Rest Well Ndugu!

2024-06-27

On the 23rd of February 2024, I visited my brother in hospital. As he squeezed my hand to say goodbye, I didn't know he would breathe his last that night.

In a world conforming to my thoughts/plans, I was to see him the day after and keep him company for a fortnight, or up until when nature deemed fit.

It is to him that I dedicate this portfolio project. A project I started working on as soon as I was able to start coding once again.

It is inspired by this project. I have added a number of features, and will keep updating it, as I practice what I've been learning at ALX for more than 15 months now.

Ideally, I was meant to graduate in April, Ceteris Paribus. However, it has been a profound lesson throughout my journey to transitioning to a Software Engineer, that things often don't stick to the script.

For those not familiar with my journey, in May of 2023, I encountered my first huddle, in the form of simple shell. A major project at the end of the first sprint.

My partner and I didn't make the cut off, and we had to defer to a cohort right after ours.

As fate would have it, the cohort right after, was a ladies only pilot, which, ALX had decided to introduce. Therefore, we couldn't join in, and had to wait almost a month to join cohort 15.

Come February this year, and we had just completed a portfolio project in a group of three, to mark the end of foundations and the second sprint.

Right after presenting the project, I rushed home, unbeknown to me then, to face what has been the biggest blow thus far, in my entire life.

My brother and friend, gone, not ours to live and interact with anymore.

After laying him to rest on the 1st of March, I was scheduled to start my specialization sprint that very same week.

In the spirit of doing hard things, and in remembrance of my brother's constant encouragement, I chose to keep on, until I couldn't.

After struggling with projects for a while, I took yet another decision to rewind my learning journey, by deferring to cohort 17, restarting specialization in effect.

I have fairly gained back some consistency, thanks to support by family. As I write this, I'm just about to start my final portfolio project, which will mark the end of my specialization sprint, and the Software Engineering journey at ALX.

Well, to those who've managed to get this far, this is no sob story. It should serve as a reminder on our capability to rise, dust ourselves and stay the cause.

The fact that life blindsides us at times, and strikes unforeseen blows, shouldn't curtail our yearning for better versions of ourselves and setting out to do so.

Plans seldom tow the line, but we should find our way back as many times as we have to, and replan where necessary.

I leave you with the words my brother shared with us in our last family gathering on New Year's Eve.

"Let us never lose Hope & Faith, and let us always stay positive".

He was a lover of life and lived to his fullest. He fought bravely, never one to show the full extent of the pain he suffered.

May He Rest Well in the land yonder!*