REALTY CHECK

It is February, a month that is famously known for its color-red of course, euphoria about love and relationships and the hullabaloo of wallowing in the limbo of single-hood. I don't like this month for one reason, a reason a few of my friend know and can identify with. Anyway, I was not meant to talk about February, but instead who I am, where I am and what I'm doing in February. It is the 5th day of this lovely month, exactly two months after the academic board and the chancellor of the mighty university of Nairobi granted me the power to go and read. This day, reality has hit me so hard. I just realized I am no longer a comrade but a citizen, no longer a student but a scholar, no longer a learner but a professional. Sure, it is real. It is actually real that campus life ended and now I have to start acting like a man is suppose to. I realized this bitter truth when I received a mail, addressing me with the initial prefix-Dr., which in my mother tongue it is simply said as daktari/laktar.  And just as a reminder, the name 'daktari' was given to me when I was born, so briefly, it has nothing to do with my career, but alas, I am actually a 'daktari' by training, as the lay men would always refer to me when in actual sense I'm actually a 'muuguzi'. Sorry, I was talking about a mail, a mail that was inviting me to a funds drive/fund raising/harambee in aid of the school fees for the son to a friend of the neighbor to a  member of my father's home church. This mail reminded me that in actual truth, I am now a 'daktari'

Forget the mail. I take a flash back at my life as a comrade, an not just a comrade by a bone-fide' comrade of THE University of Nairobi (note the article 'THE'). Its the only university where a comrade is always right, and if he/she is wrong, then it can only be under the influence of some super natural power other than the Holy Spirit. During my life in the UoN, electricity, water and DSTV services were not privileges but demands. It is during this time that I realized that power faults or transformer break downs can actually be fixed in ten minutes instead of ten days as I see in the estates. Burst water pipes can actually be fixed in 10 minutes and opposed to 10 weeks as I seen in the estates. It was actually an abomination for the management to fail to pay for the DSTV subscription before the weekends set in because it was compulsory for comrades to watch the English premier league, in short, comrades must enjoy. What a pity for the custodian on duty over the weekend if the match cannot be watch from the TV room. Demonstrations and riots were no longer news to me, in fact I enjoyed them so much. I learned that Uhuru Highway was actually built on the lands of the comrades and the University Way is only meant for the comrades and cars are actually suppose to stop and wait for comrades to cross. It is funny to know that the University way actually has no zebra crossings because comrades are allowed to cross at any point. Life was awesome. We cooked with the coil, despite the bold rule that cooking is not allowed in the university hostels.We were taken to class with the school bus, a bus that must be there on time or else, the entire management will have to answer questions. We demanded quality food in the Mess, and we would not go for anything less. In short, everything was served on demand.

The campus life suddenly came to an end and now I have to suffer the withdrawal symptoms. I tried cooking with the coil in my new house, that is when I knew 'okoa stima' and 'okoa jahazi' are actually sisters. When I cross the road I actually have to look left and right and left again then cross. I'm actually suppose to pay for DSTV and I can not watch the Man United game when I feel like. Here there is no wifi, I have to buy bundles, haki wale watu wa Bundles Mwitu wako wapi? I can no longer shout or run around when there is a black out, Kenya power will bring back power when they want to. I am actually suppose to pay bus fare everyday when going to work and back. I finally realized that the "L" in HELB actually represents a Loan and I am suppose to pay it back. I realizes that I was an Investment of the society and now its time for me to start giving back to the same society, a society that I never saw paying my school fees, a society that I never saw when I was almost dying from hunger in campus, a society that never new that I actually depended on 10 shillings a day in campus, yes a society that now demands that I give back what it gave to me. But I have to give back in the the end. Yes, I am now in the society, REALITY FINALLY CHECKS IN.