Life of a schooling mum

The past weeks have been quite busy for me. From summer parties to workshops, to lab work to deadlines etc. In the midst of all these activities, I have had sweet conversations, some of which I would be sharing with you as soon as I pen them down. I would start with the most recent interesting talk I had with a friend. It seemed like the season of internships in her office and they had a total of five new interns for the summer. She was saddled with the responsibility of mentoring three of them directly and she totally enjoyed it. As she went on with her conversation about the interns at her workplace, the conversation soon focused on the attitude of the different interns to work. She complained about one of the girls who was so sweet, respectful and loving but who might end up not learning anything - her reason was simple. Homegirl was too busy running errands and cleaning up after others that she almost had no time to do quality work. This story reminded me of my days as an i...

Have you ever been in that situation where you thought nothing was working for you? That point where all your job, school, and scholarship applications had been turned down and you had no will to lift a finger and try again. That point where all of your high hopes seem to crash before your face on the receipt of the dreaded email starting with the phrase 'We are sorry'. Maybe you had even started thinking about how you would share your testimony with your friends only for another disappointing email to drop. Some people might be in that state of confusion and disappointment right now and are wondering 'why me'?  As a new term begins in September, it is only natural to feel bad if you had the goal to start a new program this year. It feels worse when you feel like you tried so hard to make it happen but your effort turned futile in the end.  Rest if you must but don't quit.  Cry if you must but don't brood There's a light at the end of the tunnel...

The WARC Travel Grant promotes intra-African cooperation and exchange among researchers and institutions by providing support to African scholars and graduate students for research visits to other institutions on the continent. The WARC Travel Grant provides travel costs up to $1,500 and a stipend of $1,500. This competition is open only to West African nationals, with preference given to those affiliated with West African colleges, universities, or research institutions.  Travel grant funds may be used to:  1) attend and present papers at academic conferences relevant to the applicant’s field of research;  2) visit libraries or archives that contain resources necessary to the applicant’s current academic work;  3) engage in collaborative work with colleagues at another institution; 4) travel to a research site. Successful candidates must agree to make public presentations on their research to their academic institution, and their local communitie...

The World Bank Group Africa Fellowship Program aims to build a pipeline of Sub-Saharan African researchers, particularly women, who are interested in working in the development field and starting careers at the World bank. Fellows will spend a minimum of six months at the World Bank offices in Washington, D.C. or in a Sub-Saharan country, getting hands-on experience in development work. This includes knowledge generation and dissemination, the design of global and country policies and the building of institutions to achieve inclusive growth in developing countries. While benefitting from research and innovation in multiple sectors, fellows will also work on economic policy, technical assistance, and lending for eliminating poverty and increasing shared prosperity. Special attention will be given to work with Fragile and Conflict-Affected States. Fellows will be expected to complete a research project and prepare a research paper to present to staff. High-standard papers may be p...

Applications for the Chevening 2017/2018 scholarships are now open. The Chevening scholarship is funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and partner organisations. Its purpose is to contribute to the development of global leaders. Applicants can choose any course of study at a UK higher education institution bearing in mind the UK priorities in their country.  Eligibility :  Applicants must: Be a citizen of a Chevening-eligible country Return to their country of citizenship for a minimum of two years after award has ended Have an undergraduate degree that will enable them to gain entry to a postgraduate programme at a UK university. This is typically equivalent to an upper second-class 2:1 honours degree in the UK. Have at least two years’ work experience (this may be up to five years for fellowship programmes) Apply to three different eligible UK university courses and have received an unconditional offer from one of these choices by 13 Jul...

I ran into a lady last weekend while shopping for some groceries. I had met this lady on four different occasions prior to that meeting. We had met through a mutual friend at a house party, in a church and other general hangouts. Being my usual happy smiley self, I approached her to say hello but sister lady gave me the 'do I know you?' look. While I was trying to remind her about where we had met, her kids interjected, telling her they remembered my daughter and me quite well. We exchanged pleasantries and I continued happily with my shopping. When I relayed this story to my best friend, he was livid because he assumed she should be my friend because he witnessed our first meeting where our mutual friend introduced us (Plus we chatted a lot that night in the company of a few other ladies). I tried to explain to my best friend that she was not my friend but just someone I know (not even an acquaintance). That incident brought up the discussion of who a friend really is. Fr...

'Most students are lazy'. This is a statement often said by teachers and mentors who have in most cases tried their best to impact the lives of their mentees to no avail. They are the words of a tired mentor who feels he/she has given himself/herself to helping a mentee, they are the words of a mentor who is tired of the recurring excuses of a mentee, words of a mentor who sometimes has given up on the mentee. A mentor - Mentee relationship can sometimes be frustrating for one or both parties when pre-conceived expectations are not met. It is, therefore, necessary for both parties to manage their expectations within reason to avoid disappointments.  Someone shared a personal story with me recently and that informed this blog post. There was a boy who had been struggling to get admission into a University abroad to study for a Ph.D. He was the last born of 5 children and he had older siblings who had towed the path he was about to thread; naturally, they became his men...