 |
| i promise that's my inner light. 25 and shinin' |
I am so blessed to be me. And I mean
that in the most humble Bintu way possible. Lol. No seriously.
I am thankful for so many things as I
celebrate my quarter of a century milestone.
Each year, I learn a new thing, new
lesson about myself on how to make myself better. Some things I have learned
this year (the hard way) are too personal to share on this blog, that all of
yall read lol. But among the shareable things, I am learning to let go and
really, truly go with a flow.
You see sometimes, we get so caught
up in this plan that we have for ourselves, that we do not listen to the omens,
signs, answers that are given to us by whatever we believe. And when we set
ourselves on a path without truly listening to our inner most thoughts and
blessings, we might set ourselves up to miss other opportunities that are
presented before us with an even better, cooler, more exciting option for us.
Recently, I had to make a big
decision. So big because it would determine where I would spend the next few
years of my life, well at least the next year or two.
I felt stressed. Sad. Anxious.
Worried. I had to remind myself that it was a blessing to have both options in
front me, yet still it wasn't an easy feat.
I prayed. Made a pros and cons list.
Prayed. Meditated. Put cold water in a corner after talking over it for
guidance from my loved ancestors. Asked my namesake (grandma Bintu Janneh) for
her blessing and guidance. And talked to my parents about it. And prayed again.
And finally, I listened. I weighed the things that were most important to me.
And with that, I was able to see that
the opportunity I had in front of me was exactly what I had asked for at the
beginning of this year.
I said somewhere, that all I wanted
was a full-time job, one where I could sustain myself, continue to live my
lifestyle abroad, and empower girls under a more professional guise. I want to
take my passion for girls' empowerment to another level. I want to really use
the skills that I know I have in a way that I have never used them before.
 |
| can't wait to see this reflection from the other side of the Atlantic :) |
So I took a risk. I accepted the full
time position to be English as an Additional Language co teacher. The catch,
what I am really excited about, is that I am designing a club, just for girls
from scratch. This time, internationally. Check me out!
And Godwilling, I will get to travel
to the place where my heart has been since 1988, Sierra Leone. There I will
visit my grandparents graves, pay my respects, cry a lot. But most importantly,
facilitate a workshop or two for the second annual Girls Empowerment Summit in
Sierra Leone.
Am I scared? Hell yes? I have
absolutely no template for what I am trying to do. Well, sorta, kinda. I have
it. In several word documents, but in a figurative sense, I have no template,
because I am doing everything I do in a way that only I, Bintu, can do it.
A big risk indeed because my other
option was much more planned out. But this---this is truly me.
I am continuing to live out my
dreams, even if sometimes I forget what they were, they always come back to me.
So let's keep journeying through
Panama, in a few months, I will give you lens from the perspective of girls’
empowerment internationally from two very different countries.
If I might say myself, I am goin' to
do the damn thang (Godwilling)
(P.S. I am also working on believing
in the value of my work in this new chapter)
Here's to Round 2 of Bee's Backseat in Panama!
