Daddy

        After reading in my introduction that I had written the Nov/Dec examination three times, the majority of you were sad for me, some were perplexed, and some of you had doubts about the authenticity of my introduction. Many people were sad because they thought of my struggle while writing the examination three times. Some were confused because those who take the Nov-Dec exam a couple of times graduate from college a little later, possibly at the age of 24 or 25, so how come I have already completed a four-year degree and I am already doing my national service at the age of 23? Some also doubted the introduction, questioning how I ended up writing Nov/Dec three good times, not once, not twice, but three good times, since someone who has tutored from elementary school through university should surely be a scholar. You all felt this way because of one assumption. Before I discuss that presumption, Let me define Nov/Dec for my viewers who don't know what it is. 

      To make the explanation easier, let me first define WASSCE before defining Nov/Dec. You can skip this section if you have a good understanding of what it is. WASSCE, which stands for West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination, is the final examination written in all Senior High Schools in Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia. All tertiary institutions in these five nations base their admissions decisions mostly on WASSCE. Nov/Dec was created for students who failed their WASSCE; therefore, it indirectly provides an opportunity to retake the WASSCE.

        This examination is primarily written in the months of November and December hence the name Nov/Dec. The fundamental distinction between WASSCE and Nov/Dec is that to take part in the tests for WASSCE, a student must register with a school, whereas for Nov/Dec, you do not need to be affiliated with a particular institution. Additionally, with WASSCE, you must write all courses, whereas, with Nov/Dec, you could choose to write only one. Essentially, students retake the WASSCE subjects they failed in Nov/Dec examinations. Students also use Nov/Dec to test the waters. They write Nov/Dec the year before participating in the WASSCE to prepare themselves psychologically.

       I did mention earlier that some folks were unhappy, some were perplexed, and some didn't believe my introduction because I said I wrote Nov/Dec three times. I did add that this is the case due to a particular presumption. Most people assumed that I took the Nov/Dec examination after the WASSCE, but the truth is, I took all my Nov/Dec examinations before writing WASSCE. After reading the previous sentence, your first reaction would probably be "okay," but after a few seconds, you will pause and say, "Now, wait a minute, what do you mean by that? How is that even possible?". After saying this, you'll probably start calculating. Well, let me calculate with you. "If he wrote three Nov/Dec examinations in three different years before he wrote WASSCE in his final year, it meeeeeaaaansss he wrote one after SHS (Senior High School) two, another one after SHS one, and the last onnnnneeeee iiinnnn," that is where the pause will come. Let me finish it for you; I wrote Nov/Dec before I entered Senior High School. Yes, I took the exam meant for Final Year Students in Senior High School before I even enrolled in Senior High School. It's comparable to a child in Grade 6 taking examinations for Grade 9. Strange, huh? Well, that's where the title of this story comes in, Daddy, the Crazy Decision-maker. I dubbed him the "crazy decision maker" since, at the time, his choice seemed illogical. 

       It was about two months till my final exams in Junior High School in Senegal. It was around May. I described in my first narrative how I narrowly passed my Junior High School final examinations. I had no idea how I was going to pass the examinations two months before the exams. I was so frightened. I'll probably write a lengthy piece on this subject later. I could only describe my state as being extremely tense. One evening after coming back from school, I decided to take a nap because I was really tired. My father woke me up around 8 o'clock and said he needed to talk to me about something.

        I assumed he would inquire about how my Junior High School Final Exam preparations were going, but it was far from it. I sat down, and he said, "Gabriel, I've been thinking; I think you should travel to Gambia and go and register for Nov/Dec" When he said it, I was like, "Wait oo, am I dreaming?". I did my regular situational analysis and realized I was wide awake. You see that facial expression you make when you believe someone has woken you up for a useless reason? That was the look on my face. For example, your sibling wakes you up in the middle of the night because they can't find their charger and want to borrow yours. It is a combination of astonishment, confusion, and rage in one expression. My Dad realized I was getting angry and responded with this, "Yes oo, Gabriel, I think you are in the exam mood, and I want you to stay in that mood; I don't want you to sit down idle during the vacation." After, saying that I looked at him and said to myself "is this a good reason for me to travel to a whole other country to write an exam, I probably would fail? I mean, where would I stay? And what do you mean by I should stay in exam mood on vacation? Ah, this man, ah this man, I should stay in exam mood during vacation? The vacation, I plan on watching at least a thousand movies. Oh, I'm in trouble, my vacation oooooooo". It was like my father heard my thoughts; I don't know how, but he said, "Gabriel, don't worry, you do not need to learn, just go and write the exam and also don't worry about where you would stay, we'll figure it out." I knew if I said anything other than "Okay" I would be disrespectful so I said okay and left to my room. 

