Wings of Change: My Android Story

Day 9: On Technology

I first heard about the android phone from my younger brother. I saw one first in the hands of Adeoluwa.

Adeoluwa, who once told me the “Ade” in his name meant he was from a royal family; a prince. Imagine my 8year old Disney-saturated brain and the magnitude of explosions the word “prince” evoked in it. It was a wonder I did not go on my knees paying homage immediately.

Ade, like most of his species, was a most bubbly and sporty boy. I don’t remember staying too long without being reminded of his family’s privileges. One particular constant awe was how he and his siblings would return from church, then wear their Sunday clothes the rest of the day. Their church clothes!

I thought they were gods. “Indeed, they must be a royal family,” I would nod in conviction. If my dad were ever to catch any of us only conceiving that level of madness concerning our carefully chosen Christmas clothes, such a one would visit heaven subsequently.

Ade, my neighbour; the same birth year, same birth month, and very close birthdate came to my house one evening carrying another symbol of his superiority. It was the much whispered about the android phone. The android phone! Again, I wonder what stopped me from performing a complete Korean kowtow at that moment. I know if he had asked, I just might have.

I was wowed. My sisters were struck themselves. Here I thought the blackberry was crazy enough, with all its separate alphabet keys though, I had only handled its look-alike, my mum’s Nokia Asha.

All forms of writing on that Nokia Asha’s keyboard always left me feeling drained. I’d have to sit down, carefully searching for letters I still wonder why are not arranged in their running order. Hehe, I still have a personal vendetta against “q” and “v” and the stress they put me through till today.

All of these didn’t matter right then. I was looking at a phone without physical keys! Yeah, same arrangement but this one had its keyboard behind the screen, a touchpad, it was called. You could have killed me then and I’d have died smiling. I’d seen it all. I had touched heaven.

To crown that day of amazement, he already had the game, ‘Subway Surf’ installed and out of his benevolence, we were each allowed to play around each🤭. Because I was his buddy, he left the phone with me briefly to play football downstairs with the guys. See? I told you Ade was a nice guy. I wish not to go into how that brief hour of power turned me into Hitler II against my little sisters.

The flood of emotion that day, I can never forget. I would later spend the rest of my day…plus night thinking about life, feeling sorry for myself. As I lay in bed waiting for sleep to come, I wished my dad had a plan to first get me any phone not to talk of the almighty android phone.

Almost eight years later, the Android phone has seen many evolutions. That exact design has become obsolete. Technology keeps getting better, android phones, very common. Although all these changes have happened, we know the smartphone industry has not played its best card yet. Could they ever?

Right now, I wish I could go back in time to tell 2014 me to be at peace. To assure the brooding little one that she’ll one day have her own android phone. That she would indeed use a smartphone. Her first official one would even be the same android.

I want to give her some life spoilers. To tell her that she would have her very own Subway Surf installed, only to get bored to death of it a month later and delete it.

If my time travel allowed me to speak five words to her alone, it would be: “Patience, my dear, it’s coming.”

If I could, I would tell the girls of my time to be calm and not sell their bodies for the blackberry phone. I would tell them that slicker phones would come…will always come. I would name only two to prove my point- the iPhone 12 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy a32. That ought to drop their jaws to the floor.

I would tell the people of my time not to stress over such things as phones. I would tell them to be calm. To cultivate the habit of waiting…inhaling strongly and exhale slowly, then telling yourself, “one day”, “soon”, or “later”.

I would tell them that because they don’t have it now does not mean they won’t ever. I would say that telling themselves the truth does not make you less of a worthwhile person.

I would tell them that the world in 2021 is such an unhappy place because a lot of people are struggling to meet up to standards others have set.

If I could, I would advise the people of my generation to refuse to subscribe to be named among the unhappy ones.

Today, contentment is my message. Understanding, the key.