I pass by the lib and an unbelievable but not unusual sight strikes me: students queuing to access the building! With the bureaucracy of security checks (we live in the age of terror- need I remind you?), anxiety and uncertainty on their faces is understandable but the shaken demeanor is laughable.
Someone just remembered that retakes are lurking in the air waiting to appear on their papers. The lecturers are more than willing to give them I guess, for they are always striking and we know why. It then takes a kind heart, a heart to educate a nation despite poor pay. Well, if the recipients of such charitable acts are unserious, writing barely intelligible sentences and all such other crap, then they should hell get marks they deserve!
Inside the lib, it takes the eyes of an eagle to locate an empty seat…and I did not have to see that for myself. It is only logical, or let us just say I have foretelling abilities now. The silence is impressive, save for the usual noisy fans labouring above, that I guess did not stop doing their menace during my absence.
Two weeks ago, such queues could have been somewhere else. I do not know, it could have been the entrance to a club or an overnight prayer meeting.
Exam times at university are trying. They could be worse here because we think campus is the place of freedom and happening. No one waves a cane in our faces to get us to the right places. And so we kick the books aside and chop lectures with abandon.
Call me a sadist but I recently discovered two hobbies: looking into sleep deprived, bloodshot eyes and occasional yawns.
This time of the semester is a struggle, to push yourself against your will. From reading for hours and hours on end, putting up with the cold while cursing the rainmakers, to cutting down on things and people you love.
I am glad my Facebook news feed has less crap. Also, all those long chat lists with idlers waiting to say ‘hi’ are rare. People are busy now and I like it.
Messages from some Whatsapp addicts are now less frequent and statuses now read like “keep your distance…exams are here. “ The Whatsapp case is understandable too because pockets are rioting and mbs are in hiding.
Then those attention seekers, yes, those who call you thrice everyday. Reality dawns inevitably. Books at some point like this take their place of importance. Those calls could not be more annoying than now.
Good luck as you battle the ghosts of your laziness.
editorial@ug.nationmedia.com
