By Chibuogwu Nnadiegbulam
Since my arrival in Amman, Jordan, it's been me trying to manage my time in such a way that I can satisfy as many persons as possible, with the AIPS being top on my priority list.
I understand perfectly that my being here is not just one of learning but also of service however the reality is that I definitely cannot please everybody.
In other words, this is me sending out a sincere apology to the hurt and probably the ones waiting for me at a particular junction.
I mean, what do you do when you literally have your wardrobe mirror always staring at you every time you open the door (coming in or going out) - more like a reality check.
After quite a short sleep in freezing conditions, I sprang up from my bed at about 7:30 am remembering that we were supposed to have breakfast with our AIPS Young Reporters Programme mentors at 8:30am.
My Mexican roommate, Paloma who had arrived the previous night was already set, though she was still in bed.
So with an "na only you still remain" mentality, I hurriedly got ready and we were down for breakfast right on time.
Before Jordan I can relatively count, on one hand, how many times I used an elevator, but now I'm in it for about five times a day because it is the only way to my room.
So at breakfast - my first in Jordan - after picking a seat, I began my journey around the buffet table, and when I located bread, I heaved a sigh of relief.
After my tour I got back to my seat with four slices of toast bread, two hot dogs, butter and a glass of orange juice. I had no reason to complain afterwards and was satisfied to have found the perfect breakfast combo for my stay in the Hashemite Kingdom.
My lunch and dinner has also been stereotyped. It has got to be rice, beef sauce, chicken, cream salad, sweet corn.
Rice is basic, for the rest, it depends on which is on display. And yes, most times, I go straight to the point with my meals.
The meeting room of the hotel was where we introduced ourselves during the informal meeting we had with our mentors for the first time, Keir (the good cop), Riccardo (the bad cop) and Andrea who is the one to take us through anything that has to do with video.
We were given two key words that will guide us in the AIPS programme and our jobs, punctuality and deadline, and was told that we are here to work just as it is in the real world.
Then we were given an assignment to write from any of the day's events, either the Opening Press Conference or the trip to the Al Baqa’a refugee camp inhabited by Palestinians, where former Barcelona star Xavi visited as part of his new role off the field as a Generation Amazing ambassador.
But first we had a ten minute walk to the accreditation centre close to the Amman International Stadium, and it felt so good to finally have a FIFA tournament tag around my neck.
With that feeling, I took photos with my fellow AIPS Young Reporters and we headed back to the hotel quicker that we had come so that we can get a taxi to the Four Seasons hotel where the Press Conference would hold.
We got there a little late, but did not miss much. However for me, from the moment I entered I started imagining myself in those high-profile press conferences I have only been watching on TV.
I sat down, had my headset for translation on, while I recorded, so I could have exact quotes for my story, and the sound bites I could send back home.
When we were done, a few of us were selected to go to the refugee camp, while the rest of us headed back to our hotel, and while we took a walk down to the bus stop, we kept observing and taking photos.
The Jordanians do not need a policeman standing by, for them to use their overhead bridge. Also, it should be cliché to say "smokers are liable to die young" in Jordan.
We finally got cabs and went to the hotel. I had dinner, developed my article from some of the quotes I got from the press conference, and paid other dues including writing my Day 1 diary before going to bed at about 4am.
