Maybe Silence Isn't Golden
O you genetic miracles, here me out. This is what I have been up to in the last couple of weeks...
I wrote my last papers for last session around February, and no one else was stoked with going on academic break like me. I have envisaged what I'd love to do with my break. The ninety-nine trillion dollars I'd make during the break. My writing that'd literally be on fire! All the places I'd travel to this period. The new skills I want to learn, and the old ones I want to revamp. Everything everywhere happening all at once.
Now, it's almost a month since the session ended and yes, if you've been feeling the intense heat lately, it is because na me dey hot. I have been doing everything, everywhere all at once and its maddening.
One.
My creative juice is pumping because I have been writing almost everyday — I mean, yeah, on some days I wrote only a paragraph or maybe a couple of sentences. A win is still a win sha. I have a couple of finished drafts, some WIPs (Work in Progress), and for the first time in a long while, I think I might be entering into the chaotic world of submissions and plenty rejections and acceptances. There is a tremendous improvement in my writing and without others pointing it out, I could feel it. I now write the kind of fine prose I've always wanted to write. Such finesse!
I have also been reading a shit lot. I mean, short stories, newsletters, and articles are my new fetish. Novels these days feels like an anchor. And what else can anchors do other than holding you down? Giving you stability? So don't be surprised that I don't have any readlist or march published. I do have a couple of novels I want to finish this month sha.
For a while, Fod wanted me to organize a literary class or something. Not something grand like a masterclass, just a couple of spaces where people can talk writing, share ideas, collaborate, and be better. I think I may do that soon. Connect with me on twitter @OloladeWrites if you'd want to participate. Give me book recommendations please; you should also note that books as gift to me can never go wrong.
Two.
I have moved into an apartment closer to my university teaching hospital where I'd be spending the next few years of my life as a medical student. And guess who paid for the apartment? You guess wrong sha if you think I'd shell that amount of money to rent house in Sokoto. I mean, I'm jobless, where do you think I pluck money from? Lmao. Well, I paid for it myself sha. But what surprised me wasn't the fact that I could house hunt, pay for it, and move in within a week. It's the fact that none of the was in the plan days earlier. My housing problem just fell on my lap and universe slapped me with enough money to foot my bills by letting me dig into my savings.
Now here's a backstory. I used to live in the school hostel. I stayed there last session. There was electricity, my brother who was also the cook was around — feeding wasn't an issue — and water was never a problem. So yeah, the hostel checked most of my boxes. Also, it was a safe location since it was on campus and I don't want to throw myself into the uncertainties of living with locals with language as another barrier to communication. My plans after the session was to travel stat and then sort out accommodation for the next session when the school resumes. Not until Federal Government gave the directives that the management should close all hostels, and they sent us all packing.
My house hunting wasn't that stressful. I got the apartment for a price that tore my pocket but God dey sha. Other requirements were met and I moved in. Started my faux interior decorator profession. The paint I got to paint my room couldn't even cover a wall. The apartment is so big. I sha did a shoddy job like that then consoled myself with the idea that it's my place and I can paint it anyhow I wanted. I also had to do the electrical works in the place myself. My dad is an electrical engineer so it's not my first rodeo with electricity. Y'all need to see me fixing bulbs, running wires and sockets, connecting mains to junction box to switches, and fixing the supply of the next apartment. I also did carpentry works by fixing the windows with nets. Y'all know that going to the market to get all the materials wasn't easy. First, the language barrier, then the pricing, the hot sokoto sun and the actual work. Of course, I could have outsourced all these stuff but like I said above, I don go use money rent house whey pass my power, so yeah, I had to be creative and do it all myself. I am still surprised how I got the energy to write despite all that ache. Now, I've settled in and I think it can only get better.
Three.
I have not started reading for next session. Actually, I should because my colleagues have started reading, bhet yunno, it is what it is. Na mumu dey study medicine by the way. Okay. Okay. Let's be real here. My future is on the line. My laptop is faulty at the moment. Hopefully, by month end, I'd have enough money to repair it. Most of the textbooks available to read now are softcopies, and you know how bulky medical textbooks are. So my only hope now is to repair my laptop and use it to read until I can get my hardcopies. Based on the available price list, I'd be spending about 50k to 100k textbooks, basic instruments, and reuseables. I don't even know where that money will come from sha, but God go run am.
Four.
In another news, I co-anchored SAP's second virtual hangout last week. Okay, here's a few dets: SAP stands for Stethoscope and Pens. It's a community of writers who are also doctors or medical students across all the universities in Nigeria. So yeah, SAP is a large platform. When the community clocked one year, I anchored the anniversary celebration with Hikmat, a friend cum colleague, and Maryrose, another wonderful gem from LAUTECH. It was such fun night for everyone, so it wasn't unexpected when SAP members said they wanted another hangout, and we had to anchor that one again. For long, I've always maintained that I'd only use my voice where necessary, hence, I find talking stressful. That night, I was the talker, and many people participated, had fun, and it was everything for me. Of course, my fellow anchors were incredible and I think the bliss of teamwork is when everyone is working towards the same goal. Of course, I'm not adding "host duties" to the list of things I can do. I'm just telling y'all that the extrovert part of me can be the life of the party & it doesn't negate how much I enjoy being a lone wolf.
Five.
Recently on twitter, I told someone that I'm chasing four of my childhood's dream at the moment and the dreams are not dreaming well. Obviously, it was meant to just be a personal rant, but somehow it resonated with others. In Introspection, I think that's the point most Nigerians are at the moment. It is our time to try to achieve things our parents couldn't; its our time to chase our own dreams; we are outside trying to beat the odds and win against a system that is rigged. So yeah, I'm proud of people with honest hustles. I think as much as we don't want to settle for mediocrity, we also need to learn to give ourselves a pat on the back. We've survived cruel governments policies, a ravaging pandemic, inflation, and loss, and we are still alive. That's something.
I hope I don't love any part of me soon. I hope I can still be all the things I want to be. I hope my dreams come true and I'm alive to celebrate yours too. Lola's Crafts is still here, and I don't think we are going away anytime. Cheers!
Maybe Silence Isn't Golden
Enjoyed reading, loved what you said about us giving ourselves a pat on the back sometimes
Agba Jack of all trades🙌🙌😂