I was so happy when my relocation was approved successfully to my desired state for service. Where I was posted to before was in the North which I do not like, and after persuading my aunt to change it for me because she has an upper hand with big personalities she could beckon on just at the snap of her fingers. I waited for the result while I watched other corps members who went through the free process of filling their forms at the camp while some paid for it which costs around $50-$70.
Sometimes, it doesn't go well as many are rejected and would sadly serve where they are given. When the result came out at the end of the 21 days of in-camp training, I saw on my dashboard that my relocation to the state I chose was approved successfully. I jumped off my bed and was rejoicing in my hostel room. Some were heartbroken as they didn't approve their own, some wasted money while others rejoiced like me.
It was time to begin the process of re-doing my documentation in the state I chose and it meant going all over again to register myself; a lot of stress in it but I scaled through all. When I got to the school where I was posted for my PPA (place of primary assignment), I met the Vice principal on the seat who happened to be a jovial and friendly man. He signalled to the chair in front of him for me to sit while I waited for him to finish up what he was doing.
"Hello, corper. How are you?" He asked smiling at me. He asked for my name which I told him.
"I am fine, sir", I replied with a smile back because I could sense all was well and could be accepted. I was praying in my mind so as not to be rejected because it would be another hell of a stress going for another change of PPA.
"What did you study?" He asked why focusing all his attention on me.
"Guidance and counselling, sir", I replied.
He continued, "Okay, but the only subject we are in need of a teacher is English Language. Can you take that?"
"Ermm sir..." I stuttered and trying to refuse the subject because I wanted something else like civic education, social studies etc.
"What is the errrm sir? Don't you want the subject? I am sorry if you cannot take it, we will have to reject you as other subjects are available except the English language." He said while smiling at me.
"Alright then, I will try my best with the subject", I said while trying to fake my smile as I wasn't interested in taking the subject.
"So, you will be taking the SS 1 class and that is what you will be teaching once we resume next year. This is what I will fill in your assigned duty form because, by January, I won't be the VP for school 2 as I have been transferred to school 1." He was saying all these while filling a form on his table.
After a while, he gave me a form which he had stamped with the school stamp and signed on to fill out and do some photocopies as I would need to take some to different places for other documentation. I knelt and thanked him for his time and also for being friendly to me as it made me comfortable talking to him as if we'd known each other for a while.
I was trying to fill out the form he gave me as he was in a hurry to attend a meeting and I was also trying to save the time for him. I missed some details in the form as I gave wrong answers to some information. I almost gave it to him when I noticed the errors I had committed. The devil truly is in the details.
"Haaa... the devil is at work oo". I muttered in my mind and it was already time for him to leave. He couldn't wait any longer and told me he would have to search for another form somewhere else and that could take his time. He told me that I would have to wait till he returned so he could patiently search for it.
I felt so sad because if I had checked well and with patience, I wouldn't have made a mistake, but because I had glanced through the form while he was filling it, I thought I already knew what the next part would be without going through the details to know what to fill next. I had to wait for 2 hours which got me delayed to do other things and had to be postponed till the next day. That day, I learnt my lesson not to rush things and also to pay attention to details before filling in instead of assuming I knew what the next thing would be.
First image is mine || Second Image source
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