After I rounded up my thesis and finally put that phase behind me, I decided to take a well deserved break and just let my hair down, in the proverbial sense of course.
The holiday actually started immediately after I finished my presentation because I went straight to the officer's mess with some of my course mates to drink a few beers and play snooker. I have played snooker in my phone a couple of times but it is very stressful in real life. I won the match because my opponent accidentally put the black ball in a pocket before he finished his own balls or some shit.
The next day, I went into the other side of town to visit my friend and his family. Everyone was cheery and stuff, although conversations centred around the depressing state of the country.
On the bright side, I got to eat some short bread for the first time in a long time. I slept at that end and then ran home on Saturday morning to get my things set for my 2 hours trip to Abuja.
The train ride was stress-free and made the usually tensed trip to Abuja very seamless. It's among the few good things that exists in this country and I'm glad I get to use it.
I also booked a flight for the first time in my life and in the coming Saturday, I will be entering an aircraft for the first time ever.
My time in Abuja so far has been really dope. I've been kicking it with my friends that moved in to an apartment and are trying to cut it in the big city. Abuja is a very expensive town and they're doing quite well with all things considered.
They have this cozy place in Gwarimpa, a high roller part of town and live quietly there. The environment is serene, and looks a tad bit expensive, I must add. Sadly, they have issues with the electricity provider that isn't their fault, and so they have to depend on generators most times.
Today's my third day around and I'm happy as can be. Yesterday was really fun because we went paintball shooting at Rapid paintball in No. 4 Accra road, Wuse, Abuja. It was the first time I was immersed in a gun battle outside video games and the intensity was gripping.
The gear was a bit worn out and smelly but fuck it, that didn't dampen the excitement at all. When it was our turn, I got in the shooting arena with a bunch of guys, we came up with a plan and then everybody just did whatever they wanted to.
I got killed both times while I was trying to sneak up on my opponent. Also, the first time I got "killed" my gun was jammed and it was hella frustrating.
Those paint pellets sting a bit more than you'd expect. I got shot on my wrist, waist, and legs on different occasions. The armour couldn't protect me. The face shield was very uncomfortable and leaves a lot of blind sides. Also, the guns were heavier than I expected and added to the fun. I struggled with knowing the best position to hold it in but I bet Uncle @galenkp with his sniper rifle experience would have kicked ass in this game.
Overall, I'm just happy to be alive and to be able to enjoy these little pleasures. There's a lot of wrongs going on and many reasons to be sad, but at least for this short week, I will not let them bother me too much. I look forward to shoot more paintballs but it is rather expensive for me, so it will probably be when next I come back to Abuja in January.
