The sun was not up yet when the eyes of Olivia had opened. Sleep had been far from easy for her, bothered by the whining mosquitoes, and the distant yelling of goats. She kicked her legs off the hard mattress and tried to sit up, and felt stiffness in her back.
Her room was still dark, the frail bulb blinked from time to time as if worn out She looked towards the window. Out there, the village was coming alive. The kids ran barefoot, each one carrying a broom, the others buckets full of water. The scent of the burning firewood was with the fragrance of the morning earth, making for a strong smell that was kind of pleasant to her.
"Okay, Olivia," she muttered under her breath, "today you survive. Today you teach. Today you… somehow manage."
Soon she was in her khaki uniform, taking care not to get any dirt on the clean clothes she had so painstakingly kept presentable. The clothes all felt heavier than usual under the dawn sun, and she was already sticky with sweat.
Stepping outside, she nearly tripped over a small goat that darted between her feet. A boy shouted something she couldn't understand, but she caught a flash of amusement on Chidera's face from the corner of the compound. He was leaning casually against the school wall, arms crossed, observing her every move with a half-smile.
"Good morning, Lagos girl," said.
"Stop that!" she yelled back at him, batting away one of the mosquitoes that had alighted on her arm.
"Stop what?" he asked.
"Calling me that!" she said.
He laughed silently. "All right, all right… don't fall over the goats today, though."
Olivia tuned him out and walked towards the classroom. The blackboards had not been cleaned . Pieces of chalk lay scattered on dusty trays. The desks tilted, some legless or had splinters sticking out. She took deep breaths, already preparing herself for the confrontation the day was to bring.
They welcomed her loudly during the first class, waving, whispering among themselves. Try as she did to smile wide, fatigue set in. She clapped her palms loudly attempting to make them listen.
"Come down, kids! Today we'll study English," she started, voice sterner than she was. "Repeat what I say, "The sun rises in the east."
The sun comes up in the east!" they all chimed together, though the youngest kids burst out laughing.
Olivia dashed from desk to desk, attempting to keep them on task. Now and then, an errant chicken would stray into the room through the open door, scratching the floor. She broke off cold in her sentence, looking at the chicken, but the children laughed and attempted to scare away the chicken out of the classroom.
Olivia was sweating by mid-morning, and her patience was reducing minute by minute. She cast an annoyed glance toward the window where she saw Chidera pass by the window with something she wasn't sure of, somewhat carrying out his own activities of the day towards the staff room. He noticed her glance for an instant. He raised an eyebrow, questioning her silently, Still managing?
"Yes, just barely," she told herself, resuming the lesson.
While the break was on, Olivia had tried to take water from the small leaking tap next to the classroom. The children followed her behind, and one of the boys had unknowingly shoved her, making her trip and spill the water all over her uniform.
"Ah! Lagos girl down!" someone yelled from afar, the tone tinged with amusement.
Olivia gave him the chilly glance that had the potential to cut steel, but deep down.
By midday, she was worn out, and better than ever informed about the harsh conditions of her assignment. The toilet was still a faraway. The sun was much as it showed no mercy, and all her interactions appeared to require patience she did not possess.
But even with the difficulties, there was something down-to-earth about the village, something alive and tangible that Lagos had never offered. The way the kids laughed, the simple way of living, even the peacefulness of Chidera reminded her that survival was not only about sophistication but also how one learns to adapt to the unexpected.
By the time she fell onto her bed again around the evening, Olivia had discovered two things, firstly is that this posting was going to be a battle every single day. And somehow, Chidera , with his teasing grin and calm confidence, was going to make the experience… less unbearable. And deep within her, she felt this was only the start.