Shame, Shame, Shame! Big Shame!!!

*Silently Takes a Seat and Clears Throat

Hola Amigosssssss,

Bojour mon amour

Before you throw tomatoes at me for the months of silence, let me attempt to woe you. My love for you will always be stronger than the Nigerian currency. When I found you, I deleted Google because what else am I searching for in life? What else?????

With those few points of mine, I hope I have convinced you and not confused you about the state of our love. That being said, omo. Your girl is in her last semester in graduate school. As in, it’s been almost two years since I moved to the US, and by May, we will eat rice and walk across the Harvard stage. Mad oh! (Nigerian slang for Crazy!)

Fun fact: I have not attended a graduation since primary school. For my secondary school graduation, I was writing my Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam. At the time, my dad was convinced I’d be in the US or Canada for college. I still packed my bags and went to the University of Lagos, Nigeria. But I’ve forgiven my parents, so no problem. For undergrad, I didn’t know we had a graduation ceremony. It was 2020; you can’t blame me for thinking a pandemic was enough reason to cancel.

That being said, I’m deeply invested in enjoying this planning process. I’m here for all the looks, so please send recommendations for places to shop. I also get to see my family and hug my brother. I miss him so much. I’m shocked I get to say I’m attending a Harvard graduation and not a guest. I’m already getting questions about starting a Ph.D. Abeg, let this master’s degree holder breathe.

While trying to sit in the present, I can’t pretend not to be scared of the future. Will I get a job I love? Where will I live? Am I making the right decisions? Like, what am I actually doing? It’s crazy how I started this grad school journey with all the answers to those questions. But here I am, almost two years in, and suddenly clueless. All I’m sure about is my graduation slay.

I’ve found this bible verse as a source of comfort. If you’re not a Christian, this verse is a pick-me-up line for the days I feel like a dirty imposter.

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

2 Corinthians 10:5

There’s a lot to catch up on, but let’s start small. I have five classes this semester, deep in the trenches with homework and juggling a campus job. But I want to document the last lap as much as possible, so watch out.

Please feel free to share any suggestions for a graduation outfit.

Lots of love,

Tee