THE ESTHERIAN BLOG

Have I done my best here, or So, as I mentioned in the last post, or for anyone following the Nigerian online space, it is election season. The presidential election was held on February 25, 2023, and wasn’t peaceful in most parts of the country. This is the first election I am vested in because I am a first-time voter. I did my best to inform people with my platform, I had a candidate I was supporting, I made mention of it in one of my podcast episodes, and I influenced my parents.  I was unable to vote though; my dad asked me to come back home because he was scared of the way the elections were going to turn out and I was too far from home. So I had no other choice but to return to Ogun State and chill at home. My reasoning was along the lines of honouring your parents, and now I wonder, I should have preempted the possibility of this happening; I should have chosen a polling unit closer to my parent’s house, and now I ask, did I really do my best? Will I be here next year, or Ar...

An Attempt At Putting My Longings Into Words And Leaving Them Where I Believe I Have Found A Voice. Photo Credit: Elia pexels.com The day started pretty much different from every other day. I didn’t go to school, and Naza called to confirm I was in. I ended up chilling with her that morning, and as it was our thing, we found something to talk about.  I enjoy telling her what is up while I try to figure out what is going on with myself. It usually helps. I have learnt that it is easier managing whatever is in front of me when I can say what feels wrong and name it. Everything suddenly becomes less overwhelming once I can talk about it. And that is why I love to talk about stuff bothering me, not because I love to complain but because saying it out loud to my hearing removes the power or the hold whatever is going on has on me.  Towards the end of last year, I found myself in a space I couldn't figure out how to handle. Honestly, I didn't want to put any time or effort into figu...

Happy new month beautiful people, Welcome to February. Amongst everything February already stands for, this year is going to be having something different to it. It is the election year after all in Nigeria, and the presidential elections are slated for the 25th of February. So if you are yet to pick up your PVC, please do that. And above all, plan to come out to vote. The country depends on that.  Now that I have done my civic duty, this is time for a check-in.  How was January? What is 2023 looking like? What is going on with your new year’s resolution? I am going to go off your case now and talk about myself, I am going to mention the different things I have been trying out.  The first thing I did this year that was out of character was to write a summary of each day. I opened a folder on my Note App, and I add a new note every day. I write down highlights of the day and it has helped me with something on my 2023 To-do list which is to document my life. Another thing I...

Let me start with this: there are some days you start writing with the perfect vibe, and the start of this essay is one of them. I am currently listening to Lagbaja on shuffle, and there is something his voice and the background talking drum are doing to me. I will be sure to let you know the next time I start writing along to such a perfect vibe. By the way, did you know that there is a Lagbaja bop with Fela? I know it is plausible, but it felt so random. Photo credits: Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz Source: pexels.com Last Thursday, I had to go to the hostel to pick up some materials that I bought, and I went to the end of a long and exhausting round. I got a call on my way to the hostel that the last bus to Old Site was loading, and if I wasn't there then, I was sure to miss it. I went with a group mate, and on our way to the park to try out our luck, we happened upon another classmate that was driving back into town. The groupmate called this person, and he came back to pick us up. Imme...

If there is one word I would never use to describe myself, it would be tenacious.  I once quoted one of my favourite lines from Home, "If the probability of success falls below 50%, Boov give up," as my go-to reason for why I don't put myself in situations where I have to keep holding on, for why I take fewer chances and risks, aside from the fact that I adore that movie. But today’s story is not about me.  It is about Kova, our 2-year-old German Shepherd, who taught me a lesson over the holiday that will stick with me this year. Not Kova because someone forgot to take her picture. Photo credit: Manjari Singh Source: pexels.com We never found out why, but she (I am sorry, I am not using it for Kova) had a lot of ticks on her, so we have to keep spraying her with anti-tick spray as often as possible. On this particular day, my brothers bathed and sprayed her as usual and left her to play in the compound. Everyone just went about their day until my dad got back from work. H...

Ama Nkupe, Nsukka I know there is a running joke about there being no rest for the wicked and medical students, but as soon as the last week of lectures came around, I booked a flight back to Lagos. I travelled home on December 23, 2022.  For the first time, my beloved Ibom Air didn't keep its schedule, and our flight was delayed for about 40 minutes. But that was just a little bump with no effect on the overall holiday. My brothers came in the next day, and for Christmas, we had a get-together/sleepover with the extended family. I got to spend time with my cousins, and we discussed our plans for the next year, especially those of us that would be graduating this year.   For the rest of the holidays, all I did was sleep and eat. I saw Glass Onion and Wednesday again, with my younger brother. I went to the Crossover service, and it wasn't as dramatic as I expected it to be. One of my cousins on my mother’s side came to stay with us after Christmas and was still around whil...

2023 I would like to welcome you into the new year.  I know I am probably late to the party but I was away, it was the holidays after all.  I spent it with my family this year and it was nice. I was called a snob by someone who was meeting me for the first time and that wasn't cool.  Photo Credit: Ivan Samkov Source: pexels.com Last year, I didn’t have any new year resolutions or expectations for the year and the year turned out the same way I am turning out. I am not sure how much sense that made but again 2022, didn’t make a lot of sense. In all, I tried to make it work. I put in the work whenever possible and am grateful the year didn’t turn out terribly.  But enough about 2022, this is not the post for it. If you are interested in learning how my year went, check out my end-of-the-year review.   But as the year was winding down, I had time to assess where I am and how far it is from where I hoped to be. I did a bit of evaluation and there are a few things I ...