Students Companions

Morality and exams hardly mix. They ought to but some virtues are hard to come by when you are under uncalled for stress. Short cuts have characterized our struggles. We are wired to be a
consequentialist lot and it’s only natural that as long as we can justify the end results of our actions it matters less how we arrive at them.

After gobbling down theories about ethics and moral behaviour, I was set to sit for exams on the same. I had done my part of the bargain as best as I could, had put my usual effort and was certain to attain my usual average grade; I was content. As usual the day before exams is leaden by the final preparation, the final touches and familiarization with elusive topics and concepts. Every student go through this phase whether they had been in the library throughout the semester and never missed the lecture or whether they realized after seeing the exam timetable that they should be sitting for a particular exam. Even those who sorely depend of the mwaks have to verify that they have updated their reference material before the big day.

So am engaged in the same hullabaloo of exam preparation but for some odd reasons I feel sleepy and can't concentrate. I know better not to stress my brain so i give it a rest it. Initially, I had anticipated taking a truce for about half an hour but even after a whole hour sleep, the theories could still not digest. Previously in similar circumstances, this restlessness would be settled by a cold shower but it would hear none of this at this day so I eventually gave in and opted to do something else. By all standards, something else involves a heated banter with my pals, an episode or two of a TV series and at times just take a walk. 

It is exam time and nearly everyone is busy. My pals are not in the same dull moods as me and they are busy with their revision. That leaves me and the TV series, making Nyambura is my only company. For some reason, my girl was the one who gave the sobriquet Nyambura to my laptop thus any private time I have with my laptop, to her, amount to cheating. Nyambura never fails or complain; she is everything I want in a lady and with a touch of a button she respond  to my commands without complaining for as long as I feed her with power and remember to vaccinate her with a dosage of anti-virus.

On many insomniac nights, Nyambura has kept me company and listened as I slowly narrated my stories. She have saved these stories and on the days when I ask her what I told her, she  never fails for she give the story just as I told it to her without even the slightest alteration. She has sang to me any song  I had wished her sing to me and above all, she has been very resourceful on the days I have run to a deadline with unfinished assignments. She has been quite useful in transforming Wikipedia pages into my “original” work and made them presentable to my lecturers. The greatest thing about Nyambura is that am aware she will never try scalding me with hot water during my sleep nor ever complain that I was caressing anyone else.

Nyambura is the focal point of my entertainment and if you ask her, she would swear that our love for each other is undying. I am very mean when it comes to her so sharing her rarely happen. On this night before exam, I am tired of listening to Nyambura as she narrates about the golden rule, categorical imperative and universalism. These have recalcitrantly refused to peck in my slumbering brain and what I want today are not theories. Even her songs don’t sound as melodic as they always have. 

I bid her a farewell, set my alarm to six in the morning so I can have ample time to revise before exam at 9 a.m. It would feel like ten minutes later when the alarm goes off with a shrill sound. Still in my slumbering stupor, I reach for the alarm and with a precision that I rarely master put it off. A few times my roommate will try to wake me all to no avail. I will open my eyes; lift my head stare at him before sinking back to the cover of my cozy blankets. It will not be until some minutes to nine when I eventually crawl out of bed, tired and stiff. Shower is out of question so I take a quick passport and change clothes before rushing to the exam room. I did not have time for breakfast though I had time to check my phone and ensure I had enough credit. Phones are the new students’ companion. They are a vital gadget to a student in an exam room for we like confirm what we give our lecturers. Exams are no longer about how much you can cram or how much you can recall; they are also about the internet speed of your phone, its battery life and how daring you can go to copy without being detected. Google has revolutionized even the way we take our exams.

I head to the exam room without revising as I wanted but with enough determination, come what may, I will not sheepishly fail the paper. I skimmed through the question and saw the need to confirm on a thing or two. I googled a fair share and am least bit bothered: there was nothing strange about this; some guys had recorded podcasts, which they were listening in the exam room. I mean someone had taken his time to read aloud nearly all his notes while recording the same with his phone. They only had to plug in their earphones and listen to hear what they had recorded. Ages from today I will be narrating on how I witnessed this revolutionary feat; that the exam was testing on our understanding of the application of ethics did not deter guys from figuring out ways of circumventing the system. 

With its ability to read pdf and word documents, Google Ideos was a phone designed for students. All one had to do was save all the notes in the phone and refer when need arises. But now with the recorded podcasts, the relevance of the exams is under threat. Why should I bother myself while I know someone is recording all the lecture materials for the next exam? I only need earphones and a copy of the recordings and I will be set to get my A, genuine or otherwise.