My Nigerian Culture Influenced My Life

“Chinonso! Don’t you know you are the oldest here! You should be setting a good example for your siblings and not behaving like a baby of yesterday!” I grew up to believe that this was my mom’s favorite statement because she indulged in repeating the phrase at least three times a day. Being the oldest was like a bag of candy. There were goodies to it—Skittles and Twix—but there were also drawbacks—chocolate Tootsie Rolls and Reese’s. Ugh.
I was deprived of experiencing that personal life since everything I had was something everyone in my family wanted to poke their noses into. My things became our things. My business became our business. Nothing was considered mine. However, being at home with my siblings 85% of the time helped to mold my aspirations in life. My siblings would yell my name countless times asking for help, assured that I would always be there. I came to realize the humanitarian spirit within me, which was required to become what I aspired to be: a neurologist. The Nigerian culture defines the female as the caretaker of the household. The female is responsible for cleaning, cooking, babysitting
Through the mistakes people make, I learn life's most valuable lessons. My friends understood my philosophy but they saw me as soulless for seeing people’s mistakes as good. As a child, I watched the mistakes my relatives made within their families, which caused their children to be taken into custody. Although I felt sorry for the family at the time, I made sure I used their mistakes to direct my path. I never would want my family to be at a continuous feud. To me, not making mistakes is the biggest mistake one can make. My parents, especially, made many errors that resulted in them not being as successful. Therefore, I dream to obtain a profitable career and live an accomplished life so I won't encounter the same potholes people around me fell