Everys human, every person has a tale backing how you hustled, struggle and succeeded while you where growing up. For me, the street of Lagos, Nigeria would not forget me in a hurry as I hustled round it with my legs, hawking my moms vegetables. Hawking is one thing most Nigerian children has done and woudn't forget in a hurry. Welcome to my hawking zone, a zone where you need to put yourself, imagine and preview how its like for a little boy/girl hawking on the street, under a scotching sun.
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I always remember those days when I was little, my mom would carry me in her back and take me to edo market (a market place in Lagos, Nigeria), buying stuffs she would sell, come home and start hawking, with me on her back. With time, I learnt the trade and started hawking when I came of age and made mama proud. I would always hawk, knowing fully well that my night meal depends on it. As the first child in the family of four kids, I had to assist my mom in selling most of what she sells, I had to help as the incoming wages of dad couldn't sustain us for long. I will always hawk my vegetables while other kids of my age will be in school, it didn't matter at that time because I know what I was fighting for.
On this faithful day, on the street of Lagos (8th of June 1998), I was hawking my vegetable as things where so hard in the country at that time as the present administration was so hard and the country was under the military regime. At that time, only the rich used a stove to cook because the poor couldn't afford Kerosene or gas, so we just used what we call the "Abacha Stove". It was a kind of customized cooking technique made up of saw dust (dust gotten from sawed woods). It will be built like you were building a clay house but with a bottle in between and when its done, you can light it up and cook your food. So I was hawking my vege when I heard on the news that the then President by name General Sanni Abacha had just died...jubilation filled the whole place, excitement everywhere people spending the money they didn't have because a corrupt president had died then.
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I could remember finish selling my vegetables with gains on top, I was so happy and mom was so happy too that she prepared a delicacy for the family. It was happiness all the way that day. I wouldn't forget the day I had to do the Isrealite Journey...lol. I was hawking and had to go to one of my customers place, just like three (3) houses from where I was, a journey of lets say 3km. As I was about leaving for the place, I saw some of my school mates, because I was finally started school, that was in my secondary school (college). I was really shy and ashamed, because I didn't want them to see me hawking my veges, so I took another route that turned a journey of 3km to 13km. I had to take that route so as to avoid my friends from seeing me...hahaha!
The hawking zone to me was a period where I went through trainings of life, because I saw things and went through things. It made me a better person, because you will always remember your background and good training from your parents when you want to go a wrong way. In your own little way, try to help those you see on the street hustling, because most of them don't wish to be there. Try to encourage them and make them know that bright future awaits them. Learn to give and appreciate people and friends you meet.
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