Nervous. Tensed. As I prepare for class. The truth, I haven’t read ahead of the class. It’s a discussion and I wonder what contribution I can offer. This is a small class. If you’re not prepared, it will be obvious to everyone.

A word of prayer is all I could say, and hope for the best.

I have a small window of opportunity to do something about a worse situation : get to class early and gloss over slides. That way, I can say something that sounds sensible, though deep in my heart I know it’s all a show.

I fetch some water with my pot and get to the kitchen.

“Damn!“ I cursed under my teeth when I realized we were out of gas.

Not particularly surprised, judging from the careless manner in which most of the girls in the hostel use the gas for cooking and heating water.

The weather is exceptionally cold. Meteorologists have recently warned city residents to watch out for unusually cold times.

Can’t imagine bathing cold water to lectures. But I must be a man.

I gather courage and head to the bathroom.

Soon, I’m hurrying to the taxi station through the University of Professional Studies campus. I see branches and leaves of a giant tree lying below the tree, some barricade around the scene. Wonder if no one was hurt during the stormy rain.

I catch a taxi and off I go to campus.

My day starts and runs on a solid breakfast. I head to my long time favorite food joint on campus to buy porridge made with fermented millet and milk eaten with yummy fries made of bean flour, onions and some other secret ingredients which are signatures of the seller.

After joining a little queue, it was my turn. I buy and find a hidden spot under a shed where I make myself comfortable. Food is one of the little pleasures of life I do not joke with. 😅

Now I hurry to my lecture hall.
The lecturer is late. Good news for the class as we get to read before she arrives.

When the lecturer arrived, we had a great discussion. The class was so fun the lecturer admitted she admired the enthusiasm with which we participated in class discussions.

English phonology. Chinese to my African ears.

Finally, the class ends. Relief!

I attend to some urgent messages on my phone. Out of airtime, I go out to get some from a vendor nearby, ceasing the opportunity to place a phone call to someone special. Of course, I’m happy making my private calls outside the range of itchy ears😅

Time for prayer. I head to our usual place of prayer and kneel, dozing off inadvertently and returning to planet Earth to join the rest of the congregation.

A brilliant idea occur to me while praying. To make some adjustments to my schedule for the day.

Once we closed, I postpone some assignments I had to do and take my lunch after which I board a bus bound for Madina.

I must make some enquiries and forward to a contact outside the country.

While returning home, I pass under a bridge to board a taxi and I see the nasty manner in which citizens treat public spaces. Urine, filth, rubbish and very obscene scenes. And yet we have city authorities who know where the latest businesses have sprung up to go there and collect their taxes but they never see the dirt that need cleaning and the street lights that are malfunctioning.

I finally get home to enjoy my waakye, a local food made of beans and rice, eaten with shito, a hot spicy black stew that my country is well-noted for.

While eating, I place a WhatsApp call to an old friend who has stood by me through one of the most difficult times of my life. Been a while we spoke as she updated me on many things that have happened since I left her country.

And voilà! The major happenings of my day.

Email : Benjaminnambu1@gmail.com WhatsApp : +233 541 824 839