Classes began. I had 10 modules to study that year. I won't go into the details of explaining the contents of such modules. However, I will fairly state that what I studied that year was not what I had expected. The modules were not difficult neither were they easy. They were tedious. They lacked a sense of direction. You felt like you were studying without a purpose.
Concerning teachers, don't ask! Many were careless. They coudn't care a dime if you understood what they explained. They entered the amphi, blabberd incessantly and, then, got out, leaving you dizzy and open-mouthed like a darned fool! I wouldn't lie if I say that many collegers who studied with me at the time didn't figure out what those indifferent teachers used to preach as they were also mouth-opened all the time!
Anyway, what I did to survive and succeed that year was self-learning. Thank God there was and still is Uncle Google. Without it, I could have easily lost a year. However, this self-studying process cost me everything. It drained me completely. It would have been great if teachers didn't check attendance. Yet, they did, and it meant coming to college everyday even if you didn't understand what they were preaching. You had to come! If not, you, by then, allowed them the privilege of subtracting your grades, which they loved most! You had to come, listen to their blabber, and then go home only to restudy the whole thing. This meant no social gatherings anymore! No football! No Friday picnics! No darned entertaining thing! You had to force yourself. You had to be disciplined. You had to apply the GO-HARD-OR-GO-HOME mantra.
At first, I thought it ok, especially at the first three months. I would wake up early. I would go to the local coffee shop, grab a full cup of coffee, head to the station, wait for the overcrowded bus to come, reach the institution, meet SNAKO, attend to the indifferent teachers and then come back home, staying awake all night restudying. Then, I had it up to my throat. "I've had enough," I said to myself one day, "tomorrow, I will talk this thing over with the head of the institution."
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The day came. I finished classes at 2:00 p.m. that day. The head was supposedly at his office, I thought. I walked right up to it. I stood in front of the door. I am not gonna lie. I was scared to walk up to him. Three months in, and I heard that the guy is known for his ill-temper. So, I checked myself. I thought the situation. Then, "Darn it. I am knocking that door. Ain't no one gonna stop me. Let it fall where it may!" I said. I knocked slowly. No answer came from the other side. I knocked the second time. What the heck is he doing. The guy must be sleeping, I thought. I had heard from one of the collegers once in our 10 a.m. breaks that the institution had no security cameras. So, I poured my rage into that door! The rage of attending without understanding. The rage of being ignored by those teachers. The rage of the meaninglessness of it all. So, I kick-boxed the damn thing! I jabbed at it! Maybe SNAKO was right! Maybe I was fit best to be a SPORTING MAN! I damn nearly ripped the thing off its hinges. Then I heard footsteps approaching. I straightened up, fixed my messed up hair and assumed a calm demeanor. Psycho stuff. It was the head.
"Hello, sir! Good day to you! Would you please allow me to speak to you?" I asked politely.
"What is it YOUNG MAN? Is there a problem?" He asked, his face hurriedly assuming a serious expression.
"No, sir! I just want to ask you about collegers' attendance in this institution,"
"What is your question?" He asked, his face on the verge of showing anger. I kind of liked it. But since the matter I was about to ask him was of importance to me, I didn't want to mess it up. I decided on not showing him any mocking expression. I remained nonchalant.
"Sir, is it a necessity that teachers should check attendance each session?" I asked.
"NOW.... WHAT KIND OF QUESTION IS THAT? YOU ARE A STUDENT. YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO ATTEND EVERY DAY. TEACHERS MUST CHECK ATTENDANCE BECAUSE THAT IS PART OF A PROTOCOL. THAT IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF OUR EDUCATIONAL POLICY. HEAD BACK TO YOUR AMPHI YOUNG MAN." The guy gave me a lecture.
This meant that there was no hope of skipping a day or two. This meant constant attendance. This meant a year of utter suffering. I had to think of a solution, a way out of this cage, and the only thing that came to my mind at the time was to repass my BAC exam so as to be able to register in another institution; another specialty.