I made sure not to title this till I was done typing.
I just wanted to give you a break down of how I found this country to be when i first came and after two years.
When I first came, it was weird , I got to the airport with my *huge* jackets- I was so excited to see the people, the vending machines, the tiled floors , the crowded airport and some blacks that looked a lot like Nigerians.... between there is a lot of Nigerians in this country. I wish I had a picture to share but I don't. I was a complete JJC (johnny just come) or what they refer to as a *freshie*.
I just felt like I was in a better version of Victoria Island (A very pretty island in Lagos that most rich people in lagos dwell, or so I think).
My dad found us and drove us home.
On our way home, I was ecstatic: It was a smooth ride home, no traffic Jam on the road, no fumes of motor bikes or motor bikes itself- It was an honor to be in a country where you can protect yourself with a code, control your A.C on a touch-screen, Live in a wooden house and not look like a pauper and drink soft drinks (soda) like it was water.
I had to wait six months to get my documents together and before I could go to school.
I already told you about my first day at school, I was still enjoying the joy of being a foreigner until I got into my third class (History of the West).
After being called Olufumilia/Olufumailo Adiliki, I sat quietly in class and we were asked to introduce ourself and talk about our favorite things. At the time, my African accent was as strong as ammonia's stench! I stood up, said my name and I heard murmurs in the class- then I said I was from Nigeria and I loved camping: because of my accent, half the things I said, no one could understand, I had to repeat my self severally (I was really shy at the time and in my heart I started to cry- I felt humiliated).
Every time I went into a store, I wouldn't talk to anyone or smile at anyone because I was scared of my accent -In Nigeria, my accent was pretty nice and I was told when I first came into the country that I had a british accent but staying at home for six months and attending only places I wasn't gonna talk much really took the british from my accent.
In the winter
My dad would wake us up to pull the snow from his car - I was really sad I had to do that most mornings, I remember anticipating the snow, I even wrote a poem about it but then i got tired, I started wishing there was snow without the cold, I started wishing I didn't have to wear all the jackets I had on everyday. I started wishing I could go back to school in warmth rather than sit at home in the cold, it was devastating... all I could do was anticipate the summer.
When the summer came I was pretty excited.
It was fun but then it was really really hot and humid, hard to breath and sometimes foggy, I just wanted to be back home. That was my first time of thinking about flying home.
I remember one time
I went to the mall trying to find my pant size. A lady walked up to me shared a laugh with me and said- you need more potatoes in your life (I laughed so hard because I was really sad and didn't know how to reply her without being rude and with my Nigerian accent).
There was a lot more I went through in the first year of being in this country but here is one upside I enjoyed- The upside came with a downside
The upside
My language-
Meeting new people from Nigerian was amazing, we were able to laugh about the things we felt was weird- we had never seen people with so many tattoos and piercings like these
In church
I was in my dad's church a year ago and I saw this young man, he was light skinned and had an American accent. After the long service, we saw the young man walk over to the food stand, grab a plate of rice and devoured it without mercy, it was a sight to behold. My sister and I started giggling and shee said "E wo bi okurin yi shen jeun bipe ko jeun ri laye e" and then I think I replied... "abi oh, e ri bo shen jeun"
Translation: See how this young man is eating like he has never seen food in his life.
My reply: I know right, see how he is gobbling it all up.
Another day on the bus
I was talking to my friend in pidgin and I was saying; See as I just dey talk for person ear , I know say if he hear wetin I dey talk hin go wan slap my face.
Translation: I'm talking so loudly if this man understand what I am saying, he might just raise his hand to slap me.
Downsides
The church guy actually understood my language- I felt really embarrassed when I found out he did.
The bus guy was going to the same place I was- he dropped off and as he was trying to catch a bus he turned back and said- Abeg, na the Randallstown bus be that?
I literarily froze :), my friend was laughing so hard!
P.S- The notion that Africa is a country is really annoying to the people of Africa in other countries-------->Africa is 54 countries, 7 territories and 2 unrecognized states.
