by Sonia Orwa
For those of you who do not speak Swahili—or to be more specific Swahili slang otherwise known as sheng—the word “sasa” means “hi.”
My name is Sonia Orwa and this summer I have been granted the opportunity to be a legislative intern at the Committee on Publication under the TMC Youth internship program. As some of you may have guessed from my use of Swahili or my last name, I hail from East Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, to be exact. So, what is a young Kenyan girl doing so far away from home? The answer to this question is very complicated and could take all day. I will attempt to explain this to you in a couple of sentences.
It is my desire for new experiences that has led me to travel so far away. I hope that these experiences will prepare me to return home a stronger, more educated and diligent citizen of the world. Only when one leaves home and everyone they know, can one begin to fathom just how precious home and family really are. Today—as I have for the past three years—I find myself over 5000 miles away from my country. Now more than ever I am ready to go back and take part in the movement of change spreading across my continent. Nevertheless, there are still a few things I need to take care of before this can happen—I need to graduate from college first!
For the past 3 years I have been studying Political Science at The Principia, a college located in the tiny, but quaint Elsah village. Although I have enjoyed my years at Principia, it feels great to be living in a big and vibrant city once again.The noise, the smells, and the crazy driving in Boston. all remind me of my hometown, Nairobi. I have only been here a short time, but I am eagerly looking forward to what Boston and my internship have in store for me for the next two months.
Keep in touch and I will definitely keep you all posted on how my TMC Youth and Boston experiences develop.
Kwaheri (Bye) for now….
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Thank you for sharing. I wish you success in your internship.
sasa wazasi! haha… glad to know you’re having a good time over on the east side… nakupenda!
sasa….terramoso…!!!
Hallo Sonia
Great to hear you’re moving big.
Keep your love for Nairobi and Kenya alive as you’ve done. Once more congrats and let infinite good shine all over you.