It was a great news to have being selected to be part of the MENA Regional Youth Advocacy Workshop at Jordan, but beyond that was the fear of the Arabs that I have gotten from the international media…Hmmmm….i received mail after mail on travel proceedings, it was a long wait for the e-visa to come and finally the day to embark on a 12 hours plus journey came.
On board of the plane I started thinking about the Ifs and whats. I analyzed what to do if the people and colleagues where hostile and if they were loving, it will cause me tears when I leave. I had expectations and I set standards for everything. My watch word was Alas!!!NO EMOTIONS.
From the Queen Alia airport, I had problem with exchanging currency at the airport the police assisted me and spoke kindly to me, I got 40 JD from the driver who is to take me to the hotel, I used it to pay for my visa processing, it was surprising that after 2 hours my luggage was still rolling on the airport rails on touched, I got out of the airport into an extremely cold weather of 2˚C, I was chilling out. We got to the hotel the security checks where excellent, I got into my room and I zoomed off to room 124 thinking it was Nana’s room not knowing it was Anna’s room, well that was the beginning of trouble for the troublemaker but never mind, me and Anna are best of friends now.
To the conference, I was expecting lecturing, using of slides and I as a participant take the note and probably write an exam (lolz) but it changed when the games started and personal engaging activities started, I was lost and told myself we will soon start, at the end of the day while in my room when other participants went out and was analyzing the day, I was surprised that my intuition told me we have started and I should expect more surprises. It was a real time learning processing incorporating fun but if carried away you can miss all the points made. I am most grateful that I learnt a lot on the advocacy tool and youths as a change.
My most privilege moment that you may not know about:
- Knocking Anna’s room door at 4am
- Going downtown to eat at the restaurant with all the participants
- Salam’s voice note on whatsapp on worries of not attending due to security checks decline.
- Helping Hanneah one of the most powerful African ladies and MILEAD fellow put finishing touches to her presentation.
- Min Jeong Kim UN GEFI Secertarys sitting all day with us and participating in all our sessions and talks on my Protégé LEAD game.
- Boran Choi always counting us if we were complete with her eye as a mother hen loves her chick.
- Joseph watching taking critical analysis of the participants.
- I thinking about the love and bound we share together till I forgot I brought my phone into the tour bus.
- Discussing with Farah Al-zubi sharing about her believes and life as an Arab lady on the tour bus.
- Ousama and Victoria on the cultural day and last day sending a message of we may disagree but we must agree and learn to say SORRY.
- Lujain leading the twitter group in the most peaceful and easy way.
- Sarcasm with Mohammed sammour and Rayane on wedding proposal.
- The situation that led us to leaving a 3-star hotel to a 5-star hotel (thank you Dabz you are a darling).
- The driver that took me around the city to do shopping was a kind hearted man.
- Sarah Massouri crying while I gave my last comment on the conference, this was a adoring and humble moment for me.
- Min Jeong Kim last statement that “We all await the day when you Tobi will become the president of your country Nigeria”. This was motivation tonic for me.
- Amazing team that presented an excellent project: Khaoulah, Farah , Sarah and Salam.
AKINNIKE MICHAEL OLUWATOBILOBA WITH UN GEFI SECRETARY(SELFIE)
Finally it was time to go home, left the hotel with Adbulghani, Hanneah, Faranaz, and Joseph, it was another journey without boredom, we did everything together until each person got the call of the flight. What a short time but bond of love, words cannot express the love that radiated among us, we seems to have known from Adam, we felt like we carry same DNA, passion, vision but come from different nation. We encapsulate the word Global citizenship in one room as 40 plus participants. My one prayer is that God will bless us with at least one union from this workshop, that will bring us all together again.
As you all know I love my country Nigeria from the bone, I love you all and I am proud to say it anywhere. @GlobalEduFirst #GCEDForPeace @toebheey @YoungProtegeLa #UNESCO #UBUNTU
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THOUGHT FROM A GOLDEN PEN 