Perseverance pays

The year was 2001 and Julie, all of 21, was feeling on top of the world.

"I had applied to a UAE airline for the post of cabin crew and had just received a letter from them saying that I needed to attend two interviews [the standard procedure].''

Julie attended both the interviews and performed well. "The day I learnt that I had been selected was one of the happiest moments in my life,'' she recalls.

And then 9/11 happened.

"A few days after the incident, I received a letter of regret from the airline withdrawing the job offer,'' she says.

Julie's hopes and dreams, which were riding the crest of a wave, came crashing down. She could not believe that she had lost the job.

"I was devastated. But my mother was, as always, by my side. She tried her best to cheer me up. That was the time I learnt the invaluable lessons of patience and perseverance,'' says Julie.

"As I was grappling with the reality of rejection, Mama said to me, 'If you were to see a fabulous dress you really, really wanted to own but was way beyond your means, would you just walk away? I don't think so. You would go home, count up how much money you have and start saving every penny until you are able to realise your dream of buying it. Well, life's just like a big store, my dear. You wait, you keep trying, you save and then you go and get what you want.'

"Those words really touched me,'' says Julie. "I realised that what she said had so much meaning.

"Very often, we don't realise the lengths our parents go to to make our lives comfortable. They give us the best they can,'' says Julie.

"In my case, my Mum sacrificed a lot to give me the best.

"She was a single mother, and coming from a family which was not very well-off financially, had to work hard to provide me with the best education she could. She herself did not have a great education. She was working as a secretary in a company. I was her only child and she was keen to give me the best. She enrolled me in one of the best schools in Kenya –Kahuhia High School in Burbur, Nairobi. It was a boarding school and I am sure it was a very expensive one.

"When I was in high school, my mother lost her job. So, to make ends meet and ensure that I did not miss out on my studies, she did extra shifts in her new job to earn enough to pay for the school fees.

"Through it all, she never complained. She would only work hard and be on the lookout for a better job so she could give me a better future,'' say Julie.

"After I completed my education, my dream was to give something back to mama ... because she had given me all her life. I knew I would never be able to give back to her as much as she had given me but I was determined to try.

"And the first step towards this would be to keep trying and never give up.''

To that end, Julie began writing to the airline almost every week enquiring about the status of her job. "Most of them went unacknowledged, but I just kept at it. I informed them that I was still interested in the job, that I was still available, that I would be the best person for the job ... I waited and never gave up. Like Mama, I learnt the value of patience. I prayed and hoped.''

Finally on December 31, her prayers were answered and her perseverance paid off: "I got a call from the Dubai office asking me when I could join!

"While my joy knew no bounds, I also realised that patience and hard work will definitely help you realise your goal.

"Perseverance will never fail you. With patience comes the will to win; with perseverance, the will to wait. If you have the two in abundance, shopping in life's store is easier than you think!"

Incidentally, Julie's mother Bernice, realised another dream of hers: she migrated to the US and is happily settled there.