Mawufemor lay awake that night, reminiscing about his time in Ho and at the E.P. University.
During his first year at university, a few of his colleagues were aware of his workplace, and he was constantly mocked. This didn't bother him much, but every now and then, when he wasn't able to make it to class on time or at all since it was a market day, he became concerned, but then some lecturers joined in to mock him. Then there were the difficulties he faced with presentations and answering questions in class as a result of his stammer. Many of his colleagues and some lecturers felt he was stupid because he stammered. And the struggle went on day after day.
But Mawufemor had faced such difficulties before. He'd been through a lot: hunger, cold, homelessness, hopelessness, mockery, betrayal, and so on, and these things weren't going to stop him.
Though Mawufemor had formed a habit of saving and spending wisely, his sympathy still overshadowed his logic. For example, despite not having his own apartment, Mawufemor would lend money to his colleagues who needed money for rent and hostel costs. And there had never been a time when they had had to repay. Most intriguingly, several of these people had borrowed from him four times in two years.
He was beginning to feel the effects of financial stress. He was seen as a young man with a decent heart, and his colleagues took advantage of the situation. But it wasn't just his colleagues who took advantage of him. Some of his lecturers did the same, borrowing loans from him to fund the printing of their handouts and then refusing to repay. Then there were the market ladies and men who would ask for help in the form of a loan to help them pick goods from Accra and Lome. They avoided money lenders since they charged excessive interest rates. Mawufemor was a better alternative because he didn't charge interest and they wouldn't pay him back—and he wouldn't even have the confidence to ask for his money.
So, during his four years at university, Mawufemor never had an apartment or a hostel; he slept at the market. Then a hairdresser graciously allowed him to sleep in her salon, away from the biting cold of the night.
He had developed an uncomfortable wheezing cough and sneeze as a result of sleeping in the open. His diagnosis revealed that he had bronchopneumonia, a disorder that caused breathing difficulties connected with sneezing and coughing. Because he felt he couldn't afford hospital treatment, he turned to a local herbalist at the market, who provided him with a 250 ml bottle of herbal medicine once a week for 200.00 cedis. Only after Mawufemor moved into the hairdresser salon in his third year of the university did the respiratory problems, coughing, and sneezing stopped. Nonetheless, the local herbalist had claimed credit for it and even offered to give him supplements to, as he put it, "boost his oesophagus!" Mawufemor realized immediately that he had been duped the entire time.
Mawufemor's finances declined significantly as time passed. He had less time to work than he used to because of his academic schedule. His lectures and private study consumed the majority of his time. It got to the point that he could only go to the market once a week. This was not beneficial to his finances. His money ran out over time, and he was forced to live hand to mouth. He went back to eating one meal a day to help him save for his education.
Mawufemor was determined to learn every skill available in his new academic surroundings. He had met a few IT-savvy colleagues. He took his time learning from them a few IT skills such as graphic design, website design, and social media content development, among others. Mr Mensah had explicitly told him:
"Always diversify your skill set; that way, you'll never go hungry—your skills and services will always be in demand!"
When he was in Accra, he was inspired to learn carpentry, masonry, painting, and other crafts. To succeed in Ho, he simply had to follow the same principles.
"Always prepare yourself by learning new skills. The opportunity to put them to use will undoubtedly come sometime," said his mentor.
So, despite his pain and challenges, Mawufemor made it a point to study every skill available to him. He learned the most of them for free, but a couple he had to pay for.
Will there ever be a time when all of these skillsets meet opportunity?
TO BE CONTINUED...
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