one of my induction studio pictures
Hello great people, one chapter of my life that I really had a great feast and cannot forget about was my Induction into the medical laboratory science profession.
Induction has to do with oath taking and swearing-in into a particular profession and most importantly, it’s a time a student get to say “finally, I made it” and “the whole stress was worth it”. However, what would induction ceremony be without merriments and clicking of cups?
Personally, I feel the induction ceremony should be broken down into two words; induction and ceremony and each word should be treated differently. Whatever merriments that happen after the swearing-in into the profession should be considered as the ceremony while the main oath taking should be the induction.
Few weeks before this event, my father had called me to inquire about how I’d love the day to be like.
“Like how many guests can we invite to the ceremony?”
“Will a 100 guests be too much?”
He asked.
I thought about it for a minute.
In the actual sense, there’s nothing wrong with inviting as many guests as I want. Any other inductee could also do that but the number of guests coming is dependent on the preparation that my parents are making.
Where would they sit? How about feeding? Drinks? Transportation?
Well, his questions were totally understandable, I am his first child so it’s only natural that he ask.
“A hundred guests is okay but can we just reduce the population by half so that we won’t have to spend more?”
I asked innocently.
“This is because the school doesn’t give a particular number of guests that can come with each inductee, it’s just that we, the host would have to fend for them when they get here.”
We agreed to invite maximum of fifty(50) people eventually.
On the morning of my induction, I was still bothered about how to get my phone charged so that I won’t be so bored during the induction lectures but while I worry about that, my mind was also fixed on so many other things.
So it’s actually true that someone hosting a ceremony has a lot of things to bother about and has no memory of being friendly to everyone they used to be friendly with until the ceremony turns out well.
I hope my dress would look very good on me today, I hope the food would be enough, I hope my family would make it here safely, I hope the event turns out well, I hope the canopy woman find a good location to erect the canopies,I hope my make-up artist wouldn’t disappoint.
My mother had called that morning to ask about how I want the arrangements to be.
She asked if twenty five (25) plates of jollof rice would be enough for my friends.
“ Yes, just please separate five plates for my department with a canned malt drink each”
Immediately after her call, I put a call through to my make-up artist. She said she was on her way already. I had booked her services days before the d-day but disappointment is one thing I dread in setting appointments with people.
One thing is for the makeup artist to arrive late and another thing is for her not to show up at all but I actually wished that it would be the former if worse comes to worse.
Few minutes after that, an unknown number called me and it turned out to be the canopy woman.
“My boys just called me that they’ve arrived the location with the chairs, tables and canopies”
“Please do not set the canopies yet” I replied her.
“Haaa it’s too late ma, my boys have erected the canopies already and they’re about to arrange the chairs..”
“Oh .. okay just leave the chairs out, put them under the canopies but don’t arrange them”
“Okay that’s alright. I’ll call my boys now”
I knew there would be a lot of guests so I was afraid that while my guests were on their way, other inductee’s guests might sit under my canopies thinking it was provided by the school and I didn’t want that to happen.
“Prevention is better than cure” they say so I’d rather have the chairs not arranged than asking other people’s guests to vacate the canopies when my guests arrive.
The whole makeover thing took place at a photography studio.
“How far? How many minutes more?” I asked my make-up artist.
“Just a few minutes ma’am”
Deep down within me, I knew the make over session was not taking too long but I had to hurry the make-up artist because time wasn’t really on my side anymore.
The induction was supposed to start by 9am and at 8:40 am, I was still under brushes and colors to paint my face.
“Please hurry up, time has gone.”
After the make up session, I hurried into the changing room to change into my outfits, went into the studio to take a few pictures and hurried down to school.
the outcome of my make over session
It was just about time they started the event when I got there.
There was a lot of catching up with friends and peers, checking out clothes and wearing the induction gown and cap before assembling into the event hall.
The lectures, oath taking and swearing- in took roughly four(4) hours and after that, I took pictures with my fellow inductees. The end of the induction marked the beginning of the ceremony.
When I got outside the hall, the compound of the school was filled with so many parked cars with opened trucks loaded with packed foods and drinks, canopies, chairs and a lot of people both students and guests.
There were so many students clenched onto every car with an opened truck in the school compound, lobbying for packed food, drinks and probably induction jotters.
I managed to walk in my six inch black covered heels from the event hall down to where my parents and other guests sat under the canopy. The sun decided to bless us with its shiny light, the breeze was very warm and almost everyone under the direct rays of the sun were sweaty.
As I got to my canopy, I removed my induction gowns and immediately changed into comfortable slippers. finally, inner peace. The heat made me query myself about why I chose my outfit in the first place.
A black jumpsuit with a touch of white. The only part of my body anyone could actually see directly was my head, face and hands(elbows down).
Jumping into a cool pool would slap really hard at that moment.
I had to move around the canopies to recognize the seated guests, greet them and accept their warm prayers/gifts/greetings.
Most guests were served iyan( pounded yam) and “efo riro” (vegetable soup). After my merry go round, I sat down to eat my portion of the pounded yam and soup and capped it with chilled water.
The chilled water was the best thing I took that hot afternoon.
Few minutes after I finished eating, I shared my induction jotters and also had a picture session with my family and the guests. The photographer did a great deal in the arrangements and angles of the pictures.
Some of my friends that came after I shared my 20 plates of jollof rice had to sit to eat pounded yam and “efo riro” with us.
I returned my induction gowns and cap to the department and submitted the special 5 plates of jollof rice and canned malt drinks.
One by one, the guests vacate the occasion and travel back to their various abodes. My parents and siblings also returned at the end of the day.
Finally, I went back home and was left with my friends to enjoy the rest of the evening.
All images are mine. Thank you for reading my induction ceremony story.