Jane Wambura Turns Her Diaspora Experience Into a Book

Jane Nduta Wambura has turned her experiences of studying and living abroad into a book exploring the realities of diaspora life and challenging the idea that moving overseas guarantees success.

The book, Majuu: Life Between Two Worlds, is not a conventional memoir. Instead, it brings together voices and reflections from conversations with Kenyans living abroad. Wambura presents these experiences as a reflection of the challenges and achievements of people adjusting to life between two cultures.

Through the book, she challenges the romanticised view of “majuu” as an automatic route to prosperity. She examines the realities of adaptation, identity and personal discovery, while highlighting the different ways people experience life away from home.

Wambura’s own experience reflects many of these challenges. Moving from Kenya’s education system to Europe required her to adjust to new languages, cultures and social environments. She studied in several cities before completing an MSc in Clinical Nutrition through the KITE programme. Support from an international community helped her adapt to her new surroundings.

During her time abroad, Wambura also developed technological skills that later proved useful in the job market. These skills expanded her professional opportunities beyond what she may have considered if she had remained in Kenya.

Her interactions with international students, including Erasmus scholars, also influenced her outlook. Living and studying alongside people from different backgrounds required her to reconsider some of her assumptions and prejudices. At the same time, she discovered that people from different countries often share similar ambitions and concerns.

For Wambura, these experiences showed that cultural differences can strengthen understanding rather than create division. They also helped her build friendships and professional connections across national boundaries.

She returned to Kenya with practical lessons from her time abroad. Punctuality, which was strongly emphasised in her host culture, became a habit that improved her efficiency. She also believes that studying abroad develops adaptability, independence and open-mindedness, skills that remain useful beyond university.

Wambura encourages students considering international study to approach the experience with both optimism and realism. She acknowledges that adapting to unfamiliar systems can involve setbacks and uncertainty, but says perseverance, support and a willingness to learn from mistakes are essential.

She argues that the benefits of studying abroad extend beyond academic qualifications. Students can gain professional skills, cultural awareness and a better understanding of themselves through exposure to new environments and people.

Through Majuu: Life Between Two Worlds, Wambura hopes to share these lessons with a wider audience. The book explores the realities of diaspora life, where opportunities and challenges exist alongside one another and where the connection to home can remain strong despite the distance.