Campus Politics
When I gained admission into the University, I didn't know politics would be one of the major things on campus. I was in for a surprise.
In my university politics is life, in every department, faculty and hall of residence. Most people aspire to hold a major position in the University. They see it as a way of attaining an high social level and see it as a stepping stone to political positions outside school. A large number of politicians in my country started their political careers right from the University.
It started in the first semester but grew worse in the second semester especially towards the end of the session. What I noticed was that the associations that conducted their elections in the first half of the session were more civilized, composed and rational in their approach towards students.
A large number of them had only one candidate going for a particular position. This was relatively easy for the electorate because they had decided among themselves who would go for each position. This made voting easier as the student could decide if he approved of the person or not. The elections were also carried out online and the results were quickly released.
It is worthy of mention that there was no post-election crises. I couldn't say the same about the second semester elections particularly the student body elections.
This election was particularly full of drama as both candidates going for the position of president were dragging themselves on the floors of social media. This was really disheartening as this wasn't how an election was supposed to go. There was a lot of drama before and after the election among the student body, candidates and even the school authorities.
There were some allegations that the school raised the requirements of certain positions so that some candidates could not contest. Also that the school had a preferred candidate for the position of president.
Surprisingly, when the results were released there was no controversy or drama surrounding the results which in turn means that there was no election violence.
The most annoying election of all was the one by the faculty of arts. They didn't allow anybody rest because of their election, going from hall to hall campaigning and constituting a nuisance to the the campus. I personally can't wait for their election to be over so that I and other students can finally have peace of mind.
Faculty of Arts and doing the most at everything.
This are just my personal thoughts and not that of anybody. I am just an observer. Hopefully as time goes on elections on campus will be conducted in a saner manner.
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Till next time
Workshop Practice
Recently in school, we have been taught various engineering processes. Their definition, function, uses, tools and equipments and their general safety precautions. I am having a test on it soon and I have been reading the course all day. So I've decided to share with you the things I've learnt so that you too can know something about it. As they say no knowledge is ever truly a waste.
The basic engineering processes are;
Foundry
Rewinding
Welding
Metal Fitting
Forging
Woodwork Engineering
Metal Machining
Foundry is engineering processes of producing machine parts. It involves casting. Casting process is a process of production of machine parts by pouring molten or liquid metal into a prepared mould otherwise know as mould cavity.
There are two types of casting
Dye casting
Sand casting
Both have their disadvantages and advantages but dye casting is preferred in the industry.
Rewinding is simply defined as the repair or change of a burnt coil to a new one. It is mostly done on fans once they stop working. The coil is made of pure enamel copper wire. The process is done in the stator which is a mechanical device. It converts electrical energy from the power source to mechanical energy which is seen in the rotational motion of the fan.
High count, Electrical overload, low current and lack of servicing makes the coil to burn.
Welding is the process of joining two or more pieces of metal together by the application of heat on their surface to their melting points. This is done using electrodes which are materials that melts metals by the current supplied to them.
There are different methods of welding and are too numerous to mention but the most common one is Arc welding
There are also five basic types of weld joints.
Butt joint
Lap joint
Tee joint
Edge joint
Corner joint
Metal Fitting is a process that involves joining two or more metals by the use of hand tools such as screws, nuts, bolts, etc and not using a binding agent such as glues or welding.
There are various hand tools but they are grouped into five basic groups
Holding or supporting tools
Measuring tools
Punching tools
Marking out tools
Cutting tools
This same grouping also applies in woodwork
Forging. Although the process is ancient, it is still important in this modern times. It involves heating a metal to reddish form and then applying pressure by beating it to a desired shape.
There are various types but the most common one is Hand forging otherwise know as blacksmithing. The major tools used are the anvil, sledgehammer and tongs.
Woodwork or wood machining involves the various tools, machines and portable devices that are used to process wood
There are various tools, equipments and machines used in wood processing which are too numerous to mention but the beauty in woodwork is the different joints that can be formed.
There are five basic types of joints
Through housing joint
Halving joint
Mortise and Tenon joint
Dovetail joint
Bridle joint
Lastly, Metal Machining. Metal Machining is the process of producing metal parts or components by cutting off or shaping of the metal. It is the process of turning a raw material through the process of subtractive technology into a useful machine parts.
There are different machines involved in this process but the most important is the Lathe machine. It works on the principle of metal cutting carried out by creating relative motion between the workpiece and the cutting tool.
It carries out different operations such as; turning, facing, chamfering, knurling, taper-turning, drilling, boring and centre drilling
There are other machines such as; milling machine, drill press and surface grinding machine.
I hope I've been able to tell you one or two things you didn't know about engineering and now you can go and show off to your friends. Engineering isn't hard, it just requires hard work and dedication.
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Till next time.
The Chase
I'm not talking about how to escape or catch someone that is on the run. I am talking about the entire process of wooing a lady. From finding her, to talking to her which is know as the talking stage, to asking her out and finally being in a relationship with her. I have had the experience before and to tell you the truth it is not easy.
It was a bitter/sweet, happy/sad experience.
