“I’ll spread my wings and I’ll learn how to fly, I’ll do what it takes, until I touch the sky, I’ll make a wish, take a chance, make a change, and breakaway”
To some people this song by Kelly Clarkson is just a song, maybe because of its nice melody and the voice of the singer, but to others it can mean a lot more.
During my younger years, 8, 10, 15… I could not listen to music like this due to language barriers/knowledge. Also, because I lived in a remote community, I had no idea that inspiring songs like this one existed. But when I grew up and was able to listen to English songs, this was one of the songs that I liked the most.
In his book Flying Without a Net, Thomas DeLong explains how to draw strength from vulnerability. He said “There are simply times when you have to have faith in yourself and in others. You have faith not just in your need to achieve but in the ability to change.”
Even if you were born in a poor community with no foundation, it’s never too late to be an achiever. What it takes is hard work, a vision and most importantly as long as you are healthy you can achieve anything. Where you were born and raised sometimes plays a role in your life but it does not necessarily mean you cannot be an achiever. If you need to be certain of anything, it is being sure that it is possible to come from nowhere and still get somewhere far.
What does it take: A Fellow to the US
“Get on board a fast train, travel on a jet plane, far away, and breakaway.” Believe me or not, your will is your way.
In her book From Gomba to the White House, Rehman Kasule, describes her rise from survival to significance. Her discovery of the real ME, personal development tools, dreams, positive mental attitude, goal setting, leadership and entrepreneurship development tips got her invited to the White House.
You probably would never dream of getting on board if the only means of transportation you ever knew, in a community like many of ours in Africa, was a wooden scooter “Igicugutu” in our Kinyarwanda language.
I never thought I would ever get on board a plane. Some years ago my Igicugutu was my Boeing 787, but what did it take to get on board and fly to New York to get to Yale in New Haven, Connecticut? If I had to write a book, I would call this From Gisenyi to NY/Yale; 7041 miles which is equal to 11,331 km2 on a plane from Kigali to New York.
When GHC invited all the fellows for a Training Institute at Yale, the main objective was to equip fellows with skills that would enable them to better perform in their respective organizations. Of course to many fellows that was one of the most exciting prospects of the training. But there were some other exciting things too.
Question: What excitement keeps you awake for 15 hours and lets you sleep for only 3 hours on a plane from Kigali to NY?
Answer: Your first time on a plane!
As it was the first time for many of us Rwanda Fellows on a plane, I slept for only three hours. This was not because I was afraid, but because I was excited! I was lucky to sit by the windows; my curiosity kept me opening the windows to look down and see what it looked like outside. With the map on the TV screen in front of me, I could know all the places we were flying over. Imagine my excitement knowing that we were in the sky, flying over the Sahara desert or Israel. Maybe not everyone felt that excitement, but I swear, if it was your first time like me!
Ooops, maybe this sounds strange, but that is what it takes to get on board on a plane for the first time. If you’ve only been as far as the Kigali Airport and one day you find yourself at the Schiphol Airport with a three hour lay over, maybe you would not act like me, but I was so nervous that I made sure that all of us Rwandan Fellows (traveling alone with no chaperone) stuck together so that we would not get lost. It was all new to me then, but now I know that if I had to go back, I would grab a cup of coffee and connect to the WiFi while waiting. But that is okay, it was part of the experience.
In New York everything was new to me. On Yale’s campus I was a bit disoriented with the time difference; it never seemed to get dark until around 10:00 pm. Here in Rwanda it gets dark at 6:00 pm making it rather easy for me to tell the time just by looking up at the sky. So of course, I thought that while at Yale, I could tell the time just by looking up at the sky. I vividly remember the first day that I tested out my time-telling skills at Yale. It was our first night, I was in my room when I looked out the window and thought to myself: it is still bright outside, still too early for dinner. I kept reading and by the time I decided that it looked like 7 pm, dinner time, I was sadly disappointed. Instead of being 7 pm, it was 10 pm, long after dinner time. Fortunately, I had a heavy lunch and would have breakfast in the morning. But, imagine waking up the next morning wanting to take a shower only to realize that there is no hot water! It took me almost five days to finally figure out how to get hot water from the shower.
“Out of the darkness and into the sun, but I won’t forget the place I come from” This part of the song reminds everyone that there is truly no place like home.
“Home sweet home”
Thanks to GHC, I am now back in my country where I am serving the community. I couldn’t have been any happier to be home, and helping to make an impact in my community.