WALKING MY PATH.

I choose to trust whether it's okay to trust or not and to believe whether it's okay to or not. For me, its one of the miracles of living. While some people may think it's stupidity then i must say it's okay to be stupid if that's what it takes to trust and believe in people (lol.....) but i choose to believe differently.........its a miracle not stupidity. That was the case when I first got to know about "world life experience".


I was seated in the sitting room one morning during the last days in the month of June keeping myself updated with the happenings around me when I decided to check my timeline on face book. Its become a norm that I will always find something new and just as I thought I saw a sponsored post "world life experience". I went through its content and I was drawn in so I checked its website it reads " travel, discover and share experience". 12 lucky people will tour the world (40 countries) within a year with two weeks break four times and getting paid for it. First though of anyone is that its an adventure of a life time (smiles.....) But while on it, they will carry out different social activity. For me that was the deal breaker. It wasn't just going to be an adventure but lives will be touched ( you want to know more about WLE then check their website www.worldlifeexperience.com and also their social media pages).

I told my brother about it and he said "scam alert"( lol.....). He said that because of the 9£ that will be paid before you can complete your application (lol....). Even before telling him I read a few comments on the post I saw and there were a lot of people questioning the reality of the project. I mean it's a big one and looks unrealistic to some people (lol....) But that is when I choose to believe and to trust. I thought whoever would have though of such idea (lending a hand to people while having an adventure) will come off as sincere and it's a bigger risk to not be a part because of 9£(lol....). It's so much courage for everybody who applied because there were thousands of people from all over the world applying and the chances of being among the twelve (ermm.......thinking) I believe the answer will be in binary (lol.....). I went ahead with my application and along the line I had issues with making my payment plus the website was down for weeks (sigh......). Eventually when they came back online and the deadline was pushed forward, yet again there were questions on the reality of the project if they can't handle such issues (WLE greatest challenge during application days). Still I wasn't able to make payment as a result of the payment method not working with my country so I sent an email. Again deadline was moved to the 7th of August (sigh....) and another payment method enabled as a result of people like me left behind who haven't completed their survey. I was able to make payment and complete survey during this time and then all applicants had the long wait (lol...).

Website down again after 7th of August but social media pages buzzing with information of progress and a lot of anticipation from candidates all over the world. People were following through to see what becomes of their fate on the journey and finally in September we all saw what we have been waiting for. 5th of September I saw on my timeline that 84 preselected moving on to the next stage with two more stages before finally getting the twelve. Everybody was to get an email but already there were comments and all comments were not selected, not selected, not selected (sigh......lol). By then I haven't gotten any email yet. But I think I saw two selected from the 84. So where are the rest???. Not everybody has gotten an email yet and we've been told already it may take a little time and to make sure to check all email folders.

A few people started to raise eyebrows and question how the selection process was done, where are the 84, why weren't they good enough. A lot of why, where, when, how.......(sigh....lol). So WLE uploaded the first photo image of the names of the 84 preselected but brought down the post after they came under fire from the public. I didn't see that photo image but saw the newly uploaded one. There were comments about why WLE brought down the post with all the comments ( apparently they were negative comments). I went through the list of the 84 but found it to be greatly unbalanced. 23/84 from spain , 17/84 from Brazil with other countries represented. Some continents were sparsely represented like Africa, Asia, Oceania and we have 41 persons from just two countries. I shook my head and thought they made a really big mistake. I expected more from WLE as someone who had faith in them but was indifferent about the whole list thing(lol...).

WLE posted again how the 84 were selected and so I checked to see how it was done but I stopped in my track when I saw the stake for the selection was raised different from what was advertised and by then I totally lost faith in them. There was no fairness at all. Negative comments on their page and people giving up on WLE. so I decided to send an email. I tagged it "my two cent". I requested for the email to sent to the appropriate team in charge. I wrote about how I had so much faith in WLE and it staying long only if things were done right. I wrote about my reasons for not wanting to be a part of the second season because of the unbalance in the list and WLE raising her stake to select the 84 different from what I was to believe when I applied and hoped things will be looked into. I wasn't expecting any reply as that was just me giving my thoughts. Surprisingly I got a reply from Antonio Dias and he had this to say about how it turned out
       "I really understand your point, as I respect your side             as well your feelings. 

            However all the process have been made by                           recruitment specialists   they need criteria to select              and for this first edition,  it's important that                               everything goes well, so they considered the                           traveling experience relevant on this  event.

          It's a long journey, and it's really important to the                     upcoming events that everything goes as we                      planned, so we need to guarantee all the right                         conditions.

•     We want to show to everyone that we are                            transparent with the selection process, but this is our          first event, we can make mistakes, but I promise that I          will learn with every mistake to be able to correct all               them on the next event. I apologize sincerely if                       something look not fair, but I m working hard to                      transform this on a truly experience. "

We exchanged a few more emails and we became friends (it was that easy.....lol). More importantly than being friends I got know he is as polite as polite can be and a sincere person. He also spoke about his love to meet new people from different cultures, sharing his view, getting others life perspectives and his wish to start a way for everyone to enjoy those rich experiences all over the world (I believe that is where WLE comes in). He is also an open person, can be philosophical (lol.....) and is willing to learn. It was only much later I got to know he is the visionaire behind WLE.

For me I understand that sometimes in life mistakes are inevitable but our willingness to learn and wanting to never stop to make a change makes all the difference. When Antonio asked me if I would love to do an article for WLE, the first thing he said even before i gave him a reply of if i would or not was that it is okay to write about the mistake as that was what truly happened (lol....). He spoke about being courageous to tell the truth and bracing up for whatever comes afterwards.

