MY TRAJECTORY.

                    PHOTO: COURTESY OF GOOGLE

A Campus at the Kenyan coast? Mombasa to be precise! oh heavens! I literally can’t wait! Having passion for media and its surrounding studies, I’ve always wanted to make my long-life dream come to pass. “The great Technical University of Mombasa”, excitement kicking start at the mention of that name. "Just the right place to be”, my dad would say. Soliloquy being a daily routine and now that I am here, oh well, might as well have been given a manual for handling expectations before enrolling in university.

I had a pretty rough beginning, but, just like everyone else, I was thrilled to join university. “Freedom” is what kept me going at that time. Being away from my parents, I had to call the shots on my own thus having a sudden urge to push myself out of my shell and convert my weaknesses to strengths.

This current chapter of my life took quite a drastically interesting turn. The first usual phase, being a freshman was the most memorable. I juggled many new experiences. New friends, new living situations, new activities, new classes and new teachers, not forgetting the available facilities which I made/still make use of for the betterment of myself and my career as well.

Working my way through the pros and cons of university life, I force myself to grow up, become self-sufficient and live independently while networking with my peers from diverse cultures and backgrounds.

Mastering the art of time management often comes in handy to me at all times. Being the icing on the cake, it helps me to balance deadlines, lectures, societies and a social life and it sure does pay off since it is one of the key factors to leading an exemplary life in campus.

While trying to cope with school life and everything revolving around it, its normal to encounter a variety of obstacles along the way. Not to mention but a few, living with roommates, adjusting to a new environment and homesickness came knocking at my door. Since there are many students that live in the hostels throughout the school year, the school cannot possibly afford to make each hostel into a holiday inn suite. Lack of air conditioning being a major problem. The heat and humidity are just unbearable and hard to adjust into, considering the location of the school. Sleepless nights, constant sweating and dehydration being the norm.

Some of the few helpful tactics I had to teach myself in order to have a smooth life in university include:

1. Developing a  budget- With this I am able to separate wants from needs by identifying expenses that must be paid i.e. food

2. Starting a meal plan – this enables me to learn portion control, eat healthy, save time, save money. It also gives me more time to study rather than fret about what my next meal is going to be.

3. Developing quick reading skills – this enables me to grasp content a lot faster and also cut down time spent on reading and understanding. Additionally, it helps me to vocalize the words in my mind as I read.

4. Asking for help when I need it – This normalizes that at some time we require help and support from one another thus facilitating better performance for ourselves and others hence improving connection and culture.

It might not meet your average depiction of a good university experience, but to me, it is by far the greatest, with immense acknowledgement to the achievements I have made ever since I enrolled. Truly, ENDEAVOR and ACHIEVE.