Fear and excitement held me by my collar as I was finishing packing for the move. I even had not submitted my resignation and the next day I was report for the early morning shift. It had long been a dream of mine to work in the Arab Nations as a barista. When an opportunity arose that included coffee roasting training, I was ecstatic. It would give me an edge as both a barista and a roaster compared to my other peers.

That night I couldn’t even sleep as I watched over my girlfriend sleeping like the Snow white she is. All I think was whether I should tell the manager or one of my colleagues. But all I hear was my dad’s voice. It was in the background, advising me to tell them after I landed in the Oman. He had his own reasons for telling me that. Maybe when I tell them, they will find an excuse to say my coffee is bad. Or they will fire me since I didn’t secure the contract yet. Anyways no one knows what African dad’s and their superstition are or even if they will come through.

I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to study a Module in my Cybersecurity class. I was behind on schedule. A few of my colleagues now ethically hack. I don’t know what happened. Suddenly, I found myself sleeping. My alarm woke me up just as my girlfriend was about to leave. She had to leave early to avoid my dad. He was coming to my simba that morning to take me to the airport. I kissed her goodbye and went to get myself ready for the long awaited trip.

After an hour, my dad called and said he was outside. So I locked the door, carried my luggage and laptop backpack and left. Once I was outside, I got into the taxi that was prepared. We drove off to the Mombasa International Airport. My flight was at 10am. We arrived at 8am to avoid the queue in the check-in and labor sectors. 

Seconds turn to minutes, minutes to hours and the time had arrived for me to board the plane. I was on a transit plan from Kenya- Ethiopia- Oman. This was my very first time flying and a mixture of happiness and sadness filled me. As a firstborn in a low-class family, I had to be strong. I did this for the ones I am leaving behind. This journey was all for them.