My National Service Experience... Part 3

"Hi Sir, hope you are good! how may I help you?"... Those were the words of Angela. A receptionist with a seraphic personality at the New Citizen Kofi building at Danquah Circle. I responded in the affirmative. She directed me to the second floor where the Bank was to train it's potential National Service Personnels (NSP). This was on 1st October, 2014.

Since I believed in the fact that first impression always counted I got to the venue 1hour 30mins early.

I looked so eye-popping on my first day as I was in a new white shirt and shoes I bought from kantamanto days back. I was in a top-drawer look. I had met Gloria and Ama Pearl so I could easily identify with them. Due to my easy going and affable nature I made many new friends as well.

It was a 3 day training. On the first day, the Human Resource Department led by their head addressed us. The other departments followed.

The breakfast given was good but the lunch was better and solid, I will not miss the afternoon Banku and Tilapia for anything.

Almost all departments addressed us. The session with the rep from Risk Management- Mr San Jay was just extraordinary. It was a time filled with so much fun. One other exceptional time was with a rep from the Business Solutions department. A humorous gentleman who had good command over the Queens language.

I won't forget the time with Mr. William Brown, a representative from the Operations Department. Time moves fast when you are learning and having fun.

One I will forever have engraved in my memory was the time with the human resource department led by their executive head. A woman with a unique of sense of humour. This period was so gratifying until something happened. Since I was going to do a National Service in a Bank I was thinking I would be paid between Ghc500 - Ghc1000. Someone asked, an answer given-"You will be paid Ghc350" , to make a long story short I was shocked to the bone to hear those words come from the Executive Head of HR.

At the drop of a hat she called the NSS office and asked them how much National service Personnels are to be paid. The office only affirmed what she said earlier. At that moment my dreams were dashed. This was clearly not consistent with what I heard on the grapevine. Truth be told I counted my chickens before the eggs were hatched.

On the other hand, It was a blessing in disguise. Since I knew every cloud has a silver lining I was focused. It showed me how to cut my cloth according to the material I have. It encouraged me to always have a surplus budget or at worse a balanced budget. Having a girlfriend never had a place in my thinking. The good book tells us there is a time and season for everything, this was obviously not a girlfriend time or season !

It again taught me to be more interested in what i will be learning than what I will be earning. After all, if you take out the first letter of learn you get "EARN". According to Dr. Ben Carson, Happiness doesn't result from what we get, but from what we give. I concur ! Many of my fellow ADB NSPs will not agree but I must say for this I am very grateful to Madam Akweley.

I thought the bank had a branch called "Accra Branch" where I was going to work. The about 60 National Service Personnels at the training were all posted to "Agricultural Development Bank-Accra", from critical thinking one could easily tell there was going to be a posting by the bank.

The bank released it's postings on the last day of training. It was a Friday and I was posted to the Central Processing Unit-Head Office. I was to report for work officially on Monday, 6th October, 2014. Interesting times ahead !

Archibald Frimpong.
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