The Jigs
When I told God I wanted to travel, I didn't mean to Jigawa.
Going to Jigawa (the Jigs) was a no brainer. I mean, I was posted there so I reported in hopes of relocating back to my Abuja. I even went with the spirit of an adventurer. I was actually happy to be in a new Nigerian state. I was offered water and pure bliss biscuit from the camp gate on the first day I came. I was already bringing out money to pay as I though it was a part of a “hidden charge”. The lady told me it was free. I smiled and told her thank you. Free food? You’ll find me there.
NYSC camp was a blur. I was mostly working in the clinic so I never really got to participate in any of the activities. I didn’t mind though. I was glad to always be indoors. There were a lot of flies in the environment, so one had to constantly swat the flies away cause they were always perching on our legs. I used to joke that the flies woke up with the rise of the morning sun. This was because immediately after our morning meditation, once everywhere began to get bright, the flies started showing up out of nowhere. So the clinic was my safe space.
Thankfully, the hostels were clean enough. Our hostel governor paid some women to help clean the rooms, toilets and bathrooms. But how clean can a public environment really be? It was better than most camps at least, from the stories I heard. I had a good time in the clinic. Although we were understaffed (5 corpers in total), we made it work. My best moments were in the clinic.
Camp ended and my relocation did not pull through. I didn’t think too much of it. I was told it would pull through later that day. I carried my bag and went home on July 16th. August came and went and I experienced a couple of emotions; hope, worry, anger, sadness and finally apathy. I didn’t care anymore. This thing had taken so much energy from me. Calls and texts up and down asking “How far? No update yet?”, my father telling me that I am neither here nor there, my mother assuring me that she had prayed and everything will work out, my plug saying that relocation takes time for medical corpers, a random person talking about the will of God for me being Jigs and lots more.
I kept my focus on work and tried to live life while ignoring the elephant in the room. At a point, I got tired of waiting. I kept my praise and everyday, I had to intentionally choose joy. I remember random days when sadness would want to creep in and “Agalliao” by Pastor Emmanuel Iren ft. Nathaniel Bassey, came to my rescue. I had to practicalize turning my worry to faith. I had previously heard that if you can worry, that means you can meditate. I began to deliberately arrange my space and activities such that I was reminded of God’s promises and faithfulness.
On the last week of September, against my will and plans, I had to travel back so that “they” would not start looking for me and declare me absconded. I mean, I’m just a baby. I kept my joy. I truly got to understand that joy is a choice. My first day back in Jigs, I put on a bright attitude and set out to collect all the shout I would receive for not showing up when I ought to. However, at a point during the day, sadness enveloped me. The language barrier, the hot sun, the excess transport fare, the back and forth with the person doing the shouting, the fear and the anxiety of having to start over got to me. I went back to my lodge and I couldn’t even sleep. I kept asking myself what I was doing there.
The next day, woke up and choose joy, again. I remember praying during the devotion that morning that I will make the most of the situation I have found myself in. I was not ready to accept that I will have to spend the next one year in Jigs but I decided to stop complaining and do the best I can. I’m sure God was smiling down when I was saying all those things. My mouth was pledging commitment to the Jigs and my heart was asking for mercy and favour so my relocation could pull through.
I turned on my data after the devotion and checked my portal as had become my usual morning routine. I thought my eyes were deceiving me when I saw that my relocation had been approved. Excuse me? I did not know how to react. I called my friends, my mom, my dad, shed a tear, thanked God and kept checking the portal as if somehow the approval message might disappear if I didn’t. I packed my bags; had hardly unpacked though. I didn’t bother to complete all I started the day before. They’ll all be fine. I headed for the bus station and began my one way trip to Abuja, all the while thanking God for this favour, because it truly was not by connections or by who I knew. God choose to favour me and I am truly grateful. Goodbye Jigs, it was snice knowing you.
Going to the Jigs made me better appreciate coming back home. I saw how God used people to offer me hope and comfort. The whole experience is one I would talk about continually and my children would definitely hear of it. The Jigs? Lol, where would I have started from? I mean, I definitely would have thrived there if it was God’s plan for me, but deep down, I knew it wasn’t. Maybe that’s why I kept holding on cause I’d have given up staying home if i knew that Jigs was God’s plan for me.
I got home by on the 26th of September by 11pm. The next morning, I woke up, stared at the ceiling and felt my joy overflow.
I’m home.
Essie.
Very nice writing