Dedicated to the friends I made at YYGS, the extraordinary memories I created during those two weeks and all the thought-provoking ideas and opinions that I came across. Thanking Yale for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
With a hundred different doubts and questions, I boarded my first ever solo international flight and the longest flight I have ever been on: from Kenya to JFK. It was almost 15 hours long. I had read articles and watched videos about what YYGS would be but somewhere, I still felt a little unsure of how the experience would be for me. This doubt was soon cleared when I landed in JFK and the first message my phone buzzed with was by my GoShuttle driver. I felt a sense of relief and so did my parents. Knowing how organized and set-up everything was for the incoming students to ensure that everything was safe and sound from the beginning of my journey all the way to its end.
I live in nostalgia now when I think of the two weeks I spent at the gorgeous Yale Campus. There is this home-like sense of familiarity that covers me like a blanket every single time any YYGS memories flash before my eyes.
I travel back in time and think of eating a meal at the Pierson Dining Hall with my friends, of whom some would be half-present, either reading (or shall I say skimming through?) their pre-seminar readings which they should certainly not have been reading a few minutes before the seminar or people-watching, which my friend, Saanvi, taught me. Shout-out to her for waiting for me at meal-times so we could eat together, waiting for me to walk together at our seminars and family times, and for being the only person who I’d share my chocolate chip cookie with.
Speaking of family time, it was one of the best components of YYGS for me, (apart from having the dopest instructor, Rahmah), family time felt incredibly relaxing and a way to discuss our day. After initially being uncertain about how well I would bond with my family, we ended the program with a family lunch, proving that we did not only bond, but would miss one another! I am super grateful to all my family time members, as without them, our family would have been incomplete.
My seminars, lectures, symposium and capstone introduced me to a plethora of knowledge; they introduced me to how different teams perform differently and how communication would work in a team even if we had disagreements.
I also cherish the memories of the long end-of-the-day conversations with my floor-mates, talking about how our day was, everything we enjoyed and everything we didn’t. So, the perfect way to end our day meant: unwinding through memorable conversations.
The residential college hallways, dining halls, courtyards and basements have held moments and memories for so many years of students from almost everywhere around the world, including ours and that feels extremely emotional (in a happy tears way)!
Aayat, YYGS 2024, Mozambique