"Wow i finally made it" were the first words that came out of my mouth as people in the cybercafe turned to look at me. I just smiled and concentrated on what i was looking at.
I'd lost my phone a few months back and because i hadn't gotten a new one, i had to make use of an internet cafe to check my admission status for my intended university.
This was good news for me as I'd already spent a year at home waiting for the good news to happen.
I rushed home to inform my parents and in no time preparations were underway for my life as an undergraduate and also the first time i was leaving home for an extended period of time that didn't involve leisure.
Already a number of thoughts were going through my head as I anticipated the day I would finally leave home. The freedom was probably the biggest part of it, the thought that i was finally going to be responsible for every single part of my day without much interference.
I arrived minna, Niger state which was where my university was situated and where i would be staying with an uncle pending when i got my own apartment. I was already a bit familiar with the university environment from a previous visit before my admission, so it wasn't the school environment i was really interested in but the campus lifestyle itself.
The lifestyle there eventually didn't have much difference except that the state itself had a much quieter outlook compared to the hustle and bustle of where i came from. I wasn't someone who was into much of the crazy partying lifestyle so the serene environment fit my personality perfectly.
Lectures resumed fully and i was able to make one or two close friends and so campus life continued. The new freedom was quite intoxicating and i began to deviate in my resolve for success in school. First semester exams came and went and in no time results were out.
This was where i had my first shock. Prior to going to the university, all my education up till that moment I'd never failed an exam. I always made it through even if it meant a narrow escape.
But here i was in my first session and I'd already failed a course because I'd been overconfident. This realization shocked me and brought me down from whatever high mountains I'd previously perceived I was on.
I realized at that moment that it was quite easy to fail there. Even though I had decent grades in my other courses, that one failure was a wake up call. Luckily my friends were older than i was and had experience dealing with such situations, so they were able to help me out of that life crisis.
The next session began and this time around I knew it was quite alright to be confident in my abilities but not to the point where i didn't back it up with hardwork.
It's funny now that I think of it, but back then i had a piece of paper glued to the wall beside my bed where i made a promise to myself i wasn't failing again.
I woke up every morning and it was the first thing I would see. This had a great calming effect on me for the next session.
I finally had a closure on my previous attitude towards my education, it was time to move on from my previous mistakes.
Although I did have one or two slips before i graduated, it wasn't because i didn't put in the work. Thus those failures didn't affect me as much as the initial one did because I knew I just had to try harder.