College… Here I Come!
7:02 pmIn Summary;
- I had finally enrolled to campus, all those stories I heard would now turn out to be true or false, I had to find out. My dad had to leave, and I expected a really long word from him, as much as he believes in discipline (strokes) he would talk. He just said a few words, “am late, you are now here, I won’t be around to watch what you get yourself into. If you want to drink, drown yourself. If you want to marry, you can see how much these other parents have got you quite a number. But remember it’s your life. Where do I take the vehicle home?”...
Seated with a friend, and it hits
my crowded mind that we’ve been friends for the past 4 years. Yes campus, but
what we’ve been through, now that’s something. Everything has a beginning at
least if not a past. Reminiscing on what we expected and what happened, is
something we’d love to talk about over and over again. Remember that time we
first went swimming? Ooh yea I do, it was my first experience anyway as I clung
to the side of the pool like a scared ghost in heaven.
My first swimming classes are
something I look back at and laugh out aloud. Back then, the sun was furious
and would really smile down on us, and back then, swimming in that pool was
free, of course you and I love free things, this is Kenya, okay; Africa (I
don’t know who said it happens only in Africa) or even human nature. I would
spend all day, literally standing at that corner end of the shallow – end
watching the ladies swim and pretending to be really exhausted from swimming
lest she came and asked me how to swim.
Now, my first time in campus. It
all began, one early morning, I took a bus from home at around three in the
morning, the cold bit but this was my dream and the beginning of the glorious
campus life that everyone had been yapping about. Those 5 hours on the bus went
painfully slowly, they tormented me. Having have spent the night dreaming about
it I was surprised I wasn’t falling asleep as most people aboard did.
We were finally in Nairobi, and
in a few minutes here we were, at the Campus gate. Everything looked
extra-ordinary, and to date, that day actually is peculiar. Except for my
fellow freshmen, everybody else stood out. Gigantic cell phones against
miniscule ears, different dressing codes, different hairstyles, colognes,
language and even the way they walked. My outfit stood out. I can’t say more
about it.
The most interesting part however
was the registration process. In high school and lower classes our parents did
everything for us, go queue, pay the fees and tell us when they were done, to
run to class and work hard. It was different. My dad, actually folded his hands
and told me, tell me when you are done. A parent next to him looked at me pitifully,
I couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t tell his daughter who was looking my way
the same. We would have fought those queues together.
In the queues, we had turned out
in large numbers, freshmen, parents; everyone. They all wanted to be served and
leave. Well, I finally got through it and at the final stage, it was victory. I
was proud of myself, I had finally enrolled to campus, all those stories I
heard would now turn out to be true or lies, I had to find out. My dad had to
leave, and I expected a really long word from him, as much as he believes in
discipline (strokes) he would talk. He just said a few words, “am late, you are
now here, I won’t be around to watch what you get yourself into. If you want to
drink, drown yourself. If you want to marry, you can see how much these other
parents have got you quite a number. But remember it’s your life. Where do I
take the vehicle home?” I was expressionless.
This was the beginning of independent life in which most choices and
decisions were solely mine.
By Moses Nyaemo
By Moses Nyaemo
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