The Habit ; Black and white.

"Ebube, wake up," Mama said, tapping me lightly on my back. "Wake up," she repeated as I stretched myself in bed, my eyes half-open. Jerking back to reality, I remembered that it was the most anticipated day: the day of the Common Entrance Examination for "Friends of Our Savior Girls" High School. I jumped up in excitement and greeted Mama, who was already busy cleaning my room. "Nne Kunie, go and prepare. You know we have an examination today, and we wouldn't want to be late."

I dragged my feet across the floor, admiring the sunrays filtering through the curtains of my room, creating a beautiful pattern on the walls. I hurriedly took my bath and applied the popular yellow 'Stella Pomade' body lotion all over my body. I combed my thick afro hair and tied it into a bun. I didn't have a choice in picking an outfit because Mama had already done that. She chose the trendy blue jean skirt with flower embroidery and a pink top that Ada, my elder sister also had for me to wear. I barely ate my breakfast, which was the regular akara and pap we usually have every Saturday morning at home, due to excitement, before I went downstairs to join Mama, who was already waiting for me.

Mama looked resplendent in her white shirt and blue gown. She tucked her natural hair inside her white turban and wore long earrings. Mama doesn't apply makeup; it's against the rules in the Catholic charismatic group that she belongs to at church. The group restricts its members from wearing certain outfits, putting on jewelry and makeup, stating that it distracts them from the heavenly race. They are also not allowed to braid their hair with attachments or wear wigs because they claim it's from the marine kingdom, but they are allowed to braid their hair with Thread or wool, but Mama didn't stop us from braiding our hair with ex-tensions. Though the group not allowing its members to wear makeup didnt change anything because Mama always carried her yellow spot-free face with pride.

Mama held my hand as we walked down the street and boarded a taxi, which took us to "Friends of Our Savior Girls High School. I was filled with awe as we stood in front of the gate of my dream high school. As soon as we walked in, the fresh breath of air hit my nose, and it was in-credibly rejuvenating. The huge buildings, painted in white and wine colors, blended perfectly with the lush surrounding landscape, creating a harmonious and tranquil atmosphere."

The arrangement of the flowers in the school compound added a touch of elegance and color to the surroundings. The morning glory unfurled its vibrant petals as the rays of sunlight touched the flowerbeds surrounding the school compound. The sunflowers stood tall, their golden petals turning towards the warmth of the sun, revealing their beauty. I was marveled because it felt like I was in a paradise on earth. There were lots of buildings in the school compound, demarcated from each other with pathways. I was determined to do my best in the Common Entrance Examination so I could join Ada, my elder sister, who was already a student in the school. The serenity left me in awe because students were in session, but I could hear a pin drop.

There were other candidates as well who came to write the examination. It made me wonder if I was going to be selected because we were many in number, and it was rumored that the school doesn't accept lots of students, unlike other schools. Ada had already warned me to do my best because the school doesn't admit lots of students, unlike other schools that had about a hundred students and more per class. We were seated in the reception, likewise, other candidates and their parents. In less than an hour, a Reverend Sister dressed in a white habit and a black veil with a chaplet dangling from the black belt on her waist came out to address the candidates and their parents. She introduced herself as Sister Felicia, fair in complexion, pretty, and tall. It made me wonder if she was one of those angels God sent to earth. She looked elegant in her white habit and black veil.

She asked the candidates to move to the examination hall while the parents should wait at the reception. The examination started, and in less than an hour and thirty minutes, I finished the examination and submitted it to Sister Felicia, likewise other candidates. Mama and I went home while anticipating the examination result, which would be out in a month's time.

"Nne, bia lee!" Mama said as she came into my room from the kitchen, excitement evident as she danced and threw one leg in front of the other. "You have gained admission, oo! You passed, nwam. You will join your sister by October." I could not contain my excitement as I screamed with joy and hugged Mama tightly; she smelled of nutmeg and kitchen spices. I could not wait to brag to my friends. After all, I am now a high school student.

Mama took me shopping and bought all I needed for the boarding house. She was given a school supply list detailing what to buy and what not to buy. Mama was careful not to make mistakes with the contents of the list, especially in the undies section, which clearly stated that they must be in white color. Additionally, she was given a list of provisions to buy for me, as some items were not allowed. Mama was already familiar with these restrictions because she also shops for Ada, my sister.

It was finally the day of resumption, and I could not wait to enter my new hostel, meet my hostel mates, and face my new life as a newly admitted high school student. We planned to leave in the morning, so I hurried Mama and made sure we went to early morning mass to finish whatever we needed to do before leaving. Mama had already made Sunday ofe akwu stew the night before, and we only needed to boil white rice when we came back from Morning mass, as it was the Sunday food for most African homes. Therefore, we didn't have anything to delay us.

