Memoirs of a Nigerian Youth Corps Member-Episode 4

Back to my NYSC experience...

The last blog post on my NYSC experience (Memoirs of a Nigerian Youth Corps Member-Episode 3) was about the first room I rented during my youth service. I detested that room. I recorded while I still occupied the room in 2010 showing you a detailed tour of the room. Watch below...

As luck would have it, my face-me-I-face-you neighbor was moving out of the opposite room which was the same size but far better. It had just the right furniture and fixtures I needed such as a reading table, a chair, a ceiling fan, and a large wall hanger which I got for a good price. Also, unlike the other room, a net without big holes and a real door which wasn't ugly.
I did not waste any time to bargain for the room. It seemed impossible at first but I fought tooth and nail for it. The condition was to get someone to occupy my first room before I could move into the new and better room. With the help of my agent, a new occupant came in on a Saturday morning and I moved out of the room with the speed of light, if not faster, into my new room. It was a great way to start my weekend and I had a reason to put in some extra dance steps during thanksgiving on Sunday.

Just click the play button below to watch and see the difference (the sound you will hear in the background is a video playing from my laptop).

Memoirs of a Nigerian Youth Corps Member-Episode 3

The room in the city was actually a junk yard I converted to a room. I painted it, fixed the lights and sockets since the room had not a single electrical wire. 

Upon all I did, the room was the least inviting to me as it still had other major faults. 

Here is a video of the room that explains it all.

  A tour of my first room in Ibadan during NYSC 
 click to watch the video

  

I remember the first night I spent in the room after I moved in. I bought fresh tomatoes and pepper that I wanted to use to prepare stew the next morning. When I woke in the morning, I found out that rats had messed it all up. I had to throw everything away. They came into the room through the bad door. The ceilings had little spaces that allowed cockroaches into the room. Sometimes my sleep would be interrupted by sound of roaches crawling through my stuff. It nearly killed me because I hate creepy crawly insects. Every morning and evening I would sprinkle dettol in the whole room, on the floor, on my bed and pillow...everywhere.  

In the afternoons and early evenings, the room was an oven.

An occurrence that made me almost go insane was when I got to my room in the evening from my day's outing and as I jammed the door towards myself, a rat jumped on my dress. I ran out of the house screaming like a mad person. After I came back to my senses, I packed a few things and ran to a friend's place where I spent the night. This was around 7.30pm. 

to be continued...

Memoirs of a Nigerian Youth Corps Member-Episode 2

I was heartbroken and didn’t know if turning back was a better option. We moved further till we saw a blue car heading our way. A man in the vehicle told the bike man to stop and then I started screaming “Don't stop oo? Do you know them? Lets’ go! Lets' go”  

They were not kidnappers like I thought they were but the school authorities. We got to a more convenient spot and talked. Sorry correction, they talked while I cried. After our brief communication, I was beaming with smiles. Strangely, I felt peace in my heart. I knew I made the right decision because I could feel it.

When I got to the lodge and shared the shocking news, my roommates could not believe it. They told me I made a mistake but I couldn’t care less. I was happy and that was all that mattered. Since I would not be spending my whole week in the village I looked for another room in the city and I got one.

Before I go into details of the room I got, let me share few photos of my room in the village.

The bungalow in which my room is situated

That is my reading corner

My best part of the room, my bed; because when I sleep, I have no idea that I'm in the village. The blue cloths are the curtains

A pix of me in sleep mode though feigning it

 

The walls of the room were not plastered and it was the least comfortable though I got used to it. (Thank God for the survival instincts)