2013: The good, the bad and the ugly
The year 2013 is almost over and so much has happened in the last eleven months. Some bad, some good and a few terrible things.
The year started off on a sombre note when the Namibian nation lost one of its beloved son, the late Education Minister Abraham Iyambo. Soon after, tragedy hit the sports community and in particular South Africa when paralympic sprinter dubbed ‘Blade Runner”Oscar Pistorius was charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp on Valentines Day.
It was in this year that I embarked upon my first international flight to Kenya and saw a different kind of world that I had never seen before. My 6 day trip to Kenya was short but I enjoyed every minute of it.
My trip to Kenya was the first time that I boarded a plane out of my mother land and had always imagined how it must feel to travel to other countries and for sure Kenya did not disappoint.
I could go on and on about how wonderful Kenya is but sadly many people now fear travelling to the Eastern country because of what happened in September. It was on September 21 when I logged in my Facebook account and read about some sort of terrorist attacks.
The whole incident didn’t really attract my interest at first until I read a Facebook update of a friend I had met in Kenya. The message read “God’s judgement is upon those who cause terror to the innocent. My sincere condolences, quick recovery and love to the victims and those affected by the Westgate Shopping Mall attack. Nairobi Kenya. God bless you and God bless the Republic of Kenya.”
I suddenly felt numb at the thought of terrorists killing people at a mall. And then it quickly hit me. I was at the very same mall just 3 months earlier!
Recently I received a text message from a friend informing me about a plane that had crashed in Kavango West region. I quickly asked her what she was talking about and she informed me that a Mozambican plane had crashed in the Bwabwata National Park and that there were no survivors. The plane which was en route to Angola from Mozambique, carried six crew members and 27 passengers.
The incident at Bwabwata also struck a chord with me because I had just visited the park three months earlier. Having visited two places where tragedy had occurred months later made me appreciate just how precious life is. One day you are here and the next you are a goner. But then again everything happens for a reason and it was all because of fate.
It was fate that brought me to the Economist where I learned so much and eventually managed to improve my writing skills. Even though I did not study journalism, I had actually grown fond of the field and met so many wonderful people along the way.
Unfortunately my journey at the Economist comes to an end this year and I can only be grateful for the opportunity granted upon me and even though I am leaving main stream media, I will however still pursue my writing career. Let 2014 become the year of happiness, joy and success. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for the New Year.
