Hello hive, I hope everyone is having a great week? Wishing everyone a great weekend aheadš¤.
Today wasnāt a great day or Iād say Iāve not had a great day in a long time. The littlest things piss me off recently and Iād tell you why.
Iām a History student in my second year in the university of Ilorin, Nigeria and Iāve been out of school and academic work for over 7 months.
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Iām not out of school because my parents canāt pay my fees, neither am I out of school because Iām facing one health challenge or the other. Iām also not out of school because of crisis or security issues but Iād tell you why. Iām out of school because the government in my country is selfish. Funny right?
Thereās an ongoing strike in the country where federal universities suspended academic work because we have a bad government that donāt care about its citizens when theyāre not directly affected. Over 60% of Uni students in Nigeria are in federal schools which means 60% of Nigerian students are currently out of school including myself.
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I graduated secondary school in the year 2018 and itās been 4 years but Iām still in my second year.
Most of classmates and even my juniors are graduating Uni this year and all i do is say ācongratulationsā everytime and be happy for them. This triggers me so much and I canāt even be happy for them in peace because thereās always a reminder that my graduation isnāt even guaranteed.
CHALLENGES
As a girl in an average Nigerian home, doing house chores is one thing you canāt escape. Itās even worse now that Iām home.
Sadly, I canāt transfer to a private University to further my education at the moment because I canāt get my transcript for transfer from my school, as thereās no academic work going on because of the strike.
My mental health is in shambles and i just want to be all by myself. Being in one particular space for a long time has taken a toll on my social life because I no longer have the excitement to go out or associate with people. Iām so used to repeating the same routine daily and my room has become my best friend.
I used to be a picture freak but I no longer have the enthusiasm to dress up and take some pictures.
How do I explain to my Nigerian parents when I have a mental breakdown and I canāt do chores if they donāt see it as me making excuses or being lazy?
Itās triggering when I decide to step out because itās one unsolicited advice or the other from older individuals.
Making statements like āwhy arenāt you learning a skill during this breakā, āyouāre wasting your time at homeā, āyouāre lazyā. I know learning a skill is a good one, but not everyone wants to become an entrepreneur and people just need to get their degrees. They end up blaming the students and not the bad government itself.
Academically, a lot of students are backwards and are gradually losing interest in continuing education, including myself.
MY COPING MECHANISM
Iām thankful to my friend @samostically for introducing me to Hive. Itās a new source of distraction for me and I can say my mental health gets better daily.
I was a bit uninterested at first as Iāve been for every other thing, but Iām thankful he didnāt give up on me and helped me get on here. I now look forward to creating more contents, making posts and even making more friends in the community.
My passion for crocheting deteriorated as regards to the constant mental breakdowns, but I have the zeal to start again because I look forward to participating more in #needleworkmonday so I definitely have to create more pieces which has unlocked a different part of creativity on the inside.
My chores are lesser because my parents think Iāve got a full time job on hive when i told them about it lol. I no longer have to wake up early to do all the sweeping.
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I also try to console myself with the ideology that things happen for a reason and you can make the best out of every situation. I can attest to this as Iām more productive and even happier now.
My heart goes out to every Nigerian student on here thatās going through this phase as well. Know that Itās normal to feel sad and unproductive sometimes. Iām sending plenty of virtual hugs if youāre triggered by this and I just want to let you know that youāre not alone. Youāre doing well for yourself and things will get better.
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Hopefully our country and government would get better and we can all return to school soon enough!