My NYSC chronicles (chapter 4)

This is day 5 I have not even posted day one at this point so I don't know when we'll get caught up but I believe I can make it happen this week. 

Today is Monday the official beginning of the orientation lecture week. It's about 8:29am. The weather is cool and I'm typing this from a make-shift canteen made of big old banners,nylons, zinc roofing sheet and metal posts for pillars. I'm here eating overpriced noodles cause the camp has cooked beans and I will not dare to experiment with something so unstable. (Owo ti ku waso but I'm happy). 

I woke up regular babalawo hours to bath and we went straight to the hall for a zoom 'live' meeting with the director general of the federation. It was boring and started late but yea. I then willingly got into trouble for not wearing my 'number tag' (make shift means of ID) around my neck(see I figured all my life I let "constituted authority" get away with stuff cause I thought they had more power than they actually did, and years later I realize its actually nothing and I could have stood up to that one nonsense teacher in secondary school and gotten away with it, so I chose defiance this time). The punishment however surpassed what I expected (four days of hard labour and my cap seized) luckily I got out of it rather easily and resolved to trying my defiance some other time when constituted authority doesn't have the backing of soldiers.

However my platoon was assigned the 'hard labour' as a daily task. We had to pick dirt and were split into groups then allocated portions of the camp and a camp official to supervise. I need to go I'd complete this in the evening. 

PAUSE. 

I've come to a difficult realization that I might be unable to post these stories as they happen 

PLAY. 

This is day 9. Since the last time I wrote anything we've been sworn in as official Corp members

I've also cut ties with all the associations on camp as I can't kill myself. I can't be stressing like this and missing meals for what?. However, I can't stay out of work here. I've been selected to represent my platoon in the Mr Macho competition. Though our training is just a few hours in it's been unnecessary dancing. How militant go dey stand for stage? 😭. 

That being said. I went on to volunteer for quiz and possibly debate lewl for my Platoon(Platoon is basically like a 'house' in interhousesport games. They're 10 of them and its randomly determined, whatever number you fall on on the register when you come in, the last digit becomes your platoon). I know I'm adding to my problems but I cannot not participate, I don't have it in me to be an onlooker. 

I must add that on day 7 soldiers came into our rooms after light out by 10pm, banged on our doors and asked us all to come out. Lol it was wild. My room thought he'd be skipped if we're quiet and turn off the lights. Didn't work. We were out too. We were all then directed to file right back in... With our hands raise up. They then left. No explanations given. I deduced they came to look for girls possibly being harbored by guys. I heard earlier that day that they caught people doing the seggs in the bushes or something cause they're probably mad. So yea I'm still suffering.

After all said and done I actually think these people have broken me, I've sang the national anthem so much it's beginning to make sense to me, it's like I really want the labour of heroes past not be in vain now (whatever that means). Also I think I'm getting used to standing for long periods, I stood for about 3 hours during our swearing in programme and I didn't bend or squat. (What have these people done to meee??).. Still on the matter I'm always standing "at ease" now, something is wrong with my default settings for sure at this point

to further buttress this point Some of the lectures, (especially the one on history of the state which was extremely impressive)are beginning to make sense to me now. The lecture explains that Nigeria is so diverse. Delta state alone has about 5 main tribes, hence different languages. This he explained as a beautiful thing but at some point it just sounded like too many fronts upon which to be divided. I'd love to stay and explain this but I have to go.