I was 15 and we just resumed for a new academic session. I got to school very early that day so that I could be the first on the queue for the registration but fortunately/unfortunately I wasn't the first. A girl got to the front of the line before me and ended my streak of always being the first on the line. I didn't take notice of her face because I was clearly pissed and couldn't wait for her to leave my front. I didn't even greet her, just did my registration and left for my assigned class.
Our desks were in two's so I was to have a seat partner. I was seating on my own when this girl approached me. I didn't realize that she was the one I met on the queue until she came closer. That's when I noticed how pretty she was, dark-skinned with long black hair.
She asked with a gentle voice "do you have a seat partner?
I replied "no I do not"
She then asked "can I seat beside you?"
I happily replied "yes"
From that point, I had a crush on her. No only did she have outer beauty, she was beautiful on the inside. She was nice, kind, gentle, friendly and most importantly always had a smile on her face. I was determined to get her for myself.
We gradually became friends because we sat together most of the time. We were gist partners always talking together about the latest trends and happenings in the school. Wherever she was you would most likely find me there. Any food that either of us should bring to school we will share it together. This really made us bond as we were practically inseparable.
During mid session breaks when we weren't together,we will exchange letters to keep in touch since neither of us didn't have a phone. We will sneak out of the house when our parents weren't aware and place the letter in the mail box
She didn't like sports and so did I. We will sneak out of class and go to the school garden any time it was time for sports. She particularly like the flowers and trees there and was always gleefully walking and jumping around the garden. Anytime I saw her doing this, I always smiled no matter how bad my day was. She had the smile of an angel.
I was really attracted and attached to her. I wouldn't let any guy get close her for too long. You could say that I was protective of her. I only did this because I was watching out for her, knowing what other guys could possibly do to her.
Towards the end of the session, I had finally built enough courage to ask her out but that's when she told me she was leaving the school. I was like to where. She said that her father had gotten a job in the United Kingdom and as such the whole family will be relocating there. I asked her for how long and she said that she doesn't know but that she wasn't coming back anytime soon. I was devastated and almost started crying, this couldn't be happening. Just when I was about to ask her out.
On the last day of school I confessed my feelings to her and she said that she felt the same way but that I could I wait for her. I said yes and we hugged goodbye. She started walking away but then turned around and stared towards me with teary eyes. I too was already shedding tears. We ran towards each other and kissed. We really loved each other.
Now, I am here 8 years later writing this with the same pen she gave me the last time we met still waiting for her and hoping one day she will be in my arms again
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Diary of an African Child 4
It's time to present the sacrifice.
My father, the priest started dancing the spiritual dance. It was something serious but I couldn't hold my laughter. The way he moved his body especially his head and buttocks was a sight to behold. It was as if he was the village jester. He noticed that I was laughing and quickly gave me a warning look, I immediately comported myself and stopped laughing. I didn't want the wrath of the gods and my father at the same time.
When he was done, he started reciting the incarnations all from his head. He didn't write it down in a book and he was able to say it word for word. This was a bit scary to me because it was really long and it would take a lot of time and effort to master or it could just be that he was possessed by a spirit from the spiritual realm. I started to notice some changes in my environment.
The wind blew inside the room, rustling of leaves. The trees whisting and the sounds of thunder. I was already scared at this point. To cap it, I started hearing voices. My brother and I were terrified. We almost ran away from the shrine but our father warned us that if we moved a muscle we will be six feet below the ground in no time. We stayed put until he finished reciting the incarnations and he called us to join him as we praised the gods together and bowed down to them seven times.
When we were done our father left the shrine carrying the sacrifice to go and present it. It was pitch black at this time and I had a feeling that something was not right. I felt uneasy as if something was watching me or I was in the presence of a someone. I started panicking and thinking of different ways to escape. I had an intuition that I wasn't supposed to be hear but that's when my father said I should follow him. I vehemently refused as I would not accompany him on such a journey, not in this life or the ones to come. He didn't shout or argue with me, he just walked up to me and blew a black powder on my face. Till this day I don't know what happened to me, I lost control of my body and only had my mind with me. He commanded me to follow him and I obeyed. I didn't understand what was going on with me, why would he use his black magic on me and worst of all I couldn't do anything about it.
I kept following and as we got closer, it got darker but somehow we were still able to find our way. After some time, we finally got to the place. My father stopped us at a considerable distance from a tall tree. I guess that's where he was supposed to place the sacrifice. What was mysterious to me was that although everywhere was dark, light shone at the feet of the tree. Truly there were spirits involved. The tree was very tall and extended into the heavens, it didn't have too many branches and the colours of the leaves were black. It looked so old, you would think it was there at the beginning of creation or maybe it was.
My father approached the tree slowly singing a specific song. He dropped it directly in front of the tree and turned his back. He walked towards me without for once looking back. He didn't see what I saw. I saw a four-legged creature come out of the tree immediately he turned back. The creature looked terrifying and disgusting, like a science experiment gone wrong. It had three horns on its forehead,a ring on each one. Two eyes that were blood red, a mouth full of fangs which were black in color and a very long tail which ended in the shape of a tail. It had claws that could literally tear right through a person.
It carried the sacrifice, gave me a devilish smile and went right back into the tree. My father already reached my side by the time I had finish seeing all of this and commanded me to walk. Halfway to the shrine he released me from the spell and told me that the reason he did what he did was that the gods were calling him home and as such he needed a successor and out of everyone he chose me. That's the reason I followed him, to present me to do gods. I didn't say anything as I knew I would only be prolonging the matter. I already had a plan in my mind.
