October 21st.

The morning air was soft, and my steps were steady, but inside, my heart felt like it was dancing.

I was back at the Nigerian Conservation Foundation

Walking through the gates felt like walking into a memory. I had been here before, back in university during my internship, learning the quiet language of conservation.

And now, NYSC had brought me back, not by accident, but as if the khaki had been leading me here all along.

The HR smiled and told me I would be joining the Education Unit helping with the social media page, attending to mails, and joining school visits. It was work that blended my skills with my passions, the kind of role that made me feel useful in ways that went beyond filling a seat.

That first day, I sat at my desk, logged in, and felt an odd mix of familiarity and newness.

The trails were still there, the trees still whispered, the birds still sang but now, I wasn’t just visiting I belonged here.

Every notification on the email inbox, every idea for the social media page, every plan for a school visit felt like a seed I was planting.

Maybe small at first, but capable of growing into something that could reach beyond the gates.

It wasn’t lost on me how full circle this moment was from a student intern watching from the sidelines, to a corper with a role in shaping the story.

And as I packed my bag that evening, I thought this isn’t just service to the nation.

This is service to the earth.

And now, the real NYSC had begun.