FOUR YEARS IN THE SAVANNAH III

CHAPTER 3: A Stranger in Kashere I finally arrived at Kashere with a heart full of hope and a head full of dreams. The journey had been long and I arrived in the evening but I barely noticed. I was so excited that my sacrifice, waiting and patience finally paid off. The bus came to a halt at the school gate which I later came to known as Gate 1. Opposite the gate was a T. Junction. We alighted the bus one by one Students yawned and stretched their body, tiring from long journey The driver offloaded our belongings. There was no power and darkness dominated, except the light from the car, street light and light from shops by the road side. People that I perceived as students were moving in groups, unconcerned. I step aside and slid my hand into my pocket for my phone Though I had no friends nor relatives in Kashere, there was a person I could call. His name is John. He was the guy I met on Facebook, who had agreed to allow me stay with him throughout my registration process and till I secure my own place. He is from Benue. Precisely Tiv by tribe. To me, he was more than a Facebook friend. He was my only lifeline at that moment. I dialled his number. “Hello, bro." “Hello,” he answered at the other end. “Pls I am in Kashere.” “Wow! Welcome, mah bro,” he said. “Take a bike to Biliri road. I will be waiting for you there.” “We don dey Biliri road,” the bike man announced. ”Where I go drop you” Standing by the side of the road was a young, average height,dark skinned man. His eyes were fixed on his phone. My instinct already told me that he was the one. “Drop me here,” I responded. With my load, I got down from the bike and walked toward him. “Good evening,” I greeted. He looked up instantly. “Good evening,” he said, “Ola, right?” “Are you John?” I asked softly. He parted his lips, displaying his whitish teeth. “Yes, I am. Ola right?” I was relieved and for the first time I entered Kashere, I felt a little less alone. We shook hands warmly. “How was your journey?” he asked, as he helped me pick up one of the loads. “It was fine. Just stressful.” He nodded “It was normal. You'll get used to it.” We started walking down the road. The night was cool. The vehicles sped past us and the air brushed us. Shops lined by the road side. Some still opened, despite the late hours. Students gathered in front of one kiosk, laughing and throwing banters. As we walked, I observed everything. This is not Ogbomoso. Not also keffi. Completely different environment. For a moment,I felt like a stranger. “Don't worry,” John said, as though he had read my mind. “You'll adjust very soon." I smiled. "I hope so." After a few minutes of walking, we arrived at a small compound. "This is where I stay," he said. The building was modest. Nothing fancy. But at that moment, it looked like a palace to me. At least I had somewhere to sleep. John led me into his room. The room was small, containing two mattresses, a reading table, plastic chair, and books scattered across different corners. "You can keep your bag over there," he said, pointing to an empty space beside the wall. I thanked him and dropped my belongings. The door creaked open slowly. The, he entered. "Tepasay,” a cousin to John. He was also a fresher like me, staying with John for the main time. In his hand was a bible, I guessed he had just returned from church. He smiled at me as though he had met me before. We shook hands. “Welcome to Kashere, my bro.” “Thank you,” I replied. He turned to John “ This Ola right?” John nodded. I know many of you are probably wondering, “Why Ola?” Well, Ola is my tribal name, and it’s the name I’ve always preferred people to call me. So, I decided to embrace it fully and make the change in school So, nothing complicated. Just me — answering the name that feels more like me Tepasay and I rapported. Our world aligned and synced. “What program are you here for?” “B.A English,” I responded. “I have a sister who is a fresher like us. She is also studying English and she has started attending lectures already. I will talk to her to lead you through,” he said. “Thank you very much bro. I really appreciate this.” The exhaustion I had ignored throughout the journey suddenly returned. My legs felt heavy. My eyes burned with sleep. John noticed immediately. "You should rest," he said. "Tomorrow, we'll begin your registration." Registration. The word echoed in my mind. I had imagined that gaining admission was the difficult part. Little did I know that registration would introduce me to another level of stress entirely.

Four Years In The Savannah

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