A few words!
Its been over two months since I changed addresses and I just realised that its been a long time since I saw any policemen on the streets. O yes I do see them in police patrol cars but I have not seen any hanging around street corners ready to pounce on the next hapless taxi driver that comes round the bend. There are absolutely no police check points! No 'Oga wetin you de carry' or 'Madam anything for us' the prelude to harrassment by the men in black, nothing to show that they exist!
It has been two months since I hurriedly ironed my clothes before NEPA blesses us with an outage, for here light shines all the time, just like the bible verse that says you will have no need for the sun, I have no need for NEPA at all at all:)(yeah the repitition is for emphasis). I dont have to leave my cell phone connected to the socket all night praying that the few seconds that the 'power holding'(rightly named) company brings light will be enough to charge my battery to function through at least the first few hours of the day!
I have not had to pass foul smelling garbage heaps and shut my nose while I hurry past, gutters which were once part of my scenery have been consigned to the image compartment of my long term memory. Garbage is disposed of twice a week without fail and God bless you if fail to tie up your garbage or leave your bins outside for more than the alloted time, a heavy fine will soon await you.
Its nice to be able to plan your trips round town and actually get there at the scheduled time. Its nice to have a transport system that connects almost all parts of town and is so organised. I have not been in a single 'go slow' or traffic jam since I got here. They have a train system that actually works and their train carriages are not relic pieces that children in primary schools visit during school excursions to show them what a train actually looks like!
Its been two months since I had a proper Nigerian meal cooked with Nigerian ingredients. I bought a tuber of yam which was not longer than my hand (from my fingers to my elbow) for an equivalent sum of 1,500 naira and after cutting it for two meals the yam had disappeared, these were meals for just two sisters with very small stomachs. Never again will I despise 'eba' I never knew I could miss it so much.'Eba' was never a favorite food of mine:)
Its been two months since I walked down the street and did not feel that I was out of place:) I miss the hustle and bustle of the crowds in Nigeria, I miss the familiar places, sounds and smells, I miss hearing the different languages of my people that make me feel very much at home. Now that Im away I realise that I want to speak all the different languages that make up our identity.
Its 1.53am over here and 6.53am in Nigeria and I wish that there was no time difference to keep me apart from my folks, I miss MTN, GLO and the other networks that you could use to call anywhere in the world without having to buy a phone card and dialling a pin even though you pay your bills for your phone without fail every month. I miss the hot sun, I miss the warmth of our very many greetings, I miss the opportunities to drop in on friends without prior notice, e.t.c
Its way past my bedtime and there is one thing I certainly do not miss, the noise of the generators that defiantly insist on singing you a lullaby whether you need one or not!
O da ro!
*Written over a month ago!
It has been two months since I hurriedly ironed my clothes before NEPA blesses us with an outage, for here light shines all the time, just like the bible verse that says you will have no need for the sun, I have no need for NEPA at all at all:)(yeah the repitition is for emphasis). I dont have to leave my cell phone connected to the socket all night praying that the few seconds that the 'power holding'(rightly named) company brings light will be enough to charge my battery to function through at least the first few hours of the day!
I have not had to pass foul smelling garbage heaps and shut my nose while I hurry past, gutters which were once part of my scenery have been consigned to the image compartment of my long term memory. Garbage is disposed of twice a week without fail and God bless you if fail to tie up your garbage or leave your bins outside for more than the alloted time, a heavy fine will soon await you.
Its nice to be able to plan your trips round town and actually get there at the scheduled time. Its nice to have a transport system that connects almost all parts of town and is so organised. I have not been in a single 'go slow' or traffic jam since I got here. They have a train system that actually works and their train carriages are not relic pieces that children in primary schools visit during school excursions to show them what a train actually looks like!
Its been two months since I had a proper Nigerian meal cooked with Nigerian ingredients. I bought a tuber of yam which was not longer than my hand (from my fingers to my elbow) for an equivalent sum of 1,500 naira and after cutting it for two meals the yam had disappeared, these were meals for just two sisters with very small stomachs. Never again will I despise 'eba' I never knew I could miss it so much.'Eba' was never a favorite food of mine:)
Its been two months since I walked down the street and did not feel that I was out of place:) I miss the hustle and bustle of the crowds in Nigeria, I miss the familiar places, sounds and smells, I miss hearing the different languages of my people that make me feel very much at home. Now that Im away I realise that I want to speak all the different languages that make up our identity.
Its 1.53am over here and 6.53am in Nigeria and I wish that there was no time difference to keep me apart from my folks, I miss MTN, GLO and the other networks that you could use to call anywhere in the world without having to buy a phone card and dialling a pin even though you pay your bills for your phone without fail every month. I miss the hot sun, I miss the warmth of our very many greetings, I miss the opportunities to drop in on friends without prior notice, e.t.c
Its way past my bedtime and there is one thing I certainly do not miss, the noise of the generators that defiantly insist on singing you a lullaby whether you need one or not!
O da ro!
*Written over a month ago!
I really enjoyed the flow of this blog Tomi! Great writing style.....interesting to hear your perspective on our Western world. There is good and there is bad isn't there? (Oh, if only we could have it all in one place, but it is never so!) Thanking God for you today!
ReplyDelete~Kat
Hi Kat! Thanking God for you too:)
ReplyDeleteHaving it all would be too much dont you think?
I enjoyed reading this post! It made me laugh as I can relate to several of the things you mentioned. I love the way you write too - I look forward to checking your blog out regularly!:)!
ReplyDelete