Additional blog topic: A time when I got injured

In my secondary school, I used to run track. In my second year, I won the silver medal in the junior category 100m sprint race and bronze medal in the junior 4X100m relay. I was already building a name for myself in the school and I was predicted to even reach the ten second mark before the end of my six-years in that school.

In the next year's annual athletic event I picked up from where i had left off the previous year. I was improving my time consistently for two weeks. I was a top contender for the gold medal in the 100m that year. One day, though, I decided to test myself in the high jump. When I tried to scale I tough height, I pulled a muscle in my thigh. Instead of seeking immediate medical attention, however, I ignored it.

By the next day, I could barely walk. I had to be sidelined for the rest of that year's athletic event. This injury also affected my performance in subsequent years, because I was not able to perform well in the sprints from then on. This injury had a huge impact on my athletic carreer.

Additional blog topic: My first day in secondary school

I was accepted into one of the most academically renowned secondary schools in West Africa, Loyola Jesuit College ("College" does not necessarily mean university in British English), Abuja (see www.loyolajesuit.org). It is a co-ed boarding school. I was to begin my six-year stay in the school in September 2001. I sorry to be leaving my parents, but I was more excited about the freedom I would enjoy.

We on the school grounds in the evening. After I checked into the school and went through all the administrative precedures, it was time to say goodbye to my parents. My parents were both really sad to be leaving behind. I was equally sad to be leaving them, but I was even more eager to discover my new home and take on new challenges. After I said my goodbyes, I set out in the other direction to the dormitories.

In my dormitory room, I met some of my upperclass roommates. They were all surprised that I didn't seem sorry to be away from my parents, and I wasn't all in tears like the other first-year in my dormitory. For this reason, they immediately took a liking to me.

About an hour later, there was an orientation session for first-year students. We a large room and an microphone was passed around for all of us to introduce ourselves. I remember it was quite a boring exercise but I was too new in the school to start complaining, so I endured. 

After this session, we were led to our classrooms to meet our classmates. I was remarkably shy to meet my new classmates, so I went to my desk and sat on my own. Luckily for me, I girl walked up to me and introduced herself and told me not to be shy. This upped my confidence and I stood up from my desk and went around to introduce myself.

That night, before I slept in my new bed, I said a prayer that everyday of my stay at LJC would be as successful as that day.

Additional blog topic: My driving test

On a cool morning in the summer of 2008, I ventured forth on a mission to obtain my American driver's license. I already had a Nigerian driver's license by then, but by road safety law, I am only permitted as a foreign student to use this license for a period of one year after my arrival in the U.S for my studies. 

I was nervous about the test because, it had been a while since I last drove a car. Also, it was difficult finding a friend to lend me his car for the test. Therefore, this in many was was my only shot for a while. 
I was first in line for the test. I wasn't sure whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. Yes, my fate would be determined quickly. However, the pessimistic part of me reckoned that the examiner's mind and body would be fresh, thus he/she would be more alert to all my mistakes.

My examiner walked out of the door in my direction. She made the routine car checks and we left. The first section of the test was the infamous parallel parking. After about a minute of maneuvring, I was parallel to the curb...only about twice the allowed distance from it. We she told me I was too far from it, my confidence was shaken slightly, but I tried to stay optimistic.

The rest of the test went successful, in my opinion. I stopped at all stop signs, signalled at all turnings, and made visible efforts to check my surroundings in the mirrors. 

At the end of the test I smilled widely at her, expecting her to pat me on the back for a wonderful job. However, to my astonishment, she looked my in the eye and shook her head and said,

"I'm sorry but I won't be able to issue you a license today. You have been disqualilfied today on the basis of deduction- you may see the report for details. You may go on to practise some more and return for the test another time."

I let her shut the passenger door before I let a string of curses out. I had not come face-to-face with failure much in my life before then. I was disappointed in myself for a the rest of the day. It took the joint effort of a group of friends to take my mind off the test and think about retaking it. I did pass on the next attempt.

Self And Community Week 12

This was the last Service Learning meeting between Mr. Ramirez and I . I walked into Smith,our meeting venue, feeling nostalgic. The Service Learning Project has been an important discovery period for me and has helped me , time and time again through the semester, to find inner satisfaction. I didn't know how I would tell Mr. Ramirez this would be the last meeting, without feeling like I was abandoning him. However, Mr. Ramirez, once again one step ahead of me, took half the load off my shoulder. At the beginning of the meeting, he told me he was aware that this would be the last meeting. I assured him that there would other people next semester working with him like I did this semester. 

For the whole of our meeting, we worked on his workbook. We actually completeled all the exercises-what better day was there to finish the exercises? Then the time to say goodbye came. We shook hands like old friends and he thanked me for the help over this semester and wish me goodluck, and I told him it was a pleasure working with him. Indeed, I was lucky to have a partner as committed as Mr. Ramirez, especially considering the fact that some of my classmates were not so fortunate. 

Self And Community Week 11

Thanksgiving break: meeting cancelled. 

Self And Community Week 10

Another successful meeting- are we wever going to have an unsuccesful? This meeting was cut short- Mr. Ramirez was expecting a relative from Mexico from that evening for thanksgiving. The meeting was to be thirty minute only. For the first fifteeen minutes, we worked on some excercises from his English workbook. I crosschecked questions he had previously answered and we proceeded to work on about three more pages of work . I then read out a short passage from my laptop computer for him to write out. We were able to complete this exercise in fifteen meetings. It was sad that we had to part ways so soon because the meeting seemed to be getting more interesting just when he left. Nevertheless, the meeting was once again a perfect ending to a stressful week. 

Self And Community Week 9

This week's meeting was another successful one. I met Mr Ramirez one his way to the meeting wjhen I myself was on my way to our regualr meeting venue. As we walked there together, he stopped for a minute to check on a couple of the plants he was personally involved in planting. Funny enough, this was the first time this semester I had actually stopped to obeserve the beautiful flowers around and appreciate the effort that the physical plant employees put in to maintain them. I felt guilty that throughout the semester, I had literally ignored the work Mr. Ramirez and his colleagues have been doing. Unsung heroes they are, indeed.

When we began the meeting, Mr. Ramirez, prepared as usual, came in with his own questions. He had marked a handful of words in the Daily Skiff that day that he was unfamiliar with. We went through these words one-by-one, and I explained what they mean in the context of the article he was reading. He noted down my explanations in Spaninsh. I was pleased with myself that I knew the definitions of all the words. This activity took about thirty minutes. We then went on the material I had brought with me for the day. I had an essay with basic English vocabulary and dictated while he wrote. We went through each sentence, correcting minor errors he was making. I would award his spelling accuracy today a 70%- a vast improvement from what I observed at the beginning of the semester. Through the combined effort of his other partners in our class and through his hardwork, Mr. Ramirez seems to be showing great improvement in his English proficiency. 

At the end of the meeting we parted ways. A familiar feeling of inner contentment came over me.