I had finished from University a year ago and was awaiting what life holds in place. You see, where I come from is like this, you get into the 6-3-3-4, education system or 6-3-3-5 like mine was to make way through to becoming certified in something, then the National Youth Service Corps program. The scheme meant to integrate unison in the country, is a 1 year program where one is posted to other part of the country, to serve the nation, you wonder if it's compusolry?, Yes!, these days it comes before your actual certificate, like a patrotism before individual kind of thing. I had casually applied for mine sometime last year, weeks after, my posting letter was out, I hurriedly logged into my account to check where the Almighty was taking me to, without paying much attention to the other details I scan through for where would be my residence for the next 1 year, to my dismay it's up North, Sokoto State, Northern Nigeria!. I closed my page quickly like I had just read horror, I had never been upnorth before, the strange stories have heard about the North fueled my fears, I went about my day like nothing happened, dismissing the horror conversation going on in my head as hallucinations, I couldn't have been posted to the north, admist the insurgency, no way!. Later that day, few friends gathered to hangout prior to the camp day, as this may be the last we would see each other in a year's time, then it dawned on me, upnorth it was!. I open my page again to check as if some deja Vu would have changed it to perhaps a state nearer to my home, but there it stood staring right back at me. I gradually prepared for my journey to the unknown, a land where I had no family close even in over 5000 metres. I made my findings about motor packs around that ply that route and was able to get my ticket by the next morning, the journey was set for 4pm later that day. I packed my clothes already in the box, I wondered what else one would need for this kind of journey, confused I picked my water bottle to help me along, I could handle the hunger if need be, bade my family good bye as they left for work that morning, I would be gone before they got back. I made my way to the motorpack at about 3:30pm later that day, with box in one hand and lingering thoughts still on my mind about where am heading, however there is little one can do when it comes to the scheme, serving the Nation, they say is an Honour. Somehow the take off was delayed till about 8pm in the evening as passengers refuse to arrive till then, "these northerners!" I said with contempt, I brought out my phone to see a movie as the journey progress, I and two other corp members heading in the same direction, making jokes about what the future holds for us, gradually, the chats went down, the day was wearing out as each of us fell into a hypnotising kind of sleep. It was 5:45am when I woke up, as at this time we just passed through Mokua; a transition between the south and North, I was officially out of my familiar zone, we were in the north I dreaded. The bus made a quick stop for the morning prayer in Niger State, while some use the opportunity to fix breakfast or go to the loo, I and my new friends slowly dragged our cramped bones out for prayer, in about 30minutes we were on our way again, into the unknown. We had our breakfast we had bought the night before, bread, suya and water, chanting songs to the amusement of other passengers. Lest I forgot to tell you, the heat in Northern Nigeria is terrible, as we go deeper upnorth we started getting uncomfortable, loosing one more button on our shirt, till we were in singlets, the bus made another stop in Zuru, Kebbi State, by now it was as if the sun was right on my head, I quickly reached out to one of the hawkers, as if knowing what I needed handed me a frozen satchet of water, I placed it quickly on my head to regulate my temperature. However the temperature seems to be increasing as we got closer to my destination at the far end of the country, unlike Lagos where I was from, dry land could be seen along the plain, the bus driver seems to worsen our fears by showing us dried up river beds, it was the peak of the dry season, our arrival was characterised by view of camels standing tall to the level of giant trees, there were fewer road users, everyone seems to either be a farmer or trader, welcoming society and weirdly different culture, one year ago today, still upnorth enjoying the peace and quiet I never thought I would find in the North.