A Corper’s Life

Farida Aliyu returned to Abuja after years of schooling in the US, to do her required youth service.  Below she gives an account of her first week and a half at camp:

To say I was shocked would be an understatement, it was overwhelming, yet possessed that feeling of excitement…a new frontier. After a few days it dawns on the Corper (what an NYSC server is called) that they are now residing in a different world than they once were only a few hours before. This organized chaos that lies within the NYSC camp was now our new home for the next three weeks. Approximately 3,500 university graduates are placed in a community where they are basically forced to live, play, fight  and learn from one another. Individuals from all over Nigeria have been posted to serve at the FCT camp located in Kubwa.

The first thing that stood out were our differences, then the similarities we found along the way that will inevitably create the longlasting bonds we will all share after this life changing experience. So far the biggest challenge here is communication, I grew up in the states and coming back home after 13 years to serve has been difficult not in my duties, but communicating with my fellow corpers. Names like “Americana” and “Oyinbo” are constantly thrown my way due
to the way I speak. I get disrespected by quite a few females, which I can only translate as a sign of their insecurity, while the males flock towards the foreign students as if to claim a prize in the end. Most People forget that the main reason we are here is to learn from one another instead of criticize and discriminate. Im almost certain that the heat has a lot to do with the animosity and constant bickering. The most memorable quote for me would be ” you’re in Nigeria, speak like a Nigerian”, as far as the real world is concerned, ones nationality is determined by their place of birth and or where they choose to claim citizenship. I was born in Nigeria, in Borno State…and yes I’m always on my two feet for the Boko Haram
jokes that follow after I disclose my state of origin to my fellow corpers.

A typical day on camp begins approximately at 4am, we wake up, we struggle for water and electricity because the lights haven’t yet been restored from the lights-out the previous night. Around 4:45-5am the soldiers come banging in to chase corpers that aren’t yet on the parade ground. Punctuality is very important and they take it very seriously at camp. We line up, followed by greetings morning announcements, exercises followed by the morning drills. Most of our time is taken up with finishing up paper work for the upcoming service year which we must fulfil. Our days are also lined up with lectures and guest speakers throughout the run of the three weeks stay at camp.

The tight schedule we are placed on is a constant reminder of the enclosure in which we reside. Most of the corpses seek refuge at the market place, better known as the Mami Market. It’s a strip of restaurants, bars and an open market selling anything you can possibly need and can’t reach from inside the walls of the NYSC camp. I’m sure if you wanted to buy a person you would find it at the mami market. If a corper is not on the parade ground, be rest assured you’ll find them
at the market attempting to catch a break.

So far week one and a half hasn’t been so bad. The long queues are enough to send one back to the hostel crying, but they aren’t going to go away anytime soon. So far i’ve learned to be prepared for the worst and take in the best you can from those around you. We are all in this together.