PEOPLE’S WEEKEND: The Talent Finder

First day of People’s Weekend!! Let me confess now that I did these interviews last week and I should have posted this ages ago but ‘based on logistics’(sorry I could not resist) I missed my deadline and chose to move it up to this day. 
Background info: My subjects are all medical students (my classmates to be precise) who I assumed, lived triangular lives: school to library to bed (and church occasionally). I decided to meet them to confirm suspicions. Surprise, surprise!

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Me: What do you do except school?
D: I’m shy….
Me: Don’t worry; nobody will know it is you. 
D: Drawing
Me: WOWW!!! (I never dreamt this person did anything except devour books and How To Get Away With Murder). How come we have not seen any of your works??
She opens instagram and shows me one. I am speechless for a few seconds because she is really good.
Me: If you could do this as a real job, will you?
D: Of course! 
Me: Where will you display your work, if you could?
D:  Paris. Well, Lagos in Nigeria. Na Lagos na. We go find one place. 
Me: Anything else?
D:  Photography but I don’t really have a good camera 
(Aww...me too..)
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Me: What would you have done if you could pick another path?
I: I would have been a model.
Me: Really! Why?
I:  I have watched models on tv succeed even with a small stature. (Yes, she is tiny)
Me: So if you could combine medicine with something…
I:  It will still be modeling.
Me: Okay what extra thing are you doing right now?
I: Nothing (My smile drops)
Me: It’s sad. Are you not sad?
I:  I am o!  Help me think of something I can do. But it must give me money though.
(Igbo girls can never change.)
Eventually we settle for ushering. Apparently, it is the closest to modeling that she can get…with our 9-5 classes and all.. Plus the extra cash does not hurt.
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I have to prep this one first so we go straight to his extra talent.
Me: You mentioned that you like to play an instrument. Which is that?
G: The keyboard. Actually I’ve been practicing. I even practiced last night
If you meet the person in question, you will be stunned too. All I’ve ever seen in him is church king and best graduating student. 
Me: You have one in your room! When did you start?
G: A month ago
Me: So if you could perform for a crowd, would you? Where?
G: Of course. Maybe a Christian concert (not surprising at all)
Me: Do you sing?
I’m ready to die if he says yes.
G: Well…not really. I will just play back-up.
Me: Thank you for this. I hope you can continue in that lane.
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I have to really prep and beg this one too.
Me: So tell me. What would you like to do apart from medicine?
J: I would like to be a dancer.
I think my eyes will hinge out of their sockets. The shock is too much to bear and I cannot control my laughter.
J: I even met a dance group and I wanted to register. 
I almost fall off my chair at this point. Somehow the Almighty has kept me glued to my seat. I have never even dreamt that this person cared about music, talk less of dancing.
Me: You have to tell me why!
J: I want to change from the girl that is not able to move her legs to an amazing dancer.
Me: Is that all? 
J: Well, almost everybody in my family dances (they are 7  by the way..) and I feel I am just holding myself back. It must be in my genes somewhere. Also, music makes me feel elated.
(I whisper that the genes probably skipped her but she does not  hear. Thank God!)
Me: Tell me something else you like.
J:  The IT world fascinates me and I’m ready to explore, but I’m short of spare time. If I could, I would love to create and develop websites. I tried doing one for maternal health. I dream of a time when women will stay alive after giving birth especially in rural areas. I would like to do that in the IT world and I’m really praying for the skills, the time and the knowledge bank.
Me: Thank you so much.
At this point, I really want to mention her name, because you will be stunned too if you know her, but I promised not to.
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Me: So what would it have been other than medicine?
K: I would have loved to do other things…adventurous things..
This happens to be a 21st century Jesus Christ. What does he mean by adventurous?
I ask him.
K: I would have really loved to venture into computer engineering.
Me: Really! Tell me the truth. Did anyone talk you into medicine?
K: (He hesitates) They made me see the light.
Is medicine really the light? Don’t get me wrong, I really love what I am doing, but it is NOT the light at all. I’m still waiting for that light they promised us at the end of the tunnel.
Me: Ok, tell me what you want to do now.
K:  I would love to play the keyboard or the saxophone. I started learning with the keyboard but I don’t own one and it restricts my practicing. I also write. You have read my work once.
Me: Yes I remember! So why do you do it?
K: It lets me set my emotions free. 
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Lessons Learned:
  1. Never judge a book by its cover.
  2. In case you belong to the group that has refused to get involved in something else, here are people who are doing other things and are still excelling.
  3. Church/fellowship is NOT an extracurricular activity. Find one.
  4. Challenge yourself by doing something new, no matter how weird it is…dancing, singing, writing, cooking new dishes, sports, dj (two girls have told me that they would to do that), playing any musical instrument…anything at all that makes you happy. (Maybe I should also signup with a dance group. If I can’t move, I can at least offer my data for downloading the songs they need)
  5. If you can make some extra cash while you are at it, why not? Just promise me you will not get carried away
#TheRitaSide
#PeoplesWeekend
#ProjectTalentFinder

Comments

  1. Sapphire15 May 2017 at 01:17

    Let me not mention names, but please come and find my talent ma'am............love it btw

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown21 June 2017 at 05:08

    I love this one!!
    Me that I am full of talents and gifts you didnt come to interview me...
    You're good at this ma

    ReplyDelete
  3. Unknown21 June 2017 at 05:08

    I love this one!!
    Me that I am full of talents and gifts you didnt come to interview me...
    You're good at this ma

    ReplyDelete

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