Sometimes I do wonder how I was created because I notice that smells that appear choky to me are what people will confidently live with, without feeling discomfort. I hate bad smells; my breathing system struggles to survive in such conditions.
During my 21-day NYSC orientation camping exercise in the eastern part of Nigeria, I stayed alongside with all the males in a smelly lodge.
Although at the initial stage it wasn't smelling, but it became taunting at the end of the first two days of our stay.
The day I arrived at camp, I went through all the verification processes, got my meal ticket, and got my bunk number. I took my bags and moved straight to the male lodge to locate my room and as well as the bunk. The lodge was a big one, built in a circle form with a space at the centre. The space at the centre was covered with grasses, which was supposed to serve as a play ground for anyone interested in hanging out in a mini sport activity but it was used for something else.
I settled down that night and went straight to sleep because I was tired.
Around 3:00am the next day, the noises of roommates on their morning routine woke me up. I frowned at the heavy noise from all corners because it was just 3:00am.
"Guy, won't you go and take your bath?" My bunkmate underneath just returned from where he went to have his bath.
"Haaaa! Isn't it too early?" I replied him.
"Hahaha, if you don't wake up now, you won't see water to bathe when it's day break" he mocked me.
He's been there from the first day, so he knew better than I just reported on the second day.
I got up, took my bucket, and coming out from the room, I met the open space filled up with guys bathing and washing clothes...in that 3:00am time.
"So this place is meant for bathing, wow!" I muttered joyfully because it saves someone the strength of going to the public bathroom, which I know will be smelly. I hopped in and had my bath there.
This lifestyle continued for all of us until the next two days that I noticed that the place has started oozing out offensive smells. It became so bad for me, I stopped bathing there in the morning, I began to use my Vandan(cowboy handkerchief) to cover my noise as nosemask anytime I was passing through the lobby, either going out or returning back to the room.
Sometimes, I used to run along the lobby to move past the environment quickly whenever I wasn't with a handkerchief.
With that provoking smell, I began to fancy the parade ground more than the lodge; I was staying outside more when I was supposed to be in the lodge. The only thing that made it a little bit bearable for me was that the smells were not in the rooms.
In all these, I noticed that a lot of people were not feeling the smell because I usually meet some people playing in the lobby whenever I'm passing by.
One afternoon, after collecting food, one of my friends suggested that we go back to the room to eat. We agreed, and while walking to the room about to enter the lobby, he said, "Let's eat in the lobby and take some fresh air."
I became shocked, "fresh air! Don't tell me you're not feeling that smell."
"Which smell? At where?" He asked, looking surprised.
"Jeeez!" A slight headache flashed to my head upon hearing that, I used my hand and placed on my head to reduce the feeling.
"I can't believe there are people who are not repulsive by that offensive smell that's circulating our space. Guy, I'm eating in the room." I frowned and forced him to move as we walked and entered the lobby. I had already worn my Vandan on my nose as a nosemask.
Walking through the lobby, some guys were comfortably eating amidst the smell, and it almost made me puke, imagining the scent mixing with their food.
I managed to endure the situation with my usual covering of noise while passing through the place, staying outside more, and also stopped bathing in the space.
When the last day of camp came, I was the happiest because I was going to have freedom of fresh air. When others were jubilating at their freedom from the 'no-going-out' law, I was jubilating because nothing beats the feeling of having a fresh smell, especially when it comes to environments where body sprays cannot do anything.
Thanks for reading.
