My life has turned out different from how I had already lived it in my very creative mind. Turns out the town, where I spent most of my childhood in totally changed the course of my life from the pretty flight attendant I had hoped to be to a paramedic with the Red Cross. It was a quaint little town though not as sleepy as most would expect. It was after all a military town and military towns do not have the luxury to look sleepy. The residents were always alert as if something special was about to happen in the next minute.
Gilgil was so different from other towns it could almost pass for a small country. Funny thing is there was only one major street that split the town into two. The street stretched from one end to the other and served as landmark that separated the suburban part of town from the military side of it. Lining the sides of the street was busy little businesses. The most common venture apart from the fancy looking supermarkets and restaurants was sale of icy cold fruit punches that always gave me a brain freeze. My mother owned one of this and I always went there after school to quench my thirst. The business was always booming since this town is as hot and uncompromising as a desert, scorching hot during the day and chilly biting winds at night.
Despite the obvious vices, the one thing that made this place special were the soldiers who painted the town green. Well, not green in the real sense but through their neatly pressed combat uniforms and berets proudly cocked slightly to the side. Their boots were so well polished you could see your reflection in them, not a speck of dust. I should think this inspired me to become the sharp dresser I am today always careful to look my best; showing up in town looking like a homeless person was not an option. I always and still think it is a beautiful sight. To my young impressionable mind, it stood for principles and patriotism knowing these men had devoted their lives to protect their c country. This bore in me a strong desire to find a purpose for my life, I wanted to do something that made the world around me a better place.
I absolutely loved the way these men and women of the army carried themselves with discipline, always respectful and always on time. The female army officers especially caught my eye, they looked so tough, and they must have been to be in the army. This was apparent through the tough training they underwent and the exhausting runs they took on a hill near our home. They taught me that there was no room for weaklings for those who wanted to make it in life. I would have loved to be one of them but I knew I did not have it in me physically, nonetheless I knew I had to find my calling in life whatever or wherever it was.
Jessica, my best friend in school used to take me to the military camps since they lived there because her father was a major in the army. It was a lot of fun. We would hitch rides on the huge military Lorries and dangle on a rope at the back. I smile every time I have these memories because this behavior always got us in hot soup with our parents and teachers. She always took me along for four o’clock tea at home. I envied her and wished this were the place I called home. The housed were beautiful with large French windows and marble staircases. The rooms were large and airy unlike the place I called home where the rooms were so tiny with poor air circulation. I shared a room with my two sisters and a brother, it was always hot and clammy u could almost taste the sweat off the air; we lived in the seedier part of town.
We would walk together to the military hospital where Jessica’s mother worked as a nurse. On the way, we would pass by a large tarmac field where the military band practiced. I would stare at them endlessly. They played such soulful music it made me want to march alongside them. The hospital was an enormous white building that always smelled of disinfectant and medicine. I have to say this was the life changing moment for me. It always broke my heart to see the injured men and women of the army. Some would come in with broken limbs dangling awkwardly from their bodies; others were wheeled in with gunshot wounds. This hospital, catered for the military men and women and their families. To be honest i shed tears when I saw a young boy who had his limbs blown off by a long forgotten mine. It was a heart wrenching experience and there an then I knew what I wanted to do with my life. If this men and women could make a difference, so could i. That evening I went home and proudly announced that I wanted to be a paramedic so I could make a difference just as these people did. That is how I ended up in the Red Cross.
To say the town I grew up in molded my career path would be a gross understatement. It turned me in to the entire person I am today. The experiences instilled in me the courage, discipline, and undying hope that I can make a difference for my people and my country.
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