Right in the middle of the stage in the school`s auditorium, a young girl 14 years of age stood in a frozen state. Laughter and giggles filled the tense air of which consisted a highschool audience and a panel of judges seated at the fore-front listening attentively to each word of the swahili poem being recitted.
I was a participant in that annual drama festival, representing my house in the junior category. This was a new experience and there was no way I could have let down my house since I was appointed through balloting. Each participant was given one week of preparation prior to the competition day.
As I stood numb on the stage, various thoughts flushed through my mind. ''Oh dear I can`t recall the next two verses of my poem yet I`m half way through. My competitors pulled off this poem better than me, now my housemates will hate me for letting them down.'' I wished hard for the stage to open up and swallow me completely. As I snapped back from those fifteen seconds of fame, my wobbled feet couldn`t hold me any longer and so I wrapped up my verse with a shy thank you and rushed behind the stage where my house mistress comforted me and dried up my tears.
A year down the lane, with that embarrassing moment fresh on my mind, I vowed to get back the trophy that my housemates deserved. As a senior I was allowed to compose both the house`s solo and choral verses for the drama festival. In a week I came up with both verses then during the preparation week made sure the choral verse speakers were good at it. My housemates appointed me once more to present the swahili solo verse and I thought that was payback time. I had to do my best this time around.
I spiced up my presentation on stage with good dramatic actions and made sure my tonal variation left the audience amused at my change of courage. This time around the thoughts that filled my mind were like, ''oh my, I`m sure that my competitors are wishing for the judges to have headphones and eyefolds on.'' By the end of the day my house won the Swahili solo verse trophy of the year together with the choral verse trophy. My house mistress and housemates were also proud of me since I won the category of the best poem composition of the year. All this I acreditted to the change in courage within me.
I was a participant in that annual drama festival, representing my house in the junior category. This was a new experience and there was no way I could have let down my house since I was appointed through balloting. Each participant was given one week of preparation prior to the competition day.
As I stood numb on the stage, various thoughts flushed through my mind. ''Oh dear I can`t recall the next two verses of my poem yet I`m half way through. My competitors pulled off this poem better than me, now my housemates will hate me for letting them down.'' I wished hard for the stage to open up and swallow me completely. As I snapped back from those fifteen seconds of fame, my wobbled feet couldn`t hold me any longer and so I wrapped up my verse with a shy thank you and rushed behind the stage where my house mistress comforted me and dried up my tears.
A year down the lane, with that embarrassing moment fresh on my mind, I vowed to get back the trophy that my housemates deserved. As a senior I was allowed to compose both the house`s solo and choral verses for the drama festival. In a week I came up with both verses then during the preparation week made sure the choral verse speakers were good at it. My housemates appointed me once more to present the swahili solo verse and I thought that was payback time. I had to do my best this time around.
I spiced up my presentation on stage with good dramatic actions and made sure my tonal variation left the audience amused at my change of courage. This time around the thoughts that filled my mind were like, ''oh my, I`m sure that my competitors are wishing for the judges to have headphones and eyefolds on.'' By the end of the day my house won the Swahili solo verse trophy of the year together with the choral verse trophy. My house mistress and housemates were also proud of me since I won the category of the best poem composition of the year. All this I acreditted to the change in courage within me.