THE UNIVERSITY CHRONICLES

Sharon stared at her watch. It was past midnight.  She was feeling scared and anxious. She was beginning a new life as a freshman. She wondered what life had in store for her. If her mother had been alive, she would have been so proud. Sharon was the first of her siblings to make it to university. Her sisters had chosen marriage and motherhood instead. She was her aunt's favorite niece for choosing university. In fact, her aunt had taken it upon herself to tell her how bad men were; that they are liars, and she should keep them at arm's length. It was a two hour pep talk; one that Sharon was very uncomfortable with. Aunt Maggie had been way too explicit for her liking.  Sharon decided not to think anymore. She switched off her bed-side lamp and began snoring peacefully.

In a few hours, her alarm went off. She felt tired and then excited. It was a new beginning for her. A brave new world. She happily skipped to the bathroom for a short shower so she could have more time to apply make-up. At 7:30, she was ready to begin her journey. She bid farewell to Aunt Maggie who was crying as if someone had died and made a long prayer that made Sharon slightly irritated. Aunt Maggie gave her fare and extra money for lunch. Sharon was grateful and she vowed to save part of the money. She was determined to have a good saving culture as she had read about in the newspaper. She vividly remembered that the column was named 'University Life Hacks' and she was willing to put in the effort to 'hack' university life.