Schooling Parents. you got one?

                I know! I know! The title of this post makes my ribs crack. Varsity is on vacation. I may get to work with UNDP or UNICEF or Vanguard Assurance as an intern but I’m still waiting for any to workout. I just think the UN one just might but you never know what God has in store for me. Why the heck I’m I talking about internship?   I’m supposed to be talking about my parents.

             It’s been crazy a bit with them lately. My dad is left with one year more on his MBA program and my mum is completing her degree in Entrepreneurship by next week. Yeah…my parents are all going to school. Being candid now; the whole house is. It is about exams time for them (my parents). Oh my word you should see them learning and cracking their brains and all. It is not what you’d expect normal parents to do. Usually they come back from work all tired and probably have dinner with the family and watch some tv and talk and people start getting into bed but here it is very unlike that scene. (Forgive me if I left something out…trying to make it general )

             You should see my parents all gathered around the dining table and mind you they are not eating…they are studying. Books are all over the place, papers and pens. The television is in the hall so then it becomes much of a problem if it is too loud which wouldn’t have been so on a normal day. It is no problem for me since I don’t watch a lot of television. I’d rather watch my collections of movies I haven’t seen yet and believe me, there’s always something to watch. No but seriously like this morning I was left with them at home; everybody else was in school. I was cleaning the kitchen and sort of like talking to them as usual asking unnecessary questions and my dad goes like ‘hey you are talking too much. I’m trying to get this thing into my head and every time you talk…you are distracting me’. My mum then said ‘you are talking too much’ dad responds, ‘he’s finished with his exams and he is here to worry us. Hurry up and leave the kitchen’. All this time their heads are stuck into the books. I was laughing and laughing. Not too loud to be annoying. :O I came back and found my dad standing by the window trying to remember something and writing it out. Eeeeeh! My father, cramming!!! lol

             Later on after dinner, I finished and came to meet my dad washing the bowls and stuff. Damn! He usually doesn’t do that. I mean he never does except probably only his and that one is sometimes but today he was doing the whole lot. My dad washing?!!! I was shocked. I heard the tap running from my room and thought my sister had gone to wash the dishes like I told her to but I should have known better. Davida will never do it until you pressure her. LOL. I got there and met my dad washing and I was like…omg! I asked and he said he was releasing tension. Anyways it was nice to se him do it. I think once a while fathers should let the mums relax for like a week or something so that they take over the kitchen. It’s funny seeing the dad doing it something. Like it said…it’s funny but cute though.

            Eeeeeeeeeeeh! I thought young people only said that during exams -releasing tension. Guess I was wrong but these last days have been CRAZY. Don’t get me wrong but having parents schooling like their own children is a funny sight. I understand them parents nowadays, if you don’t get informed you’re be left out. I wish them all the best in their exams. And daddy, enough with the Masters already. How many do you want?  LOL

 Any of you folks got oldies in the university? Tell me about it.

 

COURT CASE 0003: UNIVERSITY OF THE GHANA VRS. THE WRITER

PRO-PAYMENT IN CASE OF DESTRUCTION

My Honour,

It’s about the end of the semester and I almost forgot about this issue until I heard that monies were being refunded. Before my hall registration procedure was completed in this freshman year in the first semester each hall asked all resident students to pay GHC 20 reason being that one may destroy some property in the hall. I really did not understand the whole thing. Why were we being made to pay for something we hadn’t yet destroyed? It had so many implications.

One was that the university authorities did not regard students as matured enough or responsible enough to maintain properties rented to them by the universities. Do they take us to be children?

Second I have not heard of people paying for debt before it came in. Fine! Even if it happens certainly not in the university or maybe I’m living in a different world.

I hesitated to pay because I did not understand the whole concept. I certainly still can’t now! Anyways we were obliged to pay otherwise registration was incomplete. I paid for sake of convenience and the long queue. Why not? I wanted to get into my hall, no questions asked. Besides the sweet part of the deal says that if we didn’t destroy anything by the end of the year the full amount was refunded and so no big deal, right? I pay for something it was presumed I may destroy, if I did, the money was used but if I did not, the money was given back to me.

