“When was the last time you did something for the first time?”
I recently had three epiphanies.
The first one probably would not be so shocking to the people that know me
quite well; I am not planned. I have never used the word “plan” in any way to describe
any aspect of my life. I do not store dates down in my calendar (I don’t even
have one), neither do I set reminders on my phone. I can’t even remember the
last time I was awoken by an alarm. I remember and do stuff according to their
importance. So as you can imagine, for a final year student, I am constantly
tormented with the remembrance of my thesis. I was enduring one of such torment.
Just a week to the mid-semester break, at the library. I stared at my computer
screen which was blank except for the heading “Data analysis and
interpretation”. A friend of mine, approached me at this moment and asked me to
join him on a trip during the mid-semester break. I would have laughed it off
as a joke, if I already didn’t know how crazy this particular friend was. Then,
I asked where exactly this trip was going to be to. The North of Ghana he said.
This time I couldn’t hold down my laughter. I mean there was no justification
for this level of craziness. After my laughter, I shook my head and sort to
concentrate on other importance things. But then, he (my friend) asked me why I
wouldn’t go? As he asked me this key question, I had another epiphany about
myself. The thing is, even though I am completely unplanned, I am not
spontaneous either. I don’t just get up and do crazy stuff for the fun of it or for
the thrill of it. I am far from what you would describe as an adrenaline junky.
I do things at my own pace, in a comfortable and safe space. Why would I pack my bags and go around
aimlessly in the North, when I can comfortably work on my thesis in the safe
Ashesi Campus? As I thought this question to myself I had my third and
probably the most important epiphany; I’m a sheep. A sheep here defined as a
person with the inability to make choices, for fear of failure or major
indifference to the outcome. I was herded into school. I chose Business
Administration as a major, because it was close to accounting (my mum’s
predicted profession for me). The most exciting choices I had to make were
electives. Even then, except for a few exceptions, I always chose the lecturer
which was most generous with grades, or the course which I thought was easier
(this rationale always led me to horrible choices). So instead of telling my
friend no out rightly, I told him I’ll think about it.
So for the next week, I thought
about it. It was like a battle between my thesis and the trip. I hear my
classmates talking about their thesis and deadlines, and my heart skips a beat
out of fear. I see my friend searching through the internet for sites to see in
the north, and I grit my teeth as I imagine the potential regret. I have not
always been so excellent at setting my priorities but I had done ok. I knew
that rationally, my thesis should come first. However, my mind seemed to be
appreciating the idea of a trip more and more. The chance to break free from
the monotonous routine. The time to break the boundaries of my comfort and
safety. I thought to myself, in the next ten to twenty years, what stories
would I have to tell about my time in school? Would I be excited to tell people
about all the times I was half asleep in class or would I want to tell people
of a faltering and funny journey from Accra all the to way to Paga (A border town in Northern Ghana)? It should be noted, that
this is not only about being able to tell a story. It is also about knowing
that this is probably the only time I would have enough time and energy. Baz
Lurhman said in his song, sunscreen “Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth…
you would never understand the beauty and power until they’ve faded”. I want to
look back at this moment, with an appreciative nod of satisfaction and
fulfilment, knowing that I utilized my youth well. Again it’s not just about
getting up and traveling. It’s about doing something. It’s time I stopped
hiding under the excuse of “I have work to do” or “I have an assignment due”. Our education is not only in the classroom,
our education is the wholesome experience of the entire four years away from
home. On the day before the trip, I made my decision (I guess I am spontaneous
after all).
On the 2nd of March, I
had my backpack on, my heart was beating a tad bit faster than normal. I was
standing beside my friend in a line under the scorching sun of Accra, ready to
board the Accra bus straight to Paga. Below is a picture to testify that I would never ever regret or forget this trip.
