Reflection Essay: My Transformation From Childhood To Adulthood

Since time immemorial regardless of cultural progress, one’s personal belief system, or socioeconomic status, man surely ponders upon the many questions that life has to offer. As a student of knowledge on a life long safari, I continue to venture out into the unknown. In search of clues that interpret my very being and its relationship to the ever-changing environment. In my home in Kenya there is a loud and silent cry for guidance. And I currently feel a strong urge to answer that call. To contribute and make a difference in some form or other in the perpetual rise of problems such as poverty, wage inequality, corruption, refugee crisis, tribal conflict, food shortage, and much more.

I was born in Nairobi, not fully aware of what I would
It further intensified as I became more conscious about myself. What was my role and how did I fit into the rigorous competitive society in Japan. I also noticed a prevalent prejudice among the general public and quite often assumptions were made based on the color of my skin. Terms such as racism and discrimination slowly crept into my dictionary. They were no longer vague concepts, but physically real in that I had to confront and be aware of it on a day-to-day basis. But despite the struggle, that did not stop me from wanting to teach and learn through conversations and connecting with
I was drawn to the idea of bringing back the rich experiences I had bottled up, eager to express and share them through some form of art intervention. With my degree in space design and a love for the performing arts I anticipated to make the most out of my creative artistic ability. However, I began to realize that I was naive and much had changed in the country. Kenya was not what it used to be and I wasn’t either. I began to see things with a new set of eyes again. Old memories were erased as I was reintroduced to the reality that a crisis was at hand. The country had undoubtedly developed, but there was much more work needed to be done. The slow advancement in technology and infrastructure were major issues, with power outages, collapsing structural integrity and failure being commonplace. Communities were not well connected, be it through power grids or road systems. Tightened security also became a worry, with sophisticated procedures and practices adopted throughout the country, due to terrorist alerts and threats. I was overwhelmed with the level of uncertainty that filled the air, but a strong desire to bring about overrode