our roots

eminisces how he felt intimidated because of his age, when he first came to
Daystar. Gradually, he blended in with his younger peers. “Sharing a desk with
someone 20 years younger than me sometimes was difficult in terms of how to
interact, and how not to. But as time went by, I started feeling part of them,” said
Pastor Jacques. Pastor Jacques will graduate with his first degree in 2016.
In the world of higher education, society’s prejudice on mature students is an
issue that needs to be tackled. The dynamics of how the society has ridiculed and
branded mature learners is a vice that prevents even those who dropped out of
the university at younger ages, for whatever reason, to return to school. However,
the success story of Pastor Jacques and many other mature students like myself is
a testimony as to how over-coming such prejudices is achievable.
Higher education in today’s world is an added advantage and some would say
the key to success. Decisions that people such as Pastor Jacques and I made, to
return to university are doors opened to a new day. The day when society will not
mock and tease mature learners, but encourage them to pursue their dream and
forget that age is nothing, but a number.
rule, just like many others in Kenya, such as the famous Michuki
laws has been thrown out the window. It seems that certain laws
are only abided to if the person who established them is still in
power.
Fries aside, students who cook for themselves often do not
eat a balanced diet. It is common to see people taking meals
mostly consisting of starch. There is little regard for portions
of other foods to have a balanced diet. A look into the average
student’s meals in a day shows this shocking fact. For instance,
the menu comprises bread and tea for breakfast, rice and beans
for lunch and ugali, kales and fried eggs for supper.
Several students also skip meals. Students tend to skip lunch
the most, because there is little time for meals between classes.
Queen Kibuti, a student, said that she has several back-to-back
classes and often skips lunch. She further said, she sometimes
takes heavy breakfast comprising bread, eggs, cereals and fruits
to compensate for lunch on such days. Students with several
extracurricular activities also skip supper. Assignments and
late meetings cause them to opt for fries or skipping supper
altogether.
Snacking habits also pose a risk to students’ health. On
average, a small bottle of soda costs thirty Kenya shillings.
Soda is much cheaper than a small bottle of water, which costs
about forty Kenya shillings. As such, very few students drink the
recommended eight glasses of water a day. The craving for meat,
which is expensive, does not make things better. This makes
smokies a favorite among several students, despite the fact that it
is processed meat hence not good for consumption.
“There is always an opportunity cost; I find it hard to buy food
worth one hundred and fifty shillings at the canteen when I can
easily go to the market and get so much more,” Says Queen.
Many students prefer to save an extra coin and risk affecting their
health. However, it is good to keep an eye on what you eat. After
all life has no price tag.
DaystarConnect 2015 • 69