MY CRUTECH EXPERIENCE

by

ResameOkim Oyama

         After a whole year of waiting for my parents to decide which university they’d love their beloved only daughter to attend, Dad roused me at what appeared to be 5a.m one day; “Resame, wake up, you’re going to school today.”  At first I thought I was dreaming. “Eh? Which school?” I ask eagerly, but Daddy deigned to respond and returned to his room to prepare. 

My little brother pranced in and sang annoyingly “You are going to CRUTECH! You are going to CRUTECH!”  I look at him as if I were seeing an apparition (wondering darkly if my parents would still love me if I were to strangle him) until Daddy’s bellowed “I hope you are almost ready oh!” snaps me from my trance. I’m not dreaming! They’re serious! CRUTECH?! How? Why? What happened to Law or International Relations at Afe Babalola, Covenant, or some up-scale university abroad? Mass Comm? At CRUTECH?

“It’s only temporary, young lady”, Daddy assured as we drove into the campus.  “The school isn’t so bad.  I studied here for a while, you know?” Actually, I didn’t know and couldn’t care less. I was devastated:  after applying to over 10 universities worldwide and actually securing many admissions… Mass Communication? At CRUTECH? Why?  A thought stuck me: am I being punished for something I did in some past lifetime? 

Finally, I resigned my protests and went along: I have to go to school soon enough before my brain decays in my head, right? I am however determined not to like the school.  Mass Communication? It will be more like “mass non-communication”: I will make no friends and greet no one. I would have also vowed to flunk academically, but Daddy was shooting me his if-you-waste-my-money-or-embarrass-me, I-will-just-bury-you-in-the-backyard look, so I concede I will definitely do well academically (no sense in dying young, in addition to not attending my choice university). 

To my horror, on my way to the Mass Communication Department, I heard myself greeting everyone I saw and hated the questioning looks they gave me. “Who is this one? She must be new, greeting like this”. “Why is she coming now? I pity her oh!” They needn’t have worried about offending me: I pitied myself! 

When I finally got to my faculty, I made my first enemy – Mr. Robert.  He looked at me with so much disgust, scrutinized me, questioned my late coming and muttered hurtful words about me being the most unserious student.  I plastered a fake smile on my face and silently prayed he would stamp “REJECTED” on my papers.

No such luck.

He then assigned me to someone who helped with a few other things… my first friend.

That first day, I trudged around campus with an empty stomach, tried not to get lost and fruitlessly ignored the scorching sun.  I finally returned home with a truckload of homework and notes.  It was not an easy start for me.

Life on campus thereafter was no joyride either, as I missed some GSS classes because I couldn’t seem to figure out where the venues were.  When I finally found the venues, there was no space to sit and even when I did find space, I ended up cramped onto a hard, icy bench with up to 10 people while struggling to hear the lecturer.

As days went by, I shed friends I didn’t like, and bonded with those I did: these friends help me get to like the school.  The cramping on the benches becomes fun as long as it’s being cramped with them and trekking around campus isn’t so hard anymore.  I have no more confusion about lecture venues and find my favourites lecturers are those that take psychology legal system, French and computer science.  They are great and patient teachers and welcomed departures from most of the others I have encountered.

After what appeared like a lifetime, the library finally opened after matriculation, as did the hostels, and they are like dreams come true… Finally, somewhere quiet to sit and study and a decent place to lie down when there are no lectures.

So far, I have enjoyed my time at CRUTECH with all my friends and other things and now I’m wondering: if the opportunity to change university comes, will I still seize it?

Hmmmmmmm…..