Resolutions

 

Christmas had come and gone without any spectacular event, unless you consider eating turkey and watching movies without restraints spectacular. We are now in a new year and like almost 80% of the world’s population, I am about to make a New Year resolution. This was usually an easy call for me, but since I was still unsure about my admission, I decided to be on a low-key and postpone making one for now. After all, no one is really certain of what the future holds.

“Lola, come and get the phone. One of your classmates wants to speak with you. I think it’s urgent.” God what is it about holidays that makes you want to sleep in all day without having a care in the world? Today is the first Friday of January and I was having a sleep-in. To say I am having a “sleepful” day is an understatement. I couldn’t care less if a bomb attack is waiting to happen.

Back to the phone call. I moved within the speed of light to get the phone from my dad. Forget about restfully sleeping, Heaven forbids my mum listen in on that conversation. I wouldn’t hear the last of it. If you have a Nigerian mum who is overbearing, you will totally understand me.

Breathlessly, I responded into the phone. “What’s up?” “It’s me, Tade, I just checked OAU admission list and your name was on the list. Congrats dear! Hello, are you still there?” I heard everything Tade said, but I felt as though as I was looking at myself on the outside. Strange I know, but I could not help but stand transfixed as I clutched the phone to my ears. Did I just hear that I got admitted into OAU?

“Oh my God! Mummy, mummy! I have gained admission ooo.” I could not help but scream in hysterics and laughter. I can’t believe this just happened. I was scared that someone would wake me up from this dream and just scream boo at me. Am I getting punked, or is this really true?

Well, it turns out that it was totally true and I was given Economics, my choice of course. To say my mom was joyous is an understatement. At a point, it was hard to discern who got the admission, me or her. Her screams and shouts of praise were so hilarious it was on the point of becoming mildly annoying. Our neighbours had gathered to see what the fuss was all about, and my siblings, with a flair for the dramatic and eager to steal the show, were more than willing to tell the story.

After what seemed like hours of celebration, I was finally able to rest. To hell with a sleepful rest, this was the life! I had gotten the perfect New Year gift and I could stay awake all night if the need be. It turns out I won’t have to waste another year at home. My dad had better start finding a par timer to help him with his shop. I am on the way to becoming a university student. God, life is so good!

The next day, I checked out the school website. Turns out the school resumes in March and registration for fresh students begins in February. Schools do not play a fair game at all. Now, I have to do my packing and registration in a rush. Not that I mind in the least bit. I could not wait to get out of this house and experience what a university life has to offer.

The days seemed to drag slowly making it feel like a punishment to me. It was now mid- February and the preparations had been made. All I was waiting for was the go-ahead to resume. Now, I know how painful it is to wait for something that was proving to be almost beyond my reach. Well, not again, I am now on my way to becoming an undergraduate! Nothing can stop me!

one month of awesome

It is said that the beginning of something is the basis of deciding whether a landmark is made.  A step at a time, and a baby begins to walk. The fear of the unknown makes you a slave to the unknown. How much more liberating is it to brave the unknown!

When this blog was first launched, i was filled with doubts. “Should I, would I, could I?” I don’t know what came over me though. I remember seeing a post of a friend of my friend about the evils of procrastination. I realised there and then that it won’t hurt to give it a try. At first, I struggled with the project and in the end, found a voice to start with  and a balanced edge.

It’s been a month filled with lots of bumps and curves. I have learnt a lot about teamwork and planning. I have learnt about love and I have learnt to love life. It has been a month filled with all-round awesomeness which could not have been successful without the encouragement of you, my readers.

I welcome you into a whole new month filled with hopes and dreams of the future. Don’t be afraid to take that step, because you will always find out that you are not in this alone.

Best wishes from me to you,

The Lola Gbade.

Cheers To New Beginnings

The results came up and well, let’s just say I barely dodged the bullet. I had a score of 230, which is totally not bad while Aisha had a score of 205. Let’s just say, we have scaled through one hurdle. But still, it was a huge break and a step in the right direction.

