Zobaida Falah

Gateway To Our Future

My thirst for finding purpose in my life was not quenched upon my graduation from The Miami School of Business. Most of my friends went on to start their careers, however, I was not ready to take that leap into what I thought was the real world just yet. I decided to take time before committing my life to a financial institution to travel and try once more to find the purpose that seemed to escape me. I had just enough graduation money saved up for a ticket to The Gambia, East Africa. My older brother had visited this country on a mission trip and returned with a plethora of memories to share. Since then, I have wanted to visit for myself and experience a world outside of Ohio. Without having any real responsibilities, I booked my tickets, arranged to get all my necessary vaccinations and packed my bags in preparation for my trip to The Gambia. On the day of my departure, my older brother entered my room and handed me a small black notebook. He informed me that inside this mysterious notebook was a gateway to my future. I didn’t think anything of it at first, so I thanked him unceremoniously, quickly tucked the notebook into my backpack and hugged him goodbye. After bidding my family farewell, I got into my Uber and left to the airport.