NYSC Series III: My Camp Experience Day 1

So, a lot of my friend's have been posted to Lagos Camp and their journey as an Eko Kopa begins tomorrow. I'm pretty excited for them, I know they'll have a blast as long as they embrace the experience. I started a group on facebook before NYSC started where I shared tips on surviving camp and stuff we needed to get, in terms of camp prep. Plus people made friends with other people posted to their state before they got to camp. It was a closed group before (quality control reasons), so I had to accept people or they had to be invited by a member of the group, I've made it public now so anyone can read the posts.

Okay, so while in camp I wrote down notes about each day on my phone. I had a bb torch at that time (I still have it but I have my Iphone as an add-on) and I didn't take my camera with me so sadly, I haven't got many pictures to share. Try and visualise as you read sha.

Day 1

So, the first day of Camp has been rather interesting, got to the venue at about 10 O'clock. Was accosted by people selling buckets, soap boxes, ID Card holders and people offering to take passport photographs at the gate.

Got into the premises and a soldier asked to see my call up letter then our suitcases were checked with a hand held device before we could proceed. While walking to the parade ground, different people were handing out their contact details for laundry services and phone charging services.

We then proceeded to a tent where people were queuing up to get accommodation. We went into the hostel in groups of 28, wrote our name, call up number and phone number on a piece of paper then filed upstairs to our rooms. I'm on the 2nd floor, room 22, top bunk so I get to feel the fan

As we got into our rooms, the girl in the bunk next to mine started pointing her finger and shaking, moving her arm in a clockwise motion. She started screaming and convulsing and then it clicked that she was having an epileptic fit/seizure.

It was a pretty scary sight, one of the medical officers came in and said NYSC is not a do or die thing. She was carried out and I saw her registering later on, with one of the NYSC officials helping her. We went downstairs and there was no one saying what we should do but people were in queues.

I asked a few questions and realised we had to get one white and blue form, fill it in Blue ink then staple our passport photos to it. The next step was to go to some hall at the back of the hostel to join the queue for foreign trained graduates, it was sooo slow moving. There were different tables for people who schooled in Nigeria, arranged according to zones. There was also a queue for nursing mothers and a queue for people who went to private Nigerian Universities e.g. RUN, Covenant, Babcock,etc.

The point of this queue is to get a second call up letter and for your credentials to be checked. There is another queue at the back of this same hall to get your file and your name is checked on the system. The files have numbers on them already (this is your state code) and the last figure is your platoon number. I became friends with the mama attending to me and she gave me bread and her number so she'll help me in the future

The next queue at the corner of this same hall moves quite quickly and you are given 4 forms to fill. There are some canopies outside the hall, its best you find a chair as it takes a while to fill in the forms. You also have to get an online registration form (N10), fill it in, staple the pin on a strip of paper to the top of the form and hand it in for N200 (Make sure you carry small notes o as change is always scarce). It cost N100 to get all my forms perforated.

The next step is to head back to the parade ground and join a queue to get your folder signed and to hand in the blue and white form. It started raining at this point and two of the banisters holding one of the tents up fell down, the roof of the tent started caving in and water was leaking through. People were really scared, it got slightly chaotic and all the activity was put on hold. Luckily there are people going round selling water, drinks and snacks. (Stapling is N10)

The next stage is to go to the tent for your platoon and get your folder checked. This was quite annoying as I made tiny mistakes so had to go looking for tipexx then come back. Make sure your next of Kin is your father, mother, sister or brother (someone older than you). Your contact in case of emergency should not have the same address as your next of kin. Also, ensure you write down the state when filling in addresses.

There is a specific order that your file has to be arranged in. Call up letters, then green form, then white form with details, then degree certificate and the undertaking form. After this has been checked, you sign in a book next to your state code, you are given a meal ticket and EKO KOPA book and then the man O' war guy hands you your form.

I am quite a chatty person so I famzed with the man o' war guy and made sure he knew my name. My shoes were too big and they weren't getting new kits for another hour so I had to wait before I could exchange for something my size. We were asked to go to the camp ground to listen to the camp director speak.

When the NYSC officials say wee, corpers respond saying waa and when they say waa, we respond by saying wee. Some of the officials spiced things up by saying wa oo and wa wa wa. The beagle was blown and they sang the NYSC anthem which will be stuck in our head pretty soon. P.S. If you want to learn the NYSC Anthem, watch the video below.

The cheer for the official in charge of the kitchen was the loudest and there are 3 different tunes that could be played by the beagle, one for food, one for lights out and for wake up and then one for the flag going up (at 6). Apparently we aren't meant to be in motion when the beagle is being blown.

The soldier said our laughter annoys him and discipline is key. Some interesting jokes were cracked e.g. This is not India so don't smoke Indian Hemp. I went to my room after all the activity, chilled for a bit, then Mammy market for some rice and stew, it wasn't the best but I was soooo hungry.My friend, Demi bought 2 stars for the military men, no wasting time, trying to get in their good books.

I bought my bucket, pail and soap box (N500), pillow (N500) and charged battery (N50) at Mammy Market.

Anyways, it was a pretty cool day, I made some new friends in my platoon especially on the queue. Samic is the guy to call if you want to charge your phone, his number is 08185267823. There's another guy D'banj and an Aunty Mama Dee but Samic was my first padi.

We can do this!!

P.S. Awon Foreign Trained, Date of registration is not the day you went to Abuja oo but the day you came to camp.

Faith doesn't exempt us from life's storms; it equips us to go through them. And when we are in the will of God; no storm, however severe, can take us under.