It was a cloudy day; the air was chilly because it had rained the night before. I remember thinking it was the perfect weather to begin the weekend – Friday, June 21 – my first visit to the Nigerian Observer. Prior to the day, I had contacted the Managing Director of the Nigerian Observer regarding interning at the news agency as an article of mine had been featured in earlier in the month publication, and was invited over for a face-to-face discussion.
Writing had never been more than a hobby to pass the time for me, but after the publication was made, I was ecstatic. It caused me to reevaluate myself and my skills. I wondered, “Do I actually have a talent in writing?” So I decided to put aside my fears and take the bold step to explore this possibility.
My journey was filled with many emotions – anticipation as I wrote my exam for the day, counting the seconds till my appointment; fear as my friend Marvelous and I boarded the Bolt taxi; I kept thinking, “Am I really ready to take this step in my life?” -and even confused when we got lost on the way there. But the long drive, trying to find our way back, gave me enough time to think and recollect myself. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.
When we finally arrived at our destination, I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my entire body. I barely felt the cold sting of the breeze on my cheeks. Was I excited or was I scared? I couldn’t tell; all I knew was that I was already there, and it was too late to come back.
Now, by ourselves, we began walking towards the building the Bolt driver had directed us to – but guess what? It was the wrong way. You’d think a driver would have a good sense of direction; it wasn’t until I heard my name from the top floor of another building that I realized I was in the wrong place, although it should have been obvious since we walked past a gate that had a very visible “keep out” sign attached to it. But did I choose to ignore it? Yes!
As it turns out, the MD himself had spotted us on time before we headed into the wrong building again, and was the one who called out my name from his office window on the top floor. He redirected us to the main building where we were greeted by the receptionist and another employee. By the time we had both signed in, it was 12:52pm – “right on time,” I had thought to myself, because the appointment was scheduled for 1:00pm.
Now, much calmer from the warm interaction with the receptionist – although I don’t remember her name, I remember enjoying the way she spoke – we began to ascend the stairs till we got to the director’s office. I took a deep breath, did a quick fit check – I was dressed in a hybrid top (Ankara sewn in Western designs), baggy dress pants, and classy loafers – and knocked on the door. “Come in” rang the voice from the other side, and as I pushed the door open, I remember thinking, “this is it.”
I was surprised to say the least; I had pictured someone with a brooding expression and strict personality, but the person we met that day was quite the opposite. Mr. Osa Victor welcomed us with a smile; he had a jovial personality and easily broke the ice with jokes, making sure we were both comfortable. There was a sort of familiarity in the way he called my name, which I eventually found out was because his daughter and I share the same name.
I learnt a lot that day; the experience opened my eyes to all the effort that went into producing the ‘ordinary newspaper’. Simply put, my value system was altered that day from seeing an insider’s perspective of the craft.
The day could have ended much earlier than it did, but nature had other plans; it began to pour outside, making it virtually impossible for us to leave. The electricity had also gone out due to the rain, so we had just our conversations to keep us entertained. But that didn’t go smoothly either – I mean, would we be in Nigeria without unusual events? The roof and window had begun to leak, causing water to pool in the middle of the office. Although we were surprised, we quickly recovered, not letting the incident dampen the mood but instead making it a subject of discussion.
Not to bore you with words, it was an enlightening experience. To me, it marked my first step into the ‘real world,’ the workforce, a place outside the influence of my parents or school, where I was completely responsible. I may have been scared, but the thought of gaining the experience to sharpen my skills and harness undiscovered talents also excited me. I don’t know what the future holds for me, or if at all I will pursue this path, I’m ready to learn and explore my potential, and I’m excited to see what the future holds.
Iserhienrhien is a 200-level student of Benson Idahosa University, Benin City
