uMwizerwa wa Ngoboka

Born in a Catholic family, I was baptized as an infant. At a young age, my parents took me to church. I grew up to understand what I was doing. I received the Sacraments when the time was right. In short, I was living as I should. The time came when I turned into a person who prayed out of habit. I dozed of in the Holy Mass sometimes, not because I wanted to but I couldn't fight it off. I despised group prayers because instead of helping me grow, I started judging and analyzing everything we talked about. At times, I would get out of the mass without remembering what they had preached. I don't blame this on the church. In reality, many people fail to see what they are doing wrong because they are under the wing of the church.  Some people go to church as a way to put their wrong doings under a different name. As an example, many people define their sins as weaknesses and believe that God will accept them as they are. Several Churches exist solely for extracting money from the r...

The nineteenth of November this year, I left the gates of Gashora Girls Academy. I will never return there as a Gashora student, instead I will go as an alumnae. Next year in January, everyone will go to school and I will remain at home. It is good news right?  But then you lose the certainty of being a highschool student. The privileges you were given just fly away. Usually I went to school with a given amount of pocket money. I was never ashamed of asking for more in the middle of the term. Now, if I ask for transport money more than twice a week. I start feeling ashamed and bad about it. In highschool, I never worried about keeping in touch with my classmates. I knew that after a week or two of vacation, I would meet them again at school for three months or more. Now, I have to struggle to keep the flame of friendship ablaze. If I don't, I know it will die out over time. I love independence, but it comes at a price. Yes, you get to do whatever you want. But then, whenever you...

A date that might mean nothing to most, but to Gashora Girls it means a lot. This is not a memorial day to Gashora Girls only, it is also important to any senior applying early decision or early action. THE APPLICATION DEADLINE!!! Literally it would mean a line o death, quite a scary image. The date has been looming for ages, getting closer every passing day. By clicking 'SUBMIT', you are putting your future on a line- the deadline. this completes part o what is expected of us, securing an admission at a prestigious school. But there are still the nationa exams to study\for. they start eight days from today. we are all clustered together in the computer lab, waiting or the cue to send all our application. The next date to look forward to is December fifteenth- the day when we receive the admission decision. And he, the said Wirz, still wickedly pursuing his evil purpose, did establish and cause to be designated within the prison enclosure containing said prisoners a ...

Exams, the single moment that makes student tremble with fear. this is the time when all the focus is directed towards one thing- revising to succeed. At GGAST it is even more intense. we take our academics seriously. Sometimes, you will find girls sacrificing hours of sleep to master that one topic. I have gone through nine exams period for the past three years, and I can affirm it is not the best of time. At first, it didn't matter that much. First year+first time = no stress. As the year progressed, things became more serious, I would sleep at midnight and wake up at four in  the morning. As I started grade 11 (S5), things got even tougher. I felt the need to push harder, so I extended my sleeping time to two a.m, and I would wake up at five a.m. It felt fine then, but after the exams I passed four days sleeping for more than twenty hours per day. The pace slowed down a little as the year progressed, but I still found myself waking up at three a.m in the morning. You would ...

2013, GSNDL, Southern province Rwanda. Thank God it’s Wednesday (TGIW), for I simply love Wednesdays. This is the day we have the best classes, and the best food. I wake up energised, because Wednesday is close to Monday but still gives a promise of the weekend. I have creative performance in the afternoon, a class where we draw and sing and have fun. After that we go for sports, which I love a lot because we get a chance to get out of school grounds. Later on we go to peel cassavas near the kitchen. It I very fun because we are trying to stuff parts of cassavas in our pockets, while escaping the watchful eye of the matron. After peeling cassavas and keeping some to eat raw the next morning, we go for dinner-sweet potatoes, beans and tea. This is my favourite meal because every other day we eat rice or posho (food made of maize floor). 2016, GGAST, Eastern province, Rwanda. I am still in love with Wednesdays. We have only one class of math for the whole day! I have the rest of t...

I think it's so cute and I think it's so sweet How you let your friends encourage you to try and talk to me But let me stop you there, oh, before you speak My name is "No" My sign is "No" My number is "No" You need to let it go You need to let it go Need to let it go "Nah" to the "Ah" to the "No", All my ladies, listen up If that boy ain't giving up Lick your lips and swing your hips Girl, all you gotta say is... My name is "No" My sign is "No" My number is "No" You need to let it go You need to let it go Need to let it go "Nah" to the "Ah" to the "No", "No", "No" No by  Meghan Trainor, a song that inspired me so much. Many fail to say a word so simple 'NO' Instead they lie, they give the wrong name, wrong number for what? Why give false hopes? Just give a straight NO as an answer. It is much easier, and l...

Ecclesiastes 1:9  What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun. We run after material things. A new handbag, more electronic devices, a better car. We want to be the best and have the best. At an early age, this principle is drilled deep in our consciousness. We go to school and want the best grades. We want to get a lot of money, so we take on careers we do not really like. Yes, we collect riches but our souls are empty. Some do not realise that at a certain time death will come and reap them away. All those riches collected will be for naught because you won't take them with you. All you sweated for will be given to someone who never had to work or sacrifice as much as you did. So why bother? There is nothing new under the sun and all is vanity. Why don't we realize that the moment we die we will just be a record in history, and dust in the ground? We could have invested in something more durable, like...

