MY LIFE FROM SCRATCH

Many days passed, many months passed we saw even years pass. The people who sponsored this school came once in a while; these were the likes of J.L Williams and his friends. Many students got sponsored by these kind hearted people and they were transferred to a different school. I waited for the day that wonderful chance will be mine. After about six months these sponsors came again. This time round they came with names of more pupils who have been added to the sponsored pupil’s list. They called the names out… I had my sister’s first, I was so happy for her. But at the same time I was anxious because I had not heard mine. Then after a long time of calling I heard mine. I almost jumped up and down with joy… they told us to make a line because they wanted to take our photos for remembrance. They took so many pictures, they went with some and they left some behind for us. I have so many photos of these memorable moments up to date. Many are times I look at them, but there is one that captures my attention. This picture has my name across my chest. I look so innocent but at the same time so unkempt with this rough hard hair on my head. I had a shirt with few number of buttons than they were supposed to be. Where did the others go? Oops! I don’t know. I had eaten them may be. You know how notorious children can be. But who cared about that? In the photo am smiling weirdly. Do you know why? Actually we were forced to smile. In fact we were tickled. I have come to understand why they did this. From our background then, we had nothing to smile about, so telling us to smile at simple photos was just like an insult. I know that is why they did that. I do look at the picture nowadays from time to time. Any time I look at it, I experience this mixed emotional reactions. At one time I feel like crying when I look at the way I was those days. I sometimes denounce the photo saying that that was not me. But then that was like running away from reality. That was me and I know that clearly well. At another time I feel like laughing. This is because this photo makes me see the change in me. It makes me see the difference between where I was and where I am now. It makes me know where I have passed through… it makes me remember those wonderful God send sponsors who did bring the best out of me. I am me now, I don’t mind the way I looked those days. I don’t mind what I passed through. Am moving on. Those who are ready to move with me. Let’s meet at the end point. Success is the point. Those who were fully sponsored were transferred from Calvary to a new school. My sister and I were among the flock. The new school was called mashimoni squatters primary school, still in kibera. I have no answer for the meaning of this name, so don’t even try to ask. But one thing am sure about is that we were not squatters. We were given full school uniform; that was inclusive of shoes and even school bags. I had a reason to smile. I was now able to walk in an academic angle with a bag full of books on my back. Being taken to Mashimoni motivated me a lot. I made my mind to work so hard because I knew, academics was the only way out of this channel of poverty. It is the light that we have been expecting at the end of this tunnel. At mashimoni I never joked, I started working hard just from the word go. This is because here our main task was reading. We were not supposed to worry about where anything was to come from, not school fees, not uniforms, not books, not even a playing ground. We were fully sponsored remember! You were not supposed to worry about food either! Because at lunch time we were supposed to go back to Calvary, take our lunch and then come back to Mashimoni squatters for studies. I want to thank God almighty for these wonderful sponsors once again. They showed me light, they made me start my learning journey. I have come to learn one thing; anyone can get whatever they want. If you have the drive in you, then why not get that that you have been desiring to have? Go ahead and have it. It is all yours. There is nothing like being lucky. If you want it to look like luck, let me mould it for you and put it the way a close friend of mine, Mercy Waithira Wambugu puts it. This is how she says it, that if you are in harmony with God, then you will always experience favours. That is at least close to it. Actually, people who are considered lucky are those people whose hard work meets the opportunities. It all starts from within...