“You had what? A mere 230 score? What were you thinking?” As it turns out, parents had their ideologies about the perfect score. Mine were absolutely not too thrilled with my results. Well, I can’t blame them. In their eyes, I had totally fallen from grace to grass and not in the nicest way. My last year’s jamb score was 290, which was not bad for a recent high school leaver. To them, this jamb was an all-time low for me. In the end, they had to settle for the fact that nothing could be done about my results.

The days flew by quickly and it was soon time to write the post utme examinations. There would be no second chances this time. It’s either I gain admission this year or get stuck in my father’s boring business and continue to hear annoyingly good news from friends who have gained admission.

Then the much awaited day arrived. In the weeks preceding my exams, I was jittery and nervous at best. I had to travel downtown, rather downvillage, to Ile-Ife and I was frankly not looking forward to that. Travelling is a chore for me as I occasionally suffer from “danfo/car sickness” whenever I had to travel. It was too late to back out from things and I don’t think my parents would appreciate the humor. In times like this, you just have to wonder if I’m the one getting a degree or my parents.

The journey to and fro the village was totally uneventful, unless you count the unrelenting downpour and the fact that I almost forgot my credentials at home. The results came out a few days later and you would not believe it. I had a 270! A freaking 270! I’ve got to admit, I did not see this coming at all. This is an all-time high for me. I feel like I have been hit by a tsunami of good luck and I do not care if I get swept away. I finally feel that maybe, just maybe, God is totally on my side on this one.

However, I couldn’t ball hard like I wanted to. Aisha didn’t make the UNILAG cutoff mark and I felt bad for her. We worked too hard on this one but Mother Nature must have felt that she couldn’t smile on the two of us at the same time. Well, better luck next year, she must have thought. I suppose you can’t have your cake and eat it.

The days were beginning to slow down and I absolutely could not wait to resume school. However, considering the fact that the admission list was not yet out, my parents were still not confident in my abilities. Who would blame them though? The Nigerian educational system is so jacked up we can’t plough through our own mess. Students who would otherwise not have passed through the four walls of a higher institution can now do so if you have the money, the right connections or both. It is a sad cycle really and a major reason why the educational system has been dragged through the gutter. Now, my parents are thinking of those ridiculous strings they can pull to get me a “hitch-free” admission when it’s so obvious that I can get it on my own. I wasn’t stupid enough to tell that to your parents, as your parents naturally know better. It’s now December time, and the admission list was not yet out. I was beginning to get worried, to be honest. Shouldn’t these lists have a deadline or something? Most of my friends have gained admission into their respective universities and here I was again, still not getting a reply. Mother Luck seems not to want to smile at me. Even Aisha had gained admission, though to a private university. Her parents had decided that it was risky to wait another year before gaining admission, and besides, age was so not on her side. I wish had such cool parents though. Well, I had to be content lest I end up frustrated. I was beginning to think that maybe getting and admission is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. I just had to hope for the worst in case I get disappointed.

The Christmas celebrations were around the corner and preparations were under way. What is so special about Christmas that it fills people with hope, love and comfort? Frankly, most times, people don’t treat Christmas like it’s the Lord’s birthday. I call Christmas my self-indulgent day where I treat myself to delights I would otherwise not have had. I would have preferred to have a nice hang out with friends though, but my mom is always against the idea of you being in a place where she can’t hover above you.

In The Beginning….Let There Be Me

Today was turning out to be another boring day, not unlike the rest. There was nothing out of the usual to alert me to a happening that would define the course of my life. Here I am, a 16 year old, with dreams of making something out of her life. Once in a while, reality creeps in and threatens to turn my dreams into a pile of rubble. I am Aderinsola Johnson, and my goal is to be the best I can be and make something out of my life. I recently finished high school and am awaiting admission. In the meantime, my life is filled with routinely boring tasks, tasks that I would have never been caught dead doing. “Derin, the food is almost burning, come and put it down oooo…..” and so it goes on every day. Welcome to my world. Here I am, in my parent’s house, cooking with extreme glee in my heart, emphasis on the extreme. I just don’t get it. Why do I sometimes feel like I’m a slave in my own father’s house? To be honest, my dad does not exactly have a house. We live in a two-room apartment in one of the most not-want-to-live area in Lagos which translates to Mushin. I believe that my parents never intended on staying in Mushin forever, but Mushin is just like the Hollywood Los Angeles, where people with high hopes come to but in the long run have their hopes dashed against the rock called reality. My father came here with goals of being the next Dangote. Now, nearly 20 years later in Lagos, all my family can boast of is a seedy 2-room apartment in a face-me-i-face-you compound, 2 shops and four extremely wonderful and annoying kids, of which you’d already guessed by now, I’m one of them, actually, the first of the pack.

