“I want to be a pastor when I grow up” for five-year-old me battling demons in my dreams was no easy task, to have overcome it that was an even more significant achievement, I was going to be a pastor. I cannot tell how long that childhood dream lasted for but for years I longed for that sort of conviction, the kind that made my five-year-old self feel I could take on mountains to achieve what I wanted.
Pictured above, Uzezi
Final year in high school and in art’s class did not mean I had anything figured out. I had no idea what I wanted to study at the university or what I wanted to become; it was not a Pastor anymore. My father advised that I studied Business Administration and I thought I heard Public Administration and I began to wonder why I was in an art class. Was it because it was so easy? Or was it the fact that I genuinely loved literature. Well, WASSCE results came out, and I failed Math, which meant spending an extra year at home.
The thought of repeating yet another year after I went down that road in JSS2, was terrible. Everyone was going off to university and here I was about to repeat SS3 because my mother would not let me write WASSCE from home. September of that year came around, and I resumed at my new school. Everything was new to me. It was a day school, and there were boys too. I had just finished from an all-girls school, so this was entirely new to me: teenagers with raging hormones who were acting on it, where no grown-up eyes could see, and actual crushes that were not based on characters from the movies.
A whole new world that didn’t condition my emotions was open to me. But I had one goal in mind; to excel at my WASSCE exams this time around. And so boys were the last thing on my mind as I gained a new perspective in life. I was leaving boys for when I turned 18 while I pursued a new dream of becoming a lawyer. I finished with decent grades, and I was off to the university, well focused compared to the timid girl that had to repeat a class. I had grown up, needing no one to push me to achieve what I wanted.
I got into the University to study Mass Communication. Mass communication here was just a means to an end. I wanted to study Law, and I was advised to get a first degree, mass communication seemed like the best idea at the time. I took school seriously and I still was not paying attention to the sweet words boys were speaking softly into my ears, I was going to turn eighteen first, then just maybe by then I would have gained some level of emotional maturity.
Valentine’s Day in my first year of college was going to be uneventful for me just like every other Valentine had been. Days leading up to the event, I sat in my friend’s room, when a young girl walked in with a cake catalog. We could order any cake, and she was going to get it delivered on Valentine’s Day. I had grown up around cake catalogs with my mother as a caterer, so I knew what it was to replicate the cakes in them. One look at her and I doubted her ability to do so. As soon as she walked out of the room, I turned to my friend—
“Tolu, that girl is just making mouth, she can’t make those cakes.”
“How do you know?” she asked me.
“I know Tolu. She cannot even get all those supplies around here. Funny thing is my mother does these packages for Valentine, which includes cake, wine and any special thing the customer wants to add. Then she takes them to banks for sale. I could do that here too you know.” Tolu’s smile was brighter as I explained this business venture to her.
“I could help you publicize, let’s do this business next year” she was naturally excited by the idea, but I was not so serious about it. We spoke of other things, and it was soon forgotten along with the Valentine’s Day celebration, that eventually came and passed.
In ancient Syracuse, a man was witnessed running around naked, dripping wet and screaming “Eureka!” (I’ve found it!). The ancient Greek polymath Archimedes had been asked by the king to determine whether a crown was pure gold. Ensuring this, he took a trip to a public bath and while in it, the answer came to him. My Eureka moment may not have been as dramatic as that ancient man, but it gave me perspective.
It was on a regular day in my second year, sunny outside and a little hot inside. The standing fan in the room seemed to be doing the best it could at dispelling the heat and cooling the room simultaneously. This was a weather condition we were already used to so it was convenient enough to lay on the top of the double bed which I shared with another student, with my earphones tucked in my ear and my laptop right in front of me. I was watching a Hollywood movie “Life as we know it” starring Josh Duhamel and Katherine Heigl.
The female protagonist in this movie was a baker, and she owned this bakeshop where she displayed her goods and just then it came to me. I had seen exactly what I wanted for myself. I wanted a Bakeshop where I had cakes displayed, and people could see them through the windows; I wanted to stay in the kitchen building castles in the oven all day. The joy I felt, was indescribable. I felt like I had finally figured it out. I finally had the conviction of the five-year-old me who thought she could take on anything to be a Pastor. I finished that movie with one thing on my mind; I had to be a Baker.
Small Girl, Big Dreams, Large City, is a personal story told by Uzezi, who became a baker, after chasing after various dreams. Stick with us, as her story is broken down into three parts, which would be released every week. Do you have a similar experience as Uzezi? Would you like to share your experience with us? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below. Remember to like, share and subscribe, never to miss an update.
About The Author: Uzezi is a 25 year old baker, caterer and writer. She is a young lady of many talents. Her creativity spans across different aspects in life. Whatever she sets her heart to do, she accomplishes it. Her dream is to work with TLC’s Cake Boss one day, and she is well on her way, as she keeps honing her baking skills. Uzezi is also the Creative Director at Let’s Talk Nation for Short Stories, as she is talented in fiction writing. Look out for her stories, as they make their debut on LTN. To learn more about Uzezi, visit her Instagram pages on @uzaizie and @FlawlessFlour.