NYSC is almost over, and in less than a week time I will round up my service at IITA Ibadan (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture) where I was attached. So, on Sunday night, while thinking about my nysc experiences it dawned on me that there’s one last stone still unturned: One beautiful lake I was told existed within the IITA and have always wanted to visit but never got an opportunity. Chei!! see my life!! Na so e go be? I must not carry last o!!

It was about an hour to close of work on Monday. I quickly scoped two of my colleagues about the lake. In fact, I really sweet-mouthed them ehnn, no be small o! In a few minutes we set out on the road that leads down to the lake side.

IITA Ibadan is a very beautiful place. The surroundings, architecture and social structure would almost make you believe you’re no more in Nigeria.

After driving for a long while, we got to the lake o. I didn’t even know that the institute occupied such a large space. Kai the place too big ejoor!

The Lake sprawled like a viscous bed sheet across the expanse, ringed by rolling plains of lush grassland, artistically punctuated by palm trees in different corners- some posing ostentatiously at the tip of a bay-like part of the lake while some others perched in clusters at a distant crest on the rolling grassland.

On one side, the skyline beyond the lake stood like a gigantic wall of thick rainforest vegetation, thereby casting a tone of army green interspersed with speckles of light green and sky blue on the lake waters; while on another side, the limits of the lake appear kiss the skyline at the distant horizon.

The lake side is more than a place to be. The whole milieu sat in absolute tranquillity, with my ascending heartbeat disrupting the peace that enfolded the air. If I stayed at the lake side for an hour or more, am sure I could write a book or something.

The peace is indescribable. I was held in these day dreams while gazing upon the waters, until a whisper drew me back to reality. It was my colleague standing about two metres away. She had also been enraptured by the charm of the lake and didn’t even known when she whispered "what a place!"

My other colleague had started snapping photos of the lake with his camera phone. "I’ve got a new hawt dp" he exclaimed excitedly.

I was so happy and fulfilled visiting the lake at last. We spent the remaining minutes at the lake side posing and snapping photos. And yes, I’ve also got another lovely dp. yayyyyyy!!!!

- Monisola Fadahunsi, for Naijatreks.

*dp is an abbreviation for ‘display picture’, referring to one’s profile picture on blackberry messanger.

– Yeah that’s me and I am posing by the lake side.

– Pleas lemme run ohh before mr crocodile comes of the lake…hehehe

– Yayyy!!! I made it to the lake at last.

Filed under: Travel, Travelogue