Harvard African Development Conference (HADC) 2014

Hey Bloggie!

Happy Wednesday! While it's still fresh in my brain, I thought I'd tell you about my Boston trip. First of all, my trip was amazing! It also helped me appreciate my new position! I was able to take a vacation day (my first ever).

So I left for Boston with no issues. My plane left and got there on time. But as is with me and my travels, there was a hiccup. My cousin was unable to come get me on time. He had to pick up some of the conference speakers. About 2.5 hours later, he showed up, parked right in front of me and got a flat tire! The drama continued as the bolts refused to loosen. Some guy there (bless him) came over to help and was also unable to get the bolts out. He made sure we were able to call a tow truck and would be alright before he left. All in all, I spent almost 5 hours at the airport. Did you say rotten luck?

We finally left and got to the hotel where my sister was staying. Right there in the lobby, I realized there would be some big boys at this conference. You can always spot a Nigerian big boy not because of designer outfits worn, but a certain carriage they have. I was able to then go and see my eldest sister. Yay sister reunion! :)

Next day, we went out for lunch with our cousin as it was the only time we'd be free to hang together that weekend. It was AWESOME! We went to Legal Sea foods. You should definitely stop there if you're in Boston and like seafood. Their clam chowder was really good also. I didn't get to see much of Boston because the conference started Friday night and all day Saturday. Of course I had to leave on Sunday.

About the conference... It was definitely filled with so many important people (except Benedict Cumberbatch)! The former Prime Minister of Kenya was there, the CEO of Skye Bank was there, ambassadors, doctors, architects, business men and women, it was definitely the African dream! There were all sorts of interesting discussions all day and I was so sad my business cards hadn't come before my trip. I was in awe the whole day! If there were random photos, I probably looked like a stalker in all the pictures.

This is definitely a conference that professionals and young Africans should plan to attend! It well worth the networking opportunities. There was an architect (Peter Williams) who spoke on how tweaking the structures of homes has an impact on public health. Also in his panel, was Dr. Boateng who has a health blog in Ghana that allows patients voice opinions. He's trying to expand to television and radio (I believe). All I can say is that this is great opportunity and as I grow and decide what direction I want to go in, conferences like these will help me see opportunities I probably wouldn't have considered.

My flight back home was (hopefully) the bumpiest I'll ever have. It was awful! It was hailing and the winds were o so strong. The ups and downs were so bad that someone threw up while we were flying. I don't understand why we had hail and snow in the spring. I really don't.

There you have it! My weekend trip to Boston. Hopefully more young Africans and professionals including myself go to this conference next year.

Adios!
Tonia