The following is a blog post written by Break Diving member Brighton Dube, in association with the YouTube episode of AngelFish of the same name. After you read this, also view the actual episode on YouTube!
By: Brighton Dube
A Break Diver in South Africa
My name is Brighton.
I’m a 35-year-old man from Zimbabwe currently living in South Africa. I’m a second-year Computer Science major with a 3.65 GPA at the University of the People.
I have always been fascinated by computers since I was in high school. Growing up, computers were a luxury and not many families had a computer at home. The first time I actually saw a computer was back in high school when I was fourteen! However, I didn’t get to use one until I was a senior in high school in 2002! Every day after school I would pass by a local internet cafe and spend 2-3 hours surfing the web. Back then, we were still using dial-up internet and it was painfully slow. A simple web page would take a whole 2 minutes to fully load up and most of the time I spent waiting for websites to load.
In 2007, at the age of 22, I bought my first PC and in 2011, I was finally able to get WiFi at my apartment. I started teaching myself web design.
Since then, I’ve taken a number of online courses on web development, software development, and blockchain development. In 2018, I even created my first crypto-token, Loonie, on the Ethereum blockchain. Unfortunately, the crypto bubble burst at about the same time and my project didn’t take off.
I learned a lot from that failed project, from coding smart contracts to creating a blockchain and even a bit of Linux server security. (I had to learn how to secure a Linux server because some dude kept hacking into my server and mining my coin during pre-mine and because he had a faster computer than mine, he would get all the blocks and each time I had to abandon the chain and create a new one.)
The bottom line is, I love coding and I’m always learning new things to become better at what I do.
The most exciting news of late is that I joined this amazing community, Break Diving, and I want to contribute my time and skills to help make it bigger and more awesome.
Up until March this year, things had been going well for me. I mean I wasn’t rich or anything, I was just doing fine. I had even planned for a vacation with my wife in the Philippines. I had booked my flights, hotel rooms, and everything was set. I was just waiting for April the 4th, the date scheduled for our flight.
But then, Covid-19 was all over the news and I was starting to get worried that we might end up failing to go. Then the worst news came: the first case of Covid-19 had been recorded in South Africa, then 7 more, then 12.
Right away, we decided to go to the offices of Qatar Airways to have our flights rescheduled to an earlier date. However, it was almost impossible to get an earlier date as most flights were getting canceled and fares were skyrocketing.
We eventually decided to postpone our vacation and had our flights canceled.
Instead of a refund, they offered us a travel voucher valid for 1 year. On that same week, South Africa went into a full lockdown and then my real troubles began.
My job was a no-work-no-pay kind of job and the company had since been closed for four months now due to the pandemic. Because I had no income, I used up my entire savings in the four months that followed. I tried to find another job, but very few companies were hiring if at any and freelancing wasn’t producing much fruit either. Things have been really hard for me and it’s also affecting my marriage.
I recently signed up with Takealot, a South African e-commerce retailer to do food and parcel deliveries. I have to work 6 days a week, 13-14 hours a day just to survive.
However, a series of unfortunate events have been taking place since I started. First, I drove over a screw and I got a flat tire. I didn’t notice until the tire was so damaged I had to replace it. While I was changing the tire, I noticed the CV boot was broken and the CV was losing lubrication as I was driving. I had to replace the boot. It just seems as though the money I was now making was going into repairs. Even before the repairs, I was already spending half my income on gas! What else could go wrong?
Well, two days ago I blew my head gasket! This just completely destroyed me! To replace it I need $800, and that’s my entire month’s income before gas! I have only worked for 2 weeks!
So this $50 Break Diving Hardship Grant will really help me a lot. I will be able to buy food for me and my wife for at least 3 weeks. Of course, we will need to be extremely frugal, but this help couldn’t have come at a better time and I would like to thank Break Diving for their generosity. May God bless this amazing community.
—-UPDATE POST ANGELFISH TRANSFER FROM BRIGHTON—-
TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2020
Great news!
I received the money from Break Diving Angelfish this evening. I had been waiting the whole day with anticipation and just after sunset I received a bank deposit notification and it was from Break Diving.
I am so excited and I would like to express my gratitude for what Break Diving has done for me and my family. It’s absolutely amazing, thank you so much Dr. Monroe and your team for your kindness.
The bread you have cast into these waters will come back to you, good measure, pressed down and shaken together for, “blessed is the hand that gives.”
I will most certainly reciprocate this act of kindness and help someone else in need when things get better for me. I really appreciate. We won’t have to worry about food for the next 4-5 weeks, all thanks to Break Diving.
My wife says thank you very much and may God bless you abundantly. She is really relieved, because she was constantly stressing about our financial situation but now she has one less thing to worry about for a few more weeks.
Break Diving, you saved us from starvation!Â
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: My name is Brighton Dube. I am an ambitious problem-solving Full-Stack Web Developer leveraging a powerful set of technology skills to create masterpieces. I’m always eager to learn new skills and help others achieve their dreams. I work hard every day to create a better version of myself. My github: https://github.com/brightondube
Break Diving, Inc. is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization
Read all about our amazing mission at www.BreakDiving.org
Join our free worldwide community at www.breakdiving.io
Like what we do? Please make a feel-good donation!
Remember to tell your friends about this www.BreakDiving.blog
I am Benjamin maraba I am south African republic I am so glad to hear this amazing story. What breaking diving has done for Me Dube .I am looking forward to be ur arm and Ears play a rule in this community I am hournate to say thanks breakingdiving and to Mr Dube let’s do what is best to rich the endless world by doing good
I can relate to Brighton Dube’s story Life hasn’t been easy for my partner and myself lately, my partner got Influenza B in March , the one virus that is shadowed by the Corona Virus, it lasted for nearly two months or more, and he thought he was going to die several times, now what he is left with after this virus, is high blood pressure and panic/anxiety . Then in May of this year i got a bite from an insect, following that i have had nearly 70 symptoms, some strange and difficult to cope with on top of that the Consultants/Doctor at the hospital tended not to believe me, as a result all im doing is waiting, without proper treatment or even a diagnosis. I have set up a go fund me page to help with cost to get treated privately otherwise i will have a year wait. And i am trying to create my own work by writing stories again because of neurological damage done it is quite difficult to concentrate. But i wont give up.