Monday, August 30, 2010

THE REASON FOR MY LONG ABSENCE

Hi guys! It has been a very long time since I have been around the blog world but it has been for a good (or so they say) reason. I have been away from my state and computer for more than two months because I was called up to serve my country in a scheme called NYSC. For those who are not familiar with this, NYSC means NIGERIAN YOUTH SERVICE CORPS.

It is a scheme in which young (or thereabout) graduates serve their country immediately after school with the exception of some medical fields like pharmacy, medicine and medical lab science where the graduates are expected to undergo training for a year. It can be likened to been drafted into the military for a year but in this case it is paramilitary. It is supposed to be compulsory for every graduate except those who are beyond the stipulated age (30 yrs) but due to some serious flaws in the scheme some people opt out of the whole trouble I mean scheme.

Part of the aims of NYSC is to make Nigerians experience the different cultures of the country as we have a loooot of tribes so unless you can work your way to staying in your home state you will find yourself in different sometimes far away from your state.

I live in Lagos (always have except when I schooled in Ogun which was close to Lagos so it wasn’t that bad) and now I am in Akwa-Ibom. When I heard that I have been posted here I was in a total state of shock, and then came a serious wave of anger. I was livid; I didn’t even know where the state was. I had to go online to search for a map of Nigeria to know where it was. I had to find out who the Governor was, what language apart from English that they spoke and basically any information that I thought would help me.

After it had sank into my brain that I would be going to Akwa-Ibom the issue of how to get there now became an issue. Do I fly there or do I go by road? Where do I get a good road transport company? What time do they set off on the road? My biggest question: HOW MANY HOURS WOULD I SPEND ON THE ROAD? You might ask why I was concerned with the time. It is because I HATE sitting in a bus for long period of time and I did not want a case of entering a strange land in the middle of the night. So while I was still contemplating what transport system to use, I got a jolt into helping me make my decision. Road transport would take a minimum of TWELVE HOURS and that is if we don’t have any problems on the way. This meant that we could use 14 hours or 16 hours depending how fast the driver is.

I went straight to the airport to book for a flight a day before when I was to leave Lagos. What airline I would use depended on the time of take off. I did not want a case where I would be late for my flight. I eventually chose the one that was convenient for me and paid for it. The money wasn’t cheap but it was going to take me just ONE HOUR to get there which was what I loved.

Now getting to the airport and waiting for the flight was a whole new experience.

And that experience I would write about later (which might be sooner than you think). I have so much to write on. Like my experience in the airport and plane, camp life, the weeks that followed camp and how I coped, a list of the things that I have never done that I have now had to do, my relationship with some certain guys that are now in my life and so much more.

I really hope you join me in my story telling of a very new and adventurous life that I am forced to live now. I hope you enjoy it.

See you very soon,
Petite diva signing out.
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