The Call up letter
When I received my call up letter to serve my fatherland in Imo State, I was filled with so much joy and excitement that i was finally a confirmed corps member. Part of my joy was the pride of putting on the NYSC Khaki. It was indeed a dream come true.
For the sake of this article, I would advise you to go with the following:
• Your cardigan,
• Few clothes,
• Mosquito nets,
• Bed sheets,
• One white shirt and short
• Your certificates
• School I.D card
• Call-up letter
• Slippers
• Undies
• Plates, spoons, fork
• Bathing tools
• Etc
Well, if you are the type that don't like carrying loads with you while traveling, you can buy all the above items on the campground. The Mami market comes in handy if you want to shop for things on the campground. Apart from carrying your credentials with you, most of your shopping can be done on the market.
However, I was told that buying stuff on the Mami market was pretty expensive. So, I made most of my purchases at home. But when I got to the campground, it was a different ball game. Things were quite cheaper than I expected. This is because there was a lot of competition among the sellers trying to outwit one another to gain customers’ attention. This may be because of the place I was posted.
So the choice is yours. Choose where you want to buy your things.
But one important thing you should note is the importance of having cash with you. I cannot emphasize that enough. You are not going to find any ATM on camp and the POS system used by most sellers are there to make profits from you.
My Journey And Preparation to Imo State
(Social activist)
The day of departure finally came, and I finally bid my family goodbye as I sailed through a strange land. The journey from Edo State to Imo State was a smooth one. I Thank God for it. I also met other Corp members who were heading in the same direction with me. The journey was quite blissful.
When we finally arrived, we were greeted by military personnel who scanned through our documents. We all queued up waiting for security men to surf through our documents, and grant us pasaage to the campground.
The campground felt like a breath of fresh air! I was directed by a godly brother from a fellowship to register my presence at a poll, which I did. Later, I was directed to where I would collect my bed. That I also did, and the next was to secure a space to lay my bed.
Contrary to what I have heard, the hostels were neatly kept and clean. I would have the Imo State Government to thank for giving us a serene environment to carry out our orientation camp. Although, I am still angry with them that they didn't pay us any state allowance during our stay in Imo State.
Okay, after securing a space for myself, I went straight to the registration center where we would submit all our credentials. I must say, the registration was a tedious one. Everyone was trying to get to the front door to be registered. I couldn’t do mine that day because of the crowd. So, I had to wait until the next day.
On the next day, I was able to do my registration. After that, I collected my kits. I had to wait because there were people on the queue before me. But in due course, I received my kits and my meal card. I was elated, I was now a confirmed Corp member. During the process of collecting my kits, I saw a lady who stood beside me, insisting that I must test the kits to see if it fits. I was not surprised because she also had shown this same gesture to those who were before me.
So, I obliged, thinking she was a social activist and would insist I should be given a new Khaki if the one they gave me did not fit. After wearing the kits, I discovered that almost all the uniform was oversize with a few exceptions, my socks, shoe, and crested shirt. I was quite amazed that the shoes fit me perfectly.
I had earlier seen other corps members looking for who to swap their oversize or undersize shoes with, for something better fitting. Some of them were lucky enough to find someone to exchange with while others weren't so lucky. They just have to manage the what they got.
Back to the woman who stood by me to see if it fits me perfectly. So, I looked at her face, and said: " Ma, it's not my size." "Oh yes, I can see it." She replied. Ada! She called. "Take this shirt and adjust it to this man's size!" She ordered. She then looked at me in full assurance and said "Oga, don't worry, she will adjust it to your size." “Oh, that is nice. Thank you.” I replied.
Getting to the lady’s shop, I discovered I was not alone. Other corps members were struggling to amend their clothes to their size. I was amazed when I saw them bringing out money from their wallets to pay for their adjusted clothes. I was like what?! I thought it was free?!! “Otondo! Who told you it was free; you are in Igbo land where there are different strategies to make money. The woman had just outwitted other competitors in order to sew your clothes.” A voice called out within my head.
To cut the story short, I paid #1,000 to get my clothes cut down to my size. So, be expecting this because there are chances that your clothes may not be the right fit for you.
