Between Education and Hope (Part 4): Inside the Villa
Honestly speaking, I didn’t sleep that night.
It was my first time sleeping in a hotel. The room was big, the bed was big too. There was a television, chair, drawer, and even a fridge. Though, if I think about it well, it wasn’t that different from my mum’s room but you know that feeling. The toilet even had a heater and a bathtub. It felt like I was in a more developed version of my mum’s room.
My body hardly adjusts when I enter a new environment, so sleep didn’t come at all.
The next morning, I had a slight headache. I called my dad and told him we would be going to the State House. I even asked him, “Where exactly is State House?” He said it’s inside the Presidential Villa.
Presidential Villa.
That’s where the president lives.
Immediately, I became happy. Even if I didn’t pass any exam, I was still entering the villa.
Later that morning, the girl I shared the room with said she was hungry. I called the coordinator, and he said he would get back to us in a minute which he did. But this time, he told us to pack all our things because we would be checking out of the hotel.
He took us to a roadside food seller and bought beans for us. We weren’t happy, but we didn’t really have a choice.
When we got to the first gate of the villa, security told us to park the car before entering. We stayed there for nothing less than 30 minutes. They only allowed us in after receiving a call from inside.
We couldn’t stop admiring the environment. The villa looked like another state inside Abuja.
At the second gate, the same thing happened. Park the car. Wait. Phone calls. Then finally, we were allowed in.
Inside was beautiful.
We were given tags, T-shirts, and face caps. We wrote our names and were led into the hall. There were many students wearing the same cap and T-shirt. We were directed to sit.
Everyone was looking at everyone.
But no one was talking.
We were all nervous.
After some minutes, the President’s wife entered. We all stood up. Many dignitaries were present governors’ wives, ministers, and important people. But honestly, the cold was too much. The English they were speaking was plenty. The promises were plenty too.
At some point, I even started dozing off.
But they fed us well https://image.nostr.build/d9482922740907560fb49513ec95b1e6d1432251aa5d4e90609cffc86b25068b.jpgfood with big meat.
When the program ended, we stood again as the President’s wife left. Our coordinator told us we should get ready to leave.
As we left Abuja, I thought everything was finally falling into place.
I didn’t know that another story was waiting for us.
Honestly speaking, I didn’t sleep that night.
It was my first time sleeping in a hotel. The room was big, the bed was big too. There was a television, chair, drawer, and even a fridge. Though, if I think about it well, it wasn’t that different from my mum’s room but you know that feeling. The toilet even had a heater and a bathtub. It felt like I was in a more developed version of my mum’s room.
My body hardly adjusts when I enter a new environment, so sleep didn’t come at all.
The next morning, I had a slight headache. I called my dad and told him we would be going to the State House. I even asked him, “Where exactly is State House?” He said it’s inside the Presidential Villa.
Presidential Villa.
That’s where the president lives.
Immediately, I became happy. Even if I didn’t pass any exam, I was still entering the villa.
Later that morning, the girl I shared the room with said she was hungry. I called the coordinator, and he said he would get back to us in a minute which he did. But this time, he told us to pack all our things because we would be checking out of the hotel.
He took us to a roadside food seller and bought beans for us. We weren’t happy, but we didn’t really have a choice.
When we got to the first gate of the villa, security told us to park the car before entering. We stayed there for nothing less than 30 minutes. They only allowed us in after receiving a call from inside.
We couldn’t stop admiring the environment. The villa looked like another state inside Abuja.
At the second gate, the same thing happened. Park the car. Wait. Phone calls. Then finally, we were allowed in.
Inside was beautiful.
We were given tags, T-shirts, and face caps. We wrote our names and were led into the hall. There were many students wearing the same cap and T-shirt. We were directed to sit.
Everyone was looking at everyone.
But no one was talking.
We were all nervous.
After some minutes, the President’s wife entered. We all stood up. Many dignitaries were present governors’ wives, ministers, and important people. But honestly, the cold was too much. The English they were speaking was plenty. The promises were plenty too.
At some point, I even started dozing off.
But they fed us well https://image.nostr.build/d9482922740907560fb49513ec95b1e6d1432251aa5d4e90609cffc86b25068b.jpgfood with big meat.
When the program ended, we stood again as the President’s wife left. Our coordinator told us we should get ready to leave.
As we left Abuja, I thought everything was finally falling into place.
I didn’t know that another story was waiting for us.
❤️1