Time to leave this god-damn village.
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My day: Episode 1
There's a lot of things to say or tell you about my day but I am wondering how I'm going to summarize it. So many things to say. But to give a better context, permit me to start from yesterday night.
I spent the night playing and walking around even though I had an exam the next day. I was sort of worried but then I had spent the whole week reading so I guess there was nothing to worry about. I went to meet my friends, we played a game of chess. Also I played video games late into the night.
It was almost midnight until I settled down in my room to read. I opened my textbook to do some last minute revision and also read places I didn't understand. This lasted for an hour and when I was done I listened to some music especially from my favorite artist Wizkid. Thereafter I went to bed.
I woke up early the next day, had my bath and solved some past questions. I wasn't able to eat because there was no time. I bought snacks on my way to the exam venue so that my stomach wouldn't be empty. I got to the venue 30 minutes to the slated time but I still waited for over 90 minutes. We started late as expected and there was a lot of confusion among the invigilators. This didn't help us at all as we were also confused.
We finally started the exam and it went well. We were supposed to answer 120 questions in 60. I was able to finish in time and submitted before time. It was time to leave.
The distance from my hall of residence to the center was at least 5 kilometers. There weren't many carbs around and the weather was very hot. I wasn't going to wait under this scorching son. My friends and I decided to trek. It was going to be an Herculean task.
We started out and we weren't the only ones as majority of us opted to trek. It wasn't easy at all. I was feeling very hot and my legs ached and we were only halfway into the journey. I started wondering what I'd got my self into. That's when I saw this girl. When I say that I was strengthened when I saw her, I would not be exaggerating. She didn't have all the shapes and curves but she was god-damn gorgeous. She was pretty and had this innocent look. The way she dressed was perfect. Something that fitted her. She was light-skinned with full hair.
That wasn't the first time that I saw her but I still couldn't muster the courage to talk to her. I just admired her form a distance. I was her secret admirer. While I was still looking at her I didn't know I was already close to my destination. My friends jolted me back to reality and I saw her walking away without able to do anything. Maybe one day I'll talk to her.
I entered my room and the first thing I did was to fall flat on my bed. I was too tired to do anything. I woke up two hours later due to the rumbling sound of my stomach. I went to a canteen and bought bread and beans so that at least something will be in my stomach.
I called my friends and we played a game of PES till we got tired.
That brings me to now, writing this article about how my day was. I hope you enjoyed it and I didn't bore you with too many details.
I would like to thank my sponsors for their continued support. Someone recently sponsored me and I will like to say a special thank you.
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I woke up this morning to the pleasant surprise that I have a new sponsors. I want to say a big thank you to @McRonald for the sponsorship and the support. I won't let you down
My Examination Experience
I remember my last semester exams. It was a really interesting experience that I would like to share with you.
The name of the course is Introductory to Waves and Optics. I had heard a lot about the course. About how voluminous it was, so difficult to understand and a lot of people fail the course. I was already terrified before we even started the course. In my mind I was already praying to at least get a pass on the course, I wasn't even thinking of getting an A
We started classes and when I saw the course, I was wondering what was so difficult about it. I was like why were people so afraid about it, why were they scaring us about the course. Little did I know that there was more than meet the eye.
The test day came and there was a surprise waiting for all of us. The test started by 8:00 am and was for 20 minutes. We were giving a sheet of paper for our workings. The invigilator said we should start immediately after reading out the instructions. I turned the test paper and I was shocked. The questions were extremely difficult. I started wondering how I could answer the questions in the space of 20 minutes. I was downcast and couldn't do anything for the next 10 minutes. Towards the end of the test I managed to answer 5 questions out of 10. For the remaining, I guessed.
Two weeks later the test results were released. I was hoping for the best even though I didn't expect it. I was a little bit shocked when I saw my results. I got 2/20. It was a expected but I wasn't expecting it to be that bad. I fell into complete depression. My friends tried to console me but they still couldn't do anything about it. My girlfriend even came but she also couldn't do anything either. I think that was what led to our breakup.
The exam was the following week and I was still a complete mess. I had given up totally on school. No matter my hard work, I will still fail. What's the essence of still being in school? That's when my sister called me and gave me words of encouragement. Saying that I can and will do better. I picked up myself and started reading. I read day and night burning the midnight candle.
The day of the examination arrived and I was the last person to enter. That was because I was still reading at the venue. I entered full of confidence and ready to tackle any question that the examiner will give me. I saw the question and I was taken aback a little bit but I quickly regained myself and started solving them one by one till I was through. I even finish 2 minutes before the end. I used that time to go through my work. I submitted and left the examination hall smiling.
The results came out 4 weeks later and I got 80/80. I couldn't believe that I got 100% in the exam. I was the highest in my class. I felt on top of the world. I called my sister immediately to tell her the good news and she screamed with joy when she heard it. She also sent money to me.
This experience is just to tell everyone that failure is not an option and that you can achieve success no matter what.
Learning French
Learning a new language is not easy especially if it is french, I know that. But I can give you tips that I think may help when it comes to learning a new language through my experience learning it. For this article we will be talking about french.
