YESS has shaped my personality

I remember the day I was told by my Guider Sister Monica that the Girl Guide Association of Zimbabwe had opened its interview doors for the small community of Rangers at Monte Cassino Girls High School in search of 2017 Youth Exhange South to South participants. That very moment I remembered how last year's YESS Participants to Zimbabwe were dynamic. Suddenly I felt the rush to compile my CV and try it out, ''After all you have more than 8 months before you go for university, GO FOR IT!'' I told myself.

Days went by and the interview day got closer, I had not noticed how much days were flying until the day I sat right in front of the representatives of the National Board in my Association. These people had been my mothers but today they were going to be my interviewers. Well that was really not easy for me to handle until the time they told me ''Feel at home, it won’t hurt a bit''. My interview flowed as I embraced one question after another. I especially enjoyed talking about myself and what I enjoy doing.

Results came out and I had been selected ''impossible!'' I exclaimed to myself, failing to believe my ears. Well the impossible had become possible it was time to work on myself towards this huge experience I was about to jump into. I knew that although it was a thing to be done, it was nothing to be taken with a light heart.

Telling my parents was not easy because I knew they weren't accustomed to me staying away for such a very long period, it took them forever to get used to the idea of me living in a foreign country for six months. Permission granted I waited anxiously for any news from my Association but I painfully lived with the thoughts of leaving my parents for six months, however I told myself, ''Be strong one day the only option you will have is to leave them for good’’.

Excitement got me turning and tossing in my bed each passing day. I was glad to have taken the challenge and I kept thinking and telling myself, ''You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore, be brave and take risks nothing can substitute experience!'' I was ready to explore, to be a Girl Guide not just in my country, but beyond borders and to learn about guiding in a completely foreign set up.

The 12th of December 2016 marked the beginning of a great journey as I began my preparatory course at our Headquarters in Harare. I enjoyed each and every passing day as I discovered something new about WAGGGS, my associates and my family at the Association learning bout communication, intercultural differences and many topics the Association had prepared for us.

On the 16th of January 2017 we left home for the preparatory course in Uganda. I could barely say goodbye to my parents, I could barely talk I was afraid I would burst into tears. But being an adult in the making, I gracefully departed with my parents and travelled all the way to Uganda without shedding a tear. If I wanted to be strong, it had to start then.

The preparatory course in Uganda at Speke Resort Munyonyo was one unforgettable experience for me. I got the opportunity to socialize with my fellow participants from the nine countries. I made a lot of new friends and got to learn a lot more about WAGGGS, time management, business etiquette, first aid, running campaigns and a whole lot more. I had to admit there was more to the world than I had seen; the world had more to offer.

After this camp, all the participants departed to their host countries. A warm welcome at the airport as I landed in Rwanda at nearly 1 am on the 27th of January assured me that I was in a place I could call home. Although I was extremely exhausted I remember the hugs and kisses from my coordinator and the former YESS participants from Rwanda. I felt this sense of belonging I wasn't expecting. I loved Rwanda at first sight. I was torn between wanting to explore Rwanda that very moment and going home to take a good day's rest. All the same I preceded home with Alice Bamwe explaining the geographical set up of Rwanda, comparing it to her host Association, Girl Guides Association of Zimbabwe. We shared the same excitement as I passed various greetings from her home back in Zimbabwe, some of which out of tire I had forgotten.

We arrived home and I totally fell in love with the new house in special mention of my room since it was painted in my favorite color, pink. Although I was super exhausted I felt I was ready to work with Association des Guides du Rwanda because everything about Rwanda and the people was promising. After taking a good tour around the house and a delicious hot meal prepared by Alice, I took a long good rest.

The following day someone I had been anxious to meet showed up, our peer Laetitia Panda. She helped us (my teamates and I) get accustomed to the way of living in Rwanda and showed us different places like our office, town and many others. Then someone else came into picture, Uwera Benimana Gilberthe. She, like Panda was very excited to meet us for the second time, as we did not talk much at the airport. She showed us different parts of Rwanda and helped us make many friends. That very week AGR hosted a welcome party for us and there was present the National Executive Secretary and some staff members who warmly welcomed us. It was a blast!

First day in office, I was like a reed in the midst of a river with a strong current. I was so nervous. However the coordinator made it easy as she explained all we had to know and it became very easy to adapt. I accustomed myself very well to the culture; diet and I loved very much the Mushanana as well as the Rwandan traditional dance. Never had I met in the world hospitable people like Rwandese, no matter how many times you visit their homes they welcome you like it’s their first time to receive you and they never forget to treat you to a drink or even better, a meal.

As days progressed I got used to the new life, diet and people. I even managed to speak the local language, Ikinyarwanda with some fluency and some people thought I was Rwandan. I fell in love with the music and I stopped at nothing to get the translation. Special mention of Ko nashize, Te amo both by Butera Knowless, Rwandan traditional songs as well as other East African tracks like Owooma, MunaKampala just to mention a few.

My teammates and I started our work, running campaigns, recruiting more girl guides, attending and participating in camps and working with various AGR projects. This was something I never thought possible until I actually started doing it. That's when I realized how much impact the YESS Girls' Movement is making to develop girls develop their fullest potential. We worked pretty hard and although our work was close to perfect, our communication skills were so terrible such that not so many people were aware of what we were doing. Fortunately, our coordinator stopped at nothing to make sure we improved and she never gave up on us. I managed to derive the lesson that no matter how happy you are, there isn't much greater happiness than helping someone develop to become better in life, and I am taking this with me wherever I go.

It would be mere derision to forget the lessons I learnt from AGR. Among these are time management, the finest business etiquette, hospitality and the greatest of all communication skills. I have and still am developing but I can sense that I am not the same since the commencement of the program. Heaven knows who Tanaka Michelle Sandati, a 19 year old (participant from Zimbabwe to Rwanda) will be after this exchange, but it’s definitely something grand.