Morine Mukami Ngarari
BIO
Mariculture Research Scientist and PhD candidate in environmental biology (Kenya). Mom-of-three.
Twitter: @morine_mukami
Morine Mukami Ngarari
“It is never too late to start all over again... 9 years after, and I’m determined that I will reach the finishing line.”
Motherhood set in during my early career days when I was a very active young scientist. It came at a time when I was pursuing a PhD which was part of a project that I was actively involved in. While pregnant with my first baby I had to cancel my visa process since the foreign laboratory where I was meant to undertake my PhD studies didn’t allow expectant students at the time.
This did not deter me from going on with my research and so I continued to collect my Ph.D. data from field experiments while in my home country.
After giving birth, I waited until my baby was 11 months and left him with my husband and mother-in-law for a period of 5 months to a foreign land to do my PhD. It wasn’t easy leaving my baby - and worst of all stopping him from suckling at such an early age - but I was determined to make his life better through my studies.
While away, I often called my husband who would ensure that I connected with the baby through video calls.
Five months later, I came back home excited to meet my baby only to realise that he had forgotten me and I had to begin bonding with him again, a process that took a while. This took a toll on me but with time our bond got renewed. I was to leave again for the foreign laboratory 6 months after, but this was never to be since I got pregnant with my second baby four months earlier.
It was at this point that a somewhat strained relationship developed between me and my foreign supervisor. I was not in a position to explain my status at the moment since I had my own personal issues to deal with; a child whom I was still bonding with; a pregnancy that was somewhat a surprise for me; studies; work and many other things.
I worked extremely hard from my home country, but my supervisor seemed to have disappeared from the radar. That was how I discontinued my studies. It wasn’t something that I had planned but I had no choice.
I’m now a mother of three beautiful babies and pursuing a PhD in my home country. I’m grateful for this second opportunity to undertake my Ph.D. and I am not turning back. It is never too late to start all over again…9 years after and I’m determined that I will reach the finishing line.