DAY 17: Funmi Dumebi Akinde

One of the guests that made me dance in my head when she said yes to my ‘Hello everyone, we at Perry’s Tots will like to feature you…’ proposal. Able class rep since forever! Enjoy 🙂
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At first glance, it definitely looked like my 2014 was a pretty uneventful year but then I did have my 2014 wish which took pretty much the whole year to come through. Hopefully, this doesn’t turn out to be too long a story.

JANUARY : Basically, 1st of January had me praying for just one  thing. I remember clearly because at service in church when the reverend asked us to table all our desires for the year before God, I had just one. Obviously I finished praying before almost everyone, because there I was sitting in my seat at the back and peeking through one eye wondering why Nigerians always had so much to pray for. One day I’ll probably eventually find out. So my request; we get to go on a month’s elective in medical school at the end of our fifth year (which is Nov 2014..or well was supposed to be) and then I told God I was going to apply to just one school and I prayed really had that I got the space and everything fell into place. It might seem like quite a basic thing to pray about but hey, I was putting all my eggs in one basket.

FEBRUARY: So February came and the portal to pay for the application which usually is open for only a week came up. And by this time I had already planned with my closest friends “awon goons mi” that we were all going to go together. About 9 or 10 of us. And then the portal opened, one of us paid and then shazam! The portal was not working again! Our cards just weren’t being accepted. So here I was trying with every single atm card I could come across and they still were not being accepted. *insert mad and frustrated me here*. By Thursday I still had not been able to pay and was already kissing my electives spot goodbye because the portal was going to close on Friday and then I took a second to pray (well pretty much complain and ask God why he decided to fall my hand and break my heart and all) and I got a reassurance. So here I was with my ‘reassurance’ and still had not been able to pay when I decided to just call the school. I called, and the nice lady gave me the option of paying over the phone and in 20 minutes I had received my receipt! Barely 24 hours to the portal closing.

JUNE: After sending in my application in March, June had me still waiting for a reply as to whether I had gotten a spot. By this time, most other schools had closed applications as well. And so I started doubting again if God had really heard me that fateful cold January morning. And then about a week to my birthday, one Monday afternoon, classes had just ended and then one of my ten other friendS gets an email as we are walking to hostel and starts screaming that she just got her space. With immediate effect, I started looking for good network spot and resumed refreshing my email almost every 10 seconds till I got mine like 20 minutes later. 20 agonizing minutes filled with palpitations and hot flushes. Literally!

JULY- NOVEMBER: I sense that this story needs to end soon. Well in July, there was a strike and then the period for electives was moved again to January after I had already gotten my spot. And my prayer was a 2014 electives not 2015! So there I was lost and wondering whether to forfeit my space and after several talk with the Dean, HODs (plus the mean-ass ones! *rme) I eventually did go for my electives and currently I write this piece from my cold room under the duvet. There were still so many eventful happenings in between but hey! I’m here! And its been good so far. My miracle would ultimately be completed when I am back to school and allowed to write the exams I missed.

In summary, 2014 taught me the power of faith, hope and trust. A lesson I couldn’t have learnt in a better way.

So I am grateful for the challenges that taught me these. I’m grateful for the people that genuinely think I’m awesome regardless of the gaping faults in my person. I’m oh-so-grateful for family, old friends and new friends alike.

My hopes for 2015: may it be my last year in medical school. Lol. We gats pray with all the strikes na. I pray for 365 days of love, joy and happiness for me and all my loved ones and not-so-loved ones as well!

Cheers to new beginnings.

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Seasons greetings from Perry’s Tots! 🙂