The end of a thing they say is better than the beginning, but my experience with HOTOSM was nothing short of good from the start to the end. On the 27th of May, I met with some of the amazing people I would be working with; Kshitij and Shola, my mentors, my co-intern, Azhar, Sam and Eden, her mentors. From the very first moment, I felt welcomed and although there was still that little feeling of doubt you get on your first day at anything, I was sure I would have a great time. Next, I met Petya, the most amazing and supportive coordinator.
It was my first time connecting and working with people from other parts of the world and it was a wonderful experience. Something interesting that hit me from the start was that almost everyone I spoke with was chatty. That was quite a new zone for me. I was used to just giving brief answers to describe myself or my day. But I saw that sharing made it an even friendlier environment. Petya once said, that “sharing is caring”, and I have truly learned that. Shared experiences help people bond and relate to you better. Speaking well instead of vaguely is something I have now adopted and getting better at.
Every Wednesday was a time to look forward to, as that was when I had weekly progress reviews with my mentors. I learned new things in interesting ways, laughed with them, and got to know about them. My mentors were so open to sharing and imparting their knowledge, it was a community that was truly invested in my growth in their ways. The time zone difference was interesting, my wonderful mentor, Kshitij who is almost 6 hours ahead of my time still always gave his Wednesday evenings to fix my task blockers and help me grow in my career. Although I could tell he enjoyed working, I knew that was a sacrifice he made every Wednesday and I am very grateful for that. Shola and I are in the same time zone but with different commitments, she still always showed up and reached out to ensure I was doing okay.
My mentors were so great and I felt very supported. The last call with them as regards my internship tasks was last Wednesday and oh the emotions I felt, I am going to miss that part of my Wednesdays. But I know it is not goodbye but see you later. Interestingly, Shola is working on a project where she asked that I join to help write tests, set up contributing guides and industry standards for open projects, and apply some of the skills I picked working on my tasks. And of course, I was glad to get on board with that. On one of our calls, Kshitij shared with me some resources that would help me learn more about AI, a field I am interested in growing in and I stated I would reach out with my progress. He shared that he was always down to give recommendations and I was welcome to contribute to more of his projects.
Nothing beats great feedback. And oh, how good it felt to receive heartwarming reviews from my mentor Kshitij for my contributions. And commendations from every other person for how great I have performed in my journey with them. It has nudged me to do better in the future and fully give myself to being valuable everywhere I go.
Hey, I now know that coffee chats are a thing. Oh, what phenomenal people I had coffee chats with. Ola, from whom I have learnt so much about Geospatial technology, Ramya and Afi are amazing women from whom I have learnt how to position myself for opportunities. Raiza, a great writer from whom I learnt how to use storytelling for change, a knowledge that was helpful for me in writing better blogs and in carrying out an environmental advocacy project in my community. My experience at HOTOSM has in no small measure helped me see how important it is to build one’s network, as great things don’t happen from isolation
HOTOSM, it is not goodbye, but see you later. HOTOSM does work that is dear to my heart and aligns with my career aspiration of working at the intersection of environmental data (the maps), tech and particularly AI for humanitarian development purposes. Choosing to intern here via Outreachy was no random decision from me, but an intentional one. I want to continue contributing to the great work that the team does in different ways in the future and to stay connected.
It is with much joy I share my experience here. I look forward to my journey from here and the opportunities to contribute my knowledge and previous experiences to other projects.
I am thankful for the journey. And thanks for coming with me! Namaste, Khosh boll, Au revoir, Auf Wiedersehen, Chao, Adiós, Ka ọ dị, Odabo. Okay, I mean bye .
Hey, you can read my other posts too. I shared my tasks and things I learned.
Namaste – Hindu, Au revoir – French, Auf Wiedersehen – German, Adiós – Spanish, Ka ọ dị – Igbo (a Nigerian language), Odabo – Yoruba (a Nigerian language)
