Leaving my comfort behind - The move, weight, and relief

Nobody will willing want to leave the comfort behind leaving the people they feel safe with, their life and things they enjoy going to start afresh in a different and probably strange land. Sometimes, we have no choice and must move when life happens, and other times, we make a decision to move in pursuit of a career, a job, or in search of a greener pasture.

I welcome you all to my blog, and I'm going to share with you all my personal experience of how I left lagos to my state of origin for educational purposes. This week @indiaunited community #contest theme is leaving comfort behind.

My personal experience
Being born and bred in Lagos State, it was very tough for me to leave behind the home and people I knew, my sisters and friends, in the name of pursuing higher education. I wanted a school in Lagos or it's environs but my mother wanted me to study in the East so that I could put an eye on my grandma. I prayed against the admission that I would not be picked, but I got an admission even though I didn't do so well in the exams.

I realized that I had to accept what's coming, I would go to a place where I knew nothing about, no friends, and worse, I couldn't even speak the language. The night before I left, I wept profusely. It felt like I wasn't going to come back.

I left with a family member. It was a very long journey that lasted almost 24 hours. My mother kept in touch, and she already called people at home that would receive me. Seeing their love and acceptance made me happy, and I realized I was overthinking.
I started my school processing until I got an accommodation and moved to the hostel. I met students from different parts of the world in the hostel and made new friends. I also started learning my language, which I would never have taken an interest in learning if I had remained in Lagos. The first time I spoke to my grandmother and my mother in our dialect, they were shocked and thrilled to hear me speak in my mother tongue. To date, I'm the only one amongst my siblings who make a good attempt to speak Igbo language.

The most achievement I'm happy about leaving my comfort behind is discovering my best hobby, which is cooking. I probably wouldn't have discovered my love for cooking and exploring various meals if I hadn't moved. I loved cooking so much that everyone knew me back then in the hostel as ChefChi, I had almost all the kitchen equipment in the hostel and my roommate would always contribute and give to me to cook a meal for everyone because they enjoyed my meal. I still have my toasting machine and other gadgets still working fine since my university days.

One of my roommates recently sent a message to me that she missed my meals and that whenever she visits Lagos, I would prepare my signature pasta for her.

Sometimes, we have that natural fear to leave our comfort behind because of uncertainties. I'm glad I left mine because it became an opportunity for self-discovery for me

This is my response to #iucontest contest for the week, and I invite you all to participate in this contest by clicking on the link below.
https://ecency.com/hive-197685/@indiaunited/indiaunited-new-contest-and-last-fb5f127f575d4

post written by @kachy2022. I wish you all a great day ahead. ❤️❤️❤️

Images are mine