Resuscitated Hope - Episode 19

 

Ifeoma's visa and other necessary documents were done.

She moved to America to start her scholarship master degree.
She was to live in a well furnished apartment and groceries supplied to her in a quantity she would be needing every two weeks.
She had one year to run the two programmes.
She was brought one month to her scheduled programme would start, in order to get acquainted with her environments and schools.
Ifeoma was accompanied by Sandra as she surveyed her street, some outlets and schools.
Sandra was a lady assigned to her.
After seeing all the infrastructures, she knew Nigeria was far behind in term of development.
After her one week of surveys and catching funs, she started sourcing for required books on Harvard online library with her catalogue.
There was lot of books she got which aided her readings.
She was fascinated by orderly organisation of the institution compared to the school. 

2004
Ifeoma started her lectures in the Harvard University.
Lot of cool faces she saw on television became a reality.
Asians, Indians, blacks, Latina, whites and all colours.
She was lost in admiration, as she stood at a corner admiring arrays of walking people, beautiful vegetations and serene enviroments.
Just then a black dude tapped her from the back and she turned.
"Hey, seems you're new here?", he asked.
"Uhmmm", Ifeoma tried to get herself.
"It's nothing", he said and offered Ifeoma a seat by the side.
They both sat down.
"What's your name?", he asked.
He continued, "I am a Nigerian, by the way, and had been living here since I was sixteen when my parents had to relocate from Port Harcourt"
"Oh wow, I'm a Nigerian too", Ifeoma replied.
"This is good. Most Nigerians here are too proud and hardly relates with new people", he said.
"Oh wow", Ifeoma said again.
"I'm Oghenekaro but most people call me Karo due to difficulty in pronouncing the name", he said.
"Nice to meet you, Karo

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. I guess I'll also stuck with it too", Ifeoma said. They both laughed.
Ifeoma continued, "I'm Ifeoma by name,nevertheless".
"So, what programme are you running here?", Karo asked.
"Masters in Economics and my MBA", Ifeoma replied.
"Well, I'm here for my second degree in Neurosurgery after my first in Anatomy", Karo said.
"Nice meeting you", they said in a unison and shook hands.
"Fate would make us meet again", Karo said and they both laughed. 
Thy waved at each other, good bye and departed.

Ifeoma got to the exact location she was described.
And when she got there, it read, "Welcome to the Department of Economics".
She made some inquiries with a black security man there, and she was shown the right class.
She entered the class and there were about twenty people already sitting but she was the only black among them.
She felt awkward as all eyes were on her.

Just then,
Another white dude on a nerdy glasses entered and sat beside her.
She looked at him.
He looked at her.
One would have thought that long lost romance was about to get sparked between them.
"Good morning", he said.
"Hi", Ifeoma replied.
"Are you sure this is where you are having your class as there are hardly or no black person in this class", he asked.
"If colour is the case,I fit perfectly well but is this for Economics Master degree? And MBA afterwards?", Ifeoma asked.
"Yes, It is", he said.
Ifeoma gave him an "okay" look as he can see, there was not a problem.
"You must really be privileged because black students hardly enter Harvard and Economics at that", he said.
He continued, "how much did your family pay to get you in?".
"Seems you are embarrassed, I'm Walter", he said and stretched his hands but Ifeoma ignored.
Ifeoma was becoming angry but didn't let it explode.
In the midst of her anger, other remaining students entered with a pot bellied middle aged man as their lecturer.
All the students were whites except her.
She promised to herself that she would study hard and beat everyone of them to set a standard.
The lecturer started with, "urgh, a black in our midst. What a drag".
They all laughed and another girl at the front shouted, "maybe she paid her way in".
They all laughed.
"Examination will sieve the best from the worst", the lecturer said.
Ifeoma was already used to mockery and that didn't get to her.
Ifeoma grew to a 5'8 tall young woman, fair in complexion, and so beautiful that stereotype of beautiful girls being dull fitted her so much.

It had been months since she started her master and MBA degree and she got acquainted with an undergraduate white Economics guy she helped in his assignments and she also put through in some works and he had been excelling.
His name was Barry.
Ifeoma spent basically her free time with Barry.
They go to shopping, see movies, have fun and do all sorts of recreational activities together.
Barry was 20 and Ifeoma was 24.
Age wasn't a barrier for them and they weren't dating, either.
Their activities were based on platonic level.

After Ifeoma's examinations, she was anticipating for her result and graduation before she went back to Nigeria to start life ahead.
She went to school the next day to get her final documents ready.
Before she got to school, security personnel's were reminding them at the entrance if they'd checked online to see their final results.
There was tension and heart attacks everywhere.
A minute later, after Ifeoma was done with her files arrangement, she saw Barry.
Barry had his laptop with him and she decided to check her result.
She came top in her Master degree class and one of the best in MBA examination.
She couldn't contain her joy.
Her graduation was the happiest day in her life as Barry came with his friends and family to celebrate her.
Mrs Coker called from Nigeria telling her how her name littered all the news paper headline.