However, the weather was cloudy, and before I knew it, it started raining heavily with thunderstorms, much to my disappointment.. I prayed that the rain would stop, but Mama ignored me instead of joining in the prayers and went to sleep.

It was evening, and the rain had stopped. I was already dressed, so I waited for Mama to dress up while we loaded my belongings into the taxi that Mama had called the day before. I didn't have much to carry, especially new school lockers, cupboards, and chairs, because the school had already made provisions for them, and Mama had already paid.

When we reached the school, I saw only the newly admitted students because the old students had resumed a week before us. I carried my bag, hugged Mama, and hurriedly said goodbye to her. I couldn't understand why some of the new students were making a scene at the school compound. Some were crying, while others were hugging their parents tightly, as if they were leaving them in a different country to travel to an-other. Their faces were filled with sadness at the thought of leaving their parents. I was not bothered, maybe because I was built to be less expressive of my emotions.

I was eager to leave Mama and face my new life at the school rather than staying at home. I was also happy to be with my sister Ada, whom I barely saw during the holidays. The hostels had a well-detailed layout, with about eight spacious dormitory rooms meant for different classes. Each hostel was named after a reverend sister in the school. The newly admitted students were to share two dormitory rooms. The senior student who guided us to our room said that it was compulsory for the newly admitted students to be given separate hostels because it was easier to monitor our character and differentiate who is who. I quickly went to a corner and chose the top bunk, dropped my bed, and went to the corner behind my hostel to choose a cupboard space. I shared the bunk with a daughter of a family friend who attended the same church with me back home, but we were not friends

The night was filled with exchanging pleasantries and self-introductions. Students were still unpacking their luggage, while some of my classmates had no clue where to keep certain belongings of theirs. The hostel was scattered with properties belonging to different students, creating a bustling scene of belongings strewn across the dormitory. We were given a leather bag containing our school uniforms for different days of the week. The school hostel was so noisy and filled with chattering that I didn't know when I slept off, filled with enthusiasm and eager to start a new day.

The school bell rang, waking people up from sleep. I woke up, thinking that the sound I heard was probably in my head, so I drifted back to sleep. A few minutes later, the bell rang again, this time even louder, bringing me back to reality. My roommates and I came out of our hostel and saw other students walking towards a particular direction with their buckets and toiletries, dressed in their nightwear that revealed the mold of their breasts and their white pants We followed suit as we entered a spacious gated open space called the bathing ground. The bathing ground is an open field in the school where students take their baths and also do their laundry. The place was lowly fenced and demarcated with rods and raised pavement separating each person from the next. Students were paired according to their respective classes. The cemented floor had spirogyra occupying certain areas. There was no cover in the open space, so if someone climbed the trees outside the place, they would see the naked students. There were two gates in the bathing ground, one that leads to the bathing ground itself and the other that leads outside the school. The latter gate was always locked, and the bathing ground was directly opposite the Fathers' house.

I opened my jaw in surprise as I saw other girls having their bath completely naked. I had never bathed with anyone besides Ada, my sister, so seeing hundreds of naked girls with different body shapes having their bath without any form of shyness made me self-aware. My classmates and I were shown our bathing spot by the sanitary prefect, where we would always be having our bath. The weather was so cold, and I was shivering, so I hurriedly ran the cold water all over my body while screaming because of the cold weather. After my bath, I went back to the hostel to prepare for the day .

I barely managed to wear my school uniform which was a blue pinafore, a white shirt, white socks, and brown sandals before I heard another bell ring, signaling the students to go to the chapel for their prayers. Each newly admitted student was given a total of fifteen uniforms, eight school wears, which consisted of four blue pinafores, two yellow shirts for Tuesdays and Thursdays, and two white shirts for Mondays and Wednesdays; two day wears, which were white and green check dresses, two Sunday wears, which were white gowns, two outing wears which were a light blue skirt, a light blue jacket, and a long-sleeved white jacket reserved only for visiting days or school vacations and one games wear, which was either a red or yellow pleated skort.

At the sound of the bell, I quickly joined other students as we went to the chapel to say our morning prayers. It was a small building painted in white and oxblood color, while the inside was painted in blue and orange. The rows of polished wooden pews, neatly arranged, stretched across the nave, each one meticulously positioned to face the altar. Adorned with kneelers, the pews were complemented by stained glass windows depicting biblical scenes and saints, which filtered the rising sunrays into a kaleidoscope of colors that danced across the stone walls. The choristers sat at the back pews, demarcated by a high pavement. In front of the pews, there was a sanctuary housing the altar, a focal point adorned with a crucifix, candles, and other religious artifacts. The altar was covered with a white cloth embroidered in red. The chapel was small compared to the Catholic church I attended at home, which had a chandelier light at the center that one could never reach except with a long ladder. In this chapel, however, one could stretch her hand to touch the ceiling.

