In transit at Dubai

My studies in Edinburgh has formally ended with the submission of the viva corrections. The heartwarming farewell(s) from various groups and individuals, including my supervisor and his wife, is an encouragement to a process which was not always smooth the whole time. It was a journey full of challenges, both of interpretative conundrums and of 'battles' fought to persuade others, that has shaped me into a stronger person than I was when I first entered the program more than four years ago. A feeling of gratitude wells in me when I recall the love and care shown to me by friends in and outsides churches these last two weeks. Especially during the last farewell gathering the day before I left, I sensed the unspoken care of my supervisor (and his wife). It was a process that had started difficult, but had ended well. I am grateful for this wonderful memory. I am grateful to Priscilla and Marcelle for allowing me a place in their flats and for their moral support to me when I worked under time constraints on the corrections. The thesis now boasts of a satisfying introduction. There were memories of nights when I had to call Priscilla, who had become like a 'mother', to inform that I would take the last few buses home from the main library, close to midnight. Marcelle was genuinely caring each step of this last lap when I had to meet various deadlines. With them and other friends, I had left a part of me in Edinburgh. While I waited at Glasgow airport to board the plane home, I came across a collection of photographs of sights and scenes of Edinburgh. Nostalgia wells up in me as familiar sights came alive again of places that had once been very much part and parcel of life.