Today I am happy I walked my path with WLE. After all for me aside the adventure is the lives that will be touched all over the world that counts.

I believe in WLE and its success. How many more are with me?....lol.

Kisses and hugs.

MY COMEBACK.....

Smiling........So once in a while I come in here to see how tall the grasses are growing, the weeds taking over the whole the place, cobwebs everywhere and all sorts of imaginable things on an abandoned piece of land (lol...) but each time I leave with a longing in my heart to have my comeback. I mean, I miss my times here and for the life of me can't really remember why I kept pushing my comeback (still thinking.....).

Writing is my get away thing and I have a lot on my note pad already (never stopped writing). After taking the long break my first intention was to have my come back with my story ( my life story) in a series. I had that planned long before I took the break I never intended will take me this long to come back from but I had to cut my break short (shines teeth).

I wanted to share my life story firstly because I wanted to say something to someone, anyone. Sort of make them understand there is someone else here writing (lol...) Probably who can understand and be a shoulder. Secondly because I got several offers and opportunities both locally and internationally during my break to write stories but never took them because I feel I write only articles. So starting with my Story I hope will trigger the imaginary part of my brain for fictional stories (shrugs....lol). Be rest assured I am not dropping the challenge but only pushing it forward, so anticipate.

While on my break I have been asked severally why aren't you blogging again and most times I just give a blank stare with nothing reasonable in my brain to give as my reason (lol...). I know well enough there is no excuse no matter how busy or well not so busy (eyes rolling..) as i might think so I always say "I still blog but just on a break" (scratches head......but did I really stop blogging?). I have had to refer severally to my blog during the past months and remembered I took the break to come back better so it was always on my mind. But I had several encounters that made me realise it was irresponsibility to keep stalling. There were people who followed up and still follow up.

It became more and more necessary each passing day. IFTTT has been a constant reminder to write on my blog and not my note pad, friends&family. Two recent scenarios really made me cut short my holiday. I got a call two days back from a friend and all this person just called to ask was "why have you not done any podcast recently" ( I was dumbstruck ) my saving grace was that, I was where I couldn't talk for long so I excused my self (lol...). I take it as my responsibility to have good answers when asked about my blog and besides, that question could have waited till we saw each other as we live not far apart. Same day, another friend ( how became friends is still amazing as no one would have thought it possible) asked about my blog only after exchanging pleasantries then was when I took a deep breath and decided to cut short the holiday. I have been thinking about it so i just needed to stop thinking (lol...). I understood it could only be out of goodwill and I am sincerely grateful.

So I am back, better and you all really need follow up. Next week I have female genital mutilation as my topic (you don't want to miss). I really want it to be a podcast but I hope I get every guest I want to talk on the podcast together and ready, if not it will be an interesting writeup

STAY TUNED........XOXO.

ONE SOUL.

I wanted to use the ATM some weeks back and met a long queue with a man having the attention of everybody waiting for their turn to withdraw. When I got closer I listened and the first words I heard were "save him first, that person's life is much more important". Hearing that alone, he got my attention a 100%....lol. He spoke with so much passion and apparently was talking about an Issue I had concern about for a while now.

I discovered weeks before the weeks I went to use the ATM a law I never knew existed in Nigeria. One day I was on my way home with my mum and then I noticed a little gathering by roadside with a man in pains. It seems as though everybody was just looking and nobody was helping. So many thoughts crossed my mind and I told my mum that we should help out since everyone was just looking instead of getting into action. My mum stopped me and told me we better mind our business like we saw nothing. I was a little taken aback and then she explained to me like the wise old women in movies do.....lol.

There was an accident and just a few steps away, I saw some police officers gathered collecting money while someone was at the back dying. My reaction was epic...... Lol. A lot of people have this notion of you just don't help people because you want to help them. You could help someone and put yourself in serious trouble with the law for helping. You could get accused of being the one that caused the accident by the police and relatives or while you think you are helping someone, you find yourself in a den of thieves. She told me of different experiences people have shared and I thought about how many lives could have been lost and the people who genuinely needs help. We know how our ambulance system is so unreliable and all the other trouble with our system. I feel everything is a mess.

For once I was seeing someone who spoke with so much passion about saving the soul first and not minding what the other consequences are. Some people looked at him like he suddenly developed horns....lol while others thought he has probably lost his mind. The argument continued and all I did was listen. Before he was able to withdraw and leave I doubt he was able to convince anybody following the counter attacks he was being given and being the only one on a team. But he did a good job. After he left, there was still talk of how he was able to achieve all that without any trouble and I discovered the man in question was a police officer.

But I loved this man's enthusiasm for souls, I loved how he encouraged people and telling them to save lives and that the police were people like us and could be talked to. I don't know this man from anywhere but saying that alone made me feel we are heading for a change. We just need a few more like mind people.

I met with a group of older friends when this topic was discussed again and there was talk of how Nigeria was not like this before, how this laws started, how the whole mess was a seed that was sown a long time ago and grew to this point, the Nigeria of then and now. All I could do was sigh. From their point of view the vices were not this bad. People were not this bad and one begins to wonder when and where did it go wrong.

I wish for a better a Nigeria, a Nigeria where people are not reckless with lives, a Nigeria with less vices and more good people, a Nigeria with comfort, a Nigeria with a voice for the unrepresented, a Nigeria with less unprivileged, a Nigeria where one can easily help, a Nigeria with less corruption and more justice. The list could go on but lastly a Nigeria with one spirit, one mind and one soul.

Thank you very much for reading and let's follow me on Google+, subscribe to my blog and invite others to read my blog

Comments are always welcomed.....kisses and hugs