TALES OF A KANO CORPER- JOURNEY TO GREATNESS

I woke up and realised that it was one year already. Wow! Everything happened so fast. I made a flash back and I remembered my first reaction when I saw my call-up letter. Thank God I didn't change my mind, thank God I was strong, thank God I came. The last few days of being a corper was more emotional to me than relieving. I thought of my friends, my daily routines and the people I knew from a distance. I never really knew I'll miss them up until the thought of possibly not seeing them again.

That morning, for the first time, I enjoyed wearing my complete uniform. My jungle boots weren't too heavy to walk with and my khaki wasn't so heat absorbing because that was my very last outing with it. I said my my last goodbyes and gave my last hugs to the people I wouldn't be seeing for a very long time and even never again. I'll miss Abike, my Kano bestie turned sister. I'll miss using her detergent whenever she's not watching and taking chewing gum from her hand bag without her permission. I'll miss bullying her and accepting her constructive criticism.  Abike took the first position in Kano for her personal community development service. I was so proud of her when she was called out in front of all corpers for recognition and an award. I'll miss Kano. "Ajuwaya sanu!!!", people usually called me while walking on the street. The warm hospitality of the people and the unending sights of undilluted culture will always remain beautiful memories.

Many see this time of their lives as the end of a major achievement but I see it as the very beginning. Theres so much to do and theres so much to conquer but most of all theres so much to win which even makes the new chapter more exciting. As a corper, I was only limited to the four walls of Kano and I tried to lived the best of every moment. I wonder how it would be like in a new phase exceeding the boundaries of time and distance. The tales of a Kano corper is a whole lot of memory for me to hold on to dearly, but now,it is me to the world and the world to me. My dreams are not so enormous and my goals are not so "thunder striking". Its simply me...Winifred...who's on her journey to Greatness.

V