Dusk: Amara

I started year 2013 on an optimistic note, after all 13 is my “lucky number” :-), and despite the extreme highs and lows that came my way, in retrospect, I can say it was a year of learning and endurance.

The first 10 months of my year were spent serving my country in Nasarawa state. I had high expectations for my time there and I wasn’t let down. Although it was spiced up with scares of living amongst people whose language I didn’t understand, communal clashes, accidents and even a curfew, I won’t substitute that experience for anything, because for the first time in my life, I got to live alone, decide where I wanted to be per time and enjoyed making decisions for myself without being monitored.

It was a year of discoveries…….

Discovering myself, discovering my country, discovering my passions, discovering people around me as well as discovering love.

I met people…….

The good, the bad, and the ugly…..like literally. I like to focus on the good, self sacrificing, people with whom I share a kinship spirit, bonding almost immediately, having the same faith, feelings, expression and even laughter. The type of friendships I’ll ever cherish. Timi, Tolu, Biem Juliet, Baby Carter, Ebiere, Sadeeq, Shadrach, and all the wonderful people I met, thanks for making my year memorable.

I lost people…….

Both from communication breakdown and physical separation. The most painful being my dear colleague and friend who died on his way to our NYSC passing out parade….RIP H.O.T

I had lots of first time experiences…….

Taught for the first time, lived alone for the first time, worked with kids for the first time, fell in love for the first time, celebrated my birthday outside a school environment for the first time, drove for the first time, climbed a bike with 3 other people for the first time 😀 and put on a generator for the first time *covers face*.

I fell into bouts of confusion…….

Do I want this? Am I sure this is good for me? Is this the best there can be, or is there anything more? Is it God’s will for my life? I doubted myself and my choices time and time again.

I learnt…….

Learnt to express myself, in deeds, writing, design, words, sometimes to my own detriment. I learnt compassion, faith, love, hope, endurance and self sacrifice. I learnt the unpopular decisions are usually the best way to go. I learnt that everything doesn’t always work out as we hope it would, we just have to make lemonade with the lemons life hands to us.

In it all, I’m really looking forward to a more interesting 2014 *tosses confetti*.

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Had to choose Amara for Friday the 13th cos it’s her lucky number LOL. Your year had it all. Almost as if you never lived before now! Just blossom like a flower like that in one year. Happy for you.