My Honour, like I said in the beginning I forgot until a roommate informed me that the monies were being refunded. Honourable Court I was so infuriated when I heard that we were being given back GHC 13. The Hall claimed they were taking GHC 7 for maintenance which was absurd because that wasn’t part of the deal besides we paid for maintenance for there’s no way GHC 7 should be for maintenance. No Way!  Forgive my temperament, honourable court but it is outrageous!!!

Legon Hall which is the hall I’m residing in decided on the GHC 13 to give back to students. Other halls gave back GHC 18 or GHC 15 which was still not understandable because nothing got destroyed. This behaviour by the authorities I would say is the likeness for retaining money which shouldn’t have taken in the first place. Imagine, if they took all these little monies from students which they shouldn’t, their profit imagine would be enormous. The only male hall, Commonwealth protested when they were going to be given anything lesser than the money they had to get back. What amazes me is that they even asked for an interest of GHC 1 because the money which was saved in the bank for a year would have gained interest which the Vandals of C’wealth Hall successfully got being GHC 21.

What I understood from the C’wealth scenario was that the university authorities would trample on students’ rights until they protested and demonstrated against it. They know what is right but they also want noise-making students before they act in the right way. My Hall, Legon Hall is presumed to have its resident-students being gentlemen and ladies not boisterous and are from well-to-do homes where money isn’t a problem. My Honour I believed that is why my hall authorities decided to give back the lowest amount in comparison with other Hall refunds. Unfortunately we were not willingly to be trampled upon. They wanted demonstrations and that’s what we gave them although not the violent kind just peaceful discussions. Why does it have to go that way before things get right? Finally there was an agreement. Of course there would have been if we stood and we were given GHC 18 which wasn’t the deal anyways but was ok.

My Honour, why should payments of this nature be made in advance when the authorities won’t hold their end of the bargain?

I rest my case!

 

IF YOU DON’T KNOW HOW, JUST RELAX!!!

           Have you ever sat down in a class or a lecture and you were completely lost? or please don’t tell me you haven’t before? ok ok! So are you saying that you have never thought that some subject or course was too difficult and maybe you wanted to drop the course or just give up? I don’t know about you? But I know growing up; Mathematics for example has been a problem for many of my friends. Some just say, “as for math I’m not good at it or it is not my thing or it is so so soo difficult. Guess what? You thought wrong!!! Yea I know you know I was going to get to that! lol

           For some past weeks in my Spanish class (mind you my second semester leaning- beginner) we have been going through some so many ‘complicated’ tenses – subjunctives, imperative, subjunctive imperfect, conditional clauses – and understanding for a greater part of the class is a problem me included. I almost got fed up with the course and said I will drop the course after my second year when the option is given. I found the tenses so many and so difficult to learn all of them. I even talked to a senior who dropped it after the 2^nd year and he said that a greater part of the language was centered on the tenses we were learning. I was so pissed…2 options; either I learnt it anyhow or fail the course. I tried to learn it but I couldn’t, same frustrations over again! I came home last weekend and brought the books with me to study it but had no intention to. During the weekend, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and told me that He’ll teach me. “Teach me!” I said astonished. He said, “sit down take your books and let’s study.” I had earlier heard a testimony from a preacher who had the same experience the previous week so I obeyed. He said, “relax we are going to this together.” It was amazing it was as if I was seeing different things in my books, I had so much understanding about all the tenses. He taught me and I enjoyed it. If you have the one that knows all, just obey him…clearer and new ways to work things out will come to you.

           What I want you to know and always have at the back of your mind is this ( a quote from unknown source) – Nothing is difficult, it is just that you don’t know how to do it – everything in effect is easy, lack of knowledge brings difficulty. If you want to know relax and learn (let Him teach you). You know why I say relax…

           Just this week I had to teach my best friend, Judith concerning the Spanish tenses because she had skipped a few lectures due to illness and was completely about sea about it all. When I was teaching her, I saw the same frustrations I had when I didn’t know, I told her to relax when she was frustrated. Kept saying relax till we finished. I can tell you that although we haven’t finished going through all the tenses, she’s has more understanding.

           Never think something, course, writing, subject, doing even the little domestic things around, extreme sports, ballet, etc. is difficult. Remember you don’t know how, that’s why? Just relax and learn…everything is easy. RELAX!!!

