I'm back

Waking up to a 5 am alarm  meant something to me: a new day and in a few hours, a new location. I had been here for years. Used to the  squeals of little children in the playground just by my window, used to the slap of piercing cold on a winter morning  and used to the sound of the tubes which announce your destination with a little advice to pay attention to the gap between the platform and the door.

The reality of returning to my home country did not sink in till I found myself wake up to the squeal of the peacock in my compound, the dry Harmattan wind and the sound of the drivers talking loudly about a certain night.

Even if I have been here for a while, it still feels like yesterday when I flip through pictures of the past, sometimes hoping to return as soon as possible because I miss a particular place and the memories it brings.

It’s usually hard to go back to a more tasking way of life when one has tasted the life of living abroad. One thinks of the luxuries that were enjoyed as a result of a good system, transport, electricity and especially all kinds of shopping!

But at the same time, returning home has made me see this country in a new light. There are so many things we can achieve here, a system waiting to be built with so many opportunities to build them. Knowledge waiting to be imparted on those who ache to learn what we know but have no means to do so, a splurge of ideas waiting to be shared and a multitude of chances waiting to be taken.

I believe that the countries we move to are like that for a reason; people took chances, they sweated, they worked hard, they achieved the achievable, took advantage of opportunities and taught others to do the same. If most of the people decided to move out, we wouldn't be going there…

So I've decided to stay, to help in my little way and hope to see the results it brings

This is my country, if I don’t help, who will?