"I can not imagine my whole life without Mandela's Example "  Barack Obama

As the sun sets today , it sets with the death of one of the greatest leaders of  all time. Nelson Rolinhlanla Madiba Mandela  died earlier today  December 05 2013 . I cry not because of his death but because I  can not find any way possible I could thank him for his contribution to Africa and the World at large.I  hope  the love of the world  warmed his  heart and pleased his soul in his last difficult days on earth. Though he may have departed, his great deeds shall live on after all of us and for millennia to come. Rest In Peace  Mandela.

Standing Out

From experience, I have come to the realization that it is much more easier to blend with the crowd. Life seems to be less strenuous when we follow the footsteps of the mass disregarding, if their actions are wrong or right, we neglect out standards and values and forget our goals. But with a trend like that the world would come to a stand still quicker than we can imagine, when there are no new discoveries or innovations. To avoid such catastrophe it is mandatory that we learn to live a life that is ours, we need to act on our instincts and stand out in a good way.

Nothing Good Comes Easy

It is very common amongst us to desire good things life has to offer such as good grades, a good job, wealth, and so on but we are reluctant to work hard for it. Our dreams and desires are only vague and empty if we are not willing to go through the required process to make them a reality. Though it might be tedious and discouraging, we should understand that that is the price we have to pay to live a noble life. Just as the popular saying goes, "no food for a lazy man" neglect laziness and embrace hard work.

                                                      A materialistic world.

It is of great concern to me seeing how much people worship the things of the world such as wealth, prestige, beauty and so on and neglect the most important values we ought to have to successfully live a healthy life. Some of the values neglected are wisdom, faith, truth, determination, hard work and so on. Coming from a country where corruption is the sole of  the day I have observed situations where the only way you can function or get what you want is through bribe. Bribing of police men, bribing of immigration officers, bribery within the government and so many more. And this disgraceful life style is as a result of misplaced priorities and values. A situation where there is no integrity or discipline, a lifestyle were to thrive, you have to be influential and ready to succumb to the deplorable ways of corruption. 

                                                    Knowing your worth.
It is of great concern to me when I meet wonderful people who do not even appreciate their own selves, who do not know their own value and worth. This many a times is as a result of low self-esteem, a situation when we think we are not good enough. It is important to always remember when we feel this way that God said he created us in his own image and likeness and we know every thing about God was good and perfect. So why think less of ourselves? We should learn to carry ourselves as dignified persons and the world would treat us so. We should also keep in mind that no one can make us feel inferior without our consent.

                                                            POWER OF WORDS.
Words are not as ordinary as we think there are, they are one of the most powerful weapons that could either make or mar a person. Once they are uttered they cannot be taken back or reversed, that is the reason why we should think and consider the words we are about to speak before we say them. We should spend more time investing in positive words like "you are beautiful", "I am important", "I love you" and avoid hateful words. These words could help comfort someone going through a hard time or someone deep in depression. As a person words I can say, are part of the reason I am who I am toady. The constant words of encouragement I grew up hearing formed the better part of me. I believe words are the easiest way to contribute to the good of a society so why not help build a healthier world and tell someone " I Love You".

                                       Wining by losing
It should be noted that in life everything must not necessarily be in our favor, we don't always get what we want. Sometimes we lose and sometimes we win. But one of the important factors that determine the extent to which our success goes is our attitude to losing. Do we see failure as a challenge or an incentive to work harder? or do we see it as an obstacle that can never be conquered? Failing doesn't necessarily mean you are empty, rather it serves as a motivation to do better. We are all accustomed to the saying " life is not a bed of roses", we must face obstacles to succeed, we must compete to grow and advance and we must win and lose at some point. I have learnt to accept my failures as a reason to work harder, and I believe I am obligated to turn my weaknesses into strengths. Remember, the best winners are not those who don't fail, but those who fail and fail well. Those who can pick themselves up  after being knocked down.