 

Veracious Vida

She’s like a pearl you find in muddy waters which on first sight you might not realize and ignore as ‘dirt stone’ in the mud and forever lose the value of a wonderful experience. I always thank God I found her. The way the whole thing happened was…was…:P I’ll let you be the judge of how it started. I can’t find the right words yet.

It was a bit tricky for Vida and I when the issue of relationship came up because she wasn’t really sure I had gotten over my ex-girlfriend. Honestly I knew I really hadn’t and I didn’t really want to get myself involved immediately but I defied all odds and asked her out. I know normally people would claim it as wrong because nearly a month after my ex-girlfriend and I broke up I met Vida. Not to say I hadn’t seen her already? I mean come on she’s in all my classes…we were not that close and if you know me, you would know how easy going I am with people. We were always annoying each other bit by bit.

The climax was when one time when at home for the weekend, I had a message from Vida. Mind you I had never called her before and we never had messaged each other. I had always said I would go and see her when I met her on the campus but never really went. Then I received a message from her saying, “Edwin where are you?” I don’t know why but I got worried. Don’t blame me…:) you probably would have done the same thing. Someone you are not that close to, sends you a message on a Sunday morning asking you where you were? I got worried, I called and there was no answer for several times and that made the whole thing so serious. I got back to campus the same day and went to her place immediately since I still hadn’t had any reply but she wasn’t around. Guess what I found her smiling when I was descending her block. Immediate thought: so as least she’s feeling okay! Of course she was surprised to see me there since I hadn’t gone to her place before and she asked what I… No! I didn’t wait for her to ask, I told her I was just from her place and wanted to find out how she was doing. I escorted her back to her room, she grabbed something of hers and she said she wanted to walk around. She loves walking, amazingly something that I do so often on campus because I never had the time or maybe I hadn’t thought about it.

It’s an amazing walk; we started by annoying each other, rather funny sort of. We always do that! Before anything I asked her what happened and she sent me the message that morning. You know what I vowed never to overreact to any message again. She had just sent the message to verify if I was on campus and wanted to know if I was at the Joint Service. Ohh you should have seen my mind to know what I thought. LOL. From then we sat on what people like to call ‘lovers bench’ and talk the whole night off. I really talked about so many things she couldn’t believe she was telling me but she told me anyways. There’s a lot of opening up and all… that semester I had raised up the topic of going to pray with so many of my female friends, some denied, some just said, they can’t go with me, others, time factor. I asked Vida expecting the same response like the others and she agreed just like that. She didn’t know how we were going to do it but she agreed. I pray on my own almost every night on this field on campus most people go to pray on in the night and I just wanted to make another person prayer conscious, that’s all. After that first night that we TALKED, Vida confessed that she couldn’t believe that I actually came because of the message she sent…and that, it was sweet. Well I went to her place every night and called her to go and pray and up till now all those who know us know we still do. If you actually called around that time I won’t pick up…send a message.. the miraculous thing about us praying was that Vida had pray to God that He should send someone to her to help her get her prayer and spiritual life back on track so… ok ok time to sleep…

To be honest, I hadn’t really gotten over my ex-girlfriend when I asked her out, we both knew that but a strong woman she was, she gave us a chance after careful thought. Say it was the stupid thing to do but I found happiness and true love again and everyday I love her and would die everyday if I had to prove it. ohhh before I forgot we still take the walks and talks always!!!! Te quiero mucho!

 

My 2008 Year Review

The year just gone by started in January for me by looking at which Universities I wanted to go to and which courses I wanted to offer. I had returned from Cote D’Ivoire in December to see to my University Admissions and for the holidays. I had two options on my plate; Greenhill College to study Information, Communication Technology or University of Ghana to offer a BA in political science, Spanish and psychology which was really my least considered option. Well I returned to Cote D’Ivoire in March to work with my aunt and await my admission letters. I thought I won’t go back there back but thinking through things it was much better spending the rest of my year before college working than sitting at home doing nothing and just spending money. I can rather make it.

Abidjan for the 2^nd time was fun. I had more passion to work and to learn French. You know many times I was there, I thought I should have probably chosen French instead of Spanish for the University of Ghana’s admission form but I didn’t bother too much, I was too sure I’d make Greenhill College. Now I think I should really have spent my time learning Spanish, which was also thought there in the school I was working in then again even the French I hadn’t been over that yet then to do another language.

