Youth Voices: Consistency is Key

In these first four weeks, I have developed a pattern for my day-to-day life that has assisted me in progressing through the first half of the program. This schedule has been flexible and had to be changed due to different obstacles of the country.

As a man in need of structure in certain aspects of my life, developing a routine was one of the first orders of business during my time here. Since I arrived in Kenya at the end of the week I had the weekend to observe and figure out what I had in my community to solidify in my day-to-day. Using that time to not only unwind after my journey, I went around the ILRI campus to get acquainted with its amenities and how I would utilize them for my benefit.

When my first week started I also used this new information to learn more of how my day would flow and how that would fit into the developing schedule. By the time I finally started working on the farm that Wednesday I had already been getting used to the plan I had laid out. With the farm being flexible with arrival time it assisted if I happened to be oversleep a bit, which thankfully did not happen as often as I'd expected. After adjusting to the jetlag I was used to waking up at 5 A.M. again which gave me time in the morning to myself to prepare for the day. With that condition set everything else practically fell into place.

My need for developing a routine stems from watching my father as I grew up. Seeing the structure and discipline he had in his life rubbed off on me. In more ways than this, he has been a significant influence on how I move through life this being one of the foundations of my development. Always seeing how this schedule he set up for himself allowed him to utilize the full 24 hours of the day to his advantage is what really moved me. It wasn't until he bestowed me with the wisdom of the full 24 hours that I was really able to understand the importance of what he had already made as natural as breathing. I have somewhat developed my own routine but I am still working to model mine like my father's which keeps me motivated to be better than I was previously.

Keeping all this in mind it was pretty easy to become accustomed to my new work life. To start I would wake and wash up for the day, and when it is time to eat I go to the cafeteria and eat breakfast which never really changed unless certain items weren't there. For breakfast I usually grabbed some pork sausages, bacon, pancakes, coffee, and an omelette. I had done this so often that walking into the cafeteria they knew what I wanted before I had to open my mouth. For lunch, the menu changed every day but I made sure to try the items that I had never had before, for example, I tried oxtail, gizzards, ossubucco, ugali, and chapati. I make it a habit to try anything once so I can know for sure if I enjoy something or not. For dinner I usually got the same thing which was a BLT wrap which was my after-workout food before finishing my day, this too became something I didn't even have to ask for when entering the cafeteria.

Since my place of residence and the farm were on the same campus I was able to make the trip to work on foot. This extra time to myself in an environment entirely different from mine allowed me to really take in the sounds, and fully immerse my being in my surroundings. After eating my breakfast I make the 5-7 minute to the farm. While making this commute I made sure to take in the surroundings which on the ILRI were beautiful, with landscapers always working on the campgrounds it was always a sight to behold.

On a daily basis, I interacted with veterinarians on the farm about what I would be working on throughout the day. Thanks to my colleagues I was able to be a part of more than what I initially thought. The connections I made while there made the limited time I spent there worthwhile. I worked alongside fellow students who were learning the same as I and conversing with them helped me take in more than I knew I could. I worked on numerous projects that opened my mind to the mission that I have the honor of being a part of. One day I could work with the cattle and the next I could be in the lab working on data from the pigs. It was never a day where I did not learn something new which I really enjoyed. When I wasn't doing anything after the day was over, I occupied my time with exercise, reading , or working on notes for my experience.