Recently, I started learning French intensively because of my upcoming exams. I never liked the language even from my early age. I thought that it was such a difficult language to understand because of it has so many rules and difficult phonetic symbols to pronounce. How am I supposed to know which one is which?. It's also difficult to learn because some french words have a certain resemblance to some English words. So, it's very easy to mistake one for the other. You can see a french word and think that it has the same meaning with an English word because they constitute the same letters.
But in the last week, I've really taken out my time to learn the language. Turns out it isn't so difficult. I was just the one that didn't take my time to study and learn the language. French might have numerous rules but once you get the basic it becomes easy.
First, you will need to learn how to greet in french. There are different greetings in french for different times of the day. In the morning, afternoon, evening and night. Also, you will need to know how to respond to pleasantries such as "how are you" and "how are you doing"
After that learn how to introduce yourself. There are many ways but you just need to know the basics. How to say your age, where you live and what you do for a living.
Then you learn the verbs. Basic verbs such as; go, come, play, listen, want, and write. There are different ways the verbs are expressed especially with the pronouns.
Then you learn adjectives in french. Normally adjectives come after the noun in french. Adjectives take gender and number in french. They could be masculine or feminine/ singular and plural. To make a masculine adjective feminine you just add 'e' but there are some exceptions to this rule. Also to make it plural from singular you add 's'. To the earlier stated rule about adjectives coming after noun there are some adjectives that disobey this rule. The adjectives are adjectives of Beauty, Age, Number, Goodness and Size.
Lastly you learn the Nouns. It is not possible to learn all the nouns in french but you should learn the common ones especially those of animate objects. You also learn the one of inanimate objects such as household objects and common objects.
With this tips of mine I hope I helped.
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Till next time.
The Day I asked A Girl for Her Number
I can still remember the day like it was yesterday. Oh my, it is a day I will never forget.
It was on a Wednesday. I remember that I woke up rather late that morning. That was because I was reading all through the night. After waking up, I went to the laundry mart to get my clothes washed. I spent an awfully long amount of time there because the queue was so long. This was surprising to me because who would chose a Wednesday morning of all days to wash their clothes. I was finally able to wash my clothes and left soon after. I checked my watch and it was already fifteen minutes to twelve. Time had already pass. I quickly made cereals with milk and sugar so that I don't go hungry that morning. It wasn't much but I just had to manage it specifically because I was extremely broke. It was already the end of the month and I barely had anything left.
After eating, I surfed through the internet for a while, then checked my social media pages to see if I had any important message and lastly I checked my email. When I was done, I finally settled to read my book.
After I opened my textbook I received a call from my father. I was wondering what he could possibly be calling me for. I reluctantly picked up his call.
Father - "Samson, how are you doing?"
I replied "Good afternoon sir, I'm doing well
He always liked being called sir. He said that it was a sign of respect.
He said "Do you know that the covid-19 vaccine just arrived in the country and the government has began vaccination?"
I replied "Oh yes, I heard about that. Some of my friends were even talking about it"
He continued " Ok, that's good. I've registered you to go and take the vaccine. I'm coming to pick you in the next twenty minutes. I even took my vaccination shot yesterday
Shocked, I replied "Ok daddy"
I was truly shocked and irritated by what had just happened. Why would he do something like that without even informing me? Without asking for my permission? And even rushing me in such a manner. I was really pissed off but I had no choice than to get ready and go and meet him. I hadn't even had my bath.
He actually came in the next 20 minutes and thank goodness I was ready. He drove me to the vaccination center and dropped me off. I entered and filled out a card. After that I joined the queue, it wasn't long but it was moving slowly. This was because only one person was attending to us on that line.
I was standing for long and visibly irritated and that's when this girl stepped on me. I will normally shout at her in that situation but when she turned and looked at me, I was speechless. She looked at me with such innocence and apologize. I couldn't even reply because she had taken my breath away. I just mumbled ok and she turned back. I was truly smitten.
I immediately texted my friend and asked him how I can get a girl's number. He was first shocked that how can I be asking such a question. That I was such a bookworm. But I told him to be fast that I desperately need it. I asked him for pickup lines but he said that he doesn't think I can handle it. He just said that I should be confident and talk to her. I was really nervous and wondering if I could do it.
When she got to the front of the line I knew that it would be now or never because I don't think I will get another opportunity to ask her out. Thankfully she needed my help for a question on the form and I answered her. From there I was able to strike up a conversation about where she was from. I was even able to get more topics because I secretly looked at her form. I was considerably taller than her. We talked about her course of study, level ,hall and general school life and all the test. It was from there I got the courage to ask her for her number.
She was taken aback. She was like what do you need it for. I was like she has a very wonderful vibe and I will like to keep the conversation going. I gave her my phone and she put her number. I was so happy. It worked! She then scared me that that's her Dad phone number. I was terrified. Did it back fire? That's when she said she was joking. Oh thank God, that would have been really embarrassing. We talked for a little while and then she left. I was then attended to and I left shortly after. My dad was waiting for me and we left together. I saw her on the way but I wasn't able to greet her because of my dad. Thank God she didn't see me (or so I thought).