I just wanted to give you a break down of how I found this country to be when i first came and after two years.
When I first came, it was weird , I got to the airport with my *huge* jackets- I was so excited to see the people, the vending machines, the tiled floors , the crowded airport and some blacks that looked a lot like Nigerians.... between there is a lot of Nigerians in this country. I wish I had a picture to share but I don't. I was a complete JJC (johnny just come) or what they refer to as a *freshie*.
I just felt like I was in a better version of Victoria Island (A very pretty island in Lagos that most rich people in lagos dwell, or so I think).
My dad found us and drove us home.
On our way home, I was ecstatic: It was a smooth ride home, no traffic Jam on the road, no fumes of motor bikes or motor bikes itself- It was an honor to be in a country where you can protect yourself with a code, control your A.C on a touch-screen, Live in a wooden house and not look like a pauper and drink soft drinks (soda) like it was water.
I had to wait six months to get my documents together and before I could go to school.
I already told you about my first day at school, I was still enjoying the joy of being a foreigner until I got into my third class (History of the West).
After being called Olufumilia/Olufumailo Adiliki, I sat quietly in class and we were asked to introduce ourself and talk about our favorite things. At the time, my African accent was as strong as ammonia's stench! I stood up, said my name and I heard murmurs in the class- then I said I was from Nigeria and I loved camping: because of my accent, half the things I said, no one could understand, I had to repeat my self severally (I was really shy at the time and in my heart I started to cry- I felt humiliated).
Every time I went into a store, I wouldn't talk to anyone or smile at anyone because I was scared of my accent -In Nigeria, my accent was pretty nice and I was told when I first came into the country that I had a british accent but staying at home for six months and attending only places I wasn't gonna talk much really took the british from my accent.
In the winter
My dad would wake us up to pull the snow from his car - I was really sad I had to do that most mornings, I remember anticipating the snow, I even wrote a poem about it but then i got tired, I started wishing there was snow without the cold, I started wishing I didn't have to wear all the jackets I had on everyday. I started wishing I could go back to school in warmth rather than sit at home in the cold, it was devastating... all I could do was anticipate the summer.
When the summer came I was pretty excited.
It was fun but then it was really really hot and humid, hard to breath and sometimes foggy, I just wanted to be back home. That was my first time of thinking about flying home.
I remember one time
I went to the mall trying to find my pant size. A lady walked up to me shared a laugh with me and said- you need more potatoes in your life (I laughed so hard because I was really sad and didn't know how to reply her without being rude and with my Nigerian accent).
There was a lot more I went through in the first year of being in this country but here is one upside I enjoyed- The upside came with a downside
The upside
My language-
Meeting new people from Nigerian was amazing, we were able to laugh about the things we felt was weird- we had never seen people with so many tattoos and piercings like these
In church
I was in my dad's church a year ago and I saw this young man, he was light skinned and had an American accent. After the long service, we saw the young man walk over to the food stand, grab a plate of rice and devoured it without mercy, it was a sight to behold. My sister and I started giggling and shee said "E wo bi okurin yi shen jeun bipe ko jeun ri laye e" and then I think I replied... "abi oh, e ri bo shen jeun"
Translation: See how this young man is eating like he has never seen food in his life.
My reply: I know right, see how he is gobbling it all up.
Another day on the bus
I was talking to my friend in pidgin and I was saying; See as I just dey talk for person ear , I know say if he hear wetin I dey talk hin go wan slap my face.
Translation: I'm talking so loudly if this man understand what I am saying, he might just raise his hand to slap me.
Downsides
The church guy actually understood my language- I felt really embarrassed when I found out he did.
The bus guy was going to the same place I was- he dropped off and as he was trying to catch a bus he turned back and said- Abeg, na the Randallstown bus be that?
I literarily froze :), my friend was laughing so hard!
P.S- The notion that Africa is a country is really annoying to the people of Africa in other countries-------->Africa is 54 countries, 7 territories and 2 unrecognized