My Romp Through East Africa In Search Of Personal Growth

Friday, May 16, 2014

Zamir with friends on mountain

Written by Zamir Janmohamed (BES '13)

After a fulfilling 5 years at the University of Waterloo, most of my class mates found their way into full time positions and began their lives as young professionals. Whether it was in search of passion, pride, money or knowledge; we were hungry for success and needed to maximize the degrees we now held. Our studies in Environment and Business had offered us a multidisciplinary lens on challenges that will face the world for decades to come. This diversity in knowledge fostered an internal curiosity with pluralistic knowledge and the unknown; which quite honestly is a lot after undergrad. Though having the same hunger for success, I wasn’t ready to take the plunge; I was too curious, too uncertain and yearned to see life beyond the confines of the developed world. With so many questions, and a thirst for adventure, I dreamed of living, learning, and testing myself in a life outside my own. Having learnt to challenge the norm and wonder courageously at Waterloo, I was left with but one choice; I had to leave.

Zamir hiking

It has been 10 months since that decision, and 7 months since I left my comfortable Canadian home; I now live and love a life as a minority in East Africa. Working in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, at the Aga Khan University has already been a life changing experience. Every facet of who you are is tested whilst living in such a diverse and developing environment.  I have the ability to make tangible impacts in my professional life, I witness development on a daily basis and am now all too aware of the dichotomies of development and developing. Personally, my wondering spirit has been unleashed to its fullest potential, exploring and appreciating the greatest wilderness in the world: whether it was defeating the great Kilimanjaro after a grueling 8 hour successful summit or witness dolphins mating in the wild whilst basking in the great Indian Ocean.

I believe it suffices to say, these new challenges I face, and the captivating perspectives I am now appreciating will one day enable me to make my impact on this world. Only now do I have a true understanding of who I am, what I am capable of and what it truly means to be a global citizen.