Hello Lovies, I hope you are doing very well. Am happy to be in your mist and also partake in this content by @goodybest to share with you the story of my Life.

Tell us about yourself, you can write about what you're gone through as a child and adult,or what you are going through now, yes your fair share of struggles.

Am Effiong, Emilia Francis with steem name @bela90. I come from a family of four beautiful children, two female and two male. I'm the first daughter and the second child in the family.

What I have gone through as a child
As a child, have gone through a lot in the hand of my Aunty i.e. my mother's third sister.
As a kid I thought visiting your aunty or uncle for a while is the best option, thus some aunty and uncle sees their siblings children as their own too but some are reverse.

After my primary four I decided to visit my aunty during the holiday or probably stay till I complete my first term in primary five, on knowing to me that am leaving my parents comfort zone to military zone. Reaching there, I was given a warmly welcome, you know as a child I was very happy. She has six childrens five female and a boy, little did I know that I will turn to house maid. After one week, she called me and give me rules.

Rule 1: Don't sit in the parlor chairs, the chairs is for my husband and my husband cannot sit and after you sit and I said 'YES' Aunty.

Rule 2: Every morning when you are coming for morning prayer you have to bring in the small kitchen chair and sit.

Rule 3: Make sure your hands doesn't touch or enter the fridge to remove anything.

Rule 4: Make sure you wash every dirty plate before you go to bed even if it is 2am of the following morning do you understand, YES Aunty.
But luckily for me when the husband heard about it, rule 1 & 2 were wipe off, the remaining two was a case.
As a child I obliged to follow the instructions. I wash peepee clothes of a 5 & 7 years of her child every day.

One day I realized rashes have dealt with my two hands and my lapses cause by the peepee water and the saika soap. I showed the affected areas to her and she didn't do anything, the rashes stay and go on its own without anything like paracetamol being apply to it.

Another day I heard my name been shouted by my Aunty and I went only for me to hear you will eat this food, I must make sure you finish everything, and I ask her, aunty, plz what did I do to the food? She now says, how can you leave the soup in the fridge to get spoiled? U know that there was no lights in this house and you leave the soup in the fridge to spoil? I was short of words, and I ask her again, aunty, pls how am I suppose to know that there is soup in the fridge when you instructed me not to go close to the fridge? How? before I finish I heard a slap on my face that day... I receive the beating 😭😭of my life.

She wakes me up anytime and any day I forget to wash plate before going to bed, when she wakes you up she will make sure she wait there until you finish washing the plate before going back to sleep.

She deny me food for 1 week because I refuse to eat the spoil soup. If not her second daughter who will sneak in the night and give me garri to stand at the backyard and zip throuhgout that week I wouldn't know how I will have survive.
She deny me entering the car with her children to school mean while her children school is in the same street with mine. I will be trekking to the market while her own children will be taking Keke, from the house to the market was 300 naria then to and fro, due to this I couldn't make It in school, I took 23rd out of 25th in my class "primary 5". It was at that point that I decided to go back to my parents. We leave in the same community but different area.

The most annoying part is that, she and the husband are pastors, they will be preaching every time they have service, because they were the leading pastors. Maltreatment was too much, oh what a pity situation have I gone through.

What are those things that bring you down sometime, but how do you normally pick yourself up?

• Frustration really bring me down
• Not being able to meet up with my mate
• Remembering the scenario most times bring bad thought to me and because of this,
• Depression will set in.

I bring myself up by listen to inspirational songs, reads inspire books, occupying myself with something and encouraging myself with the word of God this has help me to have myself up.

What keeps you going and what message do you have for us?

The words of God keeps me going.
Learning from my mistakes also keep me going so I encourage you to know God, correct your mistakes, tell yourself I can do it, i can make it, i can achieve it, I can become what I want to become. When you have this determination and make a step, you will see a turn around in your life.

Also treat and love everybody as yourself whether is from your tribe or not? You know him or her? Work for you or not? That person might be your help some were and some day, also I will like to end this contest with a proverb that says the" enemy you know is better than the Angel you don't know".

Thank you.