After Years, We Made It Thanks To Kayak

It was great news but it was also bittersweet. On one of our frequent long-distance calls, our son told us that he had gotten through the exams. After years of studying, he was getting ready to graduate. The bitterness came from being unable to join him for his graduation which was such as great achievement and momentous occasion.

He had passed high school with flying colours and with his dream of becoming a doctor intact. It would take a scholarship for that dream to come true. Never one to sit idle, our industrious son had volunteered at a nearby hospital. He also took a short caregiver’s course. We didn’t know it then but the recommendations and added qualifications would play a part in getting him a scholarship to study medicine.

When that much-awaited letter came, we sent him off to the U.S. with grateful yet heavy hearts because it would be years before we saw him again. We couldn’t afford to fly him home for visits when school was out. Neither could we afford the airfare to visit him.

Indeed, it was years before we saw him again. He started with a three-year pre-med course and then a four-year course in medical school for pre-clinical and then clinical courses. Finally, the day had come when he was graduating with a Doctor of Medicine (M.D) degree. After this, he would be completing an accredited residency program. He had chosen a postgraduate residency that would qualify him as a paediatrician. 

Over the years, we had tried to save up for him to come home for a holiday, especially around Christmas. With our jobs, it had been an uphill task along with raising the younger children. We relied on the lengthy phone calls and social media to stay in touch.

Cheap flights from Nairobi to the U.S. were a frequent search on my and my husband’s phone.  They were never cheap enough for us. Until one day an ad from Kayak popped up, flashing flight deals from $21. We quickly found out that was for flights within the U.S. but we were delighted to see the lowest rates we have ever seen for flights from Nairobi to the U.S. Right on this website, we could compare the rates of the top five airline companies. We could also see how travellers rated their experiences with them. 

With the great deals here, it turned out we could afford tickets not only for myself and my husband but also for our two younger kids. We didn’t have enough right then, but we had enough time to save up for the remaining amount before the graduation date. Even better, we could track prices and get alerts when the rates for the flights we wanted dropped. Another detail we were happy to find on the site was accommodation options. We found an affordable vacation rental right on the site too.

Fortunately, the visa application went smoothly and we got them without a problem. It was a daily task to implore the younger ones not to tell their brother we would be attending his graduation. Even we struggled not to tell him he wouldn’t be alone for this big event.

So the day came and we made our way to the airport, passports and tickets we had bought after a price drop in hand. It was a long flight and the only delight greater than getting off the plane was surprising him the morning of his graduation. Tears ran freely as we saw him after so many years and talked to him in person. How he had grown, not only physically but also as a person. The tears had to stop so we could head to the ceremony.

Our hearts swelled with pride when we heard his name called and then his distinction. When the ceremony was over, the party never stopped. We made the most of the next 10 days we had together, visiting landmarks and places including the hospital where he would complete his residency.

When our visit was over, we parted with hearts that were grateful, sad about another separation but delighted that it would be a much shorter one. He would be coming home after his residency on a very affordable flight that we would on Kayak. And so our airborne adventures that we always believed to be out of reach for us began.