I had saved a lot of money and during June my admission letter had come in from University of Ghana but when I asked my dad over the phone he said there wasn’t any letter from Greenhill College in the mail. Shaken a bit, as school time was getting close…dad later found out from some friends at Greenhill and they said all though I did very well in Senior High, they couldn’t offer me admission because I didn’t offer Elective Maths or Economics and usually when they took people like that in they struggled with the course. It was quite funny because I was good at Maths and I loved to study anything new but anyways long story, short, they didn’t give me admission.

University of Ghana now on my plate…came back to Ghana on the 20^th of July to settle down and get ready for school. When school started in August with me as a freshman was cool. The semester had it ups and downs. I had really underestimated the way people studied in this University because of the vast populations of people in the school, halls, lecture halls and all. But I was so wrong it was the same vast population that motivated you to learn otherwise you won’t make it past and float with the masses. To standout you have to sit you ass down and study because so so many people do those! It is a battle that seems not to exist. Sure it is not a battle with your other colleagues; it is a battle against the system.

My hurray moments in 2008

1. Travelling by road to Abidjan alone and back by air.

2. Putting the money I made in Investment knowing that I worked for it.

3. When Aurelia, a forth grader told me not to go back to Ghana but stay in the School with her.

4. When my dad called me over the phone and told me he had bought me a car and made my uncle take pictures and send them to me.

5. Making so many friends in the University.

6. Going with Frank to watch a movie at the new cinema in Accra Mall called Australia. We both thought the movie wouldn’t be nice but at the end I clapped.

7. When I took a Diploma In Financial Management course and smiled when the exams took place; it was so easy.

8. When Joy and I started communicating and went into a relationship.

9. When Vida finally said yes.

10. Finding Vida’s aunt’s house and George’s place and making for the party.

11. When Adina won Stars of the future and later meeting her in person at a Shopping Mall.

12. When I was able to get in touch with Adom during Christmas. (money problems)

13. When I received the Real Madrid cap Abena got for me from her Spain trip.

14. Praying with Vida every evening at school.

My Yucky moments in 2008

1. When I heard that I didn’t gain admission into Greenhill College to do ICT based on reasons that I thought were not enough to deny me being admitted.

2. When my pal, the librarian at where I worked was laid off and he was wondering how to cater for his family and asked me to help me out and I know I couldn’t and wasn’t able to communicate with him.

3. When Joy said she couldn’t go out with me anymore because of reasons best known to her as far as I know, cos i still don’t know why.

4. When I couldn’t call people during the festive season at the end of the year because I didn’t have money.

5. When I didn’t have any money on me.

6. Ending up on the Motorway instead of Spintex. I was literally LOST.

7. When I couldn’t make it for Adina’s launch of her single.

2008 is gone and 2009 I know will be better. No even overly better and shocking even to people who never imagined it could happen so fast what God would make me.

Tell me about how your 2008 went and what are your plans for this year?

 

Friends I made this semester

I told you this was my first semester and it was crazy…I met so many people. I honestly don’t know if I could mention everyone here. Now where should I start. Wait a minute, don’t go yet. Some of them are so crazy you won’t believe it. This is going be a long one, A FRIENDLY ADVICE, get yourself a cup of coffee or juice, I prefer juice…before anything can somebody please explain to me why white people especially like coffee, or the movies lie, don’t think so? Any one? Whiles we are waiting for anyone to say something on that let’s met some of the people I met this semester.

