Plan but do not worry-NYSC inspired poem

This poem actually happened. I was strolling in the village one late afternoon when different thoughts about my future rushed into my mind. All of a sudden I became afraid of an uncertain future. I just wrote how I felt because I was the only person I could talk to and it turned out to be beautiful.

Mental Crossroads of a Youth Corps Member

I had roamed the ends of the earth,

I had been to the north, the south, the east and the west,

Yet I found no suitable place to rest my head.

Oh! My poor heart, tired from the rapid blood pumping action, a consequence of adrenaline rush.

My joints, too weak to function;

My throat, parched from asking for directions and numerous questions that yielded further questions.

"How do I get a good job? How would I know my right spouse? Where do I do my Masters? Do I start up my own business?"

Even those that yielded answers contradicted one another;

Making my brain a cave of chaos and disorder;

Just when I was about to give up, wallow in self pity and join the confused crowd, a little voice said to me, “Live wisely and righteously for this moment trusting God for the next.”

Immediately, warmth radiated from my heart and stamped a smile on my face.

I felt strength spread through my body;

I knew I had found it, the answer to all my questions, the answer I was desperately searching for.

I had no cause to worry...

I know many corpers would have at one time felt the same way especially towards the end of the service year. You dread being idle after your service that it sometimes makes you desperate to settle for anything and makes you run to anyone who you feel could be of help. You give yourself migraine by asking yourself numerous questions about your future and thinking out about how good or bad it could be. It is very normal to get a little scared because you do not know what the future holds, but you shouldn't let those mind-boggling thoughts and feelings bother you. 

Worrying will not and will never make things better, even God concurs with that by telling us not to worry about tomorrow. All you need to do is plan. Have your goals to guide you in making the right choices, watch out for opportunities and be prepared to grab them when they come. Some of my friends I served with are now working in great organisations, some are married, some are furthering their education within and outside the country, some are now living abroad, while some are entrepreneurs. Some are doing what they planned to do while some are doing better than they thought would, but they are all doing fine expect those I haven't heard of. The long and short of the above is...worrying is just a pure waste of time. Fear is just false evidence appearing real which we shouldn't allow to rule us. Do your best to get what you want, leave the rest to God, and you will be just fine.

So plan but do not worry.

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My last day in my place of primary assignment with videos-Memoir

Finally, I was leaving my place of primary assignment for good! I was travelling back to Ibadan to prepare for my final parade. Yipeee!!! I was as excited as any corper in Nigeria would be but more excited than those who worked in the cities because I served in a very remote village. (Although I shuttled between the village and the city, some days in the village, others in the city.) You can check out stories about my PPA/NYSC experience by clicking any of these links-
From orientation camp to a strange land 1
From orientation camp to a strange land 2
My first article ever was published #nyscinspired
Story about the city room I detested plus a funny video tour
Found a new room
Tales of my PPA

I wanted to always remember my last day in that village because it was a day I waited anxiously and patiently for and knew I would cherish forever. Living in that village was a terror at first, but I began to endure and appreciate it; although I still couldn't wait for it to be over. On my last day in the village, I woke up late, did the usual 'shower, breakfast, etc' then went to the school to wish my students and colleagues goodbye. As I was about leaving the staff room to go to my room to pack my things, the idea of making a video came to me, and I did just that. I call it my last walk in Bataki-Idiya.  Enjoy...

last walk as a corper in Bataki-Idiya
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvAmqq7oYuc 

Also I was inspired by my experience as I couldn't believe that a tush girl like me could live well in an uncivilised village like I did. I summarised my experience and emotions in this 3mins video. Check it out!  

my 3mins summary of my NYSC experience
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1gJx5rf7fU

FYI-I was part of the Batch A 2010/11 set...just sharing my experience


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The NYSC Orientation Camp in a Different Light

This blog post is dedicated to all 2012 Batch ‘C’ corps members who will commence their orientation course on the 6th of November and after.

 

In the course of preparing to go for the three-week orientation programme, which is the first phase of the National Youth Service Corps, would-be corps members are told all sorts of stories and exaggerations that make them dread going to the camp. However, my experience has proven otherwise.

In my opinion, the three-week orientation camp is a place where graduates from various reputable institutions all over Nigeria come together to achieve one goal; service to our motherland and great country, Nigeria. The camp is run by diligent camp officials who ensure that each moment in camp is scheduled for one activity or the other. These activities instill basic skills and values in corps members that make them better individuals when imbibed.

Parade: The parade ground also known as holy ground, “holy” implying that when on it corps members are expected to respect it by behaving appropriately.  When on the parade ground, we learn to be disciplined, by not engaging in unnecessary discussions or causing distractions; to be on the alert and be attentive, by performing the right body movement when the order is called for; to be patriotic, by respecting the recitation of the NYSC anthem, the National anthem and the hoisting of the National flag.

Drills and Man O’ War: They are simply exercise routines that help us to keep fit, not chores, as most corps members see it. As we all know, regular exercise is required for better body metabolism, for proper blood circulation, and to keep the heart in good condition.

Sports and Social activities: Sports are another form of exercise and are pastimes for some individuals. In the camp, we have football and volleyball; social activities such as cultural dance, drama, singing, cooking, pageantry, etc. Corps members are given the opportunities to showcase their talents on stage and are also allowed to anchor shows. These activities are channels of talent discovery and we all have talents which we need to discover and work on.

