Leaving home for a purpose.

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Avatar for George_Dee
1 year ago

Leaving home for the first time was equally the same as leaving your comfort zone, it is a stage in life we must be in control of our lives. It is a time when one can get lost because of excessive freedom, a lot of things happen at the first experience, and here is my story.

I was never far away from home until I got admission into Polytechnic, but before then, I usually stay at work from Monday to Friday and return home for the weekend. It was difficult at first and it was so bad that I usually fall ill from time to time until I was able to take care of myself away from my family, it was hard staying away from people that I lived 15 years of my life with and I missed them a lot always.

The job required working in different parts of Lagos so I learned several surviving skills to help me save money since I was working to finance my education. The experience I gathered at the job did a lot of good for me when I eventually left home because I had to live with a group of guys I don't know before, we were blessed with apartments and it is one of the blessings that happened to me then.


My boss then actually blessed me with an apartment, it was a detached two-bedroom. Her grandmother was living in the main building, I met two occupants who were students so I just had to create my own space in one of the rooms.

Somehow, I met two friends at school who needed accommodation. I took them in out of pity and almost lost the accommodation but God intervened because I did it out of goodwill.

Leaving home was completely a new life for me, I haven't lived with strangers before and it required me to learn how to relate with people better than I use to do. The first time taught me a lot of things that became part of me even after living with my family again, I was able to influence people's life even though I wasn't good enough for myself.


Being able to do chores paid off for me, I was the cook at home during school days. Everyone usually contributes and I am glad I learned how to cook because it helped me save lots of money. There are days I usually don't add to the money contributed for cooking and I still get the largest share of the food.


Living away from home taught me how to manage and think well when planning my day, week, and even month. I knew no one was coming to help me with some things so it made me plan my life properly, I wasn't paying any bills than transportation and feeding so I just keep the money I made from teaching and doing assignment for other students for rainy days, and unlike my friends, nothing was coming in for me at the end of the month.


My roommates were good but there are days when we quarrel about things, I have threatened to leave the cooking to them on several occasions and we usually end up settling it. I learned how to rebuke people politely when they pissed me off and I also did learn how to resolve issues amicably.


I learned to be disciplined while living alone because I had the freedom to do whatever I wanted and having freedom as a teenager can be tempting, it makes you start seeing the need to do silly things.

Two of my roommates were obsessed with alcohol and before we knew it, they got the others involved. We had the flirt who doesn't see a pretty girl, thank God he is married today. He laid with lots of girls in that environment but I was able to discipline myself all through with them.


I lived with a Muslim family after school, I blended in easily because of my experience.

After spending a year with them, I got a 20,000 naira job which prompted me to get an apartment. The apartment was in the trenches and I got exposed to a lot of things, it wasn't my kind of environment but it didn't bother me much.

I learned the real deal about living alone because I was completely in control of everything. There are days it would be difficult to afford a meal in a day, there are days you will be ill but will have no one to tend to you and you just have to shake things off since no one is coming through for you.

I had to start paying utility bills myself, it wasn't new because I do support my mom since I started working after secondary school but the difference was that, I was completely responsible for the bills. The first few months were hard, there are times I get paid late at work which automatically causes me to delay that payment, and I hear all sorts of shit. To avoid that I started keeping out the previous month's salary for the next utility bills and it got worse when I lost my job.

There was always a fight but all through my stay, I didn't have a misunderstanding with anyone. Most of their quarrel started with gossip which I detest so much, everyone knew me for that so they don't do it around.


I got to understand humans more, I got to understand more about religion and various ethnic groups because the house had different tribes living in it. It wasn't difficult for me to do many things because I learned most of them from my mother.

I didn't make friends, it was hard to blend in with their dirty habits so I just choose kids as friends; every kid on the street was my friend.

I was able to impact people during my stay in that environment, I taught kids assignments because the majority of the parents there are illiterates. Married men started seeing the need to support their wives with chores because they see me doing things myself even when my girlfriend was around.


A woman once said, her husband changed for good since I got into the apartment and I am happy I had a positive impact on them.