When I got back to my hostel and I told my friend, he was shocked. He wondered how I grew the 'balls' to do such. Till today he is still surprised. I asked the age old question "who should text first or when should I text her". Every guy I asked told me different things but to my utmost surprise, she messaged me first and till now we've been talking since. I wasn't able to ask her out because she is in a relationship but we are still friends. Hopefully one day we will be more than that.
I will like to thank my sponsors. You all are the best and I will also like to call for support in anyway possible to keep giving you guys great content.
Also, a shout out to @Abhay for the poster. You are the best man.
Till next time.
I want to say a very big thank you to @Fexonice 1 for the sponsorship. I will not disappoint you.
Remembering My Crush 2
If you haven't read the first part of this two-part series, here's the link to part one.
https://read.cash/@YDKleke/remembering-my-crush-9452bdd9
Now, let's continue.
After the lovely incident at the restaurant, I went home filled with happiness. Grinning from cheek to cheek. I even gave the estate secret a very huge tip. That's how happy I was. So, I had seven days to prepare.
We had school next tomorrow and I was wondering how the rest of the school day was going to be. I hopped it wasn't going to be awkward. We didn't meet on Monday and Tuesday but we met on Wednesday. Turns out she had been looking for me. She found me at the school cafeteria during break. She asked me if I hadn't forgotten about the little get together at her house. I had to play it cool as if I wasn't excited. I was like "sure I haven't forgotten. I'm even preparing towards it". Oh God that sounded so desperate. She immediately had a smirk on her face and responded " what do you mean by preparing" she asked rhetorically. "It's nothing big, just come as you are. I just want to see you". In my mind I was like nothing big, you must be kidding me, I am definitely preparing well for this. I am not going to disgrace myself. But I must tell you that I was shocked when she said that she just wants me there. A whole me! Wow!
I laughed and said okay. She waved bye and left. I was smiling like a fool as she left and it was then I realized that people has been staring at me. They must have been wondering what a 'big' girl like her was doing with a 'small' boy like me. But well, that's their business or problem as for me, I'm in love. As they say "haters will hate, potatoes will potatate but you just need to just keep loving.
Thursday and Friday passed and before I knew it, it was already Saturday (the day of the party). The previous day I went to a boutique to buy a black short sleeve shirt with a blue jeans. I also bought a black cap and grey socks with blue dots.I also wore my best sneakers. I was going to dress my best. The party was at 4pm but I was read before 2pm that's how eager I was. Before leaving, I borrowed my mom's perfume and sprayed myself with it so much that I was chocking from the scent.
She texted her address that morning. I left my house 30 minutes before 4 so that I can get there on time. I know that sounds weird but I always like being punctual at events. I got to her estate gate and I was amazed. Estate get levels! I called her that I was at the gate. She called the security and told them to let me in, they did so but still searched me and were giving me a suspicious look as if I was a criminal. I got to her house in no time and she literally ran after me when she saw that I was in front of her house. She welcomed me with a very warm hug. I was feeling things that I had never felt before. She wore a singlet with a crop top and a bum shot. She led me into her house. To my surprise, I was the only one around. More shocking was that there was no food or party decorations. No sign that there was a party at all. That's when she told me that I was the only guest invited. That I'm her special guest. I was like "okayyy".
We sat down and talked for about an hour, turns out we have a lot of things in common. Our love for music, movies, comics and even newspapers. It was as if we knew each other. Later on, she came close to me and not to long after she rested on my lap. She was really getting close, I could literally feel the warmth of her body and notice her beauty and also her curves. She was truly endowed. An hour later things were already getting intense as we started asking each other personal and intimate questions. It was from there that I knew that she liked her boyfriend touching her and also loves public display of affection. All of a sudden she sat up, looked me in the eye and told me she liked me. I was shocked but also told her about my feelings for her. All of a sudden, I noticed her close her eyes and move her lips towards me, I was also in the moment and leaned towards her. Our lips met and my oh my it felt like heaven. We kissed passionately with our tongues involved and did that for a long time. Our bodies got really close. Our hands got involved. My hands touched every part of her body. I kissed her at every point on her body, from her lips, to her head to her neck and even her breast. She too kissed me passionately and even brought her bossom to my face.
She was already removing my trousers when we heard a car drive into the compound. We quickly stopped and got dressed. She rushed me out of the house and I passed through the back entrance. Turns out it was her dad. I waited for him to enter the house before running out of the compound. It was truly a terrifying experience. I truly don't know what came over me. I boarded a cab home and later in the night she called me to ask if I had gotten home and apologize for what happened. I said that there was no need for an apology. She then said that I hope there will be another time for us to continue from where we stopped and I was like sure.
Well, that's how I remember my crush. If you want to know if we completed the 'deed', then encourage me in form that you can to keep writing.
I would like to thank my sponsors they are truly the best.
Till next time.
I want to say a big thank you to @Ebizz for the sponsorship. I would not let you down. Thank you for the encouragement.
Remembering My Crush
I know that the title of this article may sound a bit childish (well because it is) but please bear with me because the title is nothing like the story.
