January - A leap of faith 🌿
I started the year journaling, which is something I love to do, especially when life gets a bit too much. Looking back at my journal, all I really wanted for 2023 was to be able to relax and enjoy the roller coaster ride that the year would bring, believing that God had the driver's seat. 2022 was a turbulent year, and it was a year where God forced control out of my hands and taught me a trust lesson. In 2023, I wanted to willingly submit control to God. Most importantly, I had no idea how the year was going to go. I was at a crossroad and super confused about so many things.
Anyways, the year started with me having to retake an exam that I hated so much: IELTS. Deciding to retake it was like a personal litmus test to see if I'd really learned to trust God. I was super scared, mainly because I didn’t want to prepare in vain. But I was so glad I took that leap of faith because God indeed honored it and gave me an assurance that he was there with me at every step of the uncertain journey that 2023 was going to take.
February - Gift of friends 🫂
I got a wonderful gift from a friend in London who I hadn’t seen in two years. It made me feel so loved and appreciated. I also marked my second year at Microsoft and shared an article about my journey so far.
One of my goals was to host a party in my cozy and small apartment, and a friend’s birthday gave me the perfect chance to do that. I wanted to make her day special, since I had never done anything for her before on her birthday.
It was a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. I cooked all the food myself, and thankfully, everything turned out well. The best part was seeing her smile and enjoying ourselves. I was very happy with how it all went.
March - The valley of decision 🤽♀️
March threw me into a whirlwind of decisions and making pivotal life changes. Again I had to hold onto the anchor and build upon the foundation of trust and faith in God.
Started the month by moderating an AMA panel session on how to ace technical Interviews. Doing it with friends made it an even richer experience - sharing insights and tips that could potentially change someone's career trajectory.
Then, I had a fun and relaxing weekend with some of my adopted sisters 😊, who came over to visit. It was an opportunity to visit some cool places in Vancouver and we had lots of fun.
Having a dinner and brunch weekend orchestrated by some amazing friends was the highlight of the month. It was a wonderful experience filled with a lovely time of fellowship. The discussions and testimonies left me feeling inspired and motivated.
Amidst all these fun and wonderful moments, I had to make one of the biggest decisions of my life — I decided to relocate to a different city for personal and professional reasons. It was a terrifying decision and a big leap of faith. I had to embrace the unknown and again trust the driver of the roller coaster ride.
April - Big risk with faith 🚀
I took the biggest risk I have ever taken in my life - I moved with uncertainty and literally planned the move in 3 weeks. It was challenging and very stressful and I had lost of fear but I am thankful that I decided to set my wings to the wind of faith.
God provided me with people who helped me pack, move, and settle in. Even getting a new apartment was all Gods favor, I literally got the apartment without viewing it myself and just trusted that it was going to be fine.
It was indeed a month of adventure. I took a big leap of faith, I learned new things, and made new friends.
May - An unexpected achievement🙌
Changing environment is an opportunity to try something new. Make new friends, visiting new places and maybe trying new recipes 😄. So in the spirit of embracing change, I took on the challenge of making healthier food choices. It turns out, getting creative with veggies isn't as bad as I thought.
I also had an epic weekend. It was a short, sweet, relaxing and powerful church singles camp. And, No it wasnt a matchmaking event. it was about real-talk and soul-searching. Among all the amazing takeaways, someone mentioned this statemen t that has stuck with me ever since.. “My walk with God is more important than my reputation”.
The biggest highlight of May was getting promoted to SDE II - (meaning I am no longer a junior software engineer 😊). This was a huge surprise and a huge achievement for me. I was not expecting it at all, and I was shocked when my manager told me the news.
But then I felt a lot of emotions and thoughts about this promotion. I felt proud of myself, but also scared of the new responsibilities and expectations. I felt confident in my skills, but also inadequate and unworthy of the promotion. It was like wearing a shiny new badge but feeling a bit unsure about the fit. Apparently, growth sometimes comes with a side of discomfort.
