After the exam fever and completing the end semester exams, one always wishes for peace of mind. This can only be found away from the learning institution! It is normal to see students waking up late and going to bed late—not because they are doing anything serious, but because they spend time relaxing and watching a bunch of movies. In my case, I like playing football, and most of the time, I train until 7:00 pm. All in all, we are all trying to relax our minds.
Still around school, where I reside, I see students moving from place to place during evening hours, shopping for supper and breakfast. The evening businesswomen selling groceries reap benefits at this time. Among the most sold goods are groceries and maize flour. It's surprising that in school, 'ugali' is still a staple food! Through these experiences, I have realized that the culture in which a child is brought up significantly influences their future behavior and way of life. At home, we eat 'ugali', and that is why most students embrace the same meal for supper. Since we don't have assignments, at least we can watch the news! When lecturers ask questions about current political trends to illustrate a point, students go quiet because they don't watch the news. During this time, we notice the increase in common commodities in the market and the economic state of the country—which is a good thing if we did it every day to understand our country's nature during different economic phases. However, it seems so boring to us because watching the news is not entertaining at all. It is just another way of reminding a 'comrade' that the bills are high and we have to prepare for them.
Mostly, the school sends emails to update parents on the progress of the school’s academic affairs and general information about school activities. Two days after finishing the exams, some parents or guardians call their students to go home because they 'miss' them. On the other hand, the students don't want to go because they are aware of the work that awaits them at home—but still, they have to go. I always accept that I have to go home. It is much better going home than staying because adulthood is not easy, and the bank balance is not 'smiling'—not once, but all the time.
Traveling by public means is one of the boring, inevitable experiences I have to undergo just before and after the semester. The passenger van mostly carries excess passengers, and in case of a traffic jam, you have to endure all the heat and poor air conditioning. However, the mindset is powerful—you just set in your mind that this is the class you can afford, and you have no option but to arrive safely at your destination. Besides, this is the most reliable means of transport even for middle-class people when their cars break down—obviously, the high class have multiple cars! For the transport sacco offering the services, profit is more important than the comfort of its customers. Plus, Kenyans are always in a hurry; if you are selective about comfort rather than the time you'll arrive at your destination, then you'll be left behind. It is common to board a van with stickers inside saying, "If you want comfort, buy your own car."
By the grace of God, I arrived home safe and sound. It is yet another time to unite with my family after being away for three months in school. A 'warm' environment with genuine love it is! The following day, I had to get used to my mother assigning chores before she leaves for 'work'—the market. During this time, my brothers would take advantage of my presence to disappear and only return during meal times, lol. "This is the way siblings live together anyway," I thought. As a literature student, I think both literally and literarily. It dawned on me that they were just happy to see me around, ready to help, not really taking advantage of my presence. The same routine repeated throughout the week except for the weekend when my mother would take care of the chores. In the evening hours, I used to go for football training sessions, which I always found to be a forum for socializing. During the weekends, we would then go for friendly matches or a tournament. I must say it is a nice experience because some of the tournaments are organized by politicians. This way, some of us realize the platforms to use when convincing people to vote for us. For instance, the same youths would report to their parents that the person who sponsored them with training kits and balls is the right person to elect. All the same, politics are politics irrespective of the methods used to lead one to the administrative position.
When youths indulge in sports, they seem occupied, which enables them to avoid idleness and drug abuse. They spend their evenings on the football pitch, which would otherwise be wasted wandering around the streets—not safe both security-wise and morally. Participating in sports activities even for fun can help shape personality. An introvert would gradually find it fun to play with his/her agemates and become selectively extroverted, which is better than being utterly introverted. Generally, holiday experiences enable students to learn a number of social dynamics because of the change of environment and community. Mostly, we attend colleges in different counties with different communities. Hence, the student can understand the two societies (where one was brought up and where one attends college) and identify the relationship, especially for literature students who aim to learn more about cultural heritage in different communities. The same can enable one to know how to coexist in the two societies. Check, for instance, a student who never goes home on holidays. He or she might be lured by the beauty of the new environment and forget where they came from because most colleges are set up in urban cities. The urban culture may influence the way the student will act as a member of their home society, as they didn’t learn how to coexist. The elders of the homeland might find the new behavior offensive to the original culture. As the old men said—whoever abandons one's culture is a slave.
The holiday lasted only three weeks. The school opened the students' portal for course registration a week before opening. This reminds the parents or guardians that the holiday is over and that they have to prepare their students for the next semester. The basics are packed for the student, and it's now time to repeat the 'student’s life'—it is never dynamic. "A student will always remain a student," my high school principal would often remind us in the assembly. Laxity is over, and the curtains for serious business open. As usual, I traveled back with the same means of transport to continue with another 'journey' of attaining a degree with a mind rooted in the main agenda that brought me to school. Filled with positive energy and gratitude to the organization that enabled me to be in school, I realized my responsibility as a leader of my student group and had to come two days earlier so that I could cope easily. Oh! Here we go again, making sure that I'll see myself in a gown.
