A FRESHER’S WORST NIGHTMARE

So here I was on a line with over 500 strange faces with all kinds of mannerisms,dressing styles and (in)sanity.I had been lining all day and I was beginning to loose track of my patience since I have not always been that good at keeping it.Our business at Chiromo was done(At least for the day) and the next stop was at S.W.A offices to receive our keys-another hell on earth.I was sure I was  gonna have a nervous breakdown and I suddenly felt the urge that i needed a something strong to teargas and cool down my nerves before they could start chanting “Haki Yetu!!!Haki Yetu!!!”

The sight of our hostels didn’t make it any better:halls of timber otherwise branded as prefabs were going to be our modes of accommodation for the first academic year.Seeing these makeshift houses reminded me of our old,beaten up granary at home.Living in these houses were the worst nightmare for a fresher.After what seemed like forever,I finally received my room key.The agenda on my mind right away was to dump my suitcase in these wooden,beaten up excuse of hostels and go back to Kibera since there was no way I was gonna sleep in these dusty and rusty rooms on my first day in campus

I expected something glamorous,immaculate and beautiful going by the hype associated  with The University Of Nairobi(stress the),The African Harvard.From the bush where I come from-where people still search for Network on top of trees to make a phone call,where K.P.L.C does not even know exist,where toddlers have car phobia(they  run  for dear  life every time  they  spot  a car),a place I am not even sure exist in Google maps-the mere mention that you are a student at The University Of Nairobi is enough to earn you a Kazi Kwa Vijana job or becoming the village dictionary and translating all the eulogies.Truth is finding a graduate in our village is like searching for Alshabaab in Homabay district-a rare occurrence.

It is due to this glamour accompanied by subconscious supremacy that i expected UoN  to be”out of this world”.My expectations were dashed to the ground and my ego left beaten,bruised,bleeding,tattered,worn out and in I.C.U.Chiromo was ”at least” since it reminded me so much of home due to the numerous trees,bushes and hedges.It is practically located in a forest with a river,defiant monkeys and impertinent Marabou storks to complete the package.What i found ironical was that  I  came to civilisation expecting nothing but endless lanes of giant buildings and marvels of architecture towering above endless fleet of vehicles and people.

I did not in my wildest dreams imagine I would come into contact with nature in the similar way I have been coexisting with it all my life in a place where civilisation is an alien lingo as it seems the missionaries skipped this place or found no value in it.You see,in Piny Ojoga,Hippos mating on peoples shamba or hyenas attacking livestock in a pen at the dead of the night is not a rare occurrence.Exit Piny Ojoga,Enter Chiromo and I am hit by a sense of Deja vu since once again I am confronted by the blank stares of monkeys and the rhythmic chirping of birds synchronised by the inconsistent buzz of insects.

After all the hassles of locating a prototype mattress(it was as thin as a slice of bread and had no mattress cover),we left with mom headed for Kibera.A glance at my chronometer gadget revealed that it was half past seven.I could not believe i had spent the entire day trying to seek admission at the university.So much for my first day in campus.