16 Mar

The Unfolding

Published by Ishoyor - Categories: #Life, #Thoughts, #Love, #Reflection, #Beauty, #Death, #MasterClass, #PKB, #Photography

There are many pieces to a puzzle and this story is how very many things like puzzle pieces can form a picture so beautiful.

It was just another ordinary day and I was wasting away my time on social media because, it was either that or me reading some mass communication theory that was bound to give me migraines for ages. Out of the blues, my sister sends me this ad about a photography masterclass holding in Calabar and implores that I register believing it would aid my artistic process.

After extensive bickering, I eventually give it a shot and register myself and my roommate for the course dubbed: The Peter Bello Foundation; Photography Masterclass. Major exciting news, Kelechi Amadi-Obi would be there and I had dreamt of meeting this image god since I was 17.
Suddenly, stuff started going sideways. My once full pocket bled empty like a punctured vein, my lecturer decided to fix a class for the day of the screening plus a programming class I registered for was holding sessions simultaneously with the screening.

At this point, I was sure heaven didn’t want me to attend this class. The signs were obvious but some voice kept pushing, nudging me towards #30 MCC road, Calabar. On the said screening day, I decided to skip the class, rush over and receive a bit of programming lessons and then go over and get screened. There were photographers more skilled than my rookie self, there was a great likelihood I wasn’t going to make the cut but there was no harm in trying so I made my plans.

#ShotsByThoughts

Friday descended upon me quickly and I plunged into a day of plenty waka waka. I arrive programming class and discovered it was poorly organized but I stay anyways and soon enough, I’m walking to what would turn out to be my most positive experience ever.

Screening commences and I soon discover that I left my passport photograph at home and I have to pay money that I already barely have enough of to go retrieve it. “Heaven is against this” but stubbornly, I continue; “after all, it wouldn’t be the first time I flaw heaven’s rulings”. I retrieve my passport and in the process misplace the keys to my room… “Punishment I guess from the most high for ignoring his voice”.

I successfully register and go through the screening process and the usual “we’ll get back to you soonest” ends my first encounter with the organizers of this event.

Two days and I’ve received no text message or email and my roommate has received both. I say to myself, “Text or no text, you’re going to attend that stuff, all those transport will not burn for nothing… nonsense”. Eventually an alternate text message arrives and I take this as my cue that I was accepted.

It’s Tuesday, I have a test scheduled for 10 am but I don’t care. If at all I don’t gain anything, let me just be in the same room with Kelechi Amadi-Obi and all shall be well.

The event begins and I start to hear things about the Late Captain and my mind is just blown. I’m equally torn between awe, depression, motivation and inspiration. “He was only 26”; I keep repeating this like it’s meant to magically change everything. Immediately, I start Googling every material I can find on the guy, the more I find, the more for some reason I discover that my life has made very little impact on my environment.

“In the brief while you trod the earth, you were a motivator and even in your absence, your legacy has given 80 people the chance to live a dream, have their passion enforced and lives changed… and even after death, you’re still putting smiles on people’s faces” (Peter’s Segen. August 2016).

It’s been over 6 months and still, that sentence “He was just 26” is my driving force to not just strive to succeed in life but also to live the same life to the fullest just as Peter did. What started out as my tale of misfortunes turned out to be my greatest motivating factor.

Now, I’m no accomplished success story, I’m just another random kid who dreams of the big life but behind my dream is the real success story; Peter Kayode Bello, Air Captain, Engineer, Photographer, Model. Successful Man… Respectful Son… Loving Brother.

I say to myself; “Maybe at 26, I can inspire half as many people as he did, hopefully at 26, I can live up to the legacy he unfolded me into from heaven, maybe at 26, I can make him proud of me”

These aren’t puzzle pieces no more… this is my picture, THIS IS MY STORY.

#Peace
#Pavesiloni
#PKB
#HeLivesOn
#Ishoyokpelor.