I remember when my friend (Wowo) asked me what I wanted to do after high school. With ease I simply regurgitated the plan I made since I was 11 years old.

A 6 year plan that included a degree in journalism & Marketing, working my tail off as well as traveling further into Africa in order to discover the continent I call home. If this plan had worked out, I’d be half way through my degree and working towards my end goal by the age of 24. But I’m 20 and further away from my plan like the beginning of a drought is away from the rain.

Life stopped my progress. And now I am stuck between seeing where I came from & knowing where I could be. There’s an ache in my chest every time I see a small aspect of my dream pass me by.

This is not how I saw life turning out. And this is the part where optimistic people raise their hands bursting with suggestions while the pessimistic nod in an “obvious” motion. But here is my reasoning.
The lack of university doesn’t make me uneducated, neither does it stop me from learning. My being stuck is completely circumstantial and for the most part a combination of invisible finances with a hint of bad luck. “Money makes the world go round” well I my friend have none of it.

These last 18 months had me bouncing off emotions. Angry Monday, Annoying Tuesday, Sad Wednesday, What-kind-of-A Thursday, Invisible Friday and lost weekend. Before you throw the depression card around, I wasn’t going to let that be me. I am a genuinely enthusiastic extrovert but circumstances drained my smile.

Although 18 months felt like 18 years, I’ve learnt more these last few months than I ever did. This acquired knowledge is not merely about the reality of the world but most importantly about the discovery of self. For instance education for me was books, school and university. Yet everyday I watched my mother educate herself using advantages and disadvantages of our community. Life threw me into an ocean and “education” couldn’t save me. Instead, I learnt to swim my way out of the waves. [That’s a metaphor, I literally can not swim at all.]

Education is important, for the most part. The world is systematically organized in a way that makes education work in your favor. But education isn’t the only learning tool. We learn from life. The good, the bad and the ugly are all experiences to teach.

I still yearn to learn and would dive into a lecture right now if I could. Because university is part of learning. But not all that needs to be learnt. While facing the waves, look at every situation as a possibility to learn. If you burn rice, learn.

Crash a car, learn.

Vote for the wrong person, learn.

Point is, no situation is pointless. Perhaps I saw this as an unfair trial but when I stopped looking at it as a trial and more like an obstacle to overcome. I did better. Not because of where I was but because of where I wanted to be. Forgotten Magic was born from this circumstance. Wherever you are right now is a position. And where ever you want to be is determined by what you do in that position. Never stop learning. Your future awaits.