Miracle Ukwueze @miracleukwueze

School has been such a stress. It was a challenging time for my family as we were managing the financial demands of my internship (IT) while my older brother was trying to make it through his final years at university. The money was needed for his clearance, graduation, and various other payments like induction fees.

On my end, I needed funds for my new accommodation since I had relocated for my internship. The place where I was placed was far from my new home, so I also needed money for transport.

To add to the burden, my youngest brother was entering university, too. He required a lot of financial support, and his school was far from home. It felt like there was an endless list of expenses for each of us, and it was becoming quite strenuous.

My mom, feeling the weight of all this financial burden, decided to go pray. When she returned, she shared some Bible verses with us and encouraged us to fast for a few days. After the fasting period, my older brother, who was in his final year at university, called and told us to manage the funds between me and my younger brother. He reassured us that he would find a way and that God would make a path for him.

My dad was struggling to handle all the bills, especially with so many projects at hand, while my mom was also juggling her responsibilities. Then there was me, and it felt like we had an overwhelming amount to do in such a short time.

But in the end, God came through for us. My older brother persevered, and today, he is a graduate.

I explored the area around the Nigerian Kanji Dam, the well-known electric dam in Naija It wasn't very close, but it was in the vicinity of my school, and I had never visited or seen how it worked. Today, I went on a little trip with three friends to check it out.

We took a vehicle that brought us straight to the entrance. After making the necessary arrangements and chatting with the security personnel, they ushered us in and gave us some instructions on how to behave. We paid a small fee and then entered the dam area. We found a good spot and admired the impressive concrete structure.

The structure of the dam was massive, and we stood in awe, looking at the waterfalls. There was a designated area nearby where people could play and have fun in the water, though it was a bit farther from the main dam. This spot was perfect for tourists who wanted to enjoy the beauty of the waterfall.

Unfortunately, we hadn't prepared for swimming or getting wet, so we could only watch, wishing we could dive in or magically produce our swimming suits. But our main purpose was to explore the area around our school, and we hadn't planned for swimming.

Afterall, it was a remarkable experience and a great sight to see. I encourage everyone to visit the Kanji Dam and see what generates electricity for your country.

After I returned from holiday, I noticed that one of our five banana plantations had mature fruit in it. I was admiring this fruit, and I kept it in the back of my mind that once I returned from school, I would have a bunch for myself to enjoy at school. Well, it was about three days before I was to resume school, so I told my mother about my intentions to harvest the bananas and then have a bunch for school. I really enjoyed bananas, and I loved the taste. I particularly enjoyed them with groundnuts. Enjoying bananas, especially with groundnuts, gave me a satisfaction that was simply out of this world. Well, it was finally time for me to go and harvest the bananas, and I engaged in a bit of a struggle with my mother over it. I had never wanted something as much as this, and it required a lot of effort. My brothers weren't around, so I had to manage the harvest myself.

First, my mother told me that bananas should not just be cut carelessly. We had to handle the tree, or should I say the plantation? or the stem? carefully, so that it wouldn’t break off and squash the bananas on the ground. So, I began by cutting a circle around the stem of the banana plant, bringing it closer to me. Once I did that, my mother held the bunch while I swiftly cut it.

After all the hard work and stress, I decided I wasn’t going to go back to school with just one bunch of bananas. Instead, I took three bunches with me, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction after the jumping, holding, and carrying the weight back. I figured that three bunches were just the right amount, a good reward for the effort I had put in.

There was this pair of shoes I saw online and wanted to gift myself. I had saved some money for it, and let me tell you about the amount. I bought them for #22,000. They were Nike shoes, a style I knew would suit me perfectly. I had already picked my shoe size and submitted the order to an online vendor.

Now, I don’t know why, but online vendors usually disappoint me. However, I gave my details to this particular vendor because she came highly recommended. A friend of mine had prescribed her for me, so I trusted her. I was excited to patronize her after seeing the exact shoes that I desired and would love to wear for one celebration like that.

I had planned to go somewhere special with these shoes, and they matched my dress code perfectly for the occasion. Two days passed without any delivery from the vendor, and I began to worry. I thought to myself, What if I don’t receive the shoes in time for the celebration?.
I realized I needed to seek for a refund before things gets out of hand and already I have my money back.

I returned home for Christmas about two days ago, and I must say that these past two days have been some of the best two days of my life. I never knew I could sleep before 11 PM, but in the last two days, I have been asleep by 8 PM, which really baffles me. I’m quite surprised by this change.
Seemed like the thought of school was cleared of my head and allowing me the freedom of enjoying quality sleep.

I had always thought my body couldn’t handle sleeping any earlier than 11 PM, but these two days have proven me wrong. I’ve been getting quality rest and finding myself waking up around 5 AM each day. This early wake fills me with energy, and I can even see a glow in my skin! Honestly, nothing pleases me more.

