Before anything great is achieved, your comfort zone must be disturbed. I must testify that every part of my life, up until now, has taken me to get out of my comfort zone. It was on the 11th of August 2023, when I received a call that I was successful in my CorpsAfrica interviews. I had mixed emotions, this was one of those moments where I wanted to run away from what I had been praying for in the past months. Instead, I stood strong and decided to go through the process.

I arrived in Mponera for training on the 14th of August. I was tense about how I was going to cope with the new assignment since my friends had already started the training a week ago. I was welcomed by 2 staff members and was amazed at how my fellow trainees welcomed me. It was as if we had met somewhere before and the rest is history. I made friends with some of the trainees and learned a lot from the group and even the staff. This is when I realized that it is okay to have comfort zones but I should not let them hold me back. Although they may be warm and familiar, they do not offer the opportunities that I deserve.

After the intense 5 weeks of training, I went home anxious about where CorpsAfrica would post me. The pressure got worse when I received an email about my posting site. I never imagined spending 10 months in Neno. On 23rd September we left for Neno and throughout the journey, I kept asking if we were there yet. It was one long drive, I must say. On reaching Neno, I was welcomed by lovely faces at my host parents’ home, however the reality hit when my colleagues were saying their goodbyes. This time I could not hold my tears anymore. However, I started accepting the reality, and what I considered scary became my new normal. Working with the community members has made me realize how creative, hardworking, and intelligent these people are despite only being accustomed to the comfort of “it is too difficult” hence making themselves weak and expecting others to dance around them. Given another chance I would still choose to work with the communities, believe in them, challenge them, and help them realize their potential.