I think things have changed a lot compared to how they were years ago when I was in school with respect to student life. I'm currently living in a city that has a school where students make up a large portion of the town's population, and these students don't seem like life is choking them, especially when it comes to survival, unlike it was during my own school days. Or maybe it was because I was very broke, and the students I had around me were broke as well.
During my HND1 days, there was a period when I was totally broke, and there was no hope of getting any financial aid from home because I had called them several times to pay my school fees for that year, as the final payment deadline was drawing close, but they kept postponing when they would be able to come through. The only food I had at home for survival was garri, and that was because it was one thing we had in excess at home. I would always bring a large quantity of it back to school whenever I returned from home. I got tired of soaking garri, and I wanted to make a very "sharp" soup that would sustain me for just one day. I turned on the gas cooker only to discover that the gas had run out. The scene was a big blow to my face. I didn't think twice about it. I entered bush (building site) close to us, picked some dry wood, and made a fire outside in the compound and smoke filled everywhere and appeared like an abomination. That was what I used to cook that evening. My lodge mates couldn't stop talking, but I didn't give a damn about any of their words.
Cooking with firewood lasted for about three days before I could get money to refill the gas cylinder. I saw hell during that period.
The craziest thing is that the situation didn't occur just once. It happened repeatedly throughout that year until we finished our exams and left for the holidays.
Thanks for reading
