Mission Imposible: The True Of One Man's Journey To The Life He Dream Of (Part-1)

author by Theresa Muller

He possessed a five-day supply of food, a Bible and Pilgrim's Progress (his two treasures), a small axe for protection, and a blanket. With these, Legson Kayira eagerly set out on the journey of his life. He was going to walk from his tribal village in Nyasaland, north across the wilderness of East Africa to Cairo, where he would board a ship to America to get a college education. It was October 1958. Legson was sixteen or seventeen - his mother wasn't sure.

His parents were illiterate and didn't know exactly where America was or how far. But they reluctantly gave their blessing to his journey. To Legson, it was a journey derived from a dream--no matter how ill-conceived - that fueled his determination to get an education. He wanted to be like his hero, Abraham Lincoln, who had risen from poverty to become an American president, then fought tirelessly to help free the slaves.

He wanted to be like Booker T. Washington, who had cast off the shackles of slavery to become a great American reformer and educator, giving hope and dignity to himself and to his race. Like these great role models, Legson wanted to serve mankind, to make a difference in the world. To realize his goal, he needed a first-rate education. He knew the best place to get it was in America. Forget that Legson didn't have a penny to his name or a way to pay for his ship fare.

Forget that he had no idea what college he would attend or if he would even be accepted. Forget that Cairo was 3,000 miles away and in between were hundreds of tribes that spoke more than fifty strange languages, none of which Legson knew. Forget all that. Legson did. He had to. He put everything out of his mind except the dream of getting to the land where he could shape his own destiny.

Sometimes he walked with strangers. Most of the time he walked alone. Sometimes he found work and shelter. Many nights he slept under the stars. He became thin and weak. A fever struck him and he fell gravely ill. Kind strangers treated him with herbal medicines and offered him a place to rest and convalesce. Weary and demoralized, Legson considered turning back. Perhaps it was better to go home, he reasoned, than to continue this seemingly foolish journey and risk his life.

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