Installation as an Obama Granddaughter
Surprise! Two things -- one) I got this knock on my door at like 9:30 and was legitimately worried for my safety, but it was one of the nice Guest Centre staff telling me that the phone to my room didn't work and we were leaving at 9:45AM instead of 6:30AM. Score! two) Obama time!Today we had the opportunity to represent icipe and meet the grandmother of the current President of the United States, Mr. Barack Obama. It was insightful to see where Obama came from and the grandmother/family that helped to mold him into who he is today. There aren't many people that can say they've met Obama, let alone had a conversation with him, and there's certainly less that can say they've met members of his extended family. Asante sana to the beautiful Mama Sarah Obama for opening her home and heart to a few curious American college students. (I can't say I'm in high school anymore, this is scary stuff folks!). We had to prearrange the meeting with Mama, get permission from her, and her homestead is guarded and gated.When talking to our driver Salim (he's the same driver we had when we first arrived in Mbita and fun fact-he is Professor Khan's personal driver!), he said that Obama was a pretty big deal here whenever he was running for President and then became our POTUS. People held little parties and it sparked the "American Dream" to these Kenyans -- the idea that if a Kenyan could become President of the United States of America, this global powerhouse, then they could do anything and aspire to be anything really carried a lot of the Kenyans forward. He said the hype has died down, but that most support Obama and what he is doing. The government here is very corrupt and people are always trying to move to better places like America. A boy asked me if I could bring them back home with me and I politely said that my dad doesn't allow me to date more than one boy at a time and that my boyfriend is more than enough for me to handle (hahah...had to think of something!).To get to Mama Obama's homestead, we had to ride the ferry across beautiful Lake Victoria. The ferry was an interesting experience! Matilda accompanied us and she's like my Kenyan mother. I showed her photos of my family and she freaked out when I said I was a triplet. She explained how in Africa, twins and triplets rarely survive and that it was extremely unheard of. She felt bad for my mom and I told her everyone says that! At the ferry, she reminded me to tell my parents that I have a Kenyan mommy who will keep me safe and make sure I have fun while I'm here. So, shoutout to you (mom and dad) if you're reading this thing. Hopefully my cats are all still alive, my Jeep is not totaled (looking right at you Hunter), and you see Joey (& Harley) every once in awhile.
At Mama Obama's, I met three of the sweetest African girls..they were some of Mama's granddaughters and hence related to Mr. Obama. They were around my age or a little older and they were SO PRETTY. That's one thing I've noticed here...African woman are so incredibly gorgeous, but they all look very different from one another. Different hair styles, different shades on their skin, different fashion..I guess it's just like us Americans, but I've really grown to appreciate how individual and unique each of the woman I have met are. Naomi, Dominque, and Atani were their names (I believe) and we had a lot of similarities! It was so cool to meet them. I think they were just as excited to see another girl their age as I was.
Mama Obama speaks very minimal English so Matilda translated everything for us. A few tidbits -- Mama has been to America before, basically to the typical places associated with Obama (Harvard, DC, you get the idea); she's 95 years old and ironically looks better than so many elderly people I've seen at 95 back home; she doesn't like having to be guarded and having security follow her and be with her at every moment; Mama uses push-pull on her farm and actually has a community open plot as an example for others; Obama has a school here called "Senator Obama Primary School" and I thought that was cool; and she officially adopted me into the Obama grandchildren squad. Score! Maybe that means I'll get to go do cool presidential family stuff now....probably not. @POTUS if you're reading this, hook a cousin up!
Mama Sarah Obama shared some bits of advice with us and I wanted to share them with you today.
- Work hard at and for your education. Moral of the story-it doesn't matter if you go to Harvard, Mizzou, or State Fair Community College, what matters is what you do with where you are and the resources available. There are Harvard "duds" and there are Mizzou standouts. I don't want a traditional education and frankly I have no clue what I will do within the agriculture industry come 14 years, but what I do know is that I'm going to try and become as educated as possible so I'm prepared for whatever field I enter. I think the concept of earning your education is so, so important and people in America forget this all the time because for some, it can be handed on a silver plater. She inspired me to value my education and to recognize its worth.
- Value the relationships you have with others. At this internship, for example, I'm meeting a number of people who are world-renowned experts in their fields. Connections are key. I'm often told that it's not what you know, it's who you know. But I'm a firm believer that it's what you do with what you know and what you do with WHO you know that really makes the difference.
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