I was a second-year student at UNILAG, studying Botany, and honestly, I was tired of the routine. It’s a long backstory, but let’s save that for another day. You might wonder how I could feel stuck in a routine while pursuing a degree, but I knew there had to be something better out there. I was conflicted about what to do—some said I should be a lawyer, and others suggested nursing, teaching, acting, guidance counseling, or even storytelling. I remember someone even asked why I wasn’t studying Yoruba! If you’re unsure of your path, just make sure you have people you trust to give you directions that will get you there. God bless my mum.
Even though I felt I was good at almost everything people thought I should pursue, yes even Yoruba I guess, my mum always reminded me to seek God’s guidance about my future.
During my second semester, I decided to apply for an MBBS program in Ukraine. Why did I think that God was leading me toward the medical field? I have always thought so, let me share a quick backstory. Before UNILAG, I worked at a media house (shoutout to R2TV), where I met some incredible people. I was thriving there as a pre-producer intern—proactive and engaged!
One day, Abigail, one of the producers, asked me what I wanted to become. When I told her I wanted to be a medical doctor, she raised an eyebrow and asked, “So, what are you doing here?” I chuckled and said I liked it there. She advised me to go home and pray for clarity about my purpose. God truly placed remarkable people in my life.
So, I took her advice, prayed bout it at home, and had a dream that got me like amazing! A little about my dreams. My dreams scare me. Wonder how? Yeah, right. Sometimes I have some dreams and it feels like I’m poke-nosing into people’s personal space. True story, one time had a dream an acquaintance of mine went out with a particular girl, I got her name in the dream, called him, and told him what she looked like and her name. They newly met and trust me, I was scared too.. This gift of dreaming gives me the information I don’t even want to know sometimes.. trust me. Later on, I discovered I was called into intercession, I wish I had known this way earlier though, well, better late than never. i didn’t know early enough that I wasn’t just seeing this to know, I was seeing this to intercede where needed. I’ve made some wrong decisions and some very bright ones. Don’t worry we will talk about dreams some other day.
Me I always wonder why I can’t see where 1 million dollars is hiding sha.
Back to the dream, there was a huge accident, and the Executive Manager was assigning roles to everyone in the office—microphones for presenters, instructions for producers, and computers for editors. Everyone received a task except for me. When I approached her to ask for my duty, she handed me a kidney dish along with forceps and other medical tools. I tried to explain that I belonged in the pre-production team, but she insisted I join the medical team. Wow!
I got back to work the next day and shared this with Abigail, she told me I had my answer: it was time to leave the media for now and apply for JAMB. That’s how I ended up in Botany as the JAMB score did its thing, Apostle actually applied for botany for me—at least I was still in the science field!
Now, fast forward to my Ukraine visa application. Did I get admission? Yes! Did I get the visa? No. How did I feel? Disappointed, to say the least. I thought my dream was deceiving me and decided to forget anything medical. I was heartbroken.
Just as I was about to leave Abuja after the rejection, my uncle’s wife mentioned that someone had told her about opportunities in Turkey for her son, and I might want to explore that. You can imagine my first reaction, I didn’t even know Turkey was the name of a country. After checking the county out, I applied, mind you I applied cause I felt nothing spoil, either I get in or not I’m fine; you know that anyhow anyhow feeling.
I remember crying my eyes out at the Cheribum and Seraphim Unification campus fellowship after my Ukraine visa was denied. I told God I was exhausted and desperately wanted to study outside the shores. That night, I went to submit my application in Abuja, feeling overwhelmed. I cried from Unilag New Hall Area to FSC Area, repeating, “I’m tired, God.” It was a heavy moment, and I fell asleep that night in tears.
Then came an encounter that still gives me chills. I woke up in the middle of the night to find an angel in the bathroom. It told me not to worry, to stop crying and assured me that everything would be taken care of. I would travel and not have to worry about anything. It promised me that everything would be great and not to fear. The words in Isaiah 41:10. To this day, I can’t tell if it was a dream or real, but I was terrified and ran back to my room.
I got admitted to study Dialysis—a two-year diploma program in Turkish. Did I get the visa? Yes. Did I want to go? No.
I asked my mom to decide for me, but she made it clear that some decisions are personal. She encouraged me to consult people in the educational sector (God bless Apostle!) and make my own choice. At a point, my mum told me to go and just use the visa and then come back if I’m sure I don’t want to take that offer. More tears followed because some decisions carry heavy consequences—they can shape the next decade or even the next 50 years of your life.
During my SIWES internship, I finally made the decision to leave. Was it willingly? Obviously, there was an external force, let me just say the Male gender of Gen X happened. That’s a story for another day! I called my friend, Racheal, to help me pack for the trip. The night before, we went to Oshodi to gather supplies.
Finally, I left for Turkiye and landed in Istanbul, completely unaware that English wasn’t widely spoken. It was there that I met Naomi at the airport, and my adventure truly began.
Merhaba arkadaşım hoşgeldiniz!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog post! I’m committed to sharing my journey and feeding your reading appetite with every diary entry. If you have stories of your own or messages to share, feel free to reach out to me on jemmylistens@gmail.com—I’d love to feature your stories too! Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog, and follow me on Instagram. I’ll be in the comments section, eagerly waiting for your thoughts on this blog I’ll see you here sometime next week!
PS: NO REAL NAME WAS USED!!!
I KNOW YOU WILL BE HAPPY TO SEE ME BEFORE THEN!😉
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