March 25, 2019, started like any other day I think. Scratch that…, it did not. I had received the email that informed me of my posting just the day before and I had mixed feelings about it. I had to travel down to Lagos from my place of residence and didn’t arrive until about 9 pm. I was so nervous about the first day that I probably slept for just two hours during the night.

I finally got up around 3 am to start getting dressed for work. I arrived work at 6:30 am (LOL) and started waiting for everyone else to show up. Not knowing what to expect, I think I must have been quieter than I had been in a really long time (more like a mouse, really!)

Finally, people started trickling in and soon it was a crowd in the kinda small space we were waiting in. Many of us had taken our seats at work stations and had to vacate them as the owners came in (Many of them looked at us like, who are these young boys and girls and someone actually said “Awwwwn, they look so cute”).

At around 9 am, we were moved to another location where we now had different people come to address us. They welcomed us to the unit, told us to loosen up and prepare to work but also have fun. We were put at ease and the men were even told to remove their ties. We were finally told to hang around and prepare to start work fully the next day with Branch Rotations.

I went back home with most of my fears allayed and the determination to make the most of the opportunity I had been given. It was a good day and I have enjoyed many good days since then.

Iyanuoluwa Beth Olaniyan

Executive Trainee

Retail Operations