A student’s personal experience in the Zain Africa Challenge Competition
The hall was so quiet, that if a pin had dropped at that moment, it would have echoed all around the room. Along with 60 other students, I was seated, shoulders hunched over three sheets of paper I was struggling to make sense of.
My palms were sweaty; I could barely hold my pen. Why was I feeling so tense? This was not a hard-core examination, just a try-out test for the Zain Africa Challenge. Yet I could not deny the overwhelming sense of intimidation that swept over me as I puzzled over questions such as:
What country’s flag has horizontal lines of black, green and light blue?
Which of these rivers flows in a northwest direction – Nile, Amazon or Congo?
What Latin word containing -ff – means a statement written under oath?
My mouth dried up, I felt my temperature increase and my heart pounded furiously. All kinds of thoughts stomped round my head.
When some friends had suggested that we sign up for the test, I had enthusiastically agreed. The thought of the ultimate prize of $5,000 dollars had appealed to me. I had never expected the road to glory to be so hard, so frustrating, so….
I looked at my watch. There were only 10 minutes left. I was about to admit defeat and hand over my half-answered paper in despair when I heard a still, small voice whisper in my head, “believe.”
Of what importance was the word ‘believe’ to me at such a time? To me, it was just another common member of the English lexicon. Nevertheless, it brought up a few memories.
In September, I had followed the 2009 US Open Championships on cable television. An amateur tennis player myself, it gave me a chance to watch and learn from professionals such as Federer, Roddick, Clijsters and the Williams sisters. One of the players whom I had been particularly impressed with was the 17-year-old American of French descent, Melanie Oudin.
I remembered watching this unseeded, relative newcomer beat powerhouses such as Elena Dementieva, Maria Sharapova and Nadia Petrova despite her youth, inexperience and especially her 5 feet 6 inches stature in a game that usually favours the statuesque and long-limbed.
Unfortunately, her dreams of winning the trophy were dashed by fellow teenager, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark at the Quarterfinals but not before Oudin won accolades from fans and the media who nicknamed her ‘The Russian Killer’ and ‘Oudini’.
The secret of her success? The word ‘Believe’ printed on the heel of her customised pink and yellow Adidas sneakers.
The association of that word with Oudin’s example inspired me to relax and focus my energy on making the best I could out of the situation.
A week later, you can imagine my unspeakable joy when I got word that I had scored 28 out of 30 marks; that I had gained a place in the top 26 and stood a chance of being among the 4 that will be representing the University of Jos at the national stage of the competition in Abuja come January 4, 2010.
As excited and happy as I was, I often questioned myself:
How do l combine the gruelling preparation sessions with my academics, especially as exams are less than a month away?
Will I make the final four? If I do, will our team win?
At such times, the only thing that brings me out of my contemplation is a still, small voice whispering in my head, “Believe.”
As if to confirm this lesson in faith, I actually made the final team that represented the University of Jos in Abuja and later, one of four teams that represented the country in Uganda. Results of the competition will be known later in the year.
By Akumbu Uche
