right away.. Sharing a video which Muti (a Kenyan friend of mine) shared with me to introduce magical Kenya..

Leia Mais…

Finding your Passion!!

If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived? Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it, and let it become you and you will find great things happen FOR you, TO you and BECAUSE of you.

-T. Alan Armstrong

When I look around, I see so many people living life out of habit. They wake up every morning because thats what they have been doing, they go to work because they have to, they work and come back. What a waste of the human ability - doing something because you have to, because thats what most of the people do.

Being at the crossroads of my life when I am about to choose what I am supposed to do for a living, the most important thing which I am looking for is something which I love to do. I don't want to work just for money/status, these are for the world.. I want to work for job satisfaction, something which will be totally mine and no one can take it from me. Thankfully, I have the internship in Kenya to keep me going, to make me have something to really look forward to in my life.

Steve Jobs said, "I always ask myself the question - "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something." Something which I think is very true.

I have always loved working for AIESEC and that always kept me going. I loved my iLEAD programme and it was one of the most amazing experiences I have had. And  when I do something which I am not very passionate about, time becomes so slow.

Your passion does not need to be a long term passion like I want to change the world. It can be a simple short term passion like I want to spend some time with HIV positive people in Africa, and when you are living that passion, find something you are passionate about for the next step in your journey.

If you really really want to live life and not just survive, it is essential to find your passion. Ask yourself everyday, "What is it that I want to do?" If you get the same answer for a long time, you have found your passion.. So, lets promise ourselves today to live life, not just survive it!!

Leia Mais…

Phew!!

Finally done with my Final Year Project (FYP) thesis and technical paper.. Still a long way to go (precisely 5 weeks) before I get done with university but a big stress is off my head.. A grilling experience it was in the past week - the whole FYP work.

5 weeks of Uni and 7 weeks of Kenya, I have no idea where life will take me after that.. I hate this period of uncertainty, though I know that a couple of months down the road, I will laugh at how foolish I was to be so stressed up.. Fortunately, I have the trip to Kenya to look forward to.

This whole experience of uncertainty has made me get to know myself slightly better. I hate uncertainties like most people but these uncertainties give me the push to think out of the box or out of place as I would like to call it. I am still very selective about the kind of job I want to start my career with and I am not sure when that will break - when I will join the crowd and accept high-paying jobs with minimal job satisfaction and no learning.

Two important things which I look for in a job are how much will I be allowed to contribute and what are the opportunities of interacting with people from all over the world. Will my opinion be considered or will I just be a highly paid clerk who is delegated work everyday? Will I get to make a difference to the company and to the world in general? Will I be proud to tell what I do in my job or just be satisfied that I am earning? Will I travel around meeting people or just face my computer every single day? Will I be working in an enjoyable and healthy work environment or just become numb to all emotions when it comes to work?

I don't know what life holds for me! I can just take action and wait..

Leia Mais…

You can do it!!

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square hole. The ones who see things differently. They are not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

— Apple Computer Inc.

It is not always necessary that your ideas of creating a positive change will be understood or appreciated. The most important thing is not to let self-doubt kill you.. People usually laugh at big ideas - if you have seen them, be happy that you are courageous enough to see them. If you can implement them, a big kudos.. You might succeed or not, but at least you tried.

If you think that you need the whole world to support you, always remember this:

"Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

- Margaret Mead

Believe in yourself, stand up for your belief, and go change the world! You can do it!!

If you are ever in doubt, watch this video which very beautifully describes how 1 person or small group of people can bring about a revolution. (I always manage to get goosebumps while seeing this video)

Leia Mais…

Career Path!!

Leia Mais…