                                       Outfly!
After a painstaking wait for the outfly day were classes would be cancelled, it came finally on an unexpected Thursday morning on the 17th of October 2013. From my sleep I was awaken by the voices of my floor mates screaming outfly you could sense the excitement in their voices. Being that I was deep in sleep I was unsure of what I was hearing so decided to go back to sleep but a few seconds after it clicked. It was outfly! I jumped up in excitement and started waking my roommate up I was more excited than a child that hadn't had candy in years and was given one. I freshened up and ran outside in excitement. Getting to the field I remembered I was supposed to have an economics test that day, this realization triggered my excitement and I started dancing for joy.
 After a few minutes the president arrived and addressed us and then we proceeded for breakfast. It became more interesting when I discovered our breakfast was being served by our professors. I can say I was having a good time seeing people in different costumes, our professors serving us and so on. later that day we had various games, obstacle courses, inflatables and many more. The day ended with a hunt for the president, with a promise of a gift card to Walmart to whoever found the student body president. It indeed was an exciting and fun experience for me and once again an avenue to build the family spirit here at Wartburg college

                                                Choosing A Career Path.
Growing up as a  child, I remember the different transitions I had concerning what I wanted to be in life. At the age of Three all I wanted to be was Cinderella, I wanted to be as beautiful as her and as lucky as she was excluding the wicked stepmother experience of cause lol. Four years later Barbie was who I wanted to be exactly like, her fancy clothes, her pink themed room, are cute little poodle and all. But as the years passed by I realized that those where all fairy tales and more important things mattered. At an early age of 11 after receiving a speech in my first year of secondary school (high school) on Making Nigeria a better place, I decided I wanted to be a huge contributor to making this dream come true. But still I had no idea of what it was I was going to do. I had  the option of helping through the medical sector,through the teaching sector, the economic sector and so on. As the years passed by I realized the medical sector was not my calling as I had minimum interest in the basic subjects such as chemistry and biology. And so the search went on for something I enjoyed and could also have an impact on my surrounding, Then I discovered my love for economics which was a subject I enjoyed and loved and also discovered that I could use it to boost the most lucrative areas of my country such as the oil sector. I could discover what we are doing wrong and develop strategies to make the economy and standard of living better for a wide range of Nigerians.

                                                  All it takes is a little effort.
In life I have learnt that effort is one thing that many people fail to invest in. It is an important element of success , one that is capable of changing little things to much larger things, Effort is that element that turns talents and potentials into incredible success. The kind of success many would try to unravel, the kind of success that makes us distinct amongst our pairs, that kind of success that propels us into a life of excellence and respect. Our aspirations hopes and dreams can only be made real through effort. Effort in our studies, effort in our relationship with people, effort to go the extra mile, effort to learn something new each day, effort to realize our potentials, effort to write our own story of what we hope to be through meditations and actions. The extent of the effort we put into these things would determine if our story would be worth telling. Effort is what makes greatness.

                                                          The Power Of  Friends.
It beats me every time I think of how much the company we keep ends up influencing our behavioral patterns. Maybe its because I was once an experiment, or maybe its just my own perception, either ways I have discovered to a large that extent it truly does. Sometimes we say to ourselves " I have a mind of my own, or I'm not easily influenced" but in the long run the company you keep would tell on you. I remember in my early years of high school  when I fell into the wrong company, I was once told by my best friend who discovered earlier that I was beginning to move with the wrong group. But I would usually give the exact same excuse "I have a mind of my own". After a couple months I discovered my grades started dropping and my interest in school work quickly deteriorated. I took out time to think about what I was doing wrong only to discover that it was the nonchalant attitude of my new friends that had rubbed of on me. I quickly took steps that led me back to the right path. With this I have come to understand that, the company you keep would either make you or mar you.  

THAT VIRTUOUS WOMAN.

She speaks the truth at all times, she is respectful to her elders , she is God fearing , and obeys the instructions of those older than her. She heeds to good advice and takes to correction when wrong, she is truly apologetic when she offends someone and has standards and values she wont jeopardize for the anything or any one.She follows a path which is righteous an neglects shameful ways. A woman whose attitude can take her to the greatest altitude, she is worth more than diamonds and rubies. She is a woman of virtue,a woman of integrity and great value. That is The kind woman I hope to be.

                                                                  A True Friend
A true friend is someone that knows and understands you, Its someone that knows your weaknesses and does not take advantage of it but rather helps you become stronger. A true friend is someone who always has words of comfort when distressed, words of advise in times of confusion and words to motivate you when depressed. A true friend is that person who brings out the best in you, a true friend inspires you, someone you can look up to. A true should be cherished and appreciated. My truest friend is my Mum.

