NON-FICTION: DESCRIPTION OF MY FIELD EXPERIENCE

Cold nights, hard beds on a cold floor – those are unforgettable experiences you can’t help but reminisce about . It was just like yesterday when I painstakingly packed my bag with clothes, beverages, gas (for cooking), books, and, of course, my phone. I had brought my gas from Lagos to Ibadan as that was my own quota to the group cooking we were allowed to do. I bought two higher notes one for my Field note and the other for my Field diary as those were part of the instructions laid down for our Field study.

Field trip 

The field trip started on January 4th, 2024, with our departure from my department. Before I forget, I’m Oderinde Opeyemi Motunrayo, a penultimate student of the University of Ibadan, Department of Archaeology and Anthropology. As I was saying, the field trip began with our departure from Ibadan to our destination, Oyan, Osun State. It was a chaotic journey with several laughs and fears. It was chaotic in the sense that we were all cramped into a bus that couldn't contain us and some were so unfortunate as they had to stand throughout the journey. However, the fun aspect was not left out as people most especially the guys cracked different jokes in the bus making the journey more lively and bearable. 

Students across different levels, except 100 level who were exempted from the field trip, were placed in different buses that conveyed us to our destination. My hopes were very high, and my mind was dancing around with excitement. This was my first field trip, and it was outside Ibadan – awesome, right? Not to mention, my level would be camping at the Asi Royal Palace Hotel; that alone made me giddy.

Although, nothing unusual happened during the road trip, it was still an extraordinary event. However, there was a major stir that made us fear for our lives. The bus had faulty brakes, which made us, including the driver, panic. But thank God for his intervention and the expertise of the driver; we got to our first major stop, Oyan Grammar School, safe and sound. There, we exchanged buses, which took us to our own destination, Asi, in Osun State, several kilometers away from Oyan, where our seniors were to conduct their own field trip.

Welcome to Asi Royal Palace Hotel

I can remember clearly the piercing gaze of people; it almost seemed like they could pierce through you. The confused eyes of little children gazing upon the unknown bus full of alien people. The watchful and curious eyes of the elderly as they leaned upon their sticks. I’m sure the question was, “Who are these people? Where are they coming from, and what are they coming to do?”

We stopped briefly in front of the King’s Palace, that is, the Alasi of Asi, to pay him due homage before we continued to our final destination, the Royal Palace Hotel. The Royal Palace Hotel is situated a little bit farther from the Orita Meta Asi (T-Junction) or the Oja Asi (Asi Marketplace). It is situated beside the ongoing building of the Osun State Speaker for the House of Representatives. The Asi Royal Palace Hotel, in contrast to my imagination, was an almost completed building with works like plumbing and furniture still underway.

In essence, beds were provided for us by the school, and the Asi Ruler was so generous as to help make provision for running water in the premises of the Hotel. 

Rooms and food 

This started to describe the notion that “fieldwork is not luxury” because nine ladies had to share four small-sized beds, and we literally had to step on each other to pass. Sleeping was so difficult because you couldn’t change your sleeping position and was literally glued to the next person. The boys had it even worse compared to the ladies because some of them had to sleep in the lobby on a very hard, cold floor. However, the good news is, we had a good toilet, which was very important to us. Food, yes, almost caused a stroke, but we overcame it. At first, we had to make use of firewood to cook our food because we were not allowed to fill up our gas. But after a good “holy war” between us and our supervisors, we were eventually granted autonomy to fill the gas.

My Fieldwork Experience

Forgetting all the ills and problems encountered on the trip, with food and even sleep, I still look back and say it was worth the experience. Meeting new people who share different perspectives about life, development, and family history was amazing. I remember listening to the elderly explain the rich story of their origin and culture with pride and a sense of nostalgia. They were so engrossed; one could tell they miss the folkways of living. One chief in particular even vowed to ensure the continuity of his ancestral idol; he said preparations were already in place for that, and the celebration would be taking place in “September.”

One of my biggest field battles would be trying to successfully speak my native language without code-switching to English. It was not that bad, although I know I could do better and have been working on it. The community people were so welcoming and always willing and ready to answer our questions. They shared with us freely their history and cultural heritage. I learned steps to making garri and rice. For the first time, I saw a calabash tree, and we even got two as a gift. 

The serene environment, food, water, and even the people made us feel at home away from home. It was an eye-opening experience that brought about a concrete understanding and appreciation of my course, Anthropology. It highlighted the influence of Anthropology on culture, religion, history, and everything that encompasses human beings and their environment. During this study, another perspective on Nigeria’s economy was revealed: these people have a thriving agricultural system that the government can invest in. Despite their challenges, they were still very hospitable and welcoming to strangers.

I must say my fieldwork experience was not totally bad, and yes, I can’t wait to return to the field this semester to meet new people, learn about their unique cultural history and heritage. I forgot to mention that the fieldwork also helped me connect with people I wouldn’t normally relate to in my level. It was a very enlightening trip, and I can’t wait to be there again. However, to conclude, fieldwork is not a luxury; as much as there are interesting aspects to it, it can also be very draining and tasking.