I remember my first crush. Oh God! I thought I was in love. She was so elegant with every step that she took. I don't know exactly what I loved about her because they were too numerous to mention. Was it the way she talked. The way she moved her pink gloss lips so smoothly. Was it her skin, so smooth as her a baby's butt. Was it the way she walked. It was like every minute, every second was a fashion show for her the ground her runway. Oh my, I was senselessly in love. Or was it infatuation?
I remember the first time we met. It was on a Thursday evening after class. We had just finished school for the day and she came over to my seat which was at the back of the class. As she approached me, the sun struck her face at an angle in such a way that she looked like an angel. I thought I was in heaven because definitely I was being visited by one of His holy messengers. I'm sure she saw my mouth open because she was jaw-dropping gorgeous (if there is anything like that).
She said "can I borrow your biology note, mine is incomplete and I heard that you're the only one in the class with a complete biology note". I couldn't respond to her immediately because I was dumbstruck. How did she know who I was? Was she noticing me? How did she know I had a complete note?. These are some of the questions that ran through my mind at that point in time. Well, I had to quickly come back to the land of the living to answer her because she must be wondering what was wrong with this guy. I replied stuttering "definitely, I would certainly give you my note". Oh God that sounded stupid. I hope she didn't notice. She replied smiling " oh, thank you very much" and then stretched out her hand. I thought she was requesting for an handshake so I shook her. That's when I got to feel her soft palm. That was and still is the softest hand I have ever touched. I took longer than normal when shaking her hand but it was then I realized that she was actually stretching her hand out to collect the note. That must have been so awkward. I gave her the note and she waved by. I'm not exaggerating but that was an heavenly encounter.
But that wasn't the only time we met. I remember when I went out to a local restaurant to eat and I met I there. She was there for a birthday party actually. She was one of the big girls in school and as such hung out with the other big kids too. I myself just innocently came out for a bite. I was looking at them from the little corner that I was in. I couldn't go there because I wasn't invited. I'm sure the other kids including the celebrant saw me but didn't think of inviting me over because I wasn't in their class. We locked eyes a few times and to my upmost surprise she smiled at me. Different thoughts were going through my mind. Does she also have a crush on me? I thought. When the party was almost over she came to meet me. I was wondering what she could possibly want from me.
She said "hey, why didn't you come over".
I replied "well, I wasn't invited and I didn't want to gate crash the party"
She replied laughing "don't be silly. At least you know them from school and it would be cool to have you around".
I was like "how?"
She answered " well, you're smart, funny, you could be playful and silly at times and you're also cute"
I was shocked " me, cute?"
She replied " yes, definitely. I will be having a little hangout next week Saturday, I would love for you to attend"
I answered " sure, why not"
She said smiling and elated " Ok, thank you"
She then gave me a kiss on my cheek to my shock and then left. "She definitely has a crush on me" I said to myself. I left that restaurant feeling like I was on top of the moon. I'm in love.
To read the remaining part of this story, you'll have to wait. So sorry.
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Election
I would like to tell you about the election in my hall of residence.
The campaign started a little above a month back. The contestants were allowed to campaign but without declaring the position they were gunning for. I always thought that didn't make sense because how could anyone campaign without telling me the position they were going for. Like how?
Well they campaigned in different ways by spamming the group chats with messages and graphics bearing their names or worse their nicknames. Also they paste bills all over the walls of the hall including the bathrooms. How can I be taking a piss and I see a guys face telling me to vote for him. But don't get me started on their so called 'quotes'. Some were funny to down right ridiculous. I would tell you some but then I will be reducing your IQ .Only if I knew that it would get worse.
Three weeks to the election the contestants were allowed to declare the positions they were going for even though some of them found their way around that rule. Let me give you two examples. The first one I got it directly from him. I had a brief chat with him and he told me that he was participating in the election. I asked "what position are you going for?" He replied "I'm not supposed to tell you but I'm going for the office of the deputy mayor. Well, I thought that was easy but on second thought he just wanted to give himself an headstart which I think is smart thinking. The other one is really funny I tell you. The slogan for his campaign is "**MAYORING BELLO"** Mind you he started using that slogan before they were allowed to say the office they were going for.
With the elections two weeks away they intensified their campaigned and forced it down our throats. In a day, on the group chat you can see up to a thousand messages this really irritated and frustrated me. This was because there could be some important information that I would need but wouldn't even bother checking because of the numerous messages. I couldn't wait for this election to be over.
It was election week and there were activities lined up for each day. The activities included press night, contestants screening by the electoral committee and the reading of manifesto. All activities had a poor attendance as expected. The contestants went for the final lap by intensifying their campaign. They knocked on doors day and night and telling voters what their plans are. Some people didn't answer them. I did that numerous times. It was really disturbing. They kept knocking even though no one answered. As long as they say that you're light was on they kept knocking. To tell you the truth they were relentless. They could see you on your way to your room stop and talk to you and still come and disturb you. It was really tiring.
Thank God the election day came and it was time to cast our votes most of us were cajoled to come and vote. I personally went after my test. I voted for my preferred candidate even though all of them were gathered there to try in some way to influence our decision. I cast my vote alongside my colleagues and left. Voting ended by 4pm and it was time to count. Counting took about 2 hours and it was time to announce the winners.
Only one candidate went for the less important position such as sports, information, finance, social and defense minister. So it was quite straightforward. Two candidates went for the mayor and deputy mayor. The results was really tight for the deputy mayor but my preferred candidate came on top. But for the mayor it was a landslide victory for my candidate. In short all my candidates won.
