I have had quite a number of rough experiences while travelling, especially whenever I was going back to school. But out of all of them, there was this particular one that stood out as the absolute worst for me.
Normally, whenever I was returning to school after a break, my mum had this routine. She would first take me from home to the bus stop where I could easily get a cab to the school park. From there, I would then take a bike straight to my school gate. It was always a bit stressful, but we already had it figured out, so nothing really unusual ever happened—at least until that day.
It was the beginning of my fourth year in the university, and I was supposed to resume fresh for the new session. Since I still had a lot of things to get, my mum decided we should go to the market earlier that day before heading to the park. We shopped for almost everything. I needed—crocs, shirts, trousers, stockings, and a few other essentials. I was excited because I felt properly prepared for the semester ahead. But little did I know that the trip to school itself was going to test my patience.
By evening, just as we were leaving for the park, heavy rain started falling. To make matters worse, everywhere suddenly became very dark, and visibility was almost zero. As if that wasn’t enough, traffic built up on the way, and we found ourselves stuck for minutes.
Another thing that really scared me was the fact that my mum, who was with me, is a bit elderly and can not see very clearly, especially when everywhere is very dark. Imagine being caught in such a situation, late in the evening, with bad roads, heavy rain, water covering the streets, and then your mum who was driving was—struggling to see clearly. It wasn’t just uncomfortable; it was frightening. I literally had to direct her a couple of times and assure her nothing bad was going to happen.
By the time we finally managed to get to the park, it was already night. To be honest, that was actually the first time I ever travelled at night, and honestly, I was just praying silently for safety. The darkness on the highway was another problem on its own. Nigeria doesn’t exactly have well-lit roads, so you can imagine cars speeding through pitch-black roads with nothing but their headlights. I couldn’t even focus or relax. All I kept thinking was, “What if something happens?” I kept wishing the journey would end quickly.
That trip left such a mark on me because it was one of those moments where everything that could possibly go wrong seemed to happen at the same time—rain, darkness, traffic, and fear. Honestly, it was one of the worst travel experiences I’ve ever had, and I sincerely hope nothing like that ever happens to me again.
Thanks for reading.
