A Toast To The Masters

It wasn’t a long time ago when I was petrified speaking in public, now after 8 sessions of toast masters I’m still petrified.

It wasn’t a long time when i used to have sleepless nights if I knew i had to address an audience, however small, the next day. Then one day while daydreaming in the maths classroom there was a knock at the door. I saw Mr. Ahmed enter; unaware of my surroundings i felt my hand spring up. I tried to trudge it down but once again it sprang up as though i was reaching for the stars. And the next thing i heard ‘see you at toast masters Friday 7:30 sharp.’ It wasn’t Friday the thirteenth but it was as close as one could get to it. They say that people suppress the memory of bad experiences, let me tell you that’s all a lie because I remember every single detail of that night. The clock ticked, even the digital clocks were ticking. Just before 7:30 on that Friday, with my heart pounding, my palms sweating and the sound of fear filled my ear drums. I heard a familiar but distant voice ‘ice breaker Tasneem’ were the words that compared with the sound of fear. This was my cue that my moment of cue had arrived. It’s funny how the audience were transformed into eyes with no heads, no bodies. 24 large unforgiving & intimidating eyes. I knew at that moment i was the only person in South Africa who longed for a power cut. I remember the days when it took hours to find a topic to speak on. It took me just on 3weeks to get this song. There was also a time when I couldn’t stop myself from shivering in front of an audience. So what has 8 sessions of toast masters helped me, I’m petrified, I have sleepless nights, I can’t find a topic and I still shiver. The answer is very simple I may still be petrified but now I’m brave enough to overcome it. I may still battle to find a topic but now I know the topic will eventually find me and yes i may still shiver but now I do it with attitude.

So tonight i feel like a graduate and like any graduate should do, I must publically thank those who guided me through these 8 sessions and helped me reach for my stars. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Ahmed Lambat and Mr. Haroun Pochee and for you i propose a toast; may you be rewarded for making a difference in our lives