        Everyone in the family reacted to the decision the same way I did. And funny enough, this was the first time he had ever suggested a thing like this in the family. The firstborn and the second didn't do this, so why me?    

      There is a Ghanaian proverb that says that "what an old man sees sitting, even a child standing up won't see." I was soo angry when my Dad made this decision, but it has turned out to be one of the best decisions made in my life. First of all, I thought I would fail those papers miserably; however, when the results came, I passed three of the courses written: English (B), French (A), and Christian Religious Studies (C). I got some D's in some other papers. 

        I discovered a lot about myself while taking the Nov/Dec examinations. I discovered that I was a perfectionist as a result of these encounters. Let me say one thing for individuals who know little about perfectionists. Perfectionists tend to blame themselves for almost everything and tend never to be satisfied. If you don't realize that you are a perfectionist early on in life in order to manage it, you might even consider taking your own life. Yes, it is true. For instance, you come to terms with being a perfectionist at 27. You have an "okay" job and have graduated from college with a third-class grade. Even though your life may be going well, you would view yourself as a terrible failure because you are not at your peak, and you feel you surely could have done better. In the story "Perfectionists", I will speak more on this.

        I seriously never knew this part of myself. The exams that I thought I would not study for, I had sleepless nights studying for the exams. Preparing for an exam in a month and getting those results was a significant accomplishment, but I wasn't impressed. I started asking myself, "Ah, Gabriel, what is wrong with you" and it was then I gained knowledge about me being a perfectionist. I don't recall my father complaining about my grades after these experiences; instead, I always voiced my displeasure—weird, right? Yes, sometimes I'll get a B+, and my Dad would say, "Wow, that's good," and I would say I should have worked for an A. And yes, most perfectionists are ungrateful about so many things. I've known this since 2016, and by God's Grace, I've learned to control it. 

         At the end of Level 100, in the 12 courses that I had done, I had 9A's, 2B+'s, and one C+. Of course, as a perfectionist, I complained for about two weeks about the C+ instead of thanking God for the 9A's and 2B+. Well, I never got such excellent results again till I completed school; it was probably my punishment for complaining about the C+. In my second and third years in the university, some of my mates marveled at how I got my grades. They said they realized I never had fear of any paper, no matter how difficult it was. I know all this was God's doing. I also believe that the Nov/Dec experiences had an impact. Writing exams that were way above my level truly helped me. It prepared me mentally. In my third year, I hardly attended classes because I didn't feel like it, but even with that, I knew how to switch from an unserious student to an excellent one in the span of days, and I owe all that to the mental battles I fought in my Nov/Dec experiences. After completing university, I sent my Dad a long text telling him how much I appreciate the difficult decisions he has made in my life. Writing this narrative, I believe I owe him another "Thank you." 

        Everyone desires to be independent in our world, and we all want to be able to make our own choices without interference from others. My father is not a dictator. He wouldn't have forced me if I said no. I'm quite glad I obliged. Being independent is admirable, but don't be too independent-minded to take advice. At the very least, listen to their opinions before deciding what to do with the information. High-status individuals nowadays can feel belittled when others try to give them advice. That guidance can save your life or send you to more prominent places.

       My Dad has made a lot of crazy decisions in our lives. I don't think I can talk about all of them. As I tell other narratives, there will surely be highlights of them. On Saturday, I will release the story Daddy, The Crazy Decision Maker Part 2. In that story, I'll tell the story of how I became a Hostel Caretaker at the age of 19. Are you surprised? Well, he is a crazy decision-maker, indeed. In that story, I'll give a detailed narrative of my Mother's reaction to the decision. Hmmm, that sweet Mother of mine, well, let me not say a lot. Everything will be on this page Godwilling Saturday. 

       If you haven't read the other stories yet, you can find them at the top left corner of the page. Don't forget to share!!!!