The Ultimate Prank- SOBS 308

A few days ago I read a post from the Senior year in Legon blog.
About doing things in varsity outside academics.
To read click here
The post got me laughing so hard as the memories came flooding back so I decided to share a few of the non-academic things I did during my stay in uni.

Before I carry on it is expedient that I lay down certain facts about tertiary education in Ghana.

FACTS

1. Regarding tertiary institutions in the Ghana, there’s only one university that one must go to and that is the University of Ghana (UG), affectionately referred to as Legon or Leg for short.
Notice the preposition “of” in there? So no need wasting precious time arguing

2. Within the University of Ghana the faculty or school to be in is the University of Ghana Business School, UGBS.
I’ll leave the medical students and law school to argue amongst themselves. The rest of the faculties can take their seats to my left hand side whiles the faculty of Fine Arts entertain us to some music & dance.
What is it you’re saying? Oh ok, the archaeology students are out on an expedition. My love to Indie

3. Legon hall is the best hall to be on campus. Forget the lousy vandals for they were birthed out of the loins of Legon hall.
Then we have the Vandal wannabes from Mensah-Sarbah and in this day and age we want originality not imitation.
For Akuafo well what can I say they’re just… Akuafo.
Volta hall is just about alright

Ok so now that I’ve ruffled a few feathers, made enemies and lost some friends lets proceed.

I gained admission to the UG in 2011 and if by this point if you can’t tell, *newsflash* I gained admission into the Business School and chose to be in the premiere hall, the hall of Gentlemen and Ladies- LEGON HALL.

As is the case for every fresher, first year is the bedding period, you try to find your bearings in this new world, adjusting to the new found freedom, environment, lectures, roommates (for the guys back then it was mostly coming to terms with being ‘narrowed’ by roomies who are looking for some privacy to seal the deal when they had their special someone come over).
Lord knows I’ve had my fair share of narrowing.
At this point everyone rolls with buddies from high school as they try to settle.

It was on one of such occasions playing Fifa 11 in the room of a high school friend, on the 5th floor of legon hall annex A (I was on the 3rd floor 308) when the level 300 roommate of my friend had to type and print his psychology assignment which was due for presentation in some few minutes.
He had been given the assignment several weeks ago but you know us students, sigh.

The dude was quite hot and was panicking so I offered to type it for him as I could QWERTY at some good speed thanks to Mavis Beacon.
Before the guy could say P-s-y-c-h-o-l-o-g-y I had finished typing and he was able to beat the deadline.
To show his appreciation he bought one Don Simon paper drink for my troubles. Succulent!

This did not end there, I became sort of his personal typist and he always beat his deadlines for submission and with it came the standard Don Simon drink or one litre of Coca-cola.
Eventually that became the going rate if I typed for you except for the group works dumped on me like pro bono.
My locker was quite stocked, those were happy days

Le Prank

Fast forward to 3rd year, I remember returning to my room after a 7:30 am lecture seeking to have some alone time as my 4 roommates were out.
Legally it should be 4 in a room at the annex but we had a 5th roommate, extra members normally referred to as “perchers”.
So thinking I was about to enjoy some peace and quiet people just kept knocking at the door wanting to purchase Sobolo(local beverage made from hibiscus leaves) or Brukina(local drink from cow milk) which was shocking cos nobody ever sold any of those beverages on the floor.
The enquiries too never seemed to end.
I was seething cos you know boys and the silly things we like to do, till someone showed me an ad reading “SOBS 308- Buy your fresh Sobolo and Brukina at 308”.
When my roommates came back I narrated what happened in their absence and they all burst out in laughter.
Apparently, they put up that ad to get people to climb up to the 3rd floor just to tell them the ad was a prank, imagine that!
By night fall the number of knocks to buy the beverage was so overwhelming my roommates and I thought it wise to execute this sobolo business and make use of this sobolo prank turned market survey.

Quickly we got one guy from Akuafo hall and as the name suggests “Akuafo”=farmers to help us make this drink.
We contributed our capital, 10 Ghø each and got the ingredients listed for us to purchase.
We were then walked through the steps of preparing sobolo.
It was Culinary class 101- The Art of Sobolo.

By morning we were in business and this time we were selling sobolo for real.
We had flavours of pineapple and ginger, all natural with no additives.
Business was more than good, we run out of stock, had to go to the closest town (Madina) to buy new bottles, pineapples and the other ingredients for which I have absolutely no clue what their English names are.
We sold in two bottles, the bigger one for 1 Ghø and the smaller bottle at 0.50Gp
Predictably, yours truly, that is I, manned the books, keeping a detailed record and accounting for every penny spent on my excel designed cashbook.

All profits were ploughed back, it also helped that my roommates were disciplined.
If you brought a visitor who took a drink out, you the roommate paid for it.
We built a good customer base.
There were plans of expanding and getting vendors in other halls.
We were always liquid and made handsome profits at the end.
We even made plans to throw an end of semester party with plans to order for pastries, pizza and drinks and all that but like the boys that we are/were, we ended up buying and preparing beans ourselves.
You know, prudence concept and all, lol.

Mysteriously the next academic year we didn’t care to continue operating but it was a fun experience and one that always brings a smile up my face.

Four years in legon was fun. There were times when you never wanted to complete and times when you just couldn’t wait to get out of that school.
But you see school is not all about academics there’s more to gain aside a 4.0 GPA.
To borrow the words of Shafic Osman I say to anyone still in school

Play a sport for your hall of residence, join the debate society, become active in your campus religious organization, sell sobolo in your room, or write a cheesy article for your hall’s magazine

Like the Legon hall motto reads Cui Multum Datum meaning To Whom Much is Given Much is Expected

There’s so much that can be achieved outside the walls of the lecture theatres and libraries if only you’d borrow the tools of the archaeology students and explore.
Only then would you realise later down the years how good you are for having garnered the experience.
Make your stay in school a memorable one littered with fun moments.
Cheers…!

And oh, there’s also the story about my friends and I carrying the piano to rooms to play and sing for people on special occasions but because I cherish my life I won’t touch that as my guys will probably skin me alive…