Lol. Yh, this is a fuller of the previous chat. And since that was 'NYSC CAMPING EXPERIENCE IN FULL', and this is the continuation, then this' the fuller version 💁 (Please don't mind me, I just kinda ran out of titles, so... We'll make do with that for now, biko {'biko' is please in Igbo language}. Damn, I'm getting to pick a little of all major Nigerian languages 😎).
So, I got to my camp ground at approximately 3pm, Nigerian time. Then went for my registration, a lil bit of crosschecking of documents here and there, some form filling, passport stapling, then I got my kits and settled myself in a room of 16 (was the third to get to my room). Well, my roommates happened to be really cool people. We got so used to ourselves that I sometimes forgot we were up to 16 in the room; we were bounded into one.
Yeah, the kits, I know you'd ask. It comprised of the NYSC jacket, trouser, cap, belt, khaki boots, 2 pair of socks, a crested vest (our popular 7 on 7), and 2 pair of white shorts and top and a white canvas. Lol. Yeah, my country gives those freely to her graduates who have been called to serve their fatherland. Quite a much must have been spent right? Imagine an average of 1500 corp members in all 36 states and we are usually mobilized in 5 batch, yearly.
A lil bit of registration here and there and the clock stroke 4 and we were all to be in our whites (we weren't sworn into full corp members yet right, so we haven't earned the right to wear the 7/7. As such, we were referred to as 'otondos' {novices} or 'white fowls.' We were baby corpers who will be dressed in white from head to toe for three full weeks, hence, the names). The eager me wasted no time. I didn't even shower, dhurr. And VOILA!!! I'm all whites in no time and at the parade ground. We were white fowls indeed.
Everyone was on parade ground and the army men started with us; the drill rehearsals. Did I mention that the Northern part of Nigeria are arid lands. I doubt if it rains at all in a year, and being the dry season, it was more dry and extremely sunny... Many of us, not being previously used to such an environment kicked off a 'fainting spree.' Lol. It wasn't funny then tho, 'cos I was always scared when I hear the 'Red Cross' shouts (they were the medical emergency/first aid body on camp). I always prayed that God keep us all in one piece.
Don't you dare think I was left out. Although, well, I didn't particularly faint. I just had hazy sight and hearing, I kind of knew unconscious was setting in, so I had to excuse myself from the drills and sit for a while (still under the sun, no grasses either. You remember we were on whites? 😭😭😭😭😭). Next thing I know, I started throwing up and red cross was over me, removing my canvas, socks, cap and all (well, except for my clothes), and I was on my way to the health centre. I couldn't even walk no more. I think it was stress tho. I'm one of the few who would choose sleep/rest over food; I lose my appetite when stressed. I think I mentioned me being busy on the 2nd November in my first article. It extended till the 5th, I barely slept and was always on the road, and I was feeding mainly on drinks and water. And this particular day, I was on a flat tummy (but for the snack given onboard), and I was on parade ground? My body demanded what's rightfully its. So I stayed a while at the clinic, took an energy drink and went to my room. Another guy fainted thrice, consecutively. Everyone thought parade should've been scraped on that first day 'cos we all were coming from long distances. Little did we know we were just getting started.
Errr, did I chip this in? Yeah, I met cute doctors at the centre, a male and female. Lol. You know it was more about the guy right? 😉😂😂 But hello, I just appreciate beauty when I see one. He attended to me, made a few jokes, scolded me for going on parade despite being stressed and having an empty stomach. He made another cute guy around get me a drink, made sure I took it and rested at the centre before leaving. The cutest thing is, he suggested rest when the female doctor was suggesting drugs or drip 😏😏 I'd have ran away from their centre 💁 And the guy was my only doctor acquaintance on camp...
Next morning, the bugle sounded by 4am, and so camp life started. The activities were rammed into another 😩, but man coped 💪 Plus, I had this really cool platoon mates (led by a Opus. Lol. I always called him a bully. We were complete opposites in physique; man is huge...) who made camp fun, coupled with cool friends (likes of Toby, Tobi Afariogun, Oluwadamilare, Daniel, Mariam, Opeyemi, Vee, Veek, Genevieve...), so I had a swell time.