Today just not seems like a good day for me. This is the second time I sat for the UTME examinations, and not for any of the good reasons that might cross your minds. The previous year, I had gained admission into the Olabisi Onabanjo University, but due to circumstances which I’d rather prefer not to disclose, I lost my first admission. My parents were short on cash and could not afford to send a child to a state university. After all, no be only me wey my papa born. To cut the long story short, in order to prevent a repeat performance of last year events, I have decided to pick a school not only known for its ridiculously cheap school fees but also its reputation for producing the country’s finest graduates. You guessed right. It is the Obafemi Awolowo University, “the great citadel of learning”. From the time that I finished secondary school, I have been working as a part-timer at my dad’s shop. These days, sales boys seem to have one goal in common, carting away either my dad’s goods or his money, hence my father’s reluctance to hire anyone anymore.

This morning, I woke up to the news that our almighty JAMB had just released results of its just conducted examinations. To say that I was scared is an understatement. Don’t get me wrong, I have always been an A student with exceptional reading and writing capabilities. However, my brain is not as sharp as it used to be before. Sitting down at home for almost a year has drained me a lot and as such, I lack the motivation to read as I ought to. Now, all I can still boast of is my mathematical capabilities, which is still quite manageable. In the midst of all this, I know that no matter the outcome of my results, God has still got my back.

“Derin, where are you? We have got to go the cyber café before it gets congested. I cannot be stressing myself too much.” Meet my friend Aisha, the beautiful one. Well, I call her the beautiful one because she always gets all the boys and I get nada. We both took this year’s jamb together again, though not intentionally. Last year, she had made the mistake of choosing UNILAG, a school notorious for unfair advantages and she was not offered admission into her school. On getting to the café, we met a sea of hopefuls like us who wanted to check their results. I must say, JAMB is a total rip-off. Year in year out, the number of candidates increase while the number of schools remains constant. After what seemed like forever, it got to our turn. At this point, I am totally tensed and freaking out already. Images of sitting out another year at home flashed through my eyes. I just cannot bear the thought of it. I was already at the point of fleeing the café. As I imputed my registration number on the system, I suddenly remembered that there was a God somewhere and began praying fervently to him.

Then the results came up and you won’t believe it…….

The Becoming

First post of the week and I am sticking to my promise. Since this is about storytelling, let me give you an abstract of what it is about. The story title is The Becoming and the story line is about a young girl who is about to face what life has got in store for her. The Becoming portrays the event happenings in Dayo’s life as she goes through the stages of womanhood. It relates to each and every one of us as we go through life trying to find love, friendship, excel at academics, discover ourselves and try to fit in while at the same time stand out among others.

The chapters would be up  by the end of the day. Don’t forget to share with your friends. Your thoughts, reviews and comments are highly welcome.

I remain me.

Lola Folagbade

Funky Baby Steps

Welcome to the Lola Folagbade blog. I’m so glad you are reading this right now. This my first post on this blog and you should be briefed on what this blog is all about. My blog is all about creative story telling through pictures, arts and most of all, words. The stories to be posted here would be mostly fiction and would be in chapters. The chapters are to be updated twice weekly, so bear with me a bit.
Over time, readers would be asked to review the story line as it pans out, especially the characters in the story. Your reviews and comments are highly welcome.
P.S: don’t forget to share with your friends on all social media platforms.
Enjoy!

First blog post

This is your very first post. Click the Edit link to modify or delete it, or start a new post. If you like, use this post to tell readers why you started this blog and what you plan to do with it.