My NYSC experience

Surprisingly, I was excited to go to Kwara camp. I do love my comfort zone. Maybe because it was going to be my first year away from school. All I could think was "you only serve once." I was greeted by no mobile network service and a stressful registration process. I was able to pick the best mattress and a spot of my choice in the cubicle (of 12 I think). There are many cubicles in a room. Too many girls in one place, scary! The kits we were given were substandard as you can guess. Many of us brought our outfits from home. The outfit I was given would conveniently fit Yokosuna. The shoes? *sigh* The white tennis were stolen and I couldn't bother to care. I had to wear the heavy boots for our swearing-in ceremony. I wear a size 4 and got 9/11. I tried someone's size 4 and it felt like a size 7.  Lifting my legs took a lot of energy. I managed to bath in the manageable bathrooms early before it got terrible. I couldn't get myself to bath outside. I also made sure I had no need to poop. People went to poop at the bushes around the parade ground which were far from the hostels. Imagine wanting to go at night.

As expected, things were expensive. Even the incompetent tailors charged high fees to adjust the outfits. There was a cobbler who claimed he could make the shoes smaller. We didn't need a million passport pictures like was speculated. I got bread from the kitchen. I can't remember eating anything else from there. There was good food in Maami. I went to the Man o war village. Of course, I didn't like it or attempt climbing, or pretend to climb, anything with an aching body. My platoon members seemed really funny and friendly though. They really had fun and took pictures like there was no tomorrow. I did only the compulsory jumping up and down. We were made to sing some rather funny songs too.

I woke up every morning with my shoulders in knots and my body sore only for us to be kept under the scorching sun for many hours severals times for parade. The Governor didn't care enough to honor the ones serving their nation during the swearing in ceremony. His representative also kept us under the sun for so long. The soilders turned out nice, I guess, but I was too scared of the repercussions of getting in their way. Corpers are not respected or treated like the graduates/professionals that they are. Not only are you serving the nation, you're humiliated and treated unfairly in and outside camp. Disrespect flows around. You would think one would be treated like an egg. 

Not like we respect ourselves anyway. What reasonable person plays music till 2am? Takes a bath by 3am and decides it's time to gist? Wakes at 4am and decides it is time to start speaking in tongues, very loudly? I felt like slapping so many people but I just siddon dey look. Not forgetting the stealing, fighting and gossip. My jewellery was stolen and I knew it was time to leave camp. They had one dry welcome party for us *yawns* I have no maami market memories because I never went for those nightly hang outs or parties or whatever they did there.

Corp lawyers were released to go attend to their law school final clearance and call to bar activities. I left camp on Sunday morning, having spent 5 nights on camp. Resumed back in December to be posted to an office and do some more registration. I was paid my November allawee then. I was paid 1,500naira bicycle allowance on camp. My CDS members formed serious lawyers, always arguing. I gave a lecture on Domestic Violence. We had two projects. Batch A's was to a rehabilitation home and Batch B's to an orphanage. Those were favorite NYSC moments. I was actively involved in planning Batch B's send forth dinner. I also attended a picnic. Sadly, my batch wasn't allowed to have a project and dinner. It wasn't until August that I started making new friends in my CDS. Maybe they didn't like me? Meetings were 9-12pm Wednesday mornings. Zonal meetings on the last Thursday of the month. Clearance on a monthly basis. Allawee was usually paid in the second or third week of the following month. There was a month I wasn't paid with the others because they were trying to fish out ghost corpers. It was paid with the following month's allawee.

That's about all I can remember now. P.O.P was on 16th October, 2014. There was no parade actually.  We went to collect our certificates. Trust them to keep us waiting for long. The only good thing I see in the service scheme, at the moment, is that the allawee sustains some people. Some wouldn't mind serving forever. It's better than staying at home with no jobs. The allawee however doesn't cover accommodation for many. There's also feeding, transport, flexing and other needs to be met.

Many congratulations to 13C ex-corpers. The market will favour us, Amen! Thanks for reading bloghearts. Bless your hearts. Xo, Anuoluwapo 

*NYSC = National Youth Service Corps
 Siddon look = calm and quiet

 CDS = Community Development Service

 Allawee = Allowance

 P.O.P = Passing out parade
Flexing = Relaxing