🤓Freshman Year

Hey friends,

I’ve waited a long time to write this one😃, so here goes.

Last year, about a time like this, I had already settled in my hostel room, with a yearning heart to a new beginning, or so I hoped. Continuing students had not yet come back to school and so it was mostly us freshmen and a few student leaders. School seemed a little desolate, much lower than expectations. It was rather quiet, except for a few loudmouths who force everyone to know they’ve arrived at Uni, and the occasional sherehe(parties) held for different groups of first years. And what marked the genesis of all my woes was when I didn’t get an invite to any of the planned events. I was roaming campus, desperately looking for a group to squeeze myself into or a professional student body to join, since everyone was joining and advising me to join; or at least create a new friend circle early on so as to have people to go on events with or hang around with in campus.

All these hit a brick wall, hard! And left me crumbled and in shambles. Ever tried so hard that you look desperate? Well, I was worse. It was like I was on my knees, begging people I don’t know to be friends with me, or be my hang-out buddies. It was not only disappointing but also embarrassing, to me of course, not anyone else.

Inevitably, I started spending time alone in my hostel room, since my roommates were those ever-out guys that you only see in the morning when last night’s hangover is killing them. So for most nights early on in the semester I was alone in the hostel. I was too timid to go to the ladies’ hostels, having being rejected a few couple of times - once bitten, eh? I also didn’t feel like going to the functions held for first years coz when you don’t have anyone to go with, or at least someone you know there, it ain’t such a fun experience as others around you might have it. So I decided to stay in my room and star gaze for what that was worth.

But gradually, as the semester progressed I started to do the simple things, and not try so hard. I started going to lectures well in time. Going to my church group more frequently. Not forcing conversations with every chick I met, but having normal, true conversations; not trying to sell myself as some ‘cool’ boy or ‘why-you-should-date-me’ kind of vibe. It was purely organic, genuine!

And to true to it, I started having more friends. Getting invited to more events both in and out of campus. Having more people with the same energy surround me. And damn, my hostel room slowly became a den of pure vibes and chills. It was a group study room and where ‘em girls used to come to chill the night away😝.

By the time school closed for the Christmas holidays in mid-December I was attending small end-year-appreciation parties at friends’ places as an invited guest, not as a gatecrasher. And my contact list had grown as well, with very meaningful contacts.

I also attended a hike to the seven hills of Ngong; I could not feel my legs man! Those hills are not seven, it is a lie told so that you go try the hike. But try it out, it’s genuinely a wonderful experience🌚 And since I do not learn from my mistakes😅, I was called up again to hike Mt. Longonot with a group of friends, and I said yes. That was one hell of an experience! The view over the Rift Valley was nice and all, but actually climbing the mountain, and going round the crater at the top finished me. I came down from that mountain, dusty, tired, stinking, angry at everything and everyone for no reason, thirsty, but most importantly, fully believing that if I commit to doing hard things to the end, I truly can. Even if I fail, I can do them to the end. Coz that hike left me physically broken, yet stronger.
Finally, mid way through the year I applied for some scholarship and got it on the first attempt. This small achievement actually made the rest of the academic year very worth it.

A few things I take from freshmen year:

1. I am a slow learner😐. This does not apply only to classwork, but even in life. It might be coz I overthink my decisions too much, or just that my brain ain’t that fast. Many a time at campus, and even before campus, I’d been told I ‘load’ too much and do things slowly. And even in class I struggled to catch simple concepts as fast as other classmates did. And so for freshman year, it took me a while to learn my environment, (as often is with me with new things), but I caught on just fine. And this is something I’m definitely working on by the end of the year.

2. Be you, champ🙂. This would have sounded so cool if someone had said it to me and I was quoting it here, but apparently no. But I would like to say it one day to my sisters’ children when they come to Uncle Reagan for advice…lol😅, and I tell them ‘Be you, champ!’
   
   Aah, I digress.
   
   In first year at campus, like any other new chapter in life, one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves, and others, is to be ourselves. Not that we do not adapt to the new change in life, but that our innermost principles, values and character are not easily shaken. One of the reasons I got so free with my new friends and circle at campus is that I appealed to my inner true self. I freely talked about how much I love watching Spongebob, and how I love writing and cleverly written pieces of art, and how I delight in staying in church all day on Saturdays. And slowly the group of friends I became so fond with were anime lovers and deeply rooted brethren. And it felt peaceful and fun.
   Be you🙂.

3. Make the move!👟 It might not be the first move, but make any move, don’t be stationary. I remember making the first move on ladies and being turned down more times than I can number, but it left me knowing that at least I tried and it failed, rather than thinking of what could have been. Away from the negative side, I made the move to apply for the said scholarship and got it; something which most of my friends shrugged off coz it was those events you are told to remain behind and be told something by some guest you’ve never heard of. And I made the move to apply even though I did not match the basic qualifications. I also made moves to just say hi to someone in the lecture hall, and it lit up some people’s days. Others are now really good friends. I believe in making moves, especially in campus. A ton of opportunities can come your way that do not even need your merit but just that first step.

   

4. 🚢The journey is the best part. At the end of the freshman year, it was not that I completed the season that made me happy. It was that I did everything I could to make it a memorable year. I joined a gym. I became a leader at church. I met wonderful friends both in and out of campus. I attended school events, and night-outs with childhood friends who were around the city. I learnt some lessons the hard way and some in fun ways.
   The journey, as so often is, was bumpy and meandering, but was the best part.

On to sophomore year. Viva!!✊🏽
(I start sophomore year tomorrow by the way, fingers crossed that it’s gonna be a good one🤞🏽)

❤️My favorite things this week.

1. 💌📥Subscriber influx - this week received another subscriber influx for this newsletter. Honestly, I didn’t know it could go this well for the first weeks. I expected to continue writing for at least two years consistently before I even hit a three digit subscriber list but it has been better than expected. I appreciate you all wonderful readers. It is even better to write knowing there’s another person at the other side of the screen. I would request you to refer this newsletter to your friends and your friends’ friends; we grow as a community of friendly readers. But as I said in my welcome email, it is an absolute delight to have you here❤️. And this is just the beginning folks, goodies are headed your way.

🎧Favorite songs

What goes around by Justin Timberlake 
We’ve all heard of the common saying what goes around comes around. Yes, now in this 14-year-old song Justin reminds his cheating hooker of a girlfriend that what goes around the block, will come round the other corner. And the beats, uh, classic💯. Justin Timberlake can do little to no wrong, can’t he? I’ve watched a couple of his movies and they’re great. His music I think speaks for itself. And this is another top one, I think 400M others would agree😎.

“
Hey girl, is he everything you wanted in a man?
You know I gave you the world, you had me in the palm of your hands.
”

✍🏽Quote of the Week

PS: If you have a few seconds to spare, please hit the button and let me know what you thought of this email. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it and what could be improved. It also reminds me that there’s another person reading it on the other end of my screen😅. Thanks.

Have a wonderful week ahead!

Reagan.