It’s an expensive world, where you pay for every little thing. In fact, the only thing you don’t pay for is the air you breathe. It is really a test of strength and endurance, and in three weeks, you’ll see you aint as soft as they thought.

You ALWAYS must be careful. There will be among you those willing to take what they didn’t bring, eat what they didn’t pay for, and tell as many lies to get in and out as the case might be. The camp air is filled with din all day and only sleeps when the lights go out at bout 10pm.

The Orientation Broadcast Service (OBS), your camp’s own FM radio station, will make your day with good music and keep you abreast with news. They won’t come to you as they break, but they’ll get to you all the same. The camp clinic will tell you what’s wrong with you, but might not necessarily treat you.

Mammy market will provide your every need in exchange for your every note. Charging your GSM phones, cameras et cetera won’t be free at all. You’ll need to learn how to manage here. Prudence is the key word.

Half of your time on camp will be spent on the parade ground and you’ll have to cope with the rigours of long queues which become a part of your life from now on. These are not to scare you, but they are true. They’ll prepare you for the inevitable. On a lighter note, camp boasts a great deal of fun.

You’ll make new friends, find yourself having fun a lot, eating more than usual(for some), and drinking more than usual(for so many). It becomes a vacation after a while. A place to unwind. The events and games would help in relieving the tension and beguile the time. In no time, the dreaded three weeks will seem too short for all the fun you can catch. It’s a great experience in all.

There are some very important items which you definitely would not leave behind. There are some that you might dub unnecessary but you’ll find that they actually are.

Here’s a picture of all you might want to take along; the ones you should and those you shouldn’t.

· Documents: you must appear with all required documents. You must leave none behind as your registration progress could be stunted. Call up letter, statement of result, school identity card (original copies). You might want to go with credentials, birth certificate et cetera in case an offer comes up. But take only photocopies of the latter.

· Clothes: considering you’d be dubbed “white fowl” for the next couple of weeks, taking the best of your closet might not be necessary. You’ll appear on white shirts and white shorts every second on camp ground. You’ll be allowed to wear coloured clothes on sundays till noon. NYSC supplies you with the full kit (2 white shirts, 2 white shorts, 2 pairs of socks and a pair of white sneakers) but you’ll find it a shrewd choice taking an extra supply.

For areas with harsh weather conditions, a thick sweater would be needed to give you warmth.

· Torch Light: a decent torch light would help you and prevent needless groping at night. You’ll need to power them too.

· Waist Pouch: since people are coming to camp en masse, and safety of property cannot be guaranteed, you’ll need a waist pouch. You won’t believe the bond that’ll exist between you both. On the contrary you would, considering its content. The pouch must never leave your waist or on rare occasions, your side.

· Personal Hygiene: you don’t take this with you, duh! You do need the elements though. Your bathing soap, sponge, your toothpaste and toothbrush would be a good idea too. Disinfectant, laundry soap, bucket and whatever keeps you clean.

· Health Pack: the worst place to fall sick is on camp ground. Take with you the basic drugs to fight aches, fevers, diarrhoea. A mosquito net, and probably an insecticide too.

· Provisions: You are entitled to a daily portion of 3-square meals worth N500 for each meal. You might not be able to eat camp food. The long queues before collecting a meal and the worth of your time on the queues after tasting the food tend to kill your desire for any more. However, your financial strength will determine if you can do without camp food or not. Your provisions will come in handy.

Camp food is available three times every day and is never missed. You’ll never have to go hungry on camp.

· Accessories: when the din lessens and you want to pipe down, you could do this with a book, a puzzle, a magazine, music or whatever sets you in the mood. The accessories you carry along must be well kept; they’ll come in handy too.

I don’t know if I have given a very comprehensive list but these will do for starters. Ensure you don’t take electronics or sharp objects, they’ll be confiscated.

Have fun.