After school, what next?

Brian Osano

I would have started this story with, 'Ushawahi kaa chini ukafikiria vile...' but not today, guys. One thing about me, I think a lot. But hey, don’t call me an over-thinker. I know when to stop thinking, not every time though. I guess most of the time I have the oddest thoughts, like, why is grass green and not red or why do humans walk when every other animal crawls? Crazy, right? But lately, I have more sensible thoughts, like, after school, what next?

As I write this I am seated in a lecture hall, wondering why I am so tired on a Monday morning. Let me confess: I usually spend my Monday mornings wishing for Friday. I am in my final year, last semester, which I think has played a role in my unusual exhaustion. Honestly, I feel like I am riding on empty. But you know what guys, I got this!

I look at my phone. Time has refused to move. The lecturer must have thrown a joke because everyone is doubling up in laughter. It is not like I don't want to laugh, but come on guys, he is not even that funny. But then he says something that kind of gets my attention. ''Ukiwa umeshiba hufikiriangi...saa zingine njaa kidogo inafaa.'' This statement rings so true! If you doubt, just look at all the lovers who’ve turned into poets thanks to small small character development they earned after a failed relationship.

One disturbing thought I have had for the longest time is that I really don't know how to handle my 26-year old broke self. I am turning a year older in a few days. Yikes! The 'what next after-school' thought never leaves my mind these days. It gets even worse when I hear stories of the thousands of unemployed graduates in our country. And I need not look far. Let me tell you, my boda boda guy has a degree in actuarial science! 

One thing I am learning as I grow older is that problems will always be there. The naijja people say, 'Everyday na different wahalla.' How apt. In this life, challenges will always be there. The unpopular opinion about life is that problems bring meaning to life. Some would say a life without chaos is a boring one. Do I subscribe to that notion? Maybe, but I hate that fact. 

Don't get me wrong, I am not a narcissist who thrives in chaos. All I am saying is, to some extent, problems add some kind of spice to everyday living. Challenges open your eyes to a whole new perspective about life. They make you aware of your strengths and weaknesses. Such is life. But after life has thrown its chaos at us, there will come a time when we shall look back at all those sleepless nights when we went to bed hungry, and be proud of who we became. I have suffered so much due to campus problems like brokeness and rejection from females that I now know that problems are inevitable. You just need to swim through them. That said, let me get back to my thoughts, because, really, 'after school, what next?' 

Brian, 23, is a student at Moi University