Everyone will reach that stage of living home someday, it will be the turn for our kids at a point in their lives and I think we should help them prepare by teaching them things about living alone. Some teenagers went astray at their first shot at it, some lost their lives, and freedom sometimes gets into their heads which pushes them to do silly things.


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1 year ago

Comments

Leaving home is really hard George especially if it is your first time. I remember when I was leaving home for my first job. I was a fresh graduate that time. I cried but I chose to be brave for my family.

$ 0.01
1 year ago

It is really not easy leaving people who have been part of your life for a very long time, it requires bravery and determination.

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1 year ago

Leaving comfort will make one learn a lot.. I love your story and how greatly you impacted lots of people. I admire your cooking skills and how well determined you are in all your doing.

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1 year ago

Thanks for the beautiful compliment you made, cooking has been a survival skill for me and I enjoy doing it.

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1 year ago

You deserve more words than that Dee, it is a good skill, maybe if we are to meet one day, you'd teach me some of the beautiful skills😉😉

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1 year ago

Females are still masters with cooking no matter how hard guys try, it looks like your hands have been blessed with magical recipes.

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1 year ago

Hehe true though but not all ladies now though..

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1 year ago

😂 eateries are changing a lot of people desire for home cooking.

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1 year ago

I agree with this..modern world it is.

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1 year ago

Definitely we become more responsible while leaving alone. Though initially we find it difficult to judge people, slowly we get to learn the good and bad about them. That's life with lots of ups and downs.

$ 0.01
1 year ago

You are right, leaving home means you are ready to take responsibility for yourself and we will all reach that stage at a point in life when we will have to leave the comfort of our parents.

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1 year ago

Hmmmm you are right Freedom as a teenager can lead to destruction and if you are wise enough it can teach you more about life Am glad you don't went astray just like the rest of them

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1 year ago

Freedom is dangerous when given to someone who is not disciplined, they will eventually abuse it.

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1 year ago

Yeah that's true

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1 year ago

It's true leaving your own home, after staying for so many years with your family is the most difficult thing. But we learn to discipline ourselves, when we are living alone.

$ 0.01
1 year ago

Yeah, it is a difficult decision but it is something we must do at a point in our lives and we just need to brace ourselves up for the challenge.

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1 year ago

Wow!, I'm glad you made the right choice as regards your freedom. I've never experienced what life outside home entails, especially because my schooling is part-time schooling, so I only attended classes during weekends. I've heard stories of people who used their freedom to do negative things, I'm really glad you used yours to impact others.

$ 0.01
1 year ago

The freedom leaving home gives you can be very tempting, it takes lots of determination and discipline to be able to not get lost in this chaotic world especially when you are exposed to many things.

Influencing my environment is something I love doing except if the environment is open for me.

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1 year ago

What you are experiencing today will make you grow and develop strengths for the future. I studied very young and left home very young, but I learned the value of independence. And today I am a professional, I am not rich but I can help my father and support my family. Everything that happens to us is to learn.

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1 year ago

I am happy about the fact that you are able to learn when you left home and being able to help one's parents is a huge achievement. Keep it up

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1 year ago

The feeling of being homesick my friend. It happened to me too when I went to college for studies. Especially that I am an only child, it was very hard for the first time when I was not with my mama and papa. I remembered when I said that I will transfer to a school that just near in our place. Hehe.

$ 0.01
1 year ago

I understand how it feel and it makes me laugh when I see students who are always craving to be far away from home, they don't realize how boring it can be until they leave home.

It was tough for me initially but I learned to live on myself and it made me who I am today.

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1 year ago

I hope you get used to being away from home. I left home for school for the first time at the age of 13. i would be sick often

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1 year ago

I am used to that, I have developed skills that can make me survive anywhere in the world.

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1 year ago

yes this is very good. people get used to it when they're alone

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1 year ago

Your influence spreads like fragrance. You are leaving trails of your kindheartedness everywhere you go. I am blessed to come across such a lovely soul like you.

Living far away from home would always teach anyone discipline... especially those who choose to see the good side to it. It brings a lot of things into perspective. We have lessons at every corner...

$ 0.02
1 year ago

You are right sir, it takes lots of discipline else we can get lost while journeying through the world alone.

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1 year ago

Absolutely...learning takes discipline, my brother.

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1 year ago