The past 300
plus days have been like no other, laden with a lot of experiences that have
made me grown more mature and definitely wiser I think. Its pages were either stained
with tears, rumpled with disappointments, torn by betrayal or filled with songs
of happiness, contentment and love.
Every voyage embarked on by any ship has a particular
story to tell, be it jack and Rose on titanic or a bomb threat on a naval
destroyer.
The pages of
this chapter tell of a story of a ship and its crew members.
We slayed
dragons, chanted magic spells that can turn Dumbledore beards black or change
Merlin’s hair cut
We found
love in friendship, lost loved ones, fought against troublesome waters and
amongst ourselves, carried out crazy, funny and unimaginable acts that are best
left untold.
Some dropped
along the way, others came on board. In
all, this journey might not bag a 5 star rating, it started as an aimless one,
lost its way at some point but found its path again and to me that is what matters
most. This was a journey that could not have happened without God the captain
and without certain people.
Bestie: She is one iron lady with a soft heart. I
think the strength of wonder woman was modelled after her because no matter how
hard fate deals with her, she pulls through and learns to shrugs it off. From
my inception she has nurtured me with milk, bottle corks for arithmetic, cane for
discipline, words of advice to ensure i stay focused on my path, sacrifices to
ensure I have a roof above my head, food to feed the gully that is my stomach
and prayers to keep my guardian angel at alert. It’s my life ambition to put and
keep a smile on her face. I cannot imagine what else I can do to show
appreciation for all her efforts than to try to ensure her dreams for me come
to actualization. To the woman who shouting is like blood tonic (she doesn’t
even realises when her voice rises), to she who wakes me up in middle of the
night just to gist when sleep eludes her ,the best chef in the whole world, my best friend, my life, my mentor... (The
list is endless) I want to say thank you
for being strong for me. I love you mum.
Family: I never understood the importance of
family until recently. God blessed me with a huge blanket of love as a family. This
group of people have picked me up each time I fall, patched up my torn clothes
and gone beyond the call of duty to ensure I know that there is always a light
at the end of a tunnel. The lessons I have learnt from them are ones I am sure
to pass down to my generations. This year would have been a disaster without
them but then the same applies to previous years. To my grandparents, aunts,
uncles and their families, cousins, I say a very big, bigger, and biggest thank
you (That’s allowed right?). I love you all.
Obianuju: I have just one brother and the only
way he knows how to respond to my morning greeting is to call me a goat. The
type of fights we have over flimsy things is enough to start world war three. Circumstances
made us spend time and event apart but this year he gave me the best Christmas
gift ever- his presence, same way my presence so many years ago has been his
best birthday gift ever (he is biologically older than me but I am technically
older by a day). We have gone through a lot and I am certain of our victory in
this life’s battle. Okikpo thank you for being the sugar in my tea and the
bitter leaf I have to drink sometimes. Special thanks to Dimples who I have
found a sister in and a police officer to report his crimes to. I love you both.
Fuji house: This is one category made up of sane
people who are mad (rolls eyeballs). I take friendship very seriously just like
the way a ninja takes his knife seriously. I believe so much in team work and
like to surround myself with such crazy people who can impact positively in me or
are they the ones that find me crazy? I lost good friends this year and met
great ones too. This journey would have been meaningless without my small
circle as they contributed to all the markings on this chapter. I love you
Charlies, Jane, Ify, Nne, Godfrey, Amaka, Wilson ... I would have loved to continue to
mention names but I really have to avoid Sango’s wrath. Special appreciation
goes to the few that reached out to me when I lost focused and encouraged me to
find hope again. To those who intimidated me and challenged me to be better. To
the one who made me learn how to ask for help and lean on others, you helped me
find happiness again and bullied me into making a dream a reality. To the one whom
I love special and wish I could bundle her into where no hurt can reach. Thank
you very much and may the year see us doing better in our chosen paths.
Untilted: This group houses most of my
activities of the year and has sure contributed to the wealth of knowledge I
now possess. Enactus this year may not have been as great as I envisaged but it
made tops and would continue to have a special cabin on this ship. I have
forged friendship, worked on life changing projects, cried, laughed, danced
with the members of this organisation that it would forever be etched in
memory. When I walked into the premises of Neimeth International
Pharmaceuticals plc, I never imagined the kind of happiness and contentment
that I would find there. Maybe it’s just me but when I left there I got more
than an industrial training, the experience and friendships developed (Eze, Chisom,
Abraham), family meetings and mischief made the third quarter of 2014
worthwhile and without regrets. A big thank you to the co-ordinator of Splendid
Literature and Culture Foundation and to the friends (Christian, Hassan,
Yetunde, Ope, etc), I made there. Thank you all for making this year busy and
enlightening.
The list is
numerous and I don’t know how to continue, but I am sure every crew member fits
into one of the categories above.
To those who
embarked or disembarked on this voyage with me, it was a rough one but it has
been an honour and I do hope I have touched your lives the way you touched mine
or even better (evil grin*).
The next
chapter to the new journey is one of expectations.
The future
is filled with uncertainties and for once in a very long time I am somewhat
looking forward to finding whatever buried treasure (I am not Jim Hawkins oo)
it has for me even with the fears and doubts.
The road
would be bumpy but then I am not alone. I have my captain God and I have you.
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Okikpo
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