To switch careers, Charlene Mukite - mother to three young daughters - studied interior design at VCUarts Qatar. Photo courtesy Charlene Mukite
Doha: Charlene Mukite, along with her husband and three children, arrived in Qatar in late 2015. A year into her settling down in the country, she began soul-searching.
“Up until then, I had pursued careers that were convenient – convenient to train for, or convenient in terms of employability, or convenient for work timings. I had worked as a chef and administrative assistant in Dubai, and as a trainee chef in Kenya. But once I came to Qatar, and I watched my three girls grow up around me, I realized that in order to raise them to be true to themselves, I first needed to be true to myself – and that meant doing what I love.
“I asked myself ‘When was the last time you did something that gave you a sense of accomplishment?’ And I immediately recalled the time I was involved in one fit-out and design project for a family-owned brand in Nairobi. That single experience had given me such joy and satisfaction, that years later, in Doha, I knew that was what I wanted to do.”
Mukite says she hadn’t heard of Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) – the name popped up when she did an internet search for interior design courses. After studying the BFA curriculum, though, she felt daunted.
“First came the waves of anxiety – would a prestigious American university accept a person of my age. Then, came the trepidation – the nagging self-doubt – about whether I would be able to juggle the demands of the program, with my role as a mother to three young children.”
When she gained admission at VCUarts Qatar, she was delighted, and stepped into what she describes “as four years on a treadmill, with intermittent breaks”.
“I would attend classes during the day, and rush home to be with my kids and my husband until 7 pm. Then after dinner, I’d work on my assignments, often past midnight. That was the routine for four years. This also meant that unlike most of my unmarried younger classmates, I had no social life; in fact, I’d text my friends telling them, ‘please don’t forget me’, or, ‘I’ll get in touch with you once I get a break,’ hoping they would understand.”
Mukite says that much to her relief, and joy, the new routine brought the family closer together.
“In my Junior year at VCUarts Qatar, my oldest daughter fell sick. I was exhausted with the effort and worry of juggling course work and caring for her, as she was in and out of hospital for months. That’s when I realized that living in Qatar was a blessing. The healthcare system here is the best I have come across, and my daughter made a full recovery, thanks to the excellent care she received at Sidra Medicine.
“Additionally, residents like us have access to some of the best housing, education, recreational facilities and retail services in the world. These may seem small in the larger scheme of things, but for parents, these translate into better opportunities for our children, and peace of mind for ourselves." she added.
