Day 1

One moment, I'm grumbling about this NYSC thing; the next, I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas. That was how I stayed on my phone two days ago, refreshing my dashboard like what felt like a million times, and then bam! It was there - my call-up letter.

“NYSC Perm Orient Camp, Yikpata, EDU Kwara State."

You'd think this news should've been a downer – Kwara wasn't even on my wishlist. But no, I was over the moon. I hurried to Nairaland and soaked up stories of ex-Yikpata corpers. Most of these stories were horrible.

My reaction? Bring it on! I said I couldn't wait to document my own experiences.

But that evening, the weight of the disappointment and sadness I should have felt earlier began to fall on me. I sobbed like a baby who had lost her favorite doll.

“You’ve seen Lagos, now, add Ibadan. Stay a night, then hit Kwara. You'll have two more states under your belt.”

It was from my Father after I had mentioned breaking my journey in either of the states/cities.

I'm sold on this immediately. Next thing I knew, I found my fellow PCMs heading to Kwara. We hustled through motor parks and made some grand plans that would later fail, and this morning, we were huddled at ITC park - all six of us, where we would leave three lazy hours later than we were supposed to.

So, here I am, maybe halfway into this 12+ hour journey, feeling like I am on a big jar of nervousness and unadulterated excitement.

Three weeks in Yikpata? No wahala! Let's see what it holds!

Meanwhile, our driver is amazing. Calm. If ITC had an app and we could rate their drivers, ours would get a 5-star rating from everyone here.

Travel safe. I'd be waiting for ur update

I don land

Day 2

We’re still on our way to Yikpata. It’s been a wild but enjoyable trip.

No one here has had a good sleep - trying to doze off and jolting awake every few minutes because of the bumpy roads.

First, our bus broke down in Osun. We were stuck there for over two hours, hoping the mechanics would do their magic.

Finally, we got to Ilorin, Kwara, at midnight, stopped at this mishai shop, and while some PCMs grabbed dinner, the rest of us just walked around, stretching like cats.

It was already past 1 am when we got to the park. There we stayed the night - inside the bus.

One of the things I like about these people is how we’ve all been teaming up on this trip. That was how one of us set out this morning to find water. When he did, he came to call the ladies to bath first before the morning brightened more. Such a gentleman!

Now, we are all set and squished in this 14-seater bus - all 17 of us with our loads. 17 now?

We had more Yikpata-bound PCMs join us this morning, and are these people loud? God! I'm beginning to have a headache.

Well, it's all cramped here, but there's excitement in the air. I can't wait to see Yikpata!

Nice one

Haha... Memories!

After that one years ... your eye go clear

Memories

It's my first day in Yikpata camp, Kwara state, and so much has happened!

I got to Yikpata at 11:18 in the morning, along with 16 other corpers.

Before that, the bus driver from the park asked for more money, 3.5k extra from each of us. This place too far!

Yet, the bus was so crowded everyone was squished and screaming for space.

Yikpata is just like people say, but for now, I've only seen the forest part. The lonely part of it, too. There's enough time to find out about the rest.

When we arrived, we first went to the gate to check in. I balanced my heavy bag on my head and hurried to the OBS. I don't know why, but everyone seemed to be doing it. I thought it was fun to try it too! 😂

Now, I had already connected with some of the people I came on this long trip with, and we (the females) hoped we would be in the same platoons and hostels. So, we planned to make it happen.

First, we went to the auditorium together for registration and then to the ICT, where we found we had been put in different platoons. We thought this meant we would now be in different hostels until we went for our accommodation.

I am in Platoon One, and now I share the same block with 3 of the 5 ladies I came with. And this is where the story begins…

Una pay?

Platoon one. Hostel one. Block F. Down.

That was supposed to be my bunk, but this girl had already taken it. I went to find the woman in charge, and she helped. The girl looked really mad at me, but I just wanted my space.

Then, something strange happened. The mad girl started trying to be friendly. She talked about my big, heavy bag and told me to use a marker on my stuff. She even complained about our camp kits and wanted to borrow my things. I was so tired; I just wanted to rest.

Soon, it was time for the evening parade. I had to rush through my bath and left behind so many things! The parade was tough. I had been on a 29-hour trip, was super tired, and hadn't eaten well. I felt really worn out.

I couldn't take it anymore, so I spoke to the military instructor. I told him about my long trip and how tired I was. He didn't change much, though, but his promise to finish early gave me a bit of hope.

Dinner followed almost immediately. It was white rice and stew, and it was a disaster save for the fish.

Luckily, Nicky (one of the ladies from ITC Park Owerri with whom I share Block F) and I went to have our first Mammy experience. We had a fish soup that helped us eat some of the rice and dispose of the rest.

Yesterday was fun, and it feels like I’ll be having a good time here.

P.S: I wrote this yesterday (Day 2 -iii), and my feelings about this place are already changing…
#nysc2023 #nyscdiary #nysccamp #yikpatacorper #yikpata #kwaracorper

🙂😃

Please give us more updates, how many hours for lecture? How much free time do you get? Which organisations in camp gives time for rest.. Do you have to travel with a lot of clothes?

Amaaranthine:
Day 1

One moment, I'm grumbling about this NYSC thing; the next, I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas. That was how I stayed on my phone two days ago, refreshing my dashboard like what felt like a million times, and then bam! It was there - my call-up letter.

“NYSC Perm Orient Camp, Yikpata, EDU Kwara State."




You'd think this news should've been a downer – Kwara wasn't even on my wishlist. But no, I was over the moon. I hurried to Nairaland and soaked up stories of ex-Yikpata corpers. Most of these stories were horrible.

My reaction? Bring it on! I said I couldn't wait to document my own experiences.

But that evening, the weight of the disappointment and sadness I should have felt earlier began to fall on me. I sobbed like a baby who had lost her favorite doll.

“You’ve seen Lagos, now, add Ibadan. Stay a night, then hit Kwara. You'll have two more states under your belt.”

It was from my Father after I had mentioned breaking my journey in either of the states/cities.

I'm sold on this immediately. Next thing I knew, I found my fellow PCMs heading to Kwara. We hustled through motor parks and made some grand plans that would later fail, and this morning, we were huddled at ITC park - all six of us, where we would leave three lazy hours later than we were supposed to.

So, here I am, maybe halfway into this 12+ hour journey, feeling like I am on a big jar of nervousness and unadulterated excitement.

Three weeks in Yikpata? No wahala! Let's see what it holds!

Meanwhile, our driver is amazing. Calm. If ITC had an app and we could rate their drivers, ours would get a 5-star rating from everyone here.

I camped there, tbh it was a nice experience
Though I relocated back to South

Hisimperialmaje:
Please give us more updates, how many hours for lecture? How much free time do you get? Which organisations in camp gives time for rest.. Do you have to travel with a lot of clothes?

I would've loved to, but I've been asked to stop writing.

samcolee:


I camped there, tbh it was a nice experience
Though I relocated back to South

It's good to know you had a nice experience here. When did you camp, and which hostel were you in?

Amaaranthine:


It's good to known you had a nice experience here. When did you camp, and which hostel were you in?

February 2022 batch A

Amaaranthine:


It's good to known you had a nice experience here. When did you camp, and which hostel were you in?

The hostel behind the kitchen

🙂

Have you been paid bicycle allowance?

I think I wrote a good one about yikpata. You can never miss