great expectations

I've had the craziest week of my life so far. I've just been awakened. I can't even put into words the things that have been happening because I'm still trying to absorb them myself.

Anyway, I had a thought. My dad told me yesterday that he'd let me keep his car if I got a job at a hospital for this year.

Let me backtrack.

This summer, my dad gave me his car since I was going to be up here in Bing and he was going to be out of the country. Well he's back now and he misses his car but I'm still here in Bing. Yesterday I was talking to him and my mom on the phone and I was sharing my grades with them. Now, I didn't get the best grades ever, but I was really proud of what I got all things considered. A lot of people don't know this (and this is especially for my Asian readers) but Nigerian parents are just as bad if not worse than Asian parents when it comes to expecting academic excellence from their children. Obviously I don't know EVERY Asian parent, but from what I've heard its about the same. Okay I'm getting off track. My point is, even though I was proud of my grade, all my parents could muster was a faux-congratulatory, "that's good" - mom and "hmm...okay not bad" - dad. Didn't make me feel too great but whatever.

I told my parents that I was going to try and get a job at the hospital for the year. Since my dad knows that experience is a good thing, he bribes me and tells me that if I get this job he'll let me keep the car. Of course after a summer of being spoiled by having it, I don't want to give it up for the year.

So now I've been thinking about how my parents would do whatever it takes and spend endless amounts of money just so that one day they can say they have a kid who's a doctor. It's kind of crazy, no? It also sounds a little selfish to me.