Apr

22

Another Year, Again

Filed Under Experiences 

Today (21 April) is my birthday. I woke up at a friend’s house in Lagos. I don’t think I have mentioned it around here that I am currently in a town close to the Nigerian border with the Republic of Benin, to learn French. Well, I am. I decided to learn French for two reasons. If I am going to be an effective development worker, and I am thinking of working in West Africa, then I better have French. Apart from that, I am thinking of starting a PhD soon at my old University, the University of Ibadan, in Nigeria, and the area of research I am interested in – transborder trade – would mean that I would be working and interacting with a lot of French-speaking people – Nigeria is surrounded by French countries – then it would be highly important that I can speak French. So, I will be learning French for the next three months. I have a bit of French already but I have to make sure that I have more than a bit…. Maybe I should tell you a bit about the French School. Well, not really a bit, it is actually what I find most disturbing.

For some reasons, they have been admitting more people than they should, and so they don’t have accommodation for them. The accommodation provided for males is so inadequate that about 40 people have to share one large hall. Two people and I had to decide to make private arrangements for accommodation. So now, for the first time in years, I have to share a room with two people, Ben and Chuks. I guess you will be hearing about them in the next three months.

So it is my birthday. No bell rings, nobody sings, not even a little sound. What did I expect? I am gradually growing old, and there is no reversing it. I am 26 today, no job, not even one in sight. But then, I can take some joy in knowing that I haven’t been a complete failure. At least, I have lived my life from one classroom to another, and got two degrees in the process, and if things work out, I could be starting another one pretty soon.

Alright, some more some other time.

Share/Save/Bookmark

Comments

Leave a Reply