Entering
a new world, so to say, seemed like a daunting thing to do. It was my first
time travelling all by myself. I boarded the airplane heading to Ghana
frightened because in a matter of hours, I’d be landing in a country populated by
people who all spoke a language I was completely oblivious to. As a matter of
fact, none of us, young scholars, were sure what to expect but we all knew that
we were about to have the time of our lives and we could hardly wait!
YYAS
is the perfect pre-college programme for any academically talented African teenager
who wants to earn college credit, pursue academic interests, explore career
opportunities and discover college life. It is sponsored by the Higherlife
Foundation which aims to strengthen cross-cultural relations between African
countries. With a modicum of supervision and guidelines in place, young
scholars are responsible for productively managing their time with minimal
supervision, a pre-cursor to college life. And oddly enough, for all of us, we
had to overcome the obstacle of not sleeping past our alarm clocks!
Certainly,
the workload was strenuous but filled with valuable information. This immersive
learning experience provided us with a generous sampling of the rigors of
college academics and a fairly accurate picture of what we could expect as
college freshmen. There was not a single interaction with any of the faculty
that was not uplifting and engaging. SAT preparation workshops, college writing
series and presentations about college procedures by successful, articulate
people in vibrant career fields gave us the insight and guidance needed to get
ready for college application. Our mentors were great people who were not
patronising or authoritative figures though they could lay down the law quite
nicely.
Every
day was filled with new learning opportunities ranging from diplomat talks,
culture classes and dress-up days. Problems such as hunger, poverty and social
injustice gnawing our society were discussed and I learned many other things
about life itself such as where I stood in the world as well as how I am
impacting my community. Whether it was in the field or in the dormitories, the
discussions with my peers invoked the most meaning and passion for learning-not
only for what the world is like and why is it in such a way but also how to
change it for the better and make it a place in which everyone wants to live.
YYAS builds an open-minded community in which teens can deeply engage. It was
then that I discovered the power humans hold in their hands; we may be feeble
beings who with one accident may perish but we are the beings that domesticated
livestock, created scientific concepts and built pyramids. I realised that I
needed to experience the world for I have not seen even 1% of it and the place
where I was headed had the many of opportunities to expand my horizon and
knowledge base.
From
the outburst of hysterical laughter to the pranks pulled at mealtime,
friendships were made and lessons were learned. I enhanced my own perspective
while meeting people whose lives are very different from my own. There was
always something interesting to do and someone interesting to share it with.
Whether we see each other again or correspond with them for years to come, we
are all glad of having met amazing young people of vision.
And soon enough, 8 days were
over; 8 days of sharing talents, dreams, opening night jitters, summer flings,
innermost secrets but the memories and friendships last.
Oliver
Wendell Holmes once said, ‘’A mind that is stretched by a new experience can
never go back to its old dimensions.’’ I believe that I have matured mentally
throughout that journey-like a dragonfly nymph breaking the water’s surface. I
feel as though I have broken a barrier in the understanding of how the world of
today works and that now, there is no looking back to the ways of the past. I
can only move forward.
Blog by Ashwini Brijmohun from Mauritius
YYAS 2019 Ghana Session
