A for Effort

Unlike most 31st of December where I'm always hyped about the coming year, this year wasn't like that. For some reason I had felt like there was nothing to be excited about because to me, it was just going to be another Monday. I had even posted that thought on my WhatsApp status but immediately deleted it because I didn't want to be the guy bringing bad energy into the new year.

Unlike in the past where I would spend the 31st night celebrating with my friends before heading to church with my family to go pray myself into the new year, this one had been a lot different. I sat in my room all day and only went out to buy stuff that I needed for food.

And when we eventually entered the new year, I could hear people screaming at the top of their voices "Happy new year!" almost as if they all had won a lottery. I know being alive is a gift worth celebrating everyday but you and I know that is something we only do when we're faced with life threatening situations and come out alive.

Anyways, although I was with my little bro during the new year, there was nothing to write home about that day. My hostel was empty and all of the people I had made plans with to go celebrate the new year had along the line came up with one excuse or the other about why they had to travel down to their village to go spend the holiday.

I felt betrayed because traveling down to go see my family was no longer an option because they live far far away and I already told them that I wasn't planning on coming back home this December. Anyways, with my brother with me, I decided to make best of his time here and took him into my school for a stroll.

_{Photo by juan pablo rodriguez}

I had showed him my lecture hall, along with my exam hall. And I had also taken him to go see this giant horse that I still don't know why it's at the school, roaming around freely. And then we had returned home and watched this grown up men go to war with each other with nothing but fireworks of course.

Normally I would have spent the whole of that day indoors just minding my business and probably seeing movies on my phone, but due to the fact that my little brother was around and this was the first time ever that he was visiting, I had told myself that I wasn't going to be a lazy boring brother, at least not today.

And although we didn't do anything crazy and fun ourselves, the fact that we took that walk, saw the giant horse and laughed at this guys throwing fireworks at each other, that was more than enough new year celebration for me.

Also, I spent most of the time in the kitchen trying to prepare something that wouldn't kill us, so...