…,…,… then I lay down to rest after a very tiring journey. This time not in my house on my bed. In fact no where near Cameroon, then I could actually say “it’s all left to you to decide what you WANT for yourself, where you WANT to be, what you WANT to do, who you WANT to be, what is best for you,… and the list goes on!
Getting into Open Dreams at quite a young age and getting people give endless talks on getting world standard education out of Cameroon not from your parents pockets but on a full-ride scholarship kept me preoccupied with applications until I got mine in 2017 for the 2018 class. Youpiee!!. So trust me it’s VERY POSSIBLE.
As I scan back through 2015 till date, I’ll say I’ve been through a moulding process and like we all know, moulding is quite painful because if the porter discovers that the shape he is trying to bring out is not good, he’ll have to “BREAK” or “DESTROY” what he started making and transform it to something new. That’s exactly how I felt during this period and that’s exactly how working for what’s best for you feels like.
As an Open Dreams Scholar, one of the things I got and will forever hold on to is “You’ll get it if you WANT it”. When I say WANT, I don’t imply you lie on your bed and live in your utopia. It’s necessary though so that you have a view of what you desire but WANT here actually means “Work And Never Tire”. It’s not like I did not get those moments of depression and feelings of frustration and giving up which could make me tire but during those moments, I made up my mind to WANT so that I get it. One thing you must note is that the one YES you receive from a school and scholarship body is enough to counteract the plenty NO you may have received so WANT it and you’ll get it.
You can imagine how I felt finally getting into a plane, flying high above the clouds, passing through Kenya, South Africa and finally to Botswana and seeing all the things I saw just in movies right before my eyes—That’s the result of WANT.
When I got to the campus at the university of Botswana, I was and I’m still wowed at what I saw. There is a CLEAR CUT difference between Botswana and where I’m from. The gorgeousness of their infrastructure and the organized nature of things, not forgetting the good, the bad, and the ugly which you’ll see everywhere – well that’s what makes life interesting – variety!!. As soon as I settled on campus, I felt sooooo nostalgic (never had it this strong) and trust me you’ll feel same too when you get away from home but this feeling will fade away before you even notice especially as you’ll get absorbed in the daily routine. All the “seemingly” tough moments will be out to prove the Open Dreams spirit so know who you are as an Open Dreams scholar, set your priorities straight and stand for them. I believe that’s all it takes to live in a new place and that’s exactly what I’m doing.
One more thing… Ensure what you WANT is in God’s plan for your life. So whenever you feel like you’re stuck, turn to Him for direction. He is and must always be at the center of everything.
That for now…. I think the University of Botswana is cool and I’m adapting so… till next time. Wish you guys the best and I’m waiting for Open Dreams Scholars in Botswana. KUDOS!!!.