After some time, having a nice vacation and time out from the reality every day I realize more what a life changing experience this was.
Here are the videos, created by Lynn, to show our moments and our idea to share the positive feeling "I am a Kenyan". The latter video we shared in our final presentation too and it received a warm emotional welcome.
IBM CSC Kenya Team 3 Moments
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZnresWuS8o
I am a Kenyan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK7f4fTOZxA&feature=related
When I look closer from the distance the experience....I feel so happy. I got selected, I took everything out of the time in Kenya. So many great memories to cherish. I grew again as a person and know that I will grow more, if I just encourage myself step by step beyond the line I have drawn in my mind.
Apart from making friends, growing fond of Kenya and its culture...I realized what a great country I have to live in, Finland. My friends and family, who have been there with all my adventures...and always welcomed me with open arms back home, like no day would have passed by.
This experience, apart from all the fun triggered lot of good thinking - questioning if what I do is really making a difference? Can I do more?
...and many more questions, where I will surely get the answer when time is right. As learned in Kenya, everything happens on its own time...meetings might take place, but they might not. Yet no reason to stress, Hakuna Matata ;O))))
After visiting the schools and the St. Anthony's small home...made me realize, one should not stress about some meeting. As long as one does the best one can, it's good. Things won't always go the way I would like them to go, and I will fall flat on my face also in the future...but then I have to remind myself with the key questions; did anyone die? Did anyone get wounded?
If not...stand up and walk on.
I got an healthy perspective as well during this assignment. There are lot bigger things going on in the world. Children who lost their parents in a riot and have no future without any proper support in form of social security or private organizations like New Life Africa International and St. Anthony Small Home...there's more in stake there. If one slide is not 100% perfect, but carries the message...then no reason to sweat about it till midnight hours.
Hakuna Matata combined with Finnish Sisu might be a great recipe for going further.
It is a funny combination, that bubbles in my mind unexpectedly...laughter, joy, missing the team, missing Kenya, jokes, cultural diversity. The spark got started to make a difference and I want to keep it up.
Kenya showed me that you can do things you have never done before, succeed, against all odds. We only had success because we had our full hearts in it and we also had fun. We dared to break the limits and be enthusiastic about it....and now am steaming forward, walking on, with the energy and enthusiasm that I kept in my back pocket.
"Enthusiasm is the greatest asset in the world. It beats money and power and influence. It is no more or less than faith in action."
- Henry Chester
