Life As I Now Know It

Hello beautiful people,

I started writing this while waiting at the airport in Lagos. I went home to Lagos for a wedding and I was returning to Abakaliki that day.

Firstly domestic flights in Nigeria are the most unreliable. My flight for that day was 7.30am. I literally left my home by 5am to get there so I did not miss it. Yet, 8.35am, we were yet to board. We finally boarded by 9.20am. This happens a lot of the time and the airline officials do not see the need to inform passengers about inevitable flight changes. However, it is still very possible to miss your flight. Highly unfair. Air Peace is the only carrier I have flown that I can say would leave on time for most flights.

Enough of the ranting. My few months in Abakaliki have been alright. Due to laziness and the intense heat of the sun (it gets as high as 39°c sometimes) I did not go exploring as much but I would repent.

I still went to a few places and learnt some things. For example I learnt how to make palm oil. Did you know that it has to be made in the evening or morning? If made in the afternoon it has to be done under a shade if not the oil does not congeal and form. The palm kernels also have to be soaked in cold water when making the oil. I also learnt how to fry garri (cassava flakes).

Also mangoes are really cheap here. You buy 5 of the green variety for N100 and 4 of the huge ones for 150 if you haggle. Basically it’s because every compound has a mango tree. Some even have multiple. Like, you have to be humble and sell at the price the buyer wants. It’s newbies like me that purchase mango. Even though there is also a mango tree and an orange tree where I live.

Where I stay there are some goats. I have fed them yam peelings and mango peelings with my bare hands. (Ok, Fine. I held one end of the yam peeling and the goat nibbled the other end. Then I quickly dropped it.) But every time they see me they run to me because they know I always bring gifts of food. #goatwhisperer

The week of Easter I went to a village called Uburu to the King’ s palace. He’s called an Eze. I also had my first and hopefully last motorcycle exhaust burn. Right now I have a reminder scar on my calf to either be careful or to avoid them completely.

The next week I had another incident with a bus. In a rush to get somewhere I didn’t observe the basic rule that every Nigerian is taught in primary school. Before crossing, look left, look right and then look left again. And as a Lagosian, look right again because every driver in Lagos is a potential mad person. So I looked left, looked right, and then started to run across the road. But miracle of miracles passers-by started shouting corper! corper! As I was about to take my first step a bus sped past me and turned into the junction I was trying to cross and literally scrapped the back of my arm. I was in shock for a while, my journey somewhat forgotten. But I made it to my destination in time and without another accident thank God.

I also partook of my first bukha food. I had never, prior to my service year eaten bukha food. This one I ate in was classy. I ate serious semovita and okra soup with dry fish and 2 pieces of beef. I am proud to say I ate it with relish and I did not purge.

I’m happy to announce that my market skills have improved. Dare I say I am now good enough to undertake the purchase of items alone. Without a market partner.

“I would like to thank my family and my friends for believing in me and letting me know that I can haggle the price of any item I want”.

Have a productive weekend. My next post will be next week. I’m working on consistency, which means I need to get up and go places. So from now henceforth I would post more regularly.

Also, just a picture of my breakfast one day last week to make you happy.

I miss home😭

Till next time,

Bye!