Many people fight to be on the top. some want to be class presidents, others want to be mayors, governors or even presidents of state. I want none of that. Luckily, I learnt my lesson at an early age.I had just started grade four, I had the best grades in class, and this automatically made me class captain. Though I did not want that position, I could not refuse it. I had an obligation to carry out. On a sunny midday, the teacher was not around, and this was an opportunity for everyone to make noise and have fun. The situation was chaotic, and I was unable to bring order to class. when the teacher came, she asked me for the names of those that were making noise, and I did not have them. In her fury she decided to whip me as an example, and I had to kneel down for the rest of the day. Since then, I  swore to never be a class captain. When I went to secondary school, there was no democracy or even freedom in choosing student leaders. The administration would choose candidates, and w...

I am the second born, this means that I had someone to look up to. My big brother has not always been very close to me, namely when we were young. I was closest to my little sister because there was only 2 years gap between us. To my big brother, I felt like the clumsy annoying little sister. We would run through the house screaming when he was doing homework, and we imitated everything he did. We all wanted to be medical doctors, my brother would be a surgeon, me an ophthalmologist, my sister a pediatrics. We would create a hospital with my two cousins a nurse and lab worker, then our mother would be the manager and our father the CEO.It was the perfect plan. Then I realised that being a doctor meant working with troubled people all the time, and I did not want any of that. So I dropped my dream to be in any medical field, but I had no other dreams to take on. So I went in the grey area of indecision. My brother on the other side kindled his love for med school. He took physics, C...

Every soul a star, The soul that knows when to hold your hand, The soul that will listen to you no matter how much nonsense you say, The soul that will walk with you through thick and thin, That is the Gashora Soul. Every Soul a star, Hers is a supporter, No matter how bad you feel, No matter how much you push her away, She will always hold you through hardest time She has the Gashora soul. She is the mother, Though she has not yet given birth, And though we all left our mothers at home, She will fill up that void, Remind you to sleep, Tell you to eat veggies. Just like your mother. She is a believer She knows that everything happens for a reason She knows there is a power bigger than us, and that is God Even if when we lost a classmate, She turned onto God, Because she knew He will take her to heaven And there is no reason to cry She is the Jokester, Even when your eyes are filled with tears, Even when your heart is filled with darkness, You won’t hel...

I have seen it all People fighting for money People selling their children People killing family and friends for survival I have seen it all Children insulting their parents Little kid running from their homes Living without knowing what tomorrow holds. The anger, the hatred I have lived through. Why is the world this bad? Why are the people that cruel?

A letter to My 10 Year-old Self: Your becoming. Dear young me, Stop complaining that you are ugly. You’re not ugly. Rather you’re a perfect manipulation of God’s artistic eye. Love yourself. And people worth of your love will love you more for this, pumpkin. I understand that some nights you will feel like crawling out of your own skin. I assure you, my dear self, you are not a terrible person for hating your own colour. There are some things you won’t understand at such a young age, and that is why you need a couple of more years to come to terms with acceptance. But again, some other days you will fall in love with your own body and that is okay because you surely belong to yourself. Yourself alone. In the middle of February nights, you will be caught up thinking that life would have been different if your elder brother was still alive. And that is not okay, because you are still hung up on someone who left ten years ago. During March, you will sometimes feel like hugging every...

As mentioned in a previous blog, I am a geek. In addition I am in love with Math. This is an all time love, and I hope it will never end. But the love did not come over night. It was a process, and it still grows. Below are the reasons that kindled the love. 1. It is logical 2. It is infinite, no matter how many books you read, you will still find new stuff 3. It is fun, no matter how much people find math tiring, I always have fun   when I do math problems 4. It sharpens up our minds. Can not thank math well enough for how I am able to find answers to most questions 5. It is applicable in every field. 6. It is hard, everything that is hard intrigues me because It's​ a challenge worth taking 7. It explains everything in life 8. It never changes, the numbers will always be there even if the world turns upside down 9. Without math, Life as we know it would not exist 10. Math is LIFE

Where's the "good" in goodbye? Where's the "nice" in nice try? Where's the "us" in trust gone? Where's the soul in "soldier​ on" No good in good bye, the script. Today, a school mate and friend passed away. She had a heart condition that was diagnosed too late. She was a jolly girl. Despite her difficulty in public speaking, she volunteered to president over the assembly. We laughed at her funny accent often times, and the headmaster wasn't happy with us. He would stand up and praise her courage to make such a step. I am usually introverted, so​I hadn't tried to know her on a personal basis. However, it did not lessen the pain of losing her in any ways. I cried so hard on that gloomy afternoon. I guess nature felt the loss too. That night we were attacked by some insects and had to eat dinner in classes and outside. With bloodshot eyes, we eat dinner with the weight of loss in our hearts. She was the second Gas...