Breakdown of activities were...
4am, first wakeup bugle (people take their baths and dress up for parade, but never your EyilZ girl. Boy, I sleep 💁 I'll just wake up, wash my face and teeth sometimes (my choice), then I change into the whites 😭😭. I take my bath after the first parade. All that matters is, I take my bath in a day. Lol. It was a really cold weather and I needed my sleep, so...)
5am-8/8.30am was usually for devotion, some morning lectures and drills, then breakfast by 9am till 10am (Now, this one hour is usually my busiest. I fetch water, take my bath, go on queue for breakfast, eat and dressup 😭😭). One hour after, then the bugle is up for another set of activities, then another 2pm to 4pm break (for lunch and siesta), and 4pm till almost 7pm is for evening activities, then dinner, then night social activities, from around 8:30 to 10.30pm, then light out (I'm not even sure this is the timing anymore. Been a while now and I don't want to visit my timetable, I'm trying to write from ma head. Lol, exactly, I'm playing smart 😋).
Trust me, camp was too many activities, but well, cool too... I didn't like the constant staying under the sun tho. Katsina's sun is something else, plus the dust. Imagine over a thousand people walking and stamping their legs (parade). How I had a fleeting catarrh tho. I think I adapted.
Then, the man O' war drills. I don't know how to describe these tho, but the drills were a set of activities every corp member looked forward to. Like, we females especially locked cash away to pay the photographers who took the drill pictures. It's like drills were the whole essence of camp. You just cannot back home from camp without the drill pictures.
What else should I tell you guys about? The food?
Well, I didn't really eat much of camp foods. Why? Well, sometimes I can be food picky. Trust me, I paid dearly for it. I'm still recovering from the brokeness aftermath 😭😭😭😭😭
And there was a platoon competition (dance, drama, sanitation, kitchen duties amongst others). I def won't forget to tell you guys some people took things a lil serious, like if you won these competitions, you're getting some Federal recognition or anything related. Anyway, baby girl (yours truly...should I spell it out that that's ME? 🌚🤗🤗) just had fun all the way. Some of the 'serious' folks woke up to reality later tho, much later 🙄 Some even got physical 🤦🏻♀.
Ok, let me tell you how my platoon faired on camp. Onto the next lovelies 💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾
EyilZ still ❤❤
So, I got to my camp ground at approximately 3pm, Nigerian time. Then went for my registration, a lil bit of crosschecking of documents here and there, some form filling, passport stapling, then I got my kits and settled myself in a room of 16 (was the third to get to my room). Well, my roommates happened to be really cool people. We got so used to ourselves that I sometimes forgot we were up to 16 in the room; we were bounded into one.
Yeah, the kits, I know you'd ask. It comprised of the NYSC jacket, trouser, cap, belt, khaki boots, 2 pair of socks, a crested vest (our popular 7 on 7), and 2 pair of white shorts and top and a white canvas. Lol. Yeah, my country gives those freely to her graduates who have been called to serve their fatherland. Quite a much must have been spent right? Imagine an average of 1500 corp members in all 36 states and we are usually mobilized in 5 batch, yearly.
A lil bit of registration here and there and the clock stroke 4 and we were all to be in our whites (we weren't sworn into full corp members yet right, so we haven't earned the right to wear the 7/7. As such, we were referred to as 'otondos' {novices} or 'white fowls.' We were baby corpers who will be dressed in white from head to toe for three full weeks, hence, the names). The eager me wasted no time. I didn't even shower, dhurr. And VOILA!!! I'm all whites in no time and at the parade ground. We were white fowls indeed.
Everyone was on parade ground and the army men started with us; the drill rehearsals. Did I mention that the Northern part of Nigeria are arid lands. I doubt if it rains at all in a year, and being the dry season, it was more dry and extremely sunny... Many of us, not being previously used to such an environment kicked off a 'fainting spree.' Lol. It wasn't funny then tho, 'cos I was always scared when I hear the 'Red Cross' shouts (they were the medical emergency/first aid body on camp). I always prayed that God keep us all in one piece.
