My Journey Outside My Home...

_Sharefaith

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Like almost every other Nigerian youth, the first time I left home was when I was going to school. For me, I had not even been given admission then, I just traveled and vowed never to come back to Lagos until I got admission. That was when school was still at the forefront of my mind.

Thankfully, the school I was applying to was in my state of origin, and not too far from my Village. So I was camping there while I monitored everything concerning admission that was going on in the school. So, when you think about it, I was not really leaving “home” per se, it was more like I was changing one for the other.

But that is not where my story starts. It begins when I finally got admission and I had to move fully into the school.

In my first year, I had to stay in the Hostel. That was where I learned that every action indeed had an equal and opposite reaction, not just in Physics. Each room was designed to house only six boys, but there were some that were having as many as eleven boys staying there while there were those that only had one or two. There were even some rooms that were empty.

In a way, I was not alone, because I had my roommates; five of them actually. And God being so kind, we were all kind towards each other and played a lot. We shared food and other school materials with each other, and things rarely got stolen in the room. And if that happened, we always knew it was an outsider.

There is nothing quite as frustrating as living with a thief, that thing messes with your head because you would not be able to do anything in peace. Anywhere you go you would have to wonder if your things are safe. But that was not the case for us, as long as our room was locked to everyone else, nothing went missing.

Staying in the hostel taught me how to live with other people who were not family. I learned a lot about endurance and tolerance there, I learned that there were times to fight for your rights and speak up. And there were times to just keep quiet and let it all blow over because it was not worth it.

And in the end, I went through the year without any issues at all. But having quite a year at the hostel was not enough to make me go back. In my second year, I went off campus and took a lodge.

_{George Pak}

Lodges are more personal than hostels because each occupant is more vested in them. I joined hands with a roommate and together we rented a room and furnished it. He was my coursemate so it was like a match made in heaven.

With the lodges, there are more bills to pay. But the freedom is more absolute, limited only by the fact that there are two people making the decision. Here you can go out and come in as you like without any curfew, just make sure your area is safe enough if not you will meet the men of the underworld. And I can tell you that they are not nice. At all.

You are also free to cook whatever you want and have as many visitors over, this was severely limited back in the hostel. And because of this, there were a lot of people that were doing anything and everything in their lodges. Distractions of all kinds were all over the place. From loud music stopping me from reading to the incessant drones of the generators making the heat unbearable, it was not easy at all.

My roommate was a cool guy, and we went along really well. We made joint decisions that always worked well in our favor and in everything we did, we always had the other in mind. And the funny thing is that we literally shared everything.

The only things we owned exclusively were our clothes and other personal things. But things like food and the like, we shared it equally. It did not matter who provided it. Thanks to this, we rarely lacked food in that lodge.

Staying with him taught me a lot indeed. I learned how to go after what I wanted despite the distractions that I was facing. It was also in the lodge that I realized that I needed to start doing something if I did not want hunger to kill me. I don’t think I would have come to that decision if I had remained in the hostel. And that decision, I have been thankful I made it to this very day.

_{RODNAE Productions}

Now, I am staying alone. It is also kind of a new feeling for me and daring in a way, but I am willing to brave it. This time around I will have total control over the affairs of my lodge and anything I don’t like will be kicked out the door. I know that the workload and bills will be double this time around, especially as everything is on the increase, but it is something I am willing to see through. After all, if I was comfortable how will I make it?

Staying alone is not all roses though, there are times when you will just feel so bored with no one to talk to. The worst is when you do not have work to do and also do not have data on your phone, it messes with the mind six ways from Jupiter. But then, that is also one of the reasons I am opting for this. I always find more comfort in my own company and it takes a while before I get the urge to talk to someone.

_Pixabay

And when I do, my friends live close by and we can visit each other. I enjoy staying alone and growing, and I must say, I have adjusted really well to this life. There are some things one can never learn while they are still under their parent's roof, just as there are some things they will never learn while they are still relying on an allowance from their parents.

Once you take up some responsibility and start paying your bills, your eyes will open and you will recognize what value thoroughly is. It will reflect in your decision-making and also your spending habits. And also it will hopefully make you a better individual.

_Fauxels

Thank you for reading. Feel free to share your thoughts with me in the comments section, I would love to know what you think. Till we meet in the next post.

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_{This post was inspired by the third topic for this week which is Away From Home. Feel free to take part in it.}

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_{Borderimage credit: @deimage.}