Sometimes I do wonder how I was created because I notice that smells that appear choky to me are what people will confidently live with, without feeling discomfort. I hate bad smells; my breathing system struggles to survive in such conditions.
During my 21-day NYSC orientation camping exercise in the eastern part of Nigeria, I stayed alongside with all the males in a smelly lodge.
Although at the initial stage it wasn't smelling, but it became taunting at the end of the first two days of our stay.
The day I arrived at camp, I went through all the verification processes, got my meal ticket, and got my bunk number. I took my bags and moved straight to the male lodge to locate my room and as well as the bunk. The lodge was a big one, built in a circle form with a space at the centre. The space at the centre was covered with grasses, which was supposed to serve as a play ground for anyone interested in hanging out in a mini sport activity but it was used for something else.
I settled down that night and went straight to sleep because I was tired.
Around 3:00am the next day, the noises of roommates on their morning routine woke me up. I frowned at the heavy noise from all corners because it was just 3:00am.
"Guy, won't you go and take your bath?" My bunkmate underneath just returned from where he went to have his bath.
"Haaaa! Isn't it too early?" I replied him.
"Hahaha, if you don't wake up now, you won't see water to bathe when it's day break" he mocked me.
He's been there from the first day, so he knew better than I just reported on the second day.
I got up, took my bucket, and coming out from the room, I met the open space filled up with guys bathing and washing clothes...in that 3:00am time.
"So this place is meant for bathing, wow!" I muttered joyfully because it saves someone the strength of going to the public bathroom, which I know will be smelly. I hopped in and had my bath there.
This lifestyle continued for all of us until the next two days that I noticed that the place has started oozing out offensive smells. It became so bad for me, I stopped bathing there in the morning, I began to use my Vandan(cowboy handkerchief) to cover my noise as nosemask anytime I was passing through the lobby, either going out or returning back to the room.
Sometimes, I used to run along the lobby to move past the environment quickly whenever I wasn't with a handkerchief.
With that provoking smell, I began to fancy the parade ground more than the lodge; I was staying outside more when I was supposed to be in the lodge. The only thing that made it a little bit bearable for me was that the smells were not in the rooms.
In all these, I noticed that a lot of people were not feeling the smell because I usually meet some people playing in the lobby whenever I'm passing by.
One afternoon, after collecting food, one of my friends suggested that we go back to the room to eat. We agreed, and while walking to the room about to enter the lobby, he said, "Let's eat in the lobby and take some fresh air."
I became shocked, "fresh air! Don't tell me you're not feeling that smell."
"Which smell? At where?" He asked, looking surprised.
"Jeeez!" A slight headache flashed to my head upon hearing that, I used my hand and placed on my head to reduce the feeling.
"I can't believe there are people who are not repulsive by that offensive smell that's circulating our space. Guy, I'm eating in the room." I frowned and forced him to move as we walked and entered the lobby. I had already worn my Vandan on my nose as a nosemask.
Walking through the lobby, some guys were comfortably eating amidst the smell, and it almost made me puke, imagining the scent mixing with their food.
Image source
I managed to endure the situation with my usual covering of noise while passing through the place, staying outside more, and also stopped bathing in the space.
When the last day of camp came, I was the happiest because I was going to have freedom of fresh air. When others were jubilating at their freedom from the 'no-going-out' law, I was jubilating because nothing beats the feeling of having a fresh smell, especially when it comes to environments where body sprays cannot do anything.
Thanks for reading.
https://leofinance.io/threads/view/kingsleyy/re-leothreads-2wknbxoeq
https://leofinance.io/threads/view/marajah/re-marajah-2chscaokx
The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the people ( kingsleyy, marajah ) sharing the post on LeoThreads,LikeTu,dBuzz.
I can imagine how that must have been for you, especially amid the crowd. I'm structured that way too, I can't stand pungent smells. Nevertheless, it was nice you were able to manage through.
Somehow, it sounds like an advantage to people that live with sense of smell...bad odours won't do them anything. But also, imagine Missing the sweet smells of perfume and food🤣.
Thank you for stopping by dear🥰
Ahhhh they even eat while inhaling the smell... I'll definitely feel even much worse than you did if I found myself in such situation.
Offensive smell and some people are not sensitive to it? That's really weird.
And to think that you liked the idea of you guys bathing at the lobby forgetting that it would definitely bring off bad smells later with too much of it.
21 days must have been torturous for you 😅
Like, I don't know how these people were created. I'm even Imagining the scene again now sef 🤧
I wanted to report to the authorities to stop us from bathing there but even if I did, there wouldn't have been a way to approach it cos it was only us there and it's midnight 🤣. Also, a lot of people would have tagged me as ajebo🤣
It was hell!
So, a whale visited me today....no wonder I've been feeling good since morning. Lol🤣. Thank you🥰
Is the last line for me? 🤣🤣🤣
Lol.
It's true.
I was feeling the breeze offline. And the day has been good. I wish this visitation could continue
Haha I wish so too 🥲
My lazy ass don't let me engage well enough nowadays
Like, you get tired?
I used to see you as a robot cos you're everywhere like MTN😄
Lol not anymore, I've become old 🤣
Guyyy, my days in the camp ehnn and my experience with the camp bathroom and toilet is not something i will be happy to write about cause its all about bad memory.
I remember a day a guy was taking a dump in that toilet and was also watching movie in that toilet too. the smell alone is enough to choke a baby
You're making me to think about my toilet experience. Jeeez! It was hell💔😭
ahahahaahah.... But you be senior corper, any tips on how to lead a good corper life
Lol🤣.
During mine, I was arrested by NCCF.
But the ideal thing is to move with indigenes, I mean, be close to them and see them carry you along with food and cover-up
my own side, no body send indigene o, i am in abuja, a state just like lagos. I no even know who be indigenes sef. so everyone just mind their business
Hahahah.
E choke.
I served in a village and those indigenes used to like corpers
Awww.. That's nice.. Tho its true that villages do like corpers
Hehehe😅. I'm sure that as you were avoiding the lobby and the quadrangle, other people were happily bathing there as usual. Well, it's a good thing that you're structured this way.
Like, we are just created differently. How those people were able to cope with the smell as if it's a perfume is a shocker to me.
Just how? Jeeez!😥
😅😅
People are different.you can't exactly blame them
Yeah, very truth.
Not having to sense those smells is advantageous to them
Lucky them
Some people are more sensitive to bad smells, particularly I could not eat in a place that smelled bad... greetings.
Yeah, that's how humans are designed. Some peak smells easily while some don't have that deep sense of smell at all.
Thank you for stopping by
Offensive smell irritates me. Am more than allergic to heavy odour. Do you know that most people can't perceive any smell. For instance, I know of someone from Taraba state that haven't perceived any smell since his life. So, don't be amazed.
Yeah, it prevents people from perceiving offensive smells but he's missing the scent of food smells like perfumes and delicious meals e.g goat meat pepper soup
There's nothing worst than bad odours, especially in shared public spaces. It was imaginable what you went through and it's amazing that you survived the ordeal.
Thank you for sharing your story with us, don't forget to engage with other members of the community as well!
Thank you once again.
Sure, I'm engaging with authors
I understand that feeling of today is my last day of staying here. The joy would be endless. I mean staying in a smelly environment is detrimental to health couple with how offensive the environment would look. Great story @kingsleyy .
At a point, I wasn't even considering the health hazard, I just wanted the smell to stop cos it was making me uncomfortable 😭. I can never forget that experience.
Thank you for stopping by dear
Ha ha ah. So sorry you had to go through that experience. Polluted environment as such can be a difficult place to live.