                                       MY FEARS, COMING TO COLLEGE.
What is it like there? Are the people friendly? Would I have a good roommate? Would I be considered inferior because of my race? would the teachers understand me? ... Those where some of the questions that constantly pondered my heart as I prepared for college. Some days I had sleepless nights, sometimes I told my mum how I had changed my mind about schooling abroad but still there was this voice inside of me that told me it was going to be perfect. So I got to Wartburg college, met the friendliest and open minded people, found out I had an awesome roommate that I got along with, met the most understanding and graceful teachers and was accepted and regarded as important. So I wondered why I bothered my self worrying, when all my fears where blessings in disguise.

                                               A TYPICAL BAD DAY.

Waking up at 7.30am on a cold Monday morning when I realized I had a 7.45am class, I dashed to the bathroom to have a quick shower, got back to my room started scribbling through my closet for something to wear, in the midst of all my hurry and panic, I hear a loud sound, I turned back to see what it was, It was my laptop which I had mistakenly pulled by the chord to the floor. Hoping there was no serious damage I turned on the laptop, behold, my screen was broken. Already upset and moody I dashed of to class, only to realize we had a reading quiz  that I didn't know about. Soon after my classes for the day at around 1.45pm, I went off to the library to do homework, so I started off my 5 page essay that was due in two days. After completing my 5 paged essay at around 5.30pm I saved it and went to dinner. I came back soon after to edit my work and revise it, only to find out it was not there, the essay did not save. The tears I had held back for the whole day flowed down my cheeks so easily and continuously I could not hold it back even I tried so hard to. What a day!  

                    THE JOURNEY TO WARTBURG COLEGE WAVERLY IOWA
           It was on the 25th of August 2013 when I boarded the KLM flight going to Amsterdam from Lagos, Nigeria. I was very excited but scared and sad at the same time, what a mix of emotions. I was excited because I was going to college and it was the start of a new phase in my life and also because it was going to be a whole new experience for me, considering the fact that I was going somewhere that is so far from home. And  I was also scared and sad because I was leaving my family and friends and also I was travelling the distance alone. It was my first time of travelling alone so, it seemed a little bit scary but I wanted experience it since I would be doing al lot things on my own.
           After saying goodbye I proceeded to the various checkpoints and finally to the plane. The flight to Amsterdam was about six hours and when we finally landed at around, 5.15 am Amsterdam time, I proceeded to wait for my next flight to Chicago  which was at 11 am so I sat waiting. Finally it was time to go through security check to board the flight so I successfully went through  and waited to be asked to go into the plane little did I know what was in store for me, when it was announced that the plane had technical problems and couldn't fly. So this meant we had to wait extra 2 hours for them to get another plane ready. I was devastated, hungry and tired. Finally we boarded  and took off  the flight lasted about 7 hours 45 minutes. when we landed I proceeded to get my bags because I was to take a different airline to Iowa from Chicago. After getting my bags, I checked them in and boarded the flight which lasted about an hour or less, The flight also had other International student going to Wartburg. By the time we got to Iowa I was really tired but I was still; excited and couldn't wait to get to school. We met with Kofee, Lindo and Max who picked us up and drove us to school. when I saw the Wartburg sign post I couldn't but smile, I knew it was going to be a  great experience.

                                       VALUE OF AN EDUCATED LIFE.

              Education I believe, is one of the greatest gifts and opportunity one can give to himself. An educated life to me, is a life  that has meaning and a life useful to the person involved and the people surrounding that person. Education to me is one of the most important things in life as it helps you live respectably, an educated life is one that gives you the chance of having a great job  from which you can make a living. Education makes you feel like you have something to offer to the society you live in and not just part of the population. Education also makes you aware of your rights and obligations and also keeps you well informed about the world you live in. With an educated life you cannot be pushed around by the world rather, you would be part of those who call the shots. In all, an Educated life is a life worth living.

              Education is one of the primary goals which I am set to achieve because I believe education is the key to the door of opportunities, with which I can make a good living and also an impact in the world. I have a dream of becoming one of the best economist and diplomat in my time and this dream i have realized, can only become a reality through a sound and well-rounded education which i believe Wartburg college could offer me. And that marks the sole reason of why I have enrolled as a student at this prestigious institution.