Service Year Boulevard 74

*That moment when the gist come begin sweet you but the person no end am..hissss*

So I have finally gotten the strength to write mine. I hope I don’t get to ‘west’ your time because it is a bit lengthy.

I schooled in Uniport and graduated in 2012; while some of my course mates where busy paying money to be posted to states like Lagos, Abuja, Akwa-Ibom and the likes I didn’t even bulge. I wanted to get as far away from Port Harcourt as possible because all my life from birth till university was and still is in Port Harcourt so you can imagine my reason for not influencing where to be posted to even though I had an Uncle who willingly asked me to give him my details so I could serve in Port Harcourt.

Na so I post the man till call up letter came out. I felt indifferent when I saw EK on the notice board and given that a few of my colleagues were also posted there I was cool with it. That was how my journey to ‘Ekiti kete’ as it is fondly called began.

The day I got my call up letter, my ex boyfriend who is the only child happened to be hospitalized. I went straight to the hospital from school to meet his mum and cousins who already knew me before then. I showed them the letter and the mum unto ‘my son’s wife to be’ started making arrangement for my stay in Ekiti state, and that was how I got an ‘anty’ who lives in the state capital to stay with whenever I was not in my PPA. The woman so loved me that all through my stay in camp she would call to find out how I was doing and would give me advices (all because her son go marry me) lol.

Back to my SYB story, I got to camp, there were no hitches for me during registration. The camp experience was one of the fun things for me during that time. I enjoyed especially the morning drills and parade, infact those were the only things I enjoyed in camp as I did not participate in any other camp activities. Well, I tried to join the volley ball team but was refused because they felt I was too ‘’fragile ‘’ (smh), if only they knew the things I could do. No camp boo for me as I chose to remain faithful to my then boo (after all those show of love by the mum, who wouldn’t be).

The orientation course finished and we were posted to our various PPAs. I saw Ikole LGA and Community Secondary School Irele-Ekiti on my posting letter. I started asking a few of the officials if they knew anything about the place, they said the place was cool. Na so I carry my things o joined one of the NCCF buses that came to pick people from camp to their LGAs with high hopes. My people, it wasn’t fun when I got to the community, I cried my eyes out and wished the principal of the school could reject me but for where. I later consoled myself that all things work together for good.

Stella, you can’t imagine the stress I and the people posted there passed through. The community shares a boundary with Kogi state and to get to the community itself from the LGA was a journey of its own, cars do not run on the road often even with the beautiful roads. Our means of transportation sometimes are ‘DYNA’ (those vehicles used for conveying of farm products, in Ekiti it is mostly used for conveying of charcoal since they have it there in large quantities). That’s how we will stand at the back o till we get to our destination especially on Thursdays for CDS at the LGA secretariat.

Sometimes shame no dey gree me but as no be only me na I go just maintain.

Other times we do get ride from generous car owners who happens to travel that way to/from Kogi state. From Monday to Thursday morning I stay in the community, after CDS, I find my way to Ado Ekiti to my Anty’s place or stay with friends staying within the LGA. Is it the poor network? One’s phone is as good as useless there. I get to browse from Thursdays to Sundays when I am not in the community. The boredom there eh no be small. If I could survive the one there then I can survive boredom anywhere (lol). Aside from the stress of transportation and poor network, the community was very friendly and accommodating to corpers.

Yam, bush meat, fresh tomatoes, pepper, plantain and coconut were some of the gifts I received to make my stay comfortable with the endless greeting of ékpele copa, ókun copa.

NCCF is also a huge part of my service year memories. I enjoyed being a part of the fellowship; I even joined the choir (Eklessia as it is called). The conferences and rural rugged especially the Jesus march is one I don’t forget.

I remember once I was asked to anchor a program and I refused but was encouraged to do it. I learnt that day that you never know how well you can do something till you try. Sometimes I go through my pictures and the videos I took and wish I could relive those moments again.

For me, the one year wasn’t a waste as I got to truly discover what my strengths are, skills I did not know I had manifested and which is helping me today in my day to day activities. I am grateful to God that he saw me through the one year and I returned to my family in one piece.

Abeg, for those that will ask what happened to the relationship, it is a story for another day. Cheers.

*You for try gist us wetin happen to your ex nauuuu,I was really looking forward to that...mscheeeeew.

Abeg mail me the gist for my eyes only you hear?hehehehehe