The Campus Boy

By Tariku Shimels

''The Campus Boy'' is a 30,243 words long fiction narrating about the life-paths of a third world boy. It starts to show from his campus life, on to achieving his future dreams and struggle with daily evils. Good reading to every one.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tariku Shimels
• Release date: Jun 21, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310220463

Tariku Shimels

Full name; Tariku Shimels. I work as coordinator of Medical Logistics and Pharmacy Services in a government referral hospital. Am an Ethiopian and is living in Ethiopia now.Graduated in bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) from Jimma University, Ethiopia in 2008. Then earned a bachelor of arts (BA) degree in Business Administration & Information Systems from Addis Ababa University School of Commerce in 2013. In 2015, I was graduated in masters of Pharmacoepidemiology & Social Pharmacy (MSc) from Addis Ababa University, School of Pharmacy. Work in the same institution.I enjoy writing and drawing. Have three unpublished books which two are in Amharic. I was certified twice for participating in BURT AWARD for African Literature in English language.

Book preview

The Campus Boy

By Tariku Shimels

Copyright 2015 Tariku Shimels

Smashwords Edition

Chapter One

The time was just in the late summer; when the clouds escorted the black sky of Jimma town with a bombarding of the huge thunders. Who so ever may dislike this occurrence; it doesn’t seem to end rather than persisting in long showering. The ground has gotten beautifully green that all flowers blossomed, the shrubs going in flourish and the bees buzzing in cheer. And, it was also the time for the greenflies dance around the garden plants. All lives looked as if to find this season as the destiny of an immense happiness. A season for the meaning of the true nature, that all rush ever unexhausted for and pursue their outstanding achievements.

Students wish to collect good results; workers want to be more productive for more success and promotion, and farmers get in to the continuous harvest of their crops...perhaps, not mere in a word, all know that hardworking begets a good output. That it causes for a new change; and that each hope brings a new energy. Hence, doubtlessly, summer is the transformation season for most Ethiopians; all those in the lowlands and in the highlands…and those in the cities and the county sides...

Leul is a final year student in the medical sciences faculty of Jimma University. He appears to be wandering in his usual reminiscences. He wants not only to be a man who had successfully completed his higher education but also of a man with his dreams fulfilled. He knows his academic journey was wonderful in the dynamic environment of various ups and downs. However, he is not convinced that his past strength is enough utilized and that it guarantees him a best end. He frequently tells himself that he has carried a big objective in to his future. And that he must work day and night to realize this objective. Since of very recently too, a bright hope is growing in his heart after he had found the new synthetic formula. He constantly hears the recalls from what his high school biology teacher used to say of him;

… I can be sure that you will be a great man tomorrow…Leul, you have to keep this excellent pace okay? And this will only be true if you work hard. You shouldn’t have to give any attention for lazy friends and an opposite relationship either…I’m grateful to see your fruits…don’t forget These were the words that energized him think forward. He loves them to remember as they may be of the only to recognize his capacity. He used to repeat them out every moment in his mind. May be the new formula will be an illustrative answer of the big assignment. This of an impregnated idea and mysterious mission is not clearly known to anyone else except Leul, himself. He is the owner of the idea; the carrier of the mission and the finder of the true objective.

Therefore, this moment must be the most plausible to him that one may guess immediately after a quick glance of his growing evolvement. Given these all, however, he doesn’t want to pretend and raise it out in words, rather than keeping secret and expressing in practice. This is what he wants very soon. This is what he hears from his inner mind….Leul, do it …do it …you have to be great…you will be great…start right now and pursue your true power…remember where you have been? And define what you want to be. Count your past days…Do you see them all while you entering this campus? You have excelling capacities that you need to repeat and maintain them now…Do you hear me Leul? I am your best mind, I am your best friend…believe me and don’t hesitate my orders…go now! Start now! Don’t have a spare time in your endeavors…

With all his hindsight, Leul struggled in his inner scene and saw it meaningful to replace the good memories by desired finishing; just keeping with his high school story but transforming it to a more tangible success. He also recalled his preceding campus life busied in an endless questioning of his own ego.

"Who am I Leul? I am an ordinary man who has been of a street boy and who didn’t know his families. I spent my childhood in the orphanage and am now a student joined this university roughly before four years. Many people helped me during my elementary and high school education. I was a clever student before joining this university. I would rank first several times in those years. So I love them. My teachers would also appreciate and help me in the activities. They always used to advise me. So have I to stop there? Was it the real turning point of my life when joining this university for the first time?

I accept and remember that it was absolutely of the time to me to see a campus of new phenomenon around the New Year. At this time, there had been many things I have been passing through; especially when I was a freshman to the campus. It was as usual that the university called up its new entrants from the different regions of the country. Hence, everyone had a varied background of high school experience, language efficiency, skin color which all were managed to persist in to a common academic institution, called a university I was surprised for. It was also unforgettable to me, when some freshmen students were cheated by seniors’ orchestrated scams. Some would do it for their sake of amusement or scoffing at times when especially the new comers tended to believe and act for whatever orders prearranged by the seniors. For this of a historical trend, some fresh students would be pre advised about all happenings that they could encounter during their early arrival in any university. I have observed all these happening though it was not an actual encounter during my freshman time.

… Wow! How wonderfully was I inspired to visit the inside of the campus as I arrived just one day earlier at the lower gate? I can’t believe; it was pure and extraordinary feeling. It is amazing to me now for being quite skeptical that I didn’t even want to approach and accept direction of my destination room from other students. When I arrived to the main students’ lounge, a senior student come and asked me to help. However, I was not interested to answering him. The senior again asked me explaining that he is from a charity club to help newly coming students. I was not that in an ease; I negligently squinted at the senior and continued up my way towards the present health sciences library when I finally observed the informatics board. The board was the first thing I trusted in the campus and it gave me the best clue of the next way to follow indeed. I understood that the senior boy was surprised for my anomalies of unspeaking, and perhaps was murmuring about that I might be naturally insane. What though ever was happening, I was right to follow the right way as if informed earlier. While I was on my way, my attention had also been caught by and intrigued of observing the Sheraton seniors’ café, Zegeye café, the Pentagon senior males’ residence, the Mandela as well as the White house dormitories and then last was my destination, the Comoros area.

Oh! There was a noise that I never ever want to forget from the left side of my way in the white house buildings. ‘You the fresh man; Well come and let you give us a roasted grain, we are coming to your dormitory soon…..Hello you fresh the ape…’ which ever they had been saying was meaningless to me indeed. I had never given any attention rather than continuing my way down to Comoros confidently. They were murmuring against me and to each other too that I didn’t hear any more again. I late understood it was a kind of annual yearning of the seniors on new entrants. I don’t forget the shouting name-calling. They were partially insults but not painful. They were funny; hence I don’t want to hate them. Oh my goodness, I get crazy when I remember them back. I will read them full from my diary. I have recorded the whole story of my first year experience in the diary.

‘Hello, you the ape! You fresh the ape! Are you a dumb, you like to pretend as a senior, or are you a readmitted.’ Though all what they were saying was quite confusing, I was conscious to follow the down stairs with no fear…………"Leul waked up from the deep journey of rumination before completing the story. He was sitting under the ventilator in the health sciences library where there was only one male student in his immediate front. The student would look him amazingly