June - The best birthday celebration 🎂
June was a month of many blessings and celebrating my birthday.
I achieved a big goal of passing my CKA certification exam, which I had been preparing for a long time. I booked the exam one Friday, and I was very nervous and scared. But I passed it in flying colors, which was like a birthday gift from God.
I had a birthday photoshoot, which I have never done before, and I was really happy with the outcome of the photos. I also organized, planned, and had a gorgeous birthday dinner party, which was everything I wanted and more. God made it successful and beautiful. He raised up people who helped me selflessly, and He surrounded me with love and respect. I had a lot of fun with my friends, everyone had a nice time, and I felt their love and support.
July - Celebrating my friend 🎈
July was a month of friendship and fun for me. I went back to Vancouver to celebrate my friend’s birthday with her. She is one of my closest friends, and I was super happy I was able to make it and be there for her. Her birthday was a blast.
After returning from the trip, I fell ill and tested positive for COVID-19. I experienced severe pain for a week, but thankfully, God’s healing touch came through, and I recovered in a week.
August - Summer camp 🏕️
I attended my very first summer camp, and it was a life-changing experience that I will never forget. I volunteered to work in the kitchen, which wasn’t what I originally signed up for, but somehow I got moved to the kitchen. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed it so much, and it gave me the opportunity to connect with a lot of amazing people. I even got to make the most beautiful strawberry bowl I have ever seen 😄
September - Travel and fun 🧳
September was another great month filled with fun and friendship.
I hosted a Garden of Grace dinner 😊 with my friends Precious and Clemence. We planned this within a week and the idea was to host some young people at church for a bohemian dinner enjoying some African delicacies. It was really eventful, especially the way it turned out with the rain and all. We had planned for a garden dinner outdoors, but then God made it beautiful in his own way.
Having my friend and travel buddy around, we decided to do our first travel in the US to meet up with our third friend in LA, while doing a stop in San Jose. It was a really fun trip and a great time to reconnect with my friends.
I gave my very first talk on observability - a topic I am recently passionate about. And I was able to write my first article on it as well.
To finish up the month, I helped plan a surprise birthday dinner for my friend Eden. This was really special because it became the first time I ate some Ethiopian food. She had always wanted us to go to an Ethiopian restaurant, and there was no better way to celebrate her birthday than having all the people she cared about around her at her favorite Ethiopian restaurant.
October - Experiences and challenges 🥾
I went on a hike with some folks at work, which was my first hike of the year. Although my body was far from prepared for it, I managed to finish the hike despite snapping my back.
I also contributed to a potluck at work and I made an amazing pan of plantain and sauce, which was a hit.
We launched a cloud bootcamp that we had been planning for months. It was great to see all our hard work come to fruition.
A project I had been working on for more than 3 months got paused. Although it was painful, but it was relieving.
November - Networking and Fun 🤝
November was another month of learning, networking, and fun.
I attended Kubecon + CloudNativeCon in Chicago, which was my first ever big and international conference. It was an exciting experience, and I shared my insights and experience with here.
I also hosted a lunch for some African MVPs who attended Ignite. I invited them to my place and provided some African dishes for them. We had a great time connecting and sharing our experiences.
And to crown the month, we had a Friendsgiving dinner, where I and my friends had a potluck of different African dishes. It was a great deal of fun, and we enjoyed trying out new dishes and sharing our cooking skills.
December - Enjoying the holidays 🎄
December was a time to enjoy the holidays and rejuvenate for the new year.
One big achievement for me during this period was the creation and launch of my personal website—a long overdue project.
I organized a secret santa and virtual end of year party for my team. The heartwarming accolades from my teammates showed how much they enjoyed and appreciated it.
To cap it all off, I went on an amazing holiday trip to Vancouver, where I celebrated Christmas and New Year with family and friends.
