Broadening your horizons by broadening the horizon!
Chapter 11
There is so much to love about university abroad. The mix of different cultures, that feeling of turning an assignment in, the even better feeling of getting a good grade on that assignment. Each and every university experience is special. The core of each experience is to expand your mind, your skills, your networks, and get ready for that next step into a bigger life.
Over the years, I have met many students that felt they needed to have the experience of going to school in a different country as well as those that felt they didn’t need to. There is no wrong way. For me, it was all about experiencing the culture and lifestyle of another country while also getting that global education and experience which is looked upon favorably.
This might not be everyone’s experience, but when I landed in Australia I fell in love. The weather, the people, the beaches, everything about it spoke to me. So much so that after school, I stayed. Luckily, Australia is a country that allows students plenty of time and space to stay back and get more hands-on work experience. Learning all of this leads to you being way more prepared for the “real world” once you transition into the work life. I made a life in Australia, became a permanent resident, then a citizen. Then I reached peak Aussie where I started to use “G’Day” without even thinking about it.
Still, while I called Australia home, the call of Kenya was still there. My heart was always in my homeland. For some, this isn’t the case. I met one guy that was ready to burn his American passport after visiting his first Australian pub. Others end up calling Australia home longer than they lived in their home country. It’s different for everyone.
One of the main reasons that I wanted to return to Kenya was to share my experiences with the next generation of students. Get them to take a chance to experience the weird and wonderful world. It didn’t need to be Australia but go and get those additional experiences that you can bring back to your homeland and help make it a little bit better. I’ll push for anyone to go to France so they can bring back some of those French pastry recipes we cannot get enough of.
I want to help prepare the next generation of students because those that take on these big adventures of schooling in another country can ruin their experience by not being prepared. I would hate for someone to miss out on opportunities because they are always trying to play catch up. It would be like everyone binging and talking about a new TV show and you always being a few episodes behind. Just the thought makes me shudder.
Still, even with my level of preparedness when I went to Australia, I still needed a purpose. Something that I was going to find at the end of the rainbow road. Sure, I was going to have the experiences of Australia University life and I was going to have my degree, but there was something else that I needed.
Even after graduating and getting a great job and starting my life in Australia, I could feel that purpose “hole” was not being filled. It was then that I realized what I was missing. It still took me a while to accept it. Because honestly, it could have also been indigestion, so I had to make sure, oh well!!
What was it?
It was where I am now. It was working with my students in Kenya; sharing my experiences and giving them that knowledgeable push to have their own adventures. I want to be that person that gives them the heads up that not everything is going to go perfect, and that’s ok. Sometimes they are going to have good times. Sometimes they are going to have frustrating times. However, each time no matter what it is, is an experience that they will treasure for a lifetime.
I finally found my purpose.