You start seeing the crazy thing you used to do as simply stupid Your classmates/ schoolmates start getting married. The time seems to move very fast You have to worry about things like elecricity bills, phone bills When you see children, you want to get your own babies Your agemates start giving birth You have to worry about loans

Razors pain you, Rivers are damp; Acids stain you, and drugs cause cramps. Guns aren't lawful, nooses give, gas smells awful... you might as well live. ~Dorothy Parker

As I sat there waiting My heart was thumping hard My hands were wet My mind was clouded I looked back in the past My life have I wasted, My friends I abandoned, My happiness I destroyed. Suddenly the door opens, My future has been decided, Though it’ll be hard, And no one will be there for me I will claim my life I will walk through fire I will run in the rain I won’t look back The best lies ahead

Je t’aime maman, Pour tout l’amour que tu m’as offerte Pour tous les sacrifices faits Pour toutes les nuits blanches passes Je t’aime maman, Pour le jour que tu m’as mise au monde Pour le jour où tu m’as apprise à marcher Pour le jour où tu m’as emmené a l’école Je t’aime maman, Je n’oublierai jamais ta jolie voix Je porterais au Cœur ton sourire illuminant Je suivrais toutes te conseilles Je t’aime maman, Pour cela, je ne te décevrais jamais Pour cela, je ne te ferais jamais pleurer Pour cela, je ne t’inquiéterais   jamais Maman, L’amour que tu me donne est Plus immense que l’univers, Plus belle que le levée de soleil Plus profonde que l’océan Pacifique

Once upon a time, I was sick. I did not take it seriously and continued to live like a normal person. It was a monday morning, I had woken up at one thirty in the morning, at four a.m I went for a jog, and then went to the hospital at around nine. By ten thirty, I had received all the medical care that I needed. I had an appointment with someone, but I could not reach him.  To kill time, I decided to go to the US embassy. I wanted to sign up to use their E-library. As I was on the opposite side of the road, I had to walk from Sonatubes to Gisement. It was a tiring walk, but I could not take a motorcycle while I had two functioning legs. I went to the embassy, read the black book, and then signed up for the E-library. I tried to call the person we were to meet, but I still could not reach him. I went to the bus stop, but there were no buses around. I passed a whole hour waiting for a bus, but none came. Then I got lucky, and an almost empty bus going to Remera stopped right in...

It was an evening just like any other. I was doing my preps, getting ready for mocks. The days had been rough. I had to work ultra hard, if I was to succed in exams. Out of the blue, our headmaster, entered the preproom. I thought it was normal, because he usually came to check up on us. He came to me, and then told me about a competition that was to take place. In reality, he did not know what it was about. All he knew was that the winners would go to South Korea for the international competition. I did not feel like doing it. I had mocks, university research and college essays. So my schedule was very tight, I had to either squezze it much more, or to give up on that opportunity. What made me accept the offer was that three of us were selected, and I could not stop them from participating, so I consented. On thursday morning, we left Gashora Girls Academy, and headed to Rwanda Standards Bureau in Kicukiro. I had no idea what was going to happen, and I did not expect to win. We w...

1. I am geek. I admit it. MIT is reputed to be a  university of geeks so I would be the perfect fit. 2. I love challenges. Being a Gashora girl has taught me how to welcome and embrace challenges, so I can’t get enough of them. 3. I am the best, and I deserve nothing but the best. MIT is the best university world wide offering mechanical engineering-my dream career. 4. I love Boston. 5. I’ll be the first Gashora​ girl to be admitted to such a prestigious university. 6. I will always know that next door there is a Gashora girl who will have my back 7. I love math, and I would not mind living in a dorm room called cotangent 8. I know that I will learn by doing, instead of having teachers droning on about some abstract facts. 9. I am a natural maker, and you have anything mechanical, you’ll see me right next to you 10. I think MIT is the perfect fit for me.

Do you ever wonder what you would do if there was a tap without the red and blue signs for cold and hot water? Well, you will most probably boil your hands instead of washing them. Imagine using a charger that does not signal the right power and voltage, your phone or other electrical appliance would definitely burn down. Now do you ever acknowledge that person who spends a lifetime designing those signs.Or do you think that they are just meant to be.

Recently, I started the last term of my high school year. As a Gashora girl, I had a lot on the plate. I had to do the standardized tests, write essays, finalize projects and keep up my academics. Everyone else seemed to have completed at least one of the above, yet I had not started working on any of them. Logically, I had to work twice as hard as everyone else to catch up on everything. In order to make it work, I had to call on a Greater Power. I couldn’t rely on alarms, they tend to wake you up in a fitful dream. As a Christian, my refuge was God. So, every night before I slept, I would say this prayer: Dear Lord, I know that you are Almighty and that Your mercy has no ends. Please turn your gracious gaze towards my existence and help me wake up early. This worked a hundred per cent. I would wake up at three in the morning, and I wouldn’t sleep again until midnight. This felt cool, I could do so many things. One morning, I finished a 150 pages chemistry booklet in just one morni...