July came with lots of good tidings. I turned 24 on the 21st of July! Unlike other birthdays of mine where I’d publicize on every social media platform that I’d be turning a new age soon, I was very quiet this year. A lot of friends didn’t even know that it was my birthday. I guess as I’ve grown older, I’m beginning to gravitate towards a more private and very peaceful life. Less is actually becoming more.
Despite not having any prior plans, I had such an amazing birthday. I started off my day with deep reflection, prayers, and thanksgiving. I decided to give myself a pedicure and manicure treat. I tried out red, almond shaped artificial nails for the first time and the outcome was indeed lovely. Towards the end of the day, I got a surprise text from a friend asking me to choose between cake and pizza. What’s a birthday without a cake? So I made my choice and minutes later, two friends showed up at my doorstep with a cake, drinks and snacks.
I spent the rest of the evening dancing and eating with my friends.
Four days later, my convocation ceremony was held at the university of Nigeria, Nsukka. Yes, a girl is now a graduate! The feeling has been surreal. I waited for four years to be able to get into the university. It was such a long wait. However, I can’t help but believe God sped up my four year course journey because I spent only three years and very few months in school. People still find it unbelievable that I’ve graduated.
To celebrate my milestone, I prepared a pot of Nigerian jollof rice with chicken and coleslaw served with smoothie on the side.
I’ve been overwhelmed with immense gratitude for this success. Congratulations to me!
I’m not the only one who has hit a milestone, my girl 
For clarity, ‘signout’ is a Nigerian university ritual where final year students put on white shirts with pants/skirts and sneakers on the last day of their examination and have their friends and families sign on their shirts to symbolize their last examination in the history of university examination.
There’s nothing more beautiful than winning with your friends and at the right time too. Zelly and I started university together even though we attended different schools. Somehow my school’s academic calendar was faster than hers so I signed out in January and she signed out in July.
Here’s another hearty shoutout to her. Congratulations, girl🥳
I tried a couple of new things in July including having pizza and parfait for the first time. I can’t even believe it took me this long to have pizza. I have always known about these foods but I was never fascinated enough to want to try them out. Pizza always looked and sounded very unappealing to my tastebuds. Additionally, people often compared pizza with shawarma. (I hope shawarma is a widely known meal). Shawarma is a king in its category so it’s only normal for me to instantly dislike anything being compared with it.
For parfait, the fundamental ingredient is yoghurt and I really dislike youghurt. Seeetened or unsweetened, it just always slaps in the mouth and I don’t like that.
I rate the pizza 5/10 and the parfait 8/10. Hopefully I’ll eat pizza again and I’ll enjoy it better.
Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body says Joseph Addison. This singular quote has inspired me to be diligent with my reading habit.
Born A Crime by Trevor Noah was the last book we read in my Book Club for the month of July.
Image is a property of my Bookclub and is used with permission
I marveled at how such an intense story was being told with so much wit, yet the core issues that surrounded Trevor’s birth and his upbringing in South Africa were still staunchly represented.
I am not keen on memoirs but this was an outstanding read.
“My mom raised me as if there were no limitations on where I could go or what I could do. When I look back I realize she raised me like a whitekid—not white culturally, but in the sense of believing that the world was my oyster, that I should speak up for myself, that my ideas and thoughts and decisions mattered.
We tell people to follow their dreams, but you can only dream of what you can imagine, and, depending on where you come from, your imagination can be quite limited. Growing up in Soweto, our dream was to put another room in our house. Maybe have a driveway. Maybe, someday, a cast-iron gate at the end of the driveway. Because that is all we knew. But the highest rung of what’s possible is far beyond the world you can see. My mother showed me what was possible. The thing that always amazed me about her life was that no one showed her. No one chose her. She did it on her own.”
Born A Crime;Page 67
The greatest lesson I drew out of this excerpt is to not limit my dream based on my knowledge but rather on what’s possible, for that, to a great extent is unlimited.
Looking back at July in comparison with previous months, I’d say I did not merely exist, I lived, a little, with gratitude, a little exploration, few celebrations and strengthening my mind through reading.
All images not sourced are mine
