SIZ Contest ||Share Your Best Childhood Memories by @ukpono

A child from a low background can not have much to look back on— so they think. But that was not my case as I had the happiest childhood anyone could dream of. My Disneyland was the compound with six rooms which my family shared with six other families. The six rooms were structured in a U-shaped layout. From our room which was directly opposite the entrance of the compound, one could see the room adjacent to ours and the other two rooms at both corners.

Every morning by 5:30 AM, Mr Charles our next-door neighbour in the adjacent room will wake us from sleep with his morning devotion. This was meant to be his family's tradition but his loud singing contradicted this essence. Soon, everyone in the compound got tired of complaining of his thunderous voice and decided to accept this fate which was a blessing in disguise. He never started earlier or later than 5:30 AM. Since we could not understand his religious fanaticism, then he could be our timekeeper as most of our clocks were either not working or always late. After his prayers which usually last for 30 minutes, my siblings and I will continue our preparation for school while the other children our age will march to the pump two compounds away from ours. We weren't allowed to join this team of happy children whose journey to and fro the pump was always filled with giggles and glee. Sometimes we will cry asking our dad to let us join the camaraderie. We never had any solid reason to convince my dad since he always made it his duty to fetch enough water before preparing us for school. He tried to explain to us that he considered us to be too young to carry out such a task at that time of the day but did our young minds understand this? By 6:40 AM, we will be at the end of the street with our lunch boxes and heavy school bags so we wouldn't miss our school bus.

School held the best memories too. Even to this moment, I feel so fortunate to have the teachers and friends I had at Success Pillar nursery and primary school. Teacher Idorenyin Umoh made it even more memorable. She was a mother, teacher and friend to every of her pupil. She taught us songs during class time, sat on the grass with us on Fridays when we had our P.E. At the close of school by 3 PM, I and my siblings will race to the gate to meet our father. We were sure that he will be there waiting with an okada man and our snacks in his hands. If it wasn't ice cream, then it will be our favourite biscuits conversely. We could only join our playmates at home later in the evening when we had finished washing our clothes, doing our assignments and taking our naps.

In this Disneyland, I had my friends and foes. My friends were the other children who were always there to play with me while my foes were still these children who never stopped teasing me with the name "ajebutter". It refers to a child from a rich home or like in my case, a child who is overly pampered. It wasn't long before we finally relocated to my father's newly built house. A place which is more luxurious and quiet than the former. To keep us happy and excited always, dad created a new way of having fun by purchasing a lot of pictures books, children novels, CDs, games and collectibles. I enjoyed this too even though I still miss every moment I shared with the other kids and adults in my former Disneyland.

My friends have lovely stories to tell too