They say, in my community, “Education is the Key”, as I was seated on a plane back home, I reminisced on how many more doors that this key could unlock for me. Sometimes my mind would wonder off, and I would imagine how far I came, from a young man going to Primary school with torn uniforms with sometimes no shoes or sandals to an adult now pursuing his dreams. From a hopeless young boy to a fully grown man with great ambitions. From the muddy and sometimes extremely dusty roads of Muhoroni constituency in Kenya to the world stage; the Esomar congress, Czech Republic.
It was my first time in Europe and all thanks to the very kind sponsorship by the Esomar Foundation. When we were young, it was everyone’s dream to one day, someday, travel to Europe. Let alone going to Europe, we desired to board a plane to nowhere, somewhere. This was like a holy grail, a fete if you dared to achieve, then you would be termed very successful.
First was the scenery; steep hills with staircases that zig zagged to the top, I think I lost a good number of calories walking. Ooh that country is beautiful! One thing that baffled me was the hygiene and order in the city. Some of the roads were narrower, than our Kenyan roads, such that two vehicles might not cross paths or overtake, but ooh boy!!, the order was amazing. Everyone seems to just do the right thing with a lot of discipline. I enjoyed seeing unique flora and fauna, very beautiful bright flowers giving the air sweet ambiance. The people were very cordial and kind and they assisted me on one occasion or the other when I lost bearing.
I had the opportunity to Interact with my peers, other student volunteers. As we talked, each of them spoke with passion about what they do and where they come from. Japan, Slovakia, Czech among other countries. They were also fascinated when I narrated stories from my motherland. Some were Undergrads, some postgrads like me and others PhD candidates. One common ground was that we were all interested in Market research.
I also met the market research industry’s Finest from all parts of the world. There were so many valuable Presentations that took place with various exhibitions. One great Lesson I learnt is how we can leverage on AI to assist in market research from data collection, management, cleaning, analysis and Presentation to get insights into market segmentation and gather user feedback. I feel inspired to write, and to keep dreaming big within the industry.
I had very special moments, but there were two most notable ones. First was my chat with my mentor Phyllis Macfarlane and John Kearon. It was a heartwarming moment, and we got to interact and share laughter, and they gave me some valuable lessons from their experiences that have the potential to catapult my career. I promised to keep the conversations alive. Secondly, I had an opportunity to step on the stage and tell my story. I believe that the best stories are told from the heart and from the Horse’s mouth. Seeing the faces in the crowd light up with a lot of interest in what this young man had to say, was the most amazing feeling.
It was time to go back home. My heart skipped a bit as the plane touched down at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). “It was a successful trip” I couldn’t believe I went to Europe and came back on a plane for so many hours, a dream come true.
Esomar Foundation, you have made a young boy’s dream become a man’s reality.
Asante sana.
Tom Joe Omollo Ochieng