Lectures: We are all students because we learn every day, either through our personal experience or from the experience of others, from the media, from books or in the classroom. Lectures offered in camp which are free from reputable organisations such as NDLEA, and from respectable individuals. They also offer trainings in various courses like management, computer training, foreign languages, and many others at subsidised fees. Is it not a golden opportunity one must not miss?

In conclusion, the three-week orientation camp is an opportunity waiting to be harnessed and a platform for self discovery and development. 

Would-be corps members would also come to us someday to seek advice before travelling to their various camps and we should make it a point of duty to tell them about the orientation camp in a different light.                                                                         

I wrote this post when I was in the orientation camp in Iseyin, Oyo state as a 2010 Batch A corps member and it was published in our bimonthly magazine-Periscope.

My platoon commander and I (platoon 1 aka champion platoon)

Miss NYSC 2010 and I

cultural dance practice on Sunday

Endurance catwalk

chilling after a long endurance trek

 Thank you Kay for the pix!




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The ram I ate last Sallah!

What a shock! I woke in the morning to see two rams tied to the exit door close to my room. Their meal on a tray beside them, pooh everywhere and the distinct ram smell...ewhh! I felt so disgusted! Surprisingly, the next thing I thought of was...a picture!!! (in an excited tone). I dashed back into my room, rushed for my camera and gave them a snap shot. Nice!

I stayed in for a while and came out when my I heard my face-me neighbor's voice. Then I asked him who put the rams there and he said it was the landlady but he would remove them tomorrow. Tomowhat! I replied sharply. How can you leave these rams here for the whole day. Do you want me to die of some disease or something. Look at how they have littered the whole place and they are smelling. Nooo I cannot take this! Please tie them outside or in front of her room, not here, no!
He just stared at me and smiled. I asked him why he was smiling and he just called me a butty as in ajebutter. I ignored his comment and begged him to do as I requested. Thankfully, he did and I was happy.
To cut the long story short, the ram was killed the following day and I ate it. My landlady was so generous. I was given a bowl of amala with correct ewedu soup and a bowl of  rice...with big pieces of ram meat of course.  
This last year happened while I serving in Ibadan. You can imagine how happy a corper would be!
Come to think of it, are those not goats? 

Memoirs of a Nigerian Youth Corps Member-Episode 5

Having shared my NYSC roomy experiences with you, let us go straight to my Place of Primary Assignment proper. Anytime I think about it, I still feel very sorry for the inhabitants of Bataki-Idiya, the village where I served, especially the younger ones who have so much ahead of them. Not one of them could speak the English language fluently, as Yoruba language was their means of communication. Their lifestyle was outdated and void of civilisation. 
There was no good source of water supply. They drank coloured water straight from the well. What they called a stream was a pool of dark-coloured stagnant water with spirogyra growing around it. There were some days I had to use sachet water to have my bath. This occurred mostly during the rainy season when the well water became muddy after downpours. 

The telecommunication system was so poor that we had to go to certain spots to get network. I literally hung my phone with a scarf close to my window to get network. They used sacks to make their beds and most of them used firewood to cook (only few could afford a kerosene stove). There was no electric power supply in the entire village though few had generators. To be more explicit, Ibadan was their London and Cornflakes was strange to them.  There was no structure to attract anyone to the village; they just stayed in an isolated world of their own.

However, one beautiful thing about them was their attitude. They were very accommodating, respectful and generous. They never discriminated. They respect individuals for who they are and don't force their culture on anyone.
As for the younger ones, the beautiful thing about them was their willingness to learn. The students were always excited in class and showed genuine interest in what they were taught. I taught Basic Science and Mathematics to the Junior Secondary School students. I could have taught Chemistry but there were no resources to teach the science. There was no laboratory and in my opinion, Physics and Chemistry would scatter their head-Fela.
I was as patient and practical as possible when explaining because, that was the best way they could understand. I remember vividly when I taught them about the different forms of drugs, I had to take some drugs to the class such as capsules, tablets, creams for illustration. They found it difficult to relate with me when I taught them ICT-Information Communication and Technology,  as they were not familiar with computer systems let alone the internet. A funny incident was when I asked them to give me an example of a carbohydrate and a group of students confidently chorused ewa (beans in Yoruba language).
After school hours, most of them went to the farm, hawked goods or went to sell in shops at the expense of their studies. I could not blame them as their parents saw those activities as more important since they brought food to the table. To them going to school was just a routine.

Below are some pictures I took when I was in the village.

a cross section of the students in assembly-look at that boy in the 3rd row posing for the camera

the staff room

a female student sitting in front of the staff room during break

a student getting ready to go to the farm for Agric practical

the head boy

a villager wishing us goodbye

It is no surprise corps members posted there refused to stay. I thank God I served there. At least, I can talk about it and I learnt a whole lot. Though I am not abreast with the current state of affairs in the village, I would love the Government of Oyo state to look into that village under Ido LG. They are humans like us and deserve a better life, as least for the sake of the children and youths who are the leaders of tomorrow or today. They deserve a better telecommunication system, power supply, standard houses, and most importantly a better formal education and civilisation. Hopefully I will visit there in the nearest future and keep you all posted.