In 2018, I got admitted into the Maritime academy of Delta state, a paramilitary institution where we faced both academic studies and military training. Well it was my choice of school but I didn't expect things to go the way they did at first but things happened.
My very first day at school I was asked to carry my box of clothes and other of my stuff on my head and hunch (frog jump) from where I was drop to the potters office, it was nearly impossible but I tried to carry the things I could, not until a friend I met during our entrance exam came to me and told me to stop the frog jump that the boy asking me to hunch was my course mate and not my senior I almost fought him but I'm new and I wouldn't want to be dismissed or punished on my first day in school so I allowed by gone to be by gone lolz.
Well fast forward, I settled down quickly and made friends, class was stressful and training was a bit complicated for me though I stayed in the barracks for a while and I was use to the some of the training but I was finding it difficult to mix both lectures and training and also adapting to the new pattern of drill,though I was outstanding for both my excellent in academy and training but some of my seniors were jealous and will I say they hated me, but that was not my concern, because I easily avoid them by going to class early, paying compliment when necessary (i.e always) lolz, it a must to greet you superiors as we call them in the academy failure to do so u might miss lectures for the day serving punishment or been locked up in the guardroom for the day.
Well one faithful day I was going for tribal meeting as we often do every weekend I defaulted by wearing an of coloured clothes as the only color we are allowed to wear was white t-shirts/polo,a white short,white stockings and a white shoe but that fateful day I wore white and blue, so I was stopped by my seniors that hated me and they asked me to take the short off, I could easily taking it of if I was at the hostel but i was in the main school compound and I will have to pass the girls hostel before getting to my lodge and it also far from the main school compound, imagine me walking through the school with just my undies no nah.so I told them it was never going to happen they started beating me and I fought back to my greatest surprise my friends from the Yoruba tribe because I speak Yoruba ,and those from the Hausa tribe because my Mom is a Hausa woman and my Dad is am Igbo man so that makes me an Igbo boy but to some they call me WAZOBIA all this tribes came together for the first time in a long while to fight for one purpose which was me I felt very special and I fought harder but at the end of everything I was asked by the authority in charge, that's the police regiment department of the school to obey the early instructions to take off the short which I did without arguing because those particular set of people are very wicked they are the ones on red beret you wouldn't want to mess with them.
Well I was happy I finally stood up to them and after then they started respecting and avoiding me and that was how I found peace in the academy till they graduated and I became a senior myself and I was friendly with all my juniors, well you know you can't please everybody some still hated me but they can not do anything as I had the best backup in the school lolz 😂, I was treated as a general anytime I go to the hostel for inspection my juniors are always happy because I'm not too strict but they try to avoid the bad side of me 😂.
That was how I conquered my fear by standing up to my enemy or will I say my haters and I became a better senior to my subordinates 💯, well there are details I left out but I will find time to share some of my experiences with you.