Writing this post, I'm reminded of how much my status has changed. Two months back I was still a student and right now, everything has changed rapidly. It's as though being a student gave me a sense of direction kind of, because as a student 70 percent of my life was automatically planned. If I'm not looking for how to get lecture notes, I'm looking for what to read for exams or tests. There's no week I am not doing one assignment, if it's not my assignment, I'm helping others do theirs. So any other time I have left, I use it to do all my other activities combined. I thought life as a student was hard as it was, but in the last two months I have seen life outside the four walls of the higher institution is even harder because I have got to decide what I want to do with my time, at this point I begin to struggle with time management and consistency because I am yet to figure out how free I truly am.
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Now I can say back to when I was in school lol. So back when I was in school, especially during my early days, one thing I hardly lacked was food. I only lack food when I decide to stay at home and do nothing about hunger. No matter how broke I am, there's always a place I will eat for the day, no particular place exactly, but at the end of the day, I will eat somewhere somehow. During my first year and in the early part of my second year, I would often carry a spoon either in my trouser pocket or bag because I didn't know where I would find food and I wouldn't want the spoon to be an issue when I finally saw food. I wasn't the only one doing it, so it was kind of fun, I remember a funny experience when I was cooking in my hostel one day and a guy was telling me not to add curry (seasoning) to the food because he doesn't like it.
It was weird at first, but later I realized about five guys were waiting for me to finish cooking with their spoons already ready. It was then I also learned that there are students who never ever cooked since the day they stepped foot into the higher institution, and they don't buy food but always end up eating. I followed suit, but later on gave up that dependency mentality. But even after I gave it up in the latter part of my second year, I still didn't lack food except no one knew I was hungry. Most times I don't like saying it, but certain people find a way to know. Also being very popular, I have come to know a lot of people, and anytime I pay a casual visit (not having food in mind) I end up eating. I like visiting friends to know how they are and maybe help out where I can, so food just ends up following me.
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The only time I have lacked food is when I do not speak up. Leaving me I hate begging for alms, I prefer being on the giver's side. One time my neighbor an older lady wanted to buy garri (cassava flour) she has ran out of cash that day and was telling her daughter that there was nothing to eat because she had spent a lot, hearing it I immediately gave her daughter from the little cash I was having on me, the lady was very reluctant to take it, but she did because I pushed. I was still thinking about what to eat the next day when I heard someone knock, checking to see who it was, I was shocked to see this lady and food. And this is just one of many times I have survived in school. Leaving school, It is as though things have changed, barely two months after my exams, now I no longer go on those visits and barely have time to stay at home, I go to work early and come home late. And now, sleeping hungry has become the new norm.
THIS IS MY ENTRY INTO HIVE LEARNERS CONTEST PROMPT FOR WEEK 79 EPISODE 3.
