Written by Canadian SportWORKS Officer, David Cobos
David’s international experiential learning experience is funded by the Queen Elizabeth Scholars (QES) Program. This collaborative initiative is made possible through the leadership of the Rideau Hall Foundation, in collaboration with Community Foundations of Canada, Universities Canada, and Canadian universities. Through its promotion of international student exchange and civic engagement, the QES program is helping to grow young Canadians into global citizens while promoting Canada as a destination for the world’s top talent and attracting top talent and international research leaders to Canada.
Hello Everyone,
I can’t believe I’m writing my last blog post.
Quick Recap of December:
Our final CHEZA Healthy event was on December 18th at Aubrey Newman Academy, a school run by I-Afrika Children’s Home. This incredible organization helps children who have run away from home, lost their families, or been forced to live on the streets. They provide education, foster homes, shelters, and transitional housing for both girls and boys, with the ultimate goal of reuniting them with their families.
On the day of the event, Jess and I arrived early to help with lunch prep and set up alongside some of our co-workers. It was heartwarming to see everyone from the office, including some executives, show up to support. For many, it was their first time attending a CHEZA Healthy event, which made it even more special.
My favorite activity of the day was the tug-of-war. Everyone was incredibly competitive and the energy was unmatched. My arms and shoulders were so sore afterward that even lifting my water bottle was a challenge! Although my team didn’t win (I’m blaming the refs), we had a fantastic time and gave it our all. After the main activities, we spent time relaxing on the field, throwing footballs, playing basketball and soccer, and enjoying each other’s company. We wrapped up the day by taking a group photo with all the participants and office staff.
Later that evening, we attended our final office dinner before the holidays at Safari Park Hotel. It was a memorable evening with delicious food and great company. I even got to try ostrich (not a fan) and crocodile which surprisingly tasted like chicken! Our co-worker Maya organized an office Secret Santa. Thankfully, I didn’t draw our supervisor Tony as I’m terrible at picking gifts for others! His would’ve been too hard and even now I wouldn’t know what to get him. After Secret Santa was over, we took photos, said our goodbyes, and wished each other happy holidays and a wonderful New Year.
The dinner was bittersweet knowing I only had a week left before reuniting with my family and closing this incredible chapter of my life.
This has been such a rewarding experience, teaching me valuable lessons about working for a well-known organization while improving my communication, teamwork and adaptability skills. If I had to summarize it in one word, it would be an “eye-opener.” Spending months in a different country, adapting to both the culture and work environment and contributing my ideas to a newly created sport for development program was challenging but in a positive way. It allowed me to see my personal and professional growth month by month.
Research has always been part of my program but I wasn’t particularly curious about it. However, working on the annotated bibliography about non-communicable diseases in Kenya and incorporating that research into the CHEZA Healthy lesson plans opened my eyes to new possibilities. I realized that research is another area in which I could apply myself in the future. Even when Jess and I worked on qualitative surveys for CHEZA Healthy to collect data for the project, we found ways to incorporate our ideas into the program. While we couldn’t implement the new surveys into our events during our time, we hope that the next Canadian SportWORKS Officers implement and develop it.
I want to thank Mount Royal University, Commonwealth Sport Canada and the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship program for giving me this unique and incredible opportunity to work at the National Olympic Committee of Kenya, it has been critical to my personal and professional development.
Until Next Time Kenya
David