School can be really stressful, but I know it’s something that must be completed. After all, one must finish school to find their purpose in life. Until then, I wish you all a joyous Christmas! Do celebrate well, and please don’t forget to leave my chicken!

I was tasked by our lab coordinator to arrange the submission of our lab manuals this morning. We had a class of about 150 students, and I knew it was going to be a bit stressful. However, I never anticipated just how compounded the situation would become. That day, I truly realized how much class representatives and course representatives sacrifice in terms of their time and effort. They go above and beyond to address everyone’s concerns and do their best to satisfy the needs of their peers. It’s not easy to be a good course representative; it takes a lot of dedication.

On this particular morning, it was just me responsible for organizing the submission of the lab manuals. It wasn't as if I was taking on the role of class representative for the entire day, I simply needed to oversee the submission process.

First, I had set the submission time, which was supposed to start from 9 AM in the morning and end by 12 PM. I actually thought I was going to be very strict about the time, but when I reached school, people started tripping, and well, people called me on the phone. My phone was actually trembling with calls and messages. As time passed, 12 PM came and went, and I kind of extended the time to 1:30 PM, which also passed. After all the chaos and drama, I finally left the deadline at 3 PM, cancelling all my plans for the day. It actually took my whole day to get out of this mess.

After a long day at clinical practice, I was ready to head home and relax. There’s a particular road I love taking because it’s faster and familiar. Just as we closed for the day, my phone rang. Someone warned me that masquerades were parading that road. Knowing how tricky these situations can get, I quickly told the bike man to avoid that route so we wouldn’t run into trouble.

We thought we were smart by taking another road, but fate had other plans. We didn’t know some masquerades had also taken over this route. By the time we realized it, we were already right in the middle of them. The bike man tried to speed past, hoping we could dodge them, but luck wasn’t on our side. Out of nowhere, I felt a sharp sting on my back — one of them had whipped me with a long cane. It all happened so fast.

The pain wasn’t just physical. I was tired, frustrated, and annoyed that after a stressful day, this was how it ended. When I finally got home, I didn’t even want to think about it. I just went straight to bed, hoping that sleep would wash away the whole experience. Sometimes, closing your eyes is the best escape.

Next thing I knew, I was waking up around 12:30 in the middle of the night. My mind was clearer, but the sting from the whip was still there, like a reminder of how rough the day had been. Instead of lying there thinking about it, I decided to share the story here. Writing it out somehow felt like lifting a weight off my shoulders.

Life has a funny way of throwing unexpected challenges at you. You dodge one trouble, and sometimes you run straight into another. But what can we do? We move, we learn, and we keep going.

As a nursing student, I owned just three white nursing uniforms. This limited number often posed a dilemma for me. My main challenge was washing them and keeping them spotless. Sometimes, I felt like I was being lazy for not managing it better.

Today we had an exceptionally long class that stretched late into the evening, finishing around 9 p.m. When I finally got home, the first thing I had to do was wash my worn uniform and hang it out to dry. Thankfully, it is harmattan which makes the process a bit easier.

During the rainy season, I often faced difficulties trying to dry my uniforms, adding to my stress. The core of my problem was that I needed to wash my white uniforms every single day after I wore them. If I let them pile up, the stains would become a real challenge to remove. So, every day after lectures, I made it a routine to wash my uniforms as soon as I returned home.

On a certain occasion, after one long night shift, I returned home very late. Exhausted and with my muscles aching, I simply didn’t have the energy to wash my clothes. Reluctantly, I left my uniform until the following morning. When I got up, I soaked and washed the dress, only to realize that a particularly stubborn stain had become permanent.

Moving from the lab to the wards and clinical centers often involved exposure to various chemicals and drugs, and sometimes, when an item gets stained, it doesn’t just wash off immediately unless you tackle it right after getting home. Unfortunately, this time around, I had to face the consequence.

I was standing outside my lecture hall when I saw some nursing students coming out of their class. They were in a big hall down the road, right in front of me. Suddenly, I spotted an old friend from secondary school! We hadn't talked in almost five years, so I was really surprised to see her.

I didn't even know she was in school, and this was the first time I was seeing her since then. We started talking and catching up on everything. It felt really nice to see her again, and we exchanged our phone numbers so we could stay in touch.

While we were chatting, she mentioned that she was surprised by how confident and talkative I was now. Back in secondary school, I was shy and didn't speak much, so no one really heard my voice. It was fun to reconnect and share how we have both changed.

As we continued talking, my friend started to share how her school program was making her feel very stressed. She talked about how tough her classes were and how strict the teachers were about everything. I could understand how she felt because even though my own classes weren't as hard, I still had a lot to do every time we moved to a new clinical posting.

I think her department made things harder with their rules and schedules. It was interesting to hear about her experiences because it reminded me of my own challenges.