Let’s start with Gifty, why her first…do you have to ask? JEEEEEEEEEEEEES! Anyone can start. but on a more serious note, it is because of how we became friends. I had met her a couple of times in my Spanish class and Psychology class. Mind you the classes are huge and sometimes it had to even know your own pal is in the class. She is good looking, has a big smile on her face. Mind you, when that face gets angry you are going to want to hide behind some fences. I know Gifty I’m exaggerating a bit. She’s coo, but the interesting part is yet to unfold. One day I go going home and we happen to sit in the same bus, we are both going home for the weekend, after psychology…it was a little after 1900. I saw the person but I knew I recognized her from class. The whole time I was watching when the woman sitting beside her would alight. He didn’t until we got down. I wanted to sit with her and talk. I mean how bad could it get. Anyway we all go to the stop, we had to take another bus to our various homes…hey we live in different places. Well, when she alighted she started walking as fast as he wind. Now how the heckwas I going to trail her. I did, because of the little human traffics her and there. When I got to her I poked her and she turned, I introduced myself and of course you know the ladies, oh ok? but I haven’t seem you in class before and blah, blah, blah. So told me her name, mind you it was dark, and she was still talking fas as we went on. When I inquire what was the hurry she said if she don’t get home before 2000 her mother would complain about her coming late in the night and suggest coming the following morning and she didn’t want that. Well we talked of course about our courses with her in her speedy march and about where she lived and where I lived and all…what do you expect on the first day when someone was speeding. The whole speeding scenario waa funny for me, when I recounted it to her she laughed and couldn’t believe. You know the ladies, later she couldn’t make me out back in school when we met in class and went over the whole thing with the clothes she was wearing that day and all. We are friends now, at least we lie to each other about being best friends, I think? We are open, first she was a bit hesistant before not knowing what to expect from me? Now we talk about everything. The last time I called her I jokingly complained about why she wasn’t caling her best friend, something we always do, the person who calls first after a long silence gets to complain…not intentional but it sure does happen. She called me a few days ago, when I was driving, I couldn’t talk much but she said se wanted to check and see how her beautiful best friend was doing? How sweet? She’s truly a gift. Her friend, Dzifa and I teased her oneday about a girl Gifty was caling way too slim. Dzifa wa like, ‘looks who’s talking, your legs are just the same.’ Well, I hate to admit but it was so true, she said, it wasn’t …oh boy, she’s not too slim…saying that to stop her fattening course she planning to have.

Now’s Ebo and Archie…you guys I knew from Spanish class. Two amazing guys. Don’t really know them that well. Ebo always has the impression that I know Spanish better than him, at least we are all beginniners in the language. You don’t trust anyone in my school who tells you that, they would make you feel light headed beyond all doubt, but the saying telling you studies likes crazy. Ebo called me once to come over to his place to discuss some basic things in Spanish we had a test the next day. At least the discussion went well…and the test was so difficult more than anything in Spanish. The lecturer said he didn’t like the face that we all scored so high on the previous test. He said in an exam there should be people in all levels, the man is wicked. Give us a break, we are all just new to the language. Ebo is always complaining about him being wicked and all, and it isn’t him only I’m sure of it. Archie is Ebo’s pal, we all met someday in the Spanish Oral class and when after some girls proposed that we form a study group which Archie wanted to join, but he later confessed that he didn’t think those girls were serious but he would come and see me later in my room so that I could explain a few things. He had background knowledge of the German language I realized in our talks. Little did I know that Archie wasn’t studying Spanish at all, he took our courses but he likes to learn languages. I really won’t have known because of his passionate nature of the whole thing is amazing and if I hadn’t asked ebo of is whereabouts when I didn’t find him in the class sometimes. I now understand why he wasn’t really coming to some of the classes. Hmmmm the boy is ambitious.

