That up there is the most appropriate title I would choose to share my experience for the History Makers Training (HMT), 5th– 8th December, 2019.
We had prepared for five (5) months. We all waited in anticipation. What is this HMT elephant? Mixed fillings I should say. Our minds played us on how far our trainers would go to push us. We all knew, or thought, we were set for the challenge. We started the countdown and boom, the day was here.
We got to our rendezvous an hour earlier than the departure time. This was evidence that the five months at the Institute of National Transformation (INT) had trained us on time management. No more “African Time” excuses. We were like campers ready to roll. I knew INT was yet to see the strongest of them all, Class 25.
We started off with a transport challenge. Our coaster did not arrive at the agreed time. Our minds yet again played us. Was this like in movies where you are promised something then things do not turn out as planned; just to see your problem solving skills? Was it one of their conspiracy theories? We started to race our brains. We got alternative transport just to be at the Leadership Prayer Mountain in Jinja on time.
Voila, we made it on time. Proud of the team work.
The programme was then shared. It all looked like the usual. Nothing to freak us out. Oh, we got even happier. Another holiday to enjoy the beautiful scenery and cool breeze away from the hustles of time. The accommodation was great. I could not wait to dash into that bed after a busy day. We had a great lunch and the lectures started.
We were given assignments to be handed in each day before 6:00p.m and 8:00a.m, a great book of over 400 pages on leadership challenges to read in the three days, plus four movies to watch. Okay, it was now beginning to settle in or should I say making sense. I knew I needed to come up with a schedule to manage this programme. It was beginning to grow bigger.
We then discovered that our multi-tasking skills were now being put to a test. If you waited for the lecture to end for you to start on the assignments, then you would not be able to submit on time. This meant disqualification of your assignment and a zero result. When the following day results were read to us, panic started building up. Assignments had to be well done for one to get a good grade. Thus submitting on time was one thing, but it also mattered that one put effort in accomplishing the task well.
Participants stayed in class the entire night cheering each other on to submit and celebrating when one of them did. One by one others walked out after 3:00a.m, just to steal a few minutes sleep before the Aerobics exercises at 6:30a.m.
The rain was like another conspiracy. It practically rained each and every day from about 4:00a.m to about 6:40a.m. We were freshly baptized every day as we went downhill for the aerobics. It was like a sign from the heavens that transformation was real and not for the faint hearted. I, however, picked a lesson from my morning jog down the dark wet road to the exercise place. That however dark a situation may be, if one keeps moving and not give up half way, you eventually get to where you desire to be. This was practical transformation for me.
For the three and a half days at HMT I realized that sleeping was a luxury for me. I had 1 hour sleep on Friday morning (5:00a.m – 6:00a.m), that was after submitting my 8:00a.m assignments and another almost 1 hour on Saturday night between 8:30p.m – 9:20p.m during a coffee break to prepare for presentations. The total almost 2 hours made me realize that the brain is elastic and can be stretched. Even when the entire body would scream for some sleep, the brain would highlight the assignments that lay ahead and was able to handle.
Tensions continued to build up as Internet played us. Having worked throughout the night with only 30 minutes to hand in before your next programme, then you realize that you actually did not have internet all along? Taking instructions also became very key. Some ended up submitting to a wrong email address which also earned them disqualification. Were we going to survive this?
I remember a time when a friend had 10 minutes to handing in deadline and we all practically stood around her telling her to hand in before time. She had another line or two to add and we kept pushing and pushing and pushing. Five minutes to timeline, internet was off. We prayed in tongues, we called the heaven to come down for No weapon fashioned against our submissions would prosper…. It had been a long night, no sleep, lots of work and internet decides to misbehave now? We uprooted and smashed and crashed, and the heavens listened and in the last 2 minutes, she was able to submit. We ululated like we had set off a time bomb a second away from blowing the white house.
By and large it was the best experience of my life. I realized I had resilience I never knew I did. Hitting timelines and target tasted better than I had ever imagine. I saw teamwork at its best and how much we had achieved. I grew stronger and more determined. I became a writing and reading expert. Our slogan Class 25 “That no man should be left behind” still echoes and speaks volumes to me. I needed this so many years ago. But having it now is evidence of what is in store for me.
Watch out for the new me for no one goes to HMT and remains “usual”. To INT, Trainers and Class 25, Bravo.
