31st December, 2018. 6:59pm
I’m hunched over my laptop, at the dining table, trying to meet the deadline to completing this post that is long overdue a couple or so months. I know, my procrastination really took the front seat this year. 2018 was a year filled with tons of unlearning and relearning for me.
A lot happened and it is obvious to me, that life has truly begun because the last 3 years, have been a prelude to what the rest of my life should/ most likely will be. It was also a serious roller coaster for me and hopefully, someday, I’ll be able to share my story.
As for the gist, let’s jump right into it.
- I started the year by traveling to Ibadan, Nigeria to support my friend turned sister for her wedding and in November 2018, we welcomed her little one. Something I never imagined would be happening so soon but, that is life isn’t it? It’s full of surprises.
- I finally kicked off NYSC and joined the most awesome CDS group; SDG’s and I had a swell year working with some like-minded youth to better a number of communities. The only catch was my inability to socialize made it almost impossible to make those life changing friends some people make over the course of their service year. So yeah, no lifelong friendships were made there.
- My 2018 was spent mainly in the hospital; not because I was ill, but because my PPA was at the National Hospital. It helped to open my eyes to the inadequacies in the Nigerian health sector and how morale goes a long way in improving the quality of service to be given to patients. In here, I experienced a JOHESU strike that lasted about a month or so and it really made a dent in my experience.
- I fell ill a number of times and of all things, I had chicken pox this year too. My goodness, it was by far, the worst I’ve ever felt, looked and been all my life. You can’t even imagine how dramatic things were at my end, but luckily for me, my dad nursed me through it back to health.
- Connections; I joined a tribe Called ENA (Everything na Art) and it was a pretty great move for me. I got to learn being accountable, give no excuses, be on time, and most of all, to be intentional.
- This year, I had real uninterrupted conversations with my mom and my friends and the mister which was weird at first but great because that means we’re all growing up and beginning to see each other in different lights and
- I traveled quite a bit through the year, sent in a bunch of applications and got both positive and negative responses.
- I cut my hair and got a dye job! This shocked the folks, but they’ve gotten used to it.
- Most of all, I lived! Unapologetic and totally! And for the life of me, I hope you did too.
- I also joined a tribe with the most amazing female photographers and I look forward to what the new year holds for us. In terms of our individual crafts, growth and life in general.
In summary, the highlights of 2018 so far for me;
• Knowing what I see myself doing in a few years
• Falling in love with the process of growth
• Everything Na Art tribe, met some gems on there and what not. Holla tribe!
• Started speaking honestly again. I remember being told how rude I was for being honest about stuff and I remember how that made me keep my opinions and certain truths from seeing the light for fear of being offensive.
• Spending time with my family and my loved ones, making memories.
So, there we have it, 2018 in a review.
Now, I’ll go back to organizing my activities for 2019, spending time with my nieces who are giving me major baby fever btw, and being a better version of myself daily.
Cheers to a wonderful 2018 and here’s to a great 2019.
Love and light,
Uyai.