There was wide celebration for the winners and also feelings of loss for the losers. One of the candidate was even depressed and was about to cry. He had to be consoled by a close friend of his.
It was truly an election full of twist and turns. But thank goodness it has finally come to an end.
I am definitely not anticipating the next elections which is happening next year. I also hope that the elected candidates actually make a difference and are not just figure heads.
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Till next time I share one of my experiences with you. I hope it is one I do enjoy.
Failure
Wow! I can't believe that I'm writing on this. Things do happen. Sigh.
Sorry that I'm deviating from my series of stories but I just thought to share my thoughts on the topic failure.
I'm sure some of us must know what it feels like to prepare day and night for a test, think that you know the in and out and almost absolutely everything about the course and then fail. Not just fail but fail woefully. If you hadn't figured it out, I'm talking about academic failure not the financial or physical failure that is mostly talked or written about.
I'm this particular experience, God knows that I had prepared day and night for this test. Read every slides and still went through some practice questions. It was the day of the test and I was wondering that who was the 'genius' that had the idea of placing the tests of three courses on the same day.
I was prepared for the test and entered the exam venue confident. The questions were relatively straightforward and I answered them to the best of my knowledge which I know is more than enough. I wasn't expecting to get 100% but I was definitely expecting to get over 75%. I finished on time and submitted my test script.
This was just a week ago before the results were released. During that one week, I was relatively confident of getting a good score but only if I knew the shock that was waiting for me
The results were released and I was dumbfounded by what I got. I was sure that this isn't my score. How could I get a one digit number as my score. That's impossible. I looked at other people's score and low and behold, there was mass failure. Even the best students failed woefully, how much more me. Regardless I knew that wasn't my score. There is no way in this world I could have gotten that. Even if I entered the examination hall with a blank mind and guessed all the answers, I still couldn't have gotten that score.
It was then I realized that it was a normal or should I rather say an infamous thing for people to fail that course and I was just another statistics. The rest of the day was ruined for me and people kept asking why I was looking like that and if I was okay. I told them yes or what else could I possibly say. Always forming hard guy as usual.
I'm still depressed now as I am writing. But what else can I do apart from working harder and reading like never before. It's not the end but it's just the beginning. Time to show those devils that marked my script what I'm capable of. They think that it's okay when their fail, feel some sense of joy and fulfillment. I will show them that I'm an exception.
They might have won the battle but they've surely lost the war.
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Diary of an African Child 3
Before I start the third instalment I'll like to refer you to the previous episodes
Part 1 -https://read.cash/@YDKleke/diary-of-an-african-child-1-87bdfa68
Part 2 - https://read.cash/@YDKleke/diary-of-an-african-child-2-007aa08a
Now let's begin.
After the celebration comes the traditional ritual. My father being one of the highly regarded herbalist was well respected among his peers. Him occupying such a powerful position meant that he had to perform a ritual at the beginning of every year and me being one of his oldest sons meant that I had to join him
The ritual wasn't a beautiful thing to look forward to especially if you were part of the people performing it. I never liked it and my father knew but that didn't stop him from forcing me and my other brothers from taking part. He is always like it is part of the family duty. It is at times like this that I wished I was a girl. At least I wouldn't have to do any of this
It was the night of the ritual and I summoned the courage to go because if I didn't, I should be expecting the beating of my life. We got to the shrine, my father , myself and my four brothers. We paid homage to the different gods made of stone lined up behind a red and black clothe directly in front of the entrance of the shrine. While we bowed down, my father sang the eulogies of each and everyone one of them. From the god of strength, to the god of war, to the god of harvest and on and on till he stopped at the god of death. I always wondered why he did that. Praising a god that wants us six feet below the ground. But what do I know.
From there, he told us to prepare the sacrifice. The sacrifice include an egg directly from the anus of a fowl, bitter leaf, red sand, the blood of an able bodied goat, maize corn, the feather from a dead fowl and the skin of a frog. We already had everything apart from the skin of a frog and my father being the kind of person he is sent only me. I wasn't going to take that and I told him I wasn't going unless someone accompanied me. He was infuriated at first but I was able to get around me. He told my half brother who is a year older than me to follow me. I wasn't really happy about that but as they say "half bread is better than none"
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Let's continue
I and my half brother ventured into the forest in the night with the light from the moon barely lighting our way. We finally got to the middle of a pond which had lots of frog at the edge of it. We were both afraid because that particular pond was infamous. This was because many people had recounted stories of how they encountered different marine spirits or as they are more popularly called mermaid. My half brother being the bully that he is pushed me to go and get the frog. He used the fact that he was older than me and I told him it was just a year. He said that I should try and get it in the market if it was easy. I need this was the fear in him talking, someone that is still scared of a wall gecko.
I walked towards the pond afraid of what could happen. When I got close to the pond I can swear that I saw a two ladies with tails of a fish swimming together beneath the water. I summoned the courage and got close to the pond. I chased one of the biggest frogs and was able to catch those slippery beasts, that was after falling a few times because the place was mudded.
