Hello, World

Someone dear to me used to tell me, "You know you are living when things are not going your way." When I was free, I usually would do anything to get alone time. I loved staying at home alone, but it was hard for me to be alone with two jobs and friends that care about me knocking on the door wanting to hang out.

Then, I was arrested. Too much alone time. All I wanted was to go out there and do everything I should have done. I was reminded of this with at least 10 pieces of mail, every day, from people that saw me online or in the news, looking to get to know me. Mail was coming in from around the USA and the world. The UK, Australia, Sweden, and even South Africa. But I didn't read the mail.

I was worried that opening the envelopes and reading the letters would make me even more depressed. I knew I likely would never be released from prison. I was in the cage and worried that people would write and ask me what I want to do when I get out, or where I wanted to go once I'm released. I worried that just hearing their stories about the free world would be unbearable at that time in my life. Prison was new to me, everything was overwhelming, and I just couldn't open those letters.

Many inmates thought I was crazy for not reading all of that mail. They told me how lucky I was to have mail, how I shouldn't take it for granted, how I should write everyone back.

A couple years passed, and then one day, it hit me -- I hadn't received any mail in a long time. It had stopped coming. And I regretted not opening those letters. I asked myself, "Why do I always miss out on opportunities or appreciate things only after they're gone?"

Now, I've more fully adjusted to prison, and had time to process my situation and my fate here. I'm finally ready to receive some mail, to share my world with you and have you share yours with me. In my world, inmates microwave eggs and blow up the microwaves. In my world, inmates get hungry and decide to kill a goose, pluck the feathers, and try to cook it in the microwave. In my world an inmate thinks it's a good idea to try to escape while wearing flip-flops. My world is quite unique, to put it mildly.

If you're interested in knowing more about me, about the world I'm in now, or about the world I lived in before my arrest, I would love to hear from you. I promise to open all letters and respond to everyone. Even though my past is now in my rear view, I'm ready to share it with you.

Thank You,
Ayoola Ajayi #249055
USCF
PO Box 165300
Salt Lake City, UT 84116