Those cells (hivenaija prompt)

Source

My boarding school was like a prison for me, I wouldn't want to say for us because I don't know other people minds but certainly me I was sure of what it's because I was the one facing it, I saw it like a prison that once you enter you wouldn't go out until the school is on a break.

I was enrolled in a boarding house during my Jss1, back then parents thought putting their children in a boarding school would groom them making them behave well and some other ideas filled up in their heads and I was among those who was took to a boarding school.

At first the provisions the milk, Milo, garri, bottle of groundnut, packet of juice and biscuits, the pocket money and everything seems enticing, at that moment my view of a boarding school was enjoyment a place where you would go to enjoy and your parents gets to buy you a lot of goods.

My first day at school my parents brought me in, registered me and handed to over to my guardian and they left I cried that I was going to miss them but then my provisions were an encouragement to me, days went by turning into months I was already becoming use to school.

I was becoming use to the bullying by senior prefect, I was becoming use to the little food they would give us unlike the ones I consume at home, I was getting use to school life and how it's works I was now a boarding student.

Our school had two entrance gate the two were far from each other, at each gate you are been searched and asked for your permission slip that permitted you to pass through, our fences were so long that we saw it like a giant wall that was a hindrance to passing through.

No one is allowed to go home or even out except sick or with guardians consent, junior student were always they ones that suffers most because any senior can send you to anywhere and to help them out with their chores and if you ever did something wrong the seniors would all gather ontop your head and make you miserable.

Those experience aren't something I would be done explaining in just a wrote up, anytime holiday came I would be so happy and anytime it's over and we are coming back while entering the school gate I would just feel like am entering prison.

I won't say there wasn't any happy moments there actually was I had good memories too but I guess the bad ones out waged the good ones, like instance when we get up everyday by 5am go for cleanup by 6am and then move to the dinning for breakfast after that to the assembly then by 2pm we are already back from classes and would move out for extra moral classes by 4pm coming by 6pm getting ready for dinner and after dinner we go for preps after preps we go for house by house night prayers then we sleep after all those activities maybe by 9 or 10 that's if they senior haven't looked for something to frustrate us.

I can't even finish mentioning them, mine wasn't for greener pastures but for education but my experience were horrible, I actually didn't get to finish in that school I stopped at jss2 not because of the experience but their fees became high and my parents couldn't keep up with it so I left.

Even though I wanted to reach senior class and enjoy most of the privileges they enjoyed I wasn't able to🙂 but I got experience that helped me throughout my lifetime.
Thanks for reading through with me.



0
0
0.000
6 comments
avatar

Well, there is a saying that says what doesn't break you will make you. I understand the pains from what you went through in boarding school, it's very obvious that the experience was a very bad one yet.. you mentioned something that caught my attention, you said you got used to eating small portion meal , back home I am sure you would eat till you throw some away.. quietly that bad experience taught you something. I am sure when you got back from school you applied that same principal of managing things (food). That experience opened your eyes to the fact that life is difficult too. If we don't face somethings we may never learn certain things..

Thanks for sharing this with us

0
0
0.000
avatar

The bullying in boarding schools was something else. I don't know if such is still happening in present day boarding schools. One thing is that you learned some lessons from your experience there.

0
0
0.000
avatar

I never buy unto the idea of a boarding school fro day one, at a time I was dealing with some medical issue and tat even ruled out the idea of a boarding, it's not a prison too.
It's all about perspective

0
0
0.000
avatar

Boarding school was fun and at same time caused me pain, the prefects bullying you In a corner can cause trauma.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Reading this makes me greatful for not joining boarding school at my junior secondary school days...

Because even when I joined in SS1 I didn't take that bullying shit lightly. I will always find ways to get back at seniors who tried bulling me

0
0
0.000
avatar

I have never been to boarding school but my cousins gave me deets on what life is like over there. , However, they really enjoyed their school!

0
0
0.000