It all started when I registered for the National Youth Service Corps mandatory program. I had it totally in mind to serve my country in the state of Lagos. And so asked all the right questions and made plans to ensure that this would happen.
Well, it turns out I didn’t ask enough questions because, tell me why, when I was ready to talk to the agent who would help me work my posting to Lagos, he told me I came late.
What do you mean, I came late? I have the funds ready, just book me into your slot. Nope, I apparently came late. I talked to some other agents, and they all said the same thing.
The problem was that I got confused about the timing. I didn’t know I needed to book ahead for a slot in order for it to work. So what did I do? I had to take a risk of leaving my posting up to the gods of NYSC. I prayed that I would get a Western state, at the very least.
I didn’t want to go to the North for any reason, and I knew they wouldn’t post me to the East, seeing how I’m from the East in the first place. So I waited until the night of posting. And then I checked it out.
Lo and Behold, they sent me to Ekiti State - a western state. I was lowkey happy. Then the time to go to camp came, and I spent three weeks in camp, and I adapted. I still wanted to relocate to Lagos, but all my efforts went to hell.
So after days of trying, I accepted my fate and moved all my belongings and livelihood to the young state of Ekiti. To say I experienced some culture shock moments would be an understatement.
It is worth noting that I cried on the first day out of camp. When I left camp that day, I was taken to my Place of Primary Assignment to do some documentation. After this, I found out that my future workplace would not be providing me with an accommodation. That made me so overwhelmed.
I had to look for a place to lay my head for a night or two. I eventually was told about the Catholic family house just around the corner. So I transported myself and my stuff there. When I got there, none of the faces looked familiar. So I dropped my things, then stepped out to get some fresh air.
After a few minutes of thinking and staring out blankly, tears began to flow down my cheeks. I felt completely alone in that moment. It wasn’t easy or funny. I thought about what the future was going to look like in this foreign state.
This event happened back in October, and I am glad to say that everything eventually worked out well.
I rented an apartment for myself, made friends with my fellow Corps members at the family house, joined some social groups so I wouldn’t feel so alone, found a church to attend on Sundays, and I settled down well.
It’s safe to say that life is going great. Looking back, I now understand the importance of the sad moments I had. They strengthened my resolve and made me quite resilient. Now I am confident that I can single-handedly move anywhere and begin a life with the support of good people.
I believe I made a good decision!
Thanks for reading!
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