Goodbye Iwo: I learnt, I grew, I conquered

Hello everyone! :)

Sorry about the looong weeks of silence, the last few weeks have been crazy.

I was feeling a bit lazy to do this post but then I felt that my service year would be incomplete without a 'Goodbye Iwo' post.

So, here we go!

I am actually a bit more emotional about the end of the service year than I had thought I would be, lol. I think it's almost impossible to live in a place for almost a year and not leave with one or two memories to last one a lifetime. For me, I am parting with an uncountable amount.

Peace out, Iwo!

With Toheeb @ his after-school hustle

Kenny and Tayo @ Passing Out Parade (P.O.P.)

The queue to get your certificate at the P.O.P. It wasn't easy, yo!...

...But we got it!

Life is really interesting; I've always found it funny how we imagine events playing out a certain way but then reality just shows up and you end up with something you never expected or imagined. Case in point: serving in Iwo. Everything definitely didn't go according to plan. Ok, there actually wasn't a plan or much expectation. Except that I expected to have a ridiculously fun service year, and to serve as a French teacher. When neither of these worked out (i.e the kind of fun I had wasn't what one would typically define as fun; In several situations, I had to do a lot of lemonade making. Also, I didn't end up teaching French like I'd have liked, I taught English instead which I think was by far more fulfilling than teaching the former would have been), I decided that the best thing to do would be to just throw myself into the experience and take it all in. This sums up my attitude throughout the service year. 

Firstly, I am super thankful for the idea to start this blog. It gave me something to be excited about and look forward to, and as weird as it sounds reads, blogging has taught me one or two things about myself. 

On friends: I've also formed some wonderful friendships; ones that circumstances forced upon me, yet choice has sustained. NYSC brings different kinds of people your way. Some cool, some okay, and some you usually wouldn't approach or even like at first sight, but after a few months of living together, attending CDS together, and teaching together, magic happens and you find yourself forming the most unlikely friendships. 

With Jane @ P.O.P.

Eniang, Ola, Ephraim, Moses, Okhai. Last night in Iwo

On teaching: If you think you're patient, try teaching the students at Anwar-Ul Islam. They'll prove you wrong. Imagine spending an hour teaching a topic, explaining in English AND Yoruba. Then you ask if everyone understands what they've been taught, even begging them to ask questions. They say they have none because they believe they understand. Then you ask them a question and they can't answer correctly. Spending 2-3 lessons on a one-lesson topic; dragging one's feet on lesson notes because you don't want to teach the next topic without first making sure the last topic was well-understood. The same process repeats itself EVERY class. 

They literally almost pushed me down!

"Aunty!!!"

"Aunty, camera us!"

On NCCF: Life with a group of young people who are passionate about the Gospel. A lot of sacrifices were involved but I had peace knowing that God was pleased with the little we accomplished. We literally lived on faith and seeing it yield fruits.  There were times where we needed things and after all our efforts, all we could do was just believe, and God never let us down. There was a lot of spiritual and mental growth, we learnt patience, we learnt endurance. I had no idea that my service year would be so God-centered. It was indeed a chance for me to learn about service to God, about giving, about sharing God's love with people, the power of prayers, of worship, the realness of God. These were a few of the many life lessons I'm taking with me.

Gerald (G-FinSec), Funmi (G-Mama), Patrick (G-RuggedPrayo), Imah (G-MD)

The cheesy but true bit

There are several other experiences to share and stories to tell but I want to keep it short so I'll end it here. I'd say that the main theme of the Iwo experience for me, was SACRIFICE. Jesus explained that there's nothing special about giving when you expect to be repaid. I have learnt/I am learning to inconvenience myself more often just to see someone smile; the importance of doing things for people without even waiting to hear a "Thank you"; and showing love to people who aren't easy to love. It's the little things that matter. Do something little for someone everyday. It will make a difference, I promise. Also, live. Just live. Do something unusual, something different, every now and then. Throw yourself into experiences and just enjoy it. Start something and don't quit until you see it through. Do it. Just do it. Live. Just. Live.

Everyone's been asking, "What's next?", "What happens to thetownofIwo?". I say, stay tuned, people :). You will hear from me reeeeal soon.

Peace and Love. 
Btw, stay strong in Christ, Heaven in real ;)

PS: It's still a town, not a village! :P