Because one man’s truth is usually another man’s folly.

Photo: Jarash, Jordan. Taken by me.

In another life, I used to write Big Narratives for Big People.

I fell into the job the same way I have fallen into most things in my life - without ever intending to. 

When I was 18 years old and thinking about what I wanted to do next, I was only very clear about what I didn’t want - to be a doctor or a lawyer. I knew I didn’t have the tenacity to study for such a long time, which was what being a doctor required. I also knew I didn’t have the tenacity to always want to have the last word in a courtroom. 

On top of that, I didn’t have any money. If I wanted to study, I would have to get a scholarship. After all, up till that point, that was how I’d gotten any education at all. 

But really, deep in my 18-year old heart, I knew that what I really wanted to be was a writer. I wanted to be present in the world and to present the world to others, to chase after stories and to be a fair and objective reporter of The Truth. The closest I could get to that was to be a journalist, so with my heart in my mouth, I applied for a scholarship offered by my country’s newspaper, and promptly got rejected. 

Then, I really didn’t know what I was going to do or where I was going to go. I knew I wanted to do something, anything with words; I’d been obsessed with words since I was a kid. 

I had a family friend, Aunty A, who encouraged me to apply for other scholarships. By that point, I wasn’t confident I would land anything. I was also very distracted and disheartened by other events that were simultaneously unfolding in my life. My mother had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. I was one of her primary caretakers - a role that was far too overwhelming and saddening for me at the time. Still, I wanted to go to university, so I applied for these scholarships, not really banking on anything coming through.