The first snow, and the call I almost did not make
It snowed overnight, my phone was at nine percent, and I wanted my mother’s voice.
Latest letters
Why I walk forty minutes across the bridge now
The day I counted what the bus was costing me, and what the walk gave back.
The folder of twelve documents I wish I had started in October
Transcripts, translations, a certified copy and one paper I asked my school for twice.
Dark by six, and my window
What I did the first Sunday I switched on the lamp before making tea.
What the first lecture taught me before it started
Where to sit, how to ask a question, and why the professor wanted a first name.
Calling home when we share a clock
For one more month Nairobi and I share a clock, and I use it well.
Downloads and courses
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Hello, I’m Zawadi
I grew up in Nairobi and had never seen snow until I was twenty-two. I got a place at a Finnish university on my second try, with a motivation letter I rewrote four times and a folder of documents I found out about too late.
These letters are what I wish someone had sent me. They are specific and honest, and they are about what happened to me, not what will happen to you. Some of it is hard. Most of it is worth it.