Judith, Sarah, Mavis, Jemimah and Maggie are all room-mates. Judith’s the person I met first. Where? Spanish Oral but apparently we all do the same three courses, Political Science, Psychology and Spanish and so the latter part of the semester we studied together for the exams. We’re more open to each other, I mean Judith and I, we talked about everything. And her are more like best friends…yea yea yea, I know there are so many right? Yep! She even said that if she were going out with me she’d be scared because I got so many ladies always with me, so many o my phone. Laughed… ‘Jeeeeeees it just being open to everybody, no harm done’ During the semester I told her I had fallen for her, I just told her but then I wasn’t really into it because I was just getting out of one. Don’t blame me; she was the person I was more with. She thinking I was joking initially she laughed about the whole thing, realizing I wasn’t joking later on…she said she wasn’t sure and of course she couldn’t just go out with me…the usual excuse I’m older. Anyways, surprisingly enough she broke up with her boyfriend and I thank God they are fixing things now, at least I encouraged her to talk things through and her room-mates too. She sometimes takes things too personally, misinterpreting everything I say to mean I don’t like her, I dislike the way she is…sometimes she just intentionally does that. She’s very sweet though. Thing was we met in that Spanish class and I had already being going to her floor some of the time. I have a friend there, Nakuor. I would talk about her in a bit. Judith saw me one day going there and she remarked that I was always going there, like all humans having the mindset that seeing someone all the time meant we were going out, and it wasn’t surprising people thought that about us too later on. Her room-mates actually said they won’t be surprised if they hear we are going out. After that day…I got introduced to her room-mates and hey I got in with everybody. Sarah’s behaviour and everything is just like my sister, Edwina and so I have taken her as my sister. She’s crazy, can get so pissed so no reason. Sometimes she just moves with the flow, loves going home every week that I understand she has to do a few things at home for her mother. One thing about her though is her way of thinking. Honestly I got to know so many things about her before Judith even became open to me; her past life, boyfriends and so on. With her relationships, for me she’s quite unstable I always tell her and she smiles about it. You know she’s unstable? She’s one of those people that think all guys are the same, you know, liars, cheats and so on and can’t trust guys. She claims I’m the only one who can check her behaviour. I’m glad I can. Oh my God, she and her combing of her, always having to comb it just for the public’s eyes. Thing is she’s pretty shy too but make no mistake you mess with her, you would get it right there in the street because I don’t want her coming home and pouring it all on me. Mavis, one thing I can say clearly, she likes laughing about all the strange things that happens to her. She’s got so many stories, and makes all of them sound interesting, those sometimes especially on Sunday when she comes back from church or home, oh boy I can’t stand her stories, one too many. She’s a lively person. I remember he first day I met her in the room, she was all over me, trying to make me crack. I don’t get this thing with ladies thinking we’ll the same, us guys. We thought by doing that she could get me into never coming back, boy she really harassed me that night or maybe I liked it…but according to her results I passed. don’t you ever pull that stunt again gurl. She could get very emotional but like most people try to hide it behind being all strong and all. She could crack over serious emotional problems, then the shouting her comes out. Jemimah, is just like one lovely Jemimah I know expect this one is Ga so we talk more I that language. If I wanted to have a big sister, she would be the one. She so free, so open, maybe because she more mature and in her final year. She should have finished a year before but she deferred to Benin for a year to study French but I believe she’s like that naturally. If there’s an argument she would listen to both sides and make good judgement even if she’s against you, you’ll like her. I’m glad she speaks French, so then I could gossip when her roommates are still in the room. Nothing more to say about like, she’s likeable. Maggie however I didn’t find so free initially maybe because she was a mature student coming in this year but being in their room for quite so time you’d realize how she could joke about everything. She had been saying that the way the kept coming to their room and staying there for long, I should actually move in because I was already a room-mate. She’ also a nice person when you get to know, works hard, always comes back to the room so tired and stressed out and angry!!!

Boy this list is endless, I bet I have to go to part 2 on this one.

 

The NO WATER Spree

Well, I know for quite sometime I haven’t really written anything on the blog for my many viewers. I ask for your forgiveness but this new ground in the university has really been taking a toll on me, but like a new friend I met keeps saying, “…by His Grace we are pulling through.” Yeah yeah yeah! I know that isn’t really an excuse for not writing but that’s the whole point, it’s not an excuse, things are really challenging, running from one lecture hall to the other on this premier university of Ghana. The campus territory is vast, huge, large, enormous, all the other words that don’t fit…lol. On a more serious note (as if I was joking anyways ), the university is big, that’s why I said running from one lecture hall to the other and finding food for my stomach, another daily activity but I’ll tell you all about that pretty soon. Right now I want to deal with some other current serious issue going on here on campus, permit me but I’m not on your campus. I can’t write what’s going on there, unless you tell me and the whole world.

                You wouldn’t believe it, I didn’t but after going through it, now I know it’s POSSIBLE!!! Can you believe I came back to school from home – surely you can believe that… Thing is when I returned I came and was told my hall water wasn’t flowing by my room-mates. Ok, fine, I could live with that. Water could stop flowing due to some fault. I went to see a friend of mine in another hall and he disclosed to me that there was a notice saying that there was not going to be water flowing through the campus for at least 10 days. The last part bored me…at least 10 days! Well it’s been day three and all is going on well; there’s enough water in the tanks to last a long while…I hope? At least in this respect the school has done a lot to curb the pressure on students. Looking at this huge establishment which is now 60 years old, it’s thinkable that there could be a little mismanagement since it is government oriented, but it’s doing pretty fine! More grace to their elbows.