THE REAL NIGERIA 4

Leaving my office where I usually do not do a lot during my work day, I go in search of my work home, where I actually spend a greater proportion of my work time, the surgery theatre. 

As I approach, my heart sings in anticipation of the change that awaits me. The new surgery building looms up ahead. The work had started before I left so this is not a surprise and then it is. As I approach, my first thought is, 'I have died and gone to heaven,surgical heaven'. I seem to have an out of body experience, like I stepped out of time, back to the 3 or so weeks I spent at the Royal Veterinary College Hospital but it was now located at my work. 

Na wa oh! Somebody sure took the time to do good work! The rooms for each of the modalities was large and a machine was in place in each of them. I turned around in wonder placing my finger on each machine like it was the Holy Grail and walking around with a smile that I knew had a little twist to the edge thinking, 'Hell yeah! That's what am talking about!'. 

Two young people approached me, smiling, 'Welcome Ma' they chorused. 'We are the new technicians assigned to work with you on these machines and the Director has asked us to report directly to you. We just returned from a 4week training to learn how to work them and we are very excited to be working with you, ma!'. Forshure, I haf die and gone to heaven! How many times had I made requests for just 1 person to be seconded to assist my very large unit of only me and now this? I make it look like I was totally aware and let them know we need to sit and draw up a schedule so they are not working all the time and I laugh at their grateful smile. 

My beeper goes off and I look at it to see my scheduled class is now and so I leave to go back to my office to grab my notes and head out to class. I like to teach classes but sometimes its difficult. I have developed the reputation for being fair even though sometimes my first class is a short quiz. I am just of the opinion that I cant help these students if I dont know how much they know and several times they fall far below acceptable levels of what they ought to. My first class is however more relaxed than most- just me and the  students trying to decide what our new relationship will be. 

Stepping into class, I am shocked at the size of this new class. My largest class size has always been under 100students. That number is manageable when you think of how students have to rotate through clinical sections in rounds. With that size, you get maybe 10-12 in each group but just looking at this lot, I know they cant be less than at least 200. It helps that the new auditorium is well designed (and cooled!) and equipped with audio-visual aids to make my life easy, I cant fit to shout! And its a good thing I had stopped by to acquaint my self with the new electronic board that makes my work easy as most all my notes are in electronic format. 

In my head, I discard my usual first class routine of introductions and skip to my sales pitch. I need there to be mutual respect and for a lot of these kids, no one has ever demanded any accountability from them all their lives so I aim for maximum effect in my first class and make them love me so they can struggle to impress me. Love has always been a good motivator and I admit to using it to achieve my ends shamelessly with my students. Of course, the downside is that by the time they are leaving me at the end of their course, either one or the other of us has fallen so deeply in love that the separation is gut wrenching but I think I am doing ok thus far. 

'Do you have a class representative?', I ask and a show of hands lets me know they have four. 'Would you step forward, please?' I bend and whisper conspiratorially to them that I would like to meet with them at the end of the class and hand them a sheet of paper to leave their cell phone numbers on there. 'Now, is everyone aware that this class is a subject taught in a higher institution which means you have to do most of the work and so it has a required reading list, which is on the screen? The materials for this course can be assessed at the web site shown but you will require your school ID number and the unique pin you received during your registration to be able to access it'. 

As I project the list of required reading, I hear the usual groans and smile. I also begin to talk about how the class attendance and weekly quizzes count towards their final grade and how the probability of graduating was proportional to how much they applied themselves in this course becos it was a prerequisite for their future surgery courses which were prerequisite for their wetlabs without which they could never be Veterinary Surgeons. I have them eating out of my hands already and so I go for the kill! I will be giving a gift to any student who can consistently score above 75marks throughout the semester and I would like a committee of ten of you to help me decide what the gift for that individual should be. 'A car' 'A house' 'a phone' 'a distinction' and I start to laugh. Students never fail to amuse me. I ask for volunteers and many race down the auditorium steps and I pick out 10 of them and ask for their cell phone numbers as well so I can have easy access and let them know when I decide we should meet. The class ends on this note and I know many will be dreaming of my gift and hopefully will work that much harder.

Back in my office, I reminisce on my day and smile. As far as being back at work goes, it has not been bad at all and I sit back in my office for a while, just getting into the work mode. I know the day is still far from over as I will soon leave work to go resume work and that the work I do at home is the most fulfilling and gratifying albeit less paying of all the work I do but the greater motivation to do it is also right there. I am tired but I am rejuvenated knowing that my babies are on their way home to be fed, loved and led in the right direction by me, I just hope their teachers are putting in as much as I put in with my students (they probably do more!).

Hun! This new Nigeria rocks! I tell you! This is the reason I know I love this country. There really is no where like it on the surface of the earth. While I understand that this is not yet our reality, this is what my reality is going to be and seeing with my eyes is what I do, so look with me and see what the real Nigeria is gonna be!