GOMBE CORPER SERIES PART 2: MY LIFE IN CAMP (part A)

"into your hands o Lord, I commit my soul," I said to myself as I took a deep breath and rolled my box into the gate. It was real and happening that finally, I was in NYSC temporary Orientation camp, Gombe state. I swallowed hard as I dragged myself to the hostel, everything seemed strange...

Now, let's go back a bit.

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Throughout the journey, from time to time, my other kept calling, and with each

"Hello, where are you now?" Her tone seemed to get more mixed with the spices of fear to present the perfect delicacy of the fact that she was so scared. Sometimes, I would call her just to "say hi" and to tell her my location that at some point, she started being calm; just by a few inches. The evening soon came and as usual, my mother called but this time, to remind me to tell the driver to look for somewhere to rest for the night because it was getting dark and the north wasn't safe.

Please,

How was I to tell her that I couldn't; I was not the only one in the bus moreover, the way the bus was flying on the road, these drivers (they were two who from time to time would exchange the seat) had no intention of stopping soon?

"Okay ma, I will tell them" I instead replied and she heaved a sigh of relief.

By 11:00 pm, we arrived at Jos, and as we drove past mountains and rocks standing proud and high like gallant soldiers with their base illuminated by the lights from the street and houses that you see from a distance much like pixie dust, I was in full awe. This was my first time seeing the mountains and rocks at close range and believe me, even at night time, they were (and still are) so beautiful that I had wished I could reach out and touch them. We soon navigated our way to the motor park and lodged there for the night. Oh! how cold Jos was! However, we tried to make ourselves comfortable by playing games, watching movies, and jisting till we slept off. At 8 am; we woke, muttered some prayers, washed our faces, brushed our teeth, and resumed our journey to Gombe state, passing through Bauchi. (As we had some Bauchi corpers that shared the bus with us) Trust me, the rocks in Bauchi are unlike that which you have ever seen! The arrangements are certainly aesthetically pleasing too that I couldn't help but swoon. Everything was new to me and for hours, I forgot about my predicament and enjoyed my view...the rocks in Bauchi? Perfect!

We arrived at Gombe NYSC camp at about 1:05 pm the next day, after about a 27 hours journey, rounding the numbers up (we spent about 30 minutes turning around the city due to false directions). I came down from the bus and tried to stretch my body, drenched in tiredness and extremely stressed. I was so irritated that my feet were badly swollen and out of shape but the Gombe sun did not seem to care, it shone hotter and brighter than ever.

"Right! I hope the vultures don't get me in this desert." I frowned at the sun and grumbled under my breath as I slowly dragged by box and pail across the dense sand, towards the gate to be checked in. It seemed like we were in the middle of nowhere and with each step I took farther from the bus, I felt like turning back but no sooner had I gone a few inches from the bus, I heard it roar off. Yes, I was left here and I had to face the fact; I was all alone and there was no turning back now.

We were divided and directed to two medical tents to be tested for COVID-19. May I use this opportunity to say, in my whole life, nothing was as painful as the long cotton swab, getting jammed deep into my left nostril; it was as though my eyes and brain were being pierced too. The pain pierced my heart and I felt like calling out to my mother. How would she hear me? How would she know Nigeria was hurting her dearly beloved? As I closed my eyes with my head tilted back, I imagined her running to me in slow motion and telling the doctors I didn't need any test, that I was free, I was safe, I wasn't infected with the virus...

"Okay Abigail, please give us 10 minutes as we process the results"

When they were done, I got my result and headed to the checkpoint to be checked in.

"into your hands o lord, I commit my soul," I said to myself as I took a deep breath and rolled my box into the gate. It was real and happening that finally, I was in NYSC temporary Orientation camp, Gombe state. I swallowed hard as I dragged myself to the hostel... everything seemed strange but I was determined to make the most of my new environment yunno, make new friends, and serve my country better.

The very thing that made me report to camp the day before my scheduled date, was so I can get a down bunk. ALAS! I still got an up bunk shoved in my face by a rude camp official. I dropped my box, brought out my file, and proceeded to carry out In camp registrations. I finished my registrations and got my kit about some few minutes to 4 pm. Sluggishly, I made my way to the hostel envisioning how I would unpack, take a cool shower and maybe find a good Samaritan with whom I would exchange my bunk space for the opposite then afterward, I would pop my feet and relax out the stress of the previous day's journey.

"I SHOULD NOT COME INSIDE YOUR ROOM AND FIND YOU!!"

I heard and saw people scramble out from the hostel like sheep without a shepherd and I sprang up from where I was squatting to unpack.

"But who is that?"

"Tell her we are busy."

"why is she shouting?"

"But we just came into camp now, has camp really started? Are we really going for the parade now?"

"what is a parade?"

My roommates complained and asked, everyone grumbling at the female soldier's commands but no one brave enough to stop dressing hurriedly in their all-white on-white.

"welcome Abigail Abangasang to your new life," I said to myself and slipped out immediately as the soldier entered the room.