Challenges are inevitable and are one of the moments we'll definitely go through at different points in our lives. Sometimes they come like a test, and sometimes they come as life lessons to broaden our experience and help us know more about life. It's never easy dealing with this moment, but with the right mindset or support system we're privileged to have around us, overcoming this becomes easier. Recounting my college days, I encountered one of my most difficult moments, and today I'll love to tell you all about it.
So I was reading through some of the entries for this same prompt topic and came across @moremoney28 experience when he got admission into the higher institution and yet has no place to stay. It's quite funny because now he's like a brother to me, but what he didn't know is that I did undergo almost similar experiences in the same institution, although I'll say mine was far worse because unlike him, who had a female to stay with, I had no one.
Well, without beating around the bush, let's get to the real deal on how I got admission into college. I traveled down with all of my belongings and yet have nowhere to stay. So it happened that I got admission to an institution that's very far from home, but we were undergoing a financial drought at the time as a family, so all my dad could afford was my acceptance fee and some basic needs that can come in handy to a student.
On the day of the resumption, I packed up my bags and was given some foodstuffs and cooking utensils, but the bigger question no one is answering is where I will stay, where I will lay my head, and even if I find one, how can I pay for it? Fortunately for me, I've got about 15 thousand naira left from some of my personal savings after buying clothes, so I set out for school, hoping I'd get a roommate.
I arrived at the institution and just hid my luggage around the school gate, after which I went for the matriculation. After it, I started making inquiries about hostels and where I could stay; unfortunately, the institution doesn't have a hostel, so all students rent houses outside the school. I went into town, but all the houses I'm seeing are way too expensive for only me to shoulder with my 15k, so I went back into the institution to find a roommate, but as an introvert, I couldn't secure any.
And as time goes by, one of the best days of my life is gradually turning into a shadow of itself. Here I'm in a strange land that's well known for its ritualist, occultist, and traditionalist citizens who do all forms of ritual, and I don't have anywhere to hide if such were to play out. Again, out of fear and with tears in my eyes, I walked back into the institution to plead with different students to take me in at least for the night, even if they didn't want me as a roommate, but all turned me down.
What is funny is that, among everyone I asked that very day who turned me down, I later became friends with some of them, even though I resented them back then. Now I've let it slide and even invited them to the hive blockchain, and they're making waves. They might not remember they did turn me down then because we're all new to the place, but I guess we all know it's much easier for the receiver of such to remember those who hurt them in their most vulnerable moments.
Well, without beating around the bush, let's get back to how I scaled through that night and how one of my best days was becoming a shadow of itself. I actually once wrote about this part when I wanted to celebrate the total stranger who helped me that night, and you can read about it here, but for the sake of this prompt, I'll talk briefly about what happened that night.
After toiling around throughout the day without any hope of seeing a cheap house, a roommate, or where to lay my head, I resorted to sleeping on the school premises somewhere in the open so I wouldn't be attacked by reptiles. While I was sleeping, this lady, Aunty Kemi by name, forgot something in the school and came to pick it up, so she walked past me and asked why I was sleeping there. I told her my situation, and after several questions and deep thoughts, she asked me to follow her.
She took me to her place and said I'd be staying with her, even though she has a roommate, another lady who disagreed with having me stay with them. Aunty Kemi stood her ground, and that's how I ended up staying with them. This is someone I've never met, a total stranger, and yet she helped me; she never took a dime from me, and I ended up staying with them for two years. Imagine being helped by a lady who then housed you, didn't collect money from you, fed you, and you stayed with her and her roommate for two years in a one-room apartment.
We talked about God sending your angels into the world; for me, that's it right there in the person of Aunty Kemi, my beloved sister from another mother. I was talking to some friends years ago, and one thing led to another. We were talking about who we would gladly take a bullet for without blinking twice, and while many of them said their girlfriend, siblings, and the like, for me, the first person that came to mind was Aunty Kemi, and they all laughed until I told them all about her, and they resonated with my opinion.
What I learned from this experience is that in our difficult moments, we should keep our hopes high and go through them with a determined and resilient spirit. I also learned that hope can be submerged in any form, like in the case of Aunty Kemi's selfless act toward me in my difficult moments. We should keep our hopes high and go through them with a determined and resilient spirit. I also learned that hope can be submerged in any form, like in the case of Aunty Kemi's selfless act toward me in my difficult moments. We should keep our hopes high and go through them with a determined and resilient spirit. I also learned that hope can be submerged in any form, like in the case of Aunty Kemi's selfless act toward me in my difficult moments. We should keep our hopes high and go through them with a determined and resilient spirit. I also learned that hope can be submerged in any form, like in the case of Aunty Kemi's selfless act toward me in my difficult moment. The way she helped me didn't only comfort me and give me a place to lay my head; it also reignited my faith in humanity, and that's why I've grown to be someone with an open mind, ready to help those going through difficulties.
This also taught me to not just turn people's down in their difficult moments. I understand times are bad and some could be pretending, but as much as possible, I'll love to be the one who impacts lives positively rather than negatively. I won't want to be in a situation where what would first be remembered of me by someone is how I turn them down when I've got the capacity to help. There are more lessons to learn from this, but I'll bring the writing to a halt here.
That's about it for you. Thanks so much for your time. Do have a wonderful day and stay blessed.
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