An idea for a conversation with you dropped in my head today, and I did not write it down immediately. Now, I can no longer remember what it was! I’m extra pained because it was soooo good. I was really excited when the idea came. Hopefully, I’ll remember at some random period. I’ll be sure to let you know if I ever do.
Today, let me share my NYSC experience with you! This will be like a three- or four-part article. So, enjoy the read, sis.
Bruh, let me tell you that I wrote this article on August 25, 2018. So, situations have completely changed. I charge you to suspend your belief that the time you are reading this is any other day except August 25, 2018, or perhaps August 29 (I’ll say you’re late, though, but I’m not complaining since it’s just one day ?). Like all my blast-from-the-past articles, I will highlight this one appropriately.
Hi,
I should warn you that this might be one of those stories you’d read and wonder why you have just wasted 5 minutes and 6 seconds of your life. Well, here we go. This is a story of my Passing out Parade. And because there is way too much background information to this lil story, I would just give you a list.
- I am a girl from Nigeria
- I live in Lagos
- I am in love with nature
- Contrastively, bushes and creepy crawlies are not my thing
- I recently completed my National Youth Service Corps orientation programme with the 2018 Batch B, Stream 1 set
- I was posted to Benue State
- I hated Benue State (shallow)
- I am now in love with Benue State
- I will stay in Benue stay for the next 11 months, and I have a plan (I think)
- Most importantly, a Passing out Parade (POP) is the last ceremony done throughout all NYSC camps. It happens on the last day of camp and there’s usually a parade presented by corps members to the dignitaries present.
. . . Prelude
The night before the Passing out Parade was clearly unlike any other. There was a mixture of different emotions in the air. For me, I felt almost indifferent, although I did not show it. Sometimes, I could just be a bit detached from emotions, and they come flooding back at the most unexpected time. I had packed most of my things in the morning, so I didn’t have much to do. Many platoons were having their final parties that night, but I guess mine had its the night before. I didn’t attend. After a few activities, I went to get my dinner of yam pottage and ate it in the OBS studio, where I also charged my phone and power bank. I chatted for a while and headed to my room.
The room was quite lively at past 9 when I got there. Most of the girls were gisting and packing their bags. I gave a loud greeting and headed for my bed which was at the right extreme of the room. Lucky for me, my ‘bunky’ had helped me fetch some water into my bucket (bless her), so, I didn’t have to. I washed my plate and did a final check of everything I had packed. I remember being extra careful with everything I didn’t lock away because a lady came into the room to announce that there would be a round of ‘serial theft’ that night, being the last night on camp… you know, a lil send off for corps members. Some of my room mates echoed the same, so the fear of being ‘relieved’ of what I had no hope of recovering shook me. I literally slept on my waist pouch and jungle boots. I hung my full NYSC uniform ‘inside inside’ my bed at the bottom of the top bunk, right next to my head by the wall (go figure).
. . . Same ol’ morning,,, or nah
I don’t recall if I had set an alarm, but what woke me was definitely not an alarm. The room was buzzing with different activities, almost the same way it was before I slept. Did some people stay awake throughout the night? We would never know. Anyway, I checked my things to make sure they were still intact. They were, thank God. I probably covered them with the blood of Jesus when I went to have my bath.
When I got back from the bathroom, almost everyone was dressed. Some had gone to submit their mattresses, and some had gone to drop their bags with the fellowships available to keep them safe till after the POP. The time was about 4:00AM. At about 4:30AM or 5:00 AM, I finally got fully dressed. The room was scanty at this time, of course. Esther- a cool friend I made at camp- and I, lugged our bags and mattresses (I also had my bucket) and made our way to the NCCF (National Christian Corpers’ Fellowship) spot to drop our bags. We planned to go drop off our mattresses after that. The queue was quite long, and I was discouraged. I had the option of going to drop my bag at the OBS studio, but that required climbing a hill (don’t get me started on this fun/torture). I finally gave in after spending a whopping 5 minutes in the queue. Lucky for me, I met a fellow OBS member on the way, and she helped me carry some of my things (bless her).
To my surprise, the OBS was filled with people and bags when I got there. I don’t know why I didn’t expect that. I said my greeting, dropped my bags and bucket and went back down the hill to submit my mattress. I was given a ‘mattress ticket’, so (get this) I put it in my phone pouch to secure it for when it would be required later (they played us, mehn. They effing played us *bored face). After this, I went back to the studio and chatted till about 6 AM. I still felt indifferent, but, that morning, I was consumed by a slight hurry. I just wanted to get everything over with. I had breakfast at the camp market (fondly and wrongly called ‘mammy market’) with a new friend I made. At 7 AM, I went down the hill for the final rehearsal of our man o’war martial arts (don’t ask) training, of which the presentation was only a few hours away.
This day was definitely memorable for me. I ended up serving at Ibadan, Oyo state because I fell critically ill a few days after I got back to Lagos from Benue. Ibadan was closer to home and would afford me easier access to healthcare (which I did not even need throughout my 1 year+ stay). Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed Ibadan and would not have traded my experience there for the world. I met so many wonderful people, to say the least! However, I do wonder, from time to time, what Benue would have made out of me.
These are 500 words (or more ?)! Talk to you tomorrow!