The Bugle Call And Opening Ceremony
After the registration, I had to retire back to my bed. I had great roommates who were my close pals during this period. I cannot forget a famous comedian in my room who would crack up jokes to make us laugh out our ribs before we slept.
Initially, I was told that in a gathering like this we would witness a lot of missing or stolen items. So, I did a lot of things to make sure that my stuff was intact. I bought a key to lock my bag so that no one would gain access to my belongings. To God be the glory, there was no case of stolen items in my hostel.
Although, some cases were reported on how some persons stole some people's phone, NYSC kits and all that in other hostels. So folks, be careful and be security conscious.
Exactly 4 am, there was a sound of a trumpet that alerted every one of us in our different hostels. Are you serious? I just slept around 1 am. Thanks to our room comedian who would keep us rolling on the bed with his funny jokes, keeping us awake till 1 am
We had to get set for our swearing in ceremony. That was the first time we would all come out in our numbers in an open field with our full regalia to be sworn in as corps members. Ours was no fun because we had to wait in the sun for the Governor who later sent his representative to grace the occasion.
After the swearing in ceremony, the remaining days were full of activities. At 4 am, you would hear the wake-up bell from military personnel. Before that time, most of us had already taken our bath, getting set for the day. We were not allowed to wear any other clothes except for the white shirt and short during our camping period. Of course you can wear any clothes of your choice on Sundays, especially if you are going to church. Yes, you have different churches, fellowships and mosque on the campground.
We were all expected to be on the parade ground precisely at 5 am to take the morning devotion. By 6 am we were done with the morning devotion. So, the next thing is to do some warm up or do some exercise. After the exercise, those of us who were enlisted to march at the parade ground would continue with our training.
At 7 am an alarm notifying us that it is time for breakfast was sounded and we all went to the kitchen to collect our food. The meal menu was often tea and bread in the morning, beans in the afternoon, and Eba in the evening. Well, if you are looking for an outstanding meal, then you’re wrong! You can get that from the restaurant nearby at the Mami market. My problem wasn’t the quality of food; it was the quantity. Sometimes, the food was not even enough to go around. Even beans was hot cake. But thank God for the Mami market that had always rescued our stomach from starvation.
After our breakfast, we'd rest until 9 am. At this time, we were expected to be in the seminar hall. We were educated on the various opportunities that await us as corps members. After the workshop, we then went to our different skill acquisition classes to learn some basic skills. The name of the program is : Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme called SAED. You have to pick a skill that interests you and learn as much as you can before you leave the campground. Nevertheless, you can also continue the program even when you are in your place of primary assignment (PPA).
After this event, at exactly 12 pm, we were notified to go and take our lunch. After lunch, we’d also be notified to assemble at the parade ground where we have to march to represent our various platoons. Those of us who couldn’t march were involved in other games. Most of the guys who could play good football represented their different platoons. The girls were involved in volleyball, while some of us were part of cultural dance, drama, and beauty contest. The main aim of the program was to stir up the spirit of unity among us.
Another thing I must point out is that the military men and women were friendly. But you won’t see it from their appearance, but they were friendly. But again, don’t take their orders for granted, or else you’re wrong! That’s exactly the statement you will always hear in camp. “You’re wrong.” In fact, anything you do in camp, you’re wrong!
The parade supposed to end at 6 pm. At this time, we could go and take our rest, and later on, we would go out for dinner at 7 pm. After dinner, the various platoons can come up and compete with themselves in the different activities. One of the competitions that I enjoyed the most was the dancing competition. Corps members came out in their various traditional attire to display their unique tradition in a grand style that would swept me off my feet. It was really fun, I must confess. Other activities include Mister Macho, Miss NYSC, drama, and jokes, cooking competition, camp fire night and lots more.
Conclusion
These are what you will get during your stay in the campground. After the closing ceremony, you are going to get your posting letter. With that, you will get to know your place of primary assignment (PPA). That would be the place where you would go and serve your father land.
Samson Oloruntobi. Platoon 3, 2015.
* * * * *
For regular update from this blog, like our page on facebook
Facebook.com/kopaslodge
To share your unique camp diary with others on this blog, contact us via email at : corperslodge808@gmail.com
Meanwhile, The birthday shout outs and Corper of the Week segment will be launched soon... Keep your eyes open for it!
Thanks for reading!
Comments
Post a Comment