As humans, we always think things are better elsewhere than where we are because we've never been there. It's always greener on the other side, but the truth is, it's not always as we think or imagine it to be.
Everyone deserves a better life, and every day of our lives as humans, we are always on the search for a greener pasture. A place we think it's greener than where we are presently, a place we presume to be a land filled with milk and honey.
In the pursuit of a greener pasture, some get lucky and indeed find the greener pasture, while others don't. Some regret taking the decision to leave their present destination in search of a greener pasture because it didn't go as planned for them. This made me remember the story of a man, my brother's friend, to be precise, who traveled out of Nigeria to Malaysia in search of a greener pasture.
This guy works at the same place as my brother, but he always complains about the situation in the country and how desperately he wants to travel out of it. There was a day he came to our house, and I decided to ask him some questions.
I call him Bro Tee (real name withheld). He is a jovial guy who is always comfortable around us due to the relationship we've built over the years. He came visiting one evening after work, and that was when we had the conversation I'm about to share with you.
"Bro Tee, how was work today?"I hope it wasn't stressful," I asked.
"It's stressful, my dear. Is there any work in Nigeria that is not stressful?" he asked, looking tired.
"Yeah, I know, but we will survive, based on what I believe," I replied with a smile.
"If I see any opportunity to leave this country, I'm going irrespective of where", bro Tee further said.
"Don't be so desperate; things are not as rosy in those countries as we hear,", I replied.
"But it's better there than here, where a graduate is a cyclist," Bro Tee said and hissed as he stood up to go home.
"Anyways, it will happen at the right time; don't worry," I encouraged him as I waved to him.
After my conversation with Bro Tee that day, I do ask of him from my brother, as he hasn't come to visit.
"It's been a while since I saw Bro Tee; I hope he is fine," I asked my brother.
"He's fine; he has a part-time job that keeps him busy these days. My guy wants to travel out of this country,", my brother said jokingly.
"That will be great; I wish him all the best; it's been long he had wanted that," I replied to my brother as we both went out separate ways and headed to my room.
The following week, Bro Tee came to our house on Sunday evening, and he was in the living room with myself, my brother, and my mother.
A conversation was raised by my mother when she saw news about people who relocated out of the country with the hope of a greener pasture but ended up in a country (name not disclosed) where they were being used as slaves and wished to come back to their home country where they live as kings and queens even when they don't have enough.
"All these young boys and girls will be risking their lives unnecessarily just because of what exactly?" my mom asked, looking at my brother and bro Tee.
"Life is better outside this country, mummy; there is nothing here; we are just struggling every day," bro Tee replied to my mom.
It was then that I realized we were in for a lecture today because a typical African woman and mother will not let such a conversation pass by.
"That's what I'm still saying, this boy, why are you guys in a hurry?" my mom asked.
"Let things happen at the right time; many people are destined to make it in their home country, not until they travel out," my mom further said.
My brother and I were looking at my mom and brother tee as they engaged in the conversation about which one was better. My brother knew Bro Tee would not heed what my mom was saying because he had made up his mind to travel out, and my typical Yoruba mother would not stop talking either.
"Mom, a cleaner there is better than an engineer here; their money has value," Bro Tee argued with my mom.
"Anyways, don't get yourself involved in what you will regret because the grass is not always greener on the other side," my mom concluded as she stood up, leaving the three of us in the living room.
"Guy, you know that my friend, whom I told you is in Malaysia, will be coming home. We've been talking for a while now, and he promised to help me with my travels. I just don't want to tell mom yet," Bro Tee said to my brother.
"Haha, Malaysia?" I asked curiously.
"What will you be doing in Malaysia?" I further asked.
"He will go there to wash clothes, you know? Sit there and be asking silly questions, because you have the right to sit and listen to our conversations, right?" my brother asked with a bombastic side eye.
"Leave her, please; she is just concerned about me," bro Tee replied to my brother.
Days after days, Bro Tee continues with his desire to travel out of the country, and fortunately for him, his friend, who came from Malaysia, sure helped him out with his efforts in making the process a success.
Towards the end of the following year, my brother told my mom and me that Bro Tee had finally traveled to Malaysia. We were hoping to speak with him, but that was impossible. We couldn't reach out to him, and he didn't contact us either.
My brother wasn't worried because he believed his level had changed; that might be the reason behind his disappearance. But my mom had different thoughts, due to how close he was with our family before traveling. My mom felt this motherly sympathy for him, and she is always asking my brother if he has heard from him.
For several years, we didn't hear from him, and everyone had moved on—not until the day my brother saw his friend request on Facebook. It was like a miracle that day because no one ever expected to hear from him again, not for the bad but because things are different now.
My brother chatted with him and was hyping him, saying he had forgotten because he is a big man now. After they got acquainted again, Bro. Tee narrated the ordeal he went through there just to make a living. The story was different from what his friend who is living there tells him; according to him, he faced hell, and at some point he just wanted to come back home.
"It was when I got here that mom's words had meaning to me—that the grass is not always green on the other side, as we thought. It takes lots and lots of hard work and dedication with perseverance," Bro. Tee narrated to my brother.
He expected to get there and start making it, but that wasn't the case; it took him longer than he ever expected, and all those years wasted. If he had found his path in an unknown country, he would have made an impact here in his home country.
At the end, he learns that greener pasture is not just by the name; it entails more than we see and hear of.
Thanks for your time, and your comments will be appreciated.
Unfortunately, the internet and people's experiences are there for us to learn from but oftentimes, we get desperate to get to the other side, neglecting some delicate factors. Most times, people that travel and don't enjoy the green pasture like Bro Tee sometimes due to shame of what people back home would say.
Yeah you are right sir
Hello @rare-gem. You had an interesting story to tell and it had the potential to make an impact, but it needed some attention in a few areas. There is a lot of repetition at the beginning of your text which slows down the narrative, and risks losing the reader's attention. You could have tightened your story by starting at the dialogue.Through it we come to understand Tee's struggle, and his desire to leave Nigeria. We don't need to be told in the preceding paragraphs that he ended up being disappointed in his decision to move, instead we should see and feel his disappointment once he has moved and is experiencing life abroad. This piece needed more show than tell and greater development of the story - especially Tee's life abroad in Malaysia, where there was so much scope to make your story rich in setting and to share his bad experiences. We are told it was an ordeal and that he faced hell, but while your story purports to write about how the grass was not greener on the other side, we never truly understand what was so bad about the move to Malaysia, and so we are left unsatisfied at the end with what feels like an incomplete story. There are some great resources in The Ink Well on creating great hooks, memorable characters, conflict and resolution, setting, and story development. Take a look at this post which contains links to a wide range of writing tips which you may find useful in the development of your craft.
Thank you for sharing a story from your life with The Ink Well.
I will take to the corrections thanks
Thank you so much
Sometimes we feel what we need is outside Nigeria until we really leave the country, it is not easy out there.
The greener pasture on the other side is always available for those who are not desperate to get there in the fastest means possible. I'm glad he was alive and he could reach out once more.
Lucky him
Very lucky.