Don't you dare think I was left out. Although, well, I didn't particularly faint. I just had hazy sight and hearing, I kind of knew unconscious was setting in, so I had to excuse myself from the drills and sit for a while (still under the sun, no grasses either. You remember we were on whites? 😭😭😭😭😭). Next thing I know, I started throwing up and red cross was over me, removing my canvas, socks, cap and all (well, except for my clothes), and I was on my way to the health centre. I couldn't even walk no more. I think it was stress tho. I'm one of the few who would choose sleep/rest over food; I lose my appetite when stressed. I think I mentioned me being busy on the 2nd November in my first article. It extended till the 5th, I barely slept and was always on the road, and I was feeding mainly on drinks and water. And this particular day, I was on a flat tummy (but for the snack given onboard), and I was on parade ground? My body demanded what's rightfully its. So I stayed a while at the clinic, took an energy drink and went to my room. Another guy fainted thrice, consecutively. Everyone thought parade should've been scraped on that first day 'cos we all were coming from long distances. Little did we know we were just getting started.
Errr, did I chip this in? Yeah, I met cute doctors at the centre, a male and female. Lol. You know it was more about the guy right? 😉😂😂 But hello, I just appreciate beauty when I see one. He attended to me, made a few jokes, scolded me for going on parade despite being stressed and having an empty stomach. He made another cute guy around get me a drink, made sure I took it and rested at the centre before leaving. The cutest thing is, he suggested rest when the female doctor was suggesting drugs or drip 😏😏 I'd have ran away from their centre 💁 And the guy was my only doctor acquaintance on camp...
Next morning, the bugle sounded by 4am, and so camp life started. The activities were rammed into another 😩, but man coped 💪 Plus, I had this really cool platoon mates (led by a Opus. Lol. I always called him a bully. We were complete opposites in physique; man is huge...) who made camp fun, coupled with cool friends (likes of Toby, Tobi Afariogun, Oluwadamilare, Daniel, Mariam, Opeyemi, Vee, Veek, Genevieve...), so I had a swell time.
Breakdown of activities were...
4am, first wakeup bugle (people take their baths and dress up for parade, but never your EyilZ girl. Boy, I sleep 💁 I'll just wake up, wash my face and teeth sometimes (my choice), then I change into the whites 😭😭. I take my bath after the first parade. All that matters is, I take my bath in a day. Lol. It was a really cold weather and I needed my sleep, so...)
5am-8/8.30am was usually for devotion, some morning lectures and drills, then breakfast by 9am till 10am (Now, this one hour is usually my busiest. I fetch water, take my bath, go on queue for breakfast, eat and dressup 😭😭). One hour after, then the bugle is up for another set of activities, then another 2pm to 4pm break (for lunch and siesta), and 4pm till almost 7pm is for evening activities, then dinner, then night social activities, from around 8:30 to 10.30pm, then light out (I'm not even sure this is the timing anymore. Been a while now and I don't want to visit my timetable, I'm trying to write from ma head. Lol, exactly, I'm playing smart 😋).
Trust me, camp was too many activities, but well, cool too... I didn't like the constant staying under the sun tho. Katsina's sun is something else, plus the dust. Imagine over a thousand people walking and stamping their legs (parade). How I had a fleeting catarrh tho. I think I adapted.
Then, the man O' war drills. I don't know how to describe these tho, but the drills were a set of activities every corp member looked forward to. Like, we females especially locked cash away to pay the photographers who took the drill pictures. It's like drills were the whole essence of camp. You just cannot back home from camp without the drill pictures.
What else should I tell you guys about? The food?
Well, I didn't really eat much of camp foods. Why? Well, sometimes I can be food picky. Trust me, I paid dearly for it. I'm still recovering from the brokeness aftermath 😭😭😭😭😭
And there was a platoon competition (dance, drama, sanitation, kitchen duties amongst others). I def won't forget to tell you guys some people took things a lil serious, like if you won these competitions, you're getting some Federal recognition or anything related. Anyway, baby girl (yours truly...should I spell it out that that's ME? 🌚🤗🤗) just had fun all the way. Some of the 'serious' folks woke up to reality later tho, much later 🙄 Some even got physical 🤦🏻♀.
Ok, let me tell you how my platoon faired on camp. Onto the next lovelies 💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾
EyilZ still ❤❤
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