Two shades of embarrassment

I’ll forever be a fan of taking trips down memory lane. I mean reminiscing about past experiences, smiling at the funny ones, appreciating how far you’ve come, and even letting out a few tears when necessary, is one good way to lift or sour your mood.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of the Nigerian academic environment- the university especially, these experiences are part of what makes up the social aspect of schooling. I remember this one time, during a particular class in my second year. We’d spent over one hour into the class already, with our lecturer doing her duty. Only for her to receive a call from our departmental coordinator, reminding her of the class that was ongoing. When she shouted at him through the call, and we got the hang of what was going on, we all bursted into laughter at how hilarious it all was. I never forgot that incident till this day.

Now, have you ever found yourself sleeping in a public place, and you’re called out for it with everyone’s eyes on you? I don’t know about you but I once experienced it and although remembering it now is funny. Experiencing it wasn’t.

There was this one time in my first year, where I was preparing for exams. I had few weeks left, and so, I dedicated time to reading at night. Even the days I had classes to attend in the morning, I spent time reading the night before. That particular day, I had a 7am class, and had spent most of my night reading. I attended the 7am class, even though I felt cranky through most of it. After the 7am class, I had another at 10am but between both classes, there was a break of 1 hour. That break between 9 to 10, induced sleep, considering I wasn’t doing anything and so, I found myself dozing off during the second class.

Now, I wouldn’t be doing justice to this story if I didn’t mention how strategic my sitting position was. I sat at the middle of the class, just far away from the lecturer but still close enough to not be among the backbenchers. I chose there because that was the only place other than the front where I could see clearly as well. And yes, I’ve never been a front seat enthusiast.

I sat there, in the lecturers line of view but away from him. I didn’t know i had dozed off so deeply on my seat till I heard the lecturer say in my sleep ‘Look at that one that’s sleeping. Did you not sleep at home?’ The moment I heard that statement in my sleep, I knew I was the one being talked to. I opened my eyes immediately. Many people were talking to look at me and I stared back at them with a confidence I didn’t know I possessed. The lecturer stared at me, I stared back like I wasn’t the one being talked to. I made sure to look unbothered by all he was saying, and staring back at all those that turned to stare.

This made people so confused because while the lecturer seemed to be talking to me, I didn’t act like I was the one being talked to. I played it out with my head held high till the man had no more attention to pay to me.

I never forgot this incident because we were over 700 students in the class, and I didn’t know I could handle such an embarrassing situation the way I did - confusing almost everyone. Till date, that remains one of the most embarrassing situation I’ve been in, but the way I handled it was what made it less embarrassing.

Thanks for Reading.

Images are mine.