If I Had Missed That Gate

Most times, when I am alone, I sit back and begin to reminisce about the past and the university I attended and what my life could have looked like without going through that brown, rusty uni gate every day, the same gate that thousands of us usually pass through every morning just to attend lectures with our dreams aimed very high and the focus and determination in our minds.

The school I attended is not the top in my country, the hostels were not the most beautiful, and even the landscapes were just there. Even though we usually have stable electricity, once the light is off, there is this big generator that usually serves some parts of the school for those who might want to charge or work on their system. But, I will not lie, I was shaped positively in a manner that no handouts could.

I might have enjoyed the AC in classes if I had gone to a private university in Abuja or somewhere overseas to study, but would I have been able to learn culture, patience, struggle, morals? Would I have known how to work overnight reading and doing assignments and still attend that 7 a.m. class by the H.O.D. of my department? I came across different people from different backgrounds that made me reason beyond my environment, roommates from different religious backgrounds that we bonded together effortlessly as brothers, and all these lecturers who tested me beyond limit. I learned how to be resilient in that school, not going to lie.

One of my toughest lessons came during my third year. I was absent during a project group defense because I got sick just a day before, and my absence got me a zero over forty, which left me with 60 marks to prepare for in the exam. That broke me even though I went to the lecture to explain things, but he wouldn't listen. I had no choice but to read more and prepare well for the exam, and thank God, I passed, which made me realize that I can do anything if I put my mind to it.

And sometimes, I do think if I had gone to another school, maybe I would have become richer with the top connection that I need in my career as an architect, but I doubt I'd have this survival spirit, genuine patience, and understanding of how to be understanding with people with a sense of appreciation. That school, with all its ups and downs, impacted my character and my inner power and shaped my story positively.

Well, to answer the last part of the question from this prompt I am writing on, I might have found myself in a better school. But maybe I would have become something else without having the power to dream better and going after my goals and even finding the courage to smile when things are not going my way. Even though the school is not the best, but I was able to get the best from it.

Thank you for reading.

_{Images created by MetaAi}