The students who arrived late after the prayer started were not allowed inside the chapel but asked to kneel down outside. However, the newly admitted students were allowed inside. The morning prayer left me confused because it had us kneeling and standing up at intervals while reciting and singing certain parts. My classmates and I were mute because we were not yet acquainted with the prayers. After the prayers, each student went about their functions, cleaning and tidying up different areas of the school. The newly admitted students, including myself, were not assigned any duty yet. Instead, we were addressed by the senior prefect on the rules and regulations of the school. She shared a pamphlet containing the rules and regulations and asked us to go through it in our spare time to avoid flouting any of them. We were also assigned school guardians who acted like school mothers to us. The senior prefect, a fair tall girl named Cynthia was assigned to me as my school guardian before dismissing us.

Breakfast consisted of Lipton tea and bread. Each student formed a queue with their cups, and the food servers served the hot Lipton, mixed with milk and sugar, from the cooler. The tea was tasteless, making me appreciate Mama for buying me lots of provisions. No chocolate drink was allowed in the school; only milk was permitted. Chocolate drinks like Milo, Ovaltine, and Bournvita were considered contraband.

I later learned that this rule stemmed from a student named Ann, who was a year ahead of me, she abused chocolate drinks and fell sick, which prompted the owner of the school to ban them. Little wonder she was disliked by many old students.

Another bell rang, signaling the end of breakfast and for us to go to our respective classrooms. Students were running around the school dormitory trying to finish what they were doing before heading for lectures, while the study prefect was at the gate counting and waiting to lock the dormitory gate for late students. The lectures that day followed the same pattern. When a teacher walked in, he/she would introduce them-selves, and in return, we would introduce ourselves to them. I couldn't wait for break time while munching on my peanut, especially since we were also bored and had no activity to keep us engaged.

The school bell rang, signaling the end of the class session. "The Bell" was an instrument of instruction in the school, dictating the time for the program of the day. It was rung by different prefects in different melodic chimes, indicating the program we had next. The highest bell was the big Angelus bell, situated at the corner of the school compound, and was rung three times a day by the students in charge, signaling us to stand up and recite the Angelus prayer.

We walked in a single file with our hands tucked inside our pinafore dresses, as instructed by one of the senior students, as it was one of the rules and regulations of the school. Each student was expected to fold their hands inside their pinafore or at their back to show a sign of discipline and simplicity. We moved to the chapel and said our afternoon prayers, after which we went to the refectory to have our lunch. Lunch was eba served with watery achi soup. I and a few of my classmates barely finished our food because our taste buds had not adjusted to the food yet. We went to have our siesta shortly after lunch, and at the sound of the bell, each student was to maintain silence, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Loud sobs from one of my roommates, Mary, woke me and the other roommates up. She was crying bitterly, and when we asked her what the problem was, she complained that while we were sleeping, the senior students took her to the meditation ground and chopped off her long hair. We sympathized with her and went back to bed to avoid getting into trouble for noise making during the siesta hour.

A few minutes later, the bell rang, signaling us to go for our evening prep, which lasted for about an hour. The bell rang again, signaling us to go for the evening prayers. Essentially, the bell controlled the program of the day in the school, less words, more action were the order of the day. The evening prayer was the rosary, which we recited while walking around in circles according to our different classes and heights. We paused at the recitation of the Glory Be to the Father and continued walking at the Hail Mary. We knelt down during the litany recitation, and I couldn't wait for the prayers to end. After the prayer, we went to the bathing ground to have our evening bath. Dinner was rice and beans. I was very worried because the food was cold and had lumps. I picked at my food and barely ate it when my thought was interrupted

"Ebube, don't you want to eat?" Thesia, my classmate, said as I looked up. "I'm not used to this type of food," I lamented with eyes filled with sadness and gave her my food. I remembered Thesia from the night before; she was overweight, and her school uniform wasn't her size. It made some of my classmates ridicule her, even the senior students. We said the night prayer at the refectory after dinner and went to bed. In Friends of Our Savior Girls High School, we pray thirteen times a day. The prayers consist of the 6 am Angelus, the morning prayer, prayer before and after breakfast, 12 pm Angelus, afternoon prayer, prayer before and after lunch, 6 pm Angelus, the Holy Rosary prayer every evening or Divine Mercy prayer every Thursday, prayer before and after dinner, and lastly, the night prayer. They were exhausting.