After that, we found our way back to the shrine and met our father and brother waiting for us. Our father was already looking impatient. He collected the frog from me and skinned the frog alive. I felt pity for the frog but at the same time it is an animal. Our father prepared the sacrifice with the other ingredients soon enough. It was now time to present the sacrifice to the gods and hope it was accepted.
That's where we are stopping for today. I'm sure you can't wait to see the next episode. I would appreciate your encouragement for me to continue.
Till next time.
Diary of an African Child 2
It was almost New Year and everyone was getting ready for the annual festivities. My mother with my father's wives went to the village's market to buy food stuffs and other provisions so as to make delicious delicacies to make the celebration a memorable one. My mother was an exceptional bargainer and an even more exceptional cook that could make any other mothers food look and taste like rubbish. My father especially liked her food more than his other wives and that was why he preferred her to his other wives. Although this did not stop him from marrying up to five wives. My mother was his first wife. All of this will make one wonder why he married other women since she knows how to cook so well. Turns out they lied to us when they said that the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach. But the desires of men are insatiable, so soon enough my father found another man to marry then another then another till they were five in number.
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Back to the celebration, the whole house was busy doing one thing and another. My siblings and I were in charge of killing the poultry fowls, pigs, goats and turkeys with long necks. It was a huge celebration so we had to kill a lot of those animals as we were a large family with a lot of family friends. The other wives and their kids were in charge of cooking delicacies such as jollof rice, fried rice, amala, pounded yam with soups such as Ewedu, Okro and Egusi. They also prepared fried beef, chicken and pork not forgetting the all important dodo.
To tell you the truth, it wasn't easy to kill the animals not because I was a vegetarian (God forbid) but because they were abnormally fast especially those fowls. I remember last year celebration when a crazy cock took me on a chase. God knows that I must have ran up to ten kilometers that day. Not only was I physically exhausted I was embarrassed by that chicken. Everyone was laughing at me including my siblings. My sister Funke said "are you that slow and sluggish not to catch an ordinary chicken, when you will not help in house hold chores how won't it happened". To which I replied " I think this chicken is possessed by a demon or any supernatural spirit". I finally caught the fowl with the help of my other brother and I didn't have mercy when killing. I slit the throat with a speed that even the god of speed will be jealous. I also made sure that it was that particular fowl that I ate and I ate it with pure satisfaction.
The celebration was a general success due to the contribution of the whole family. We might have our difference but at times like this we come together bury the hatchet and celebrate the End of the year and the beginning of a New year together. There was more than enough to eat and drink. The palm wine was particularly in surplus and I was definitely drunk. I also ate way too much fried meat for my good. I'm sure I will have a running stomach soon enough.
Time had gone, most of our guest had left for their respective homes, we were already gathering the left over food to give out and also give some to our dogs. It was dark and I was definitely over bloated. I went home without joining my siblings to clean up because they saw how tired I was. As I laid on my bed, I remembered what was going to come next with fear and trepidation. I just hope that I was ready for it.
Thank you very much for taking your time to read through this piece. I hope you enjoyed it.
Till next time.
Diary of an African child 1
When they call a man a beast, what is he really. A man in need, hungry, desperate, depressed, angry or just an animal who behaves no differently than a beast. I thankfully don't think like that, not only because I think differently but because of the way I was brought up. Living in a poor, wretched African home. No living different from my peers. I was brought up or should I say down to think that I couldn't amount to nothing but a poor farmer. I wouldn't blame them for telling me such a sadistic and hope-dashing tales, I didn't even think so much about myself. But everything changed when I met an European missionary who came to preach the so called Christian gospel. He claimed that a certain man called Jesus will save us and changed our lives for good. I didn't believe the man. Why? Because why would such a man bring another person to a dark place called Africa. The man must have left his sprawling mansion in Europe just to come to Africa. To me, that's just pure insanity. But I digress too much. This 'brave' man walked up to me on my way back home from the village's only primary school which was built by the colonial master's years ago when they raided my village of everything and took our able bodied men as slaves to work on their cotton plantations and our young women to satisfy their sexual desires and needs. But at least they gave us something in return no matter how little to make it seem it was a forced trade. **Before I continue, let's take a minute to check my sponsors**
So, this man came towards me and preached the life-saving word of Christ and me being a traditional worshipper, I doubted him and asked lots of questions about this unknown religion. Surprisingly, he was able to answer all the questions I asked him convincing. Needless to say, I started to believe him and was slowly being converted. This was possible because of all the people living in my village I was the only open minded person and always encouraged change even though this did not go down well with others.
Unfortunately for me and the missionary, my father showed out of nowhere and caught me talking to him. I wished that the ground would just have swallowed me at that point. My father with the help of others got rid of the missionary (I wouldn't like to mention how) and there after took me home and gave me the beating of my life. African parents are well known to be good at instilling fear and discipline in their children and that involves beating them to stupor in other to teach their lesson. My father certainly didn't disappoint in that field. I certainly learnt my lesson that night or so I thought, to never speak to a man trying to convert me to a new religion. I slept that night outside the house with marks and on my body and blood stains all over my clothe just because he wanted to teach me a lesson. Little did I know that what my father did to me that day would define my life.
This is my first article. The first of many I hope. I'm just trying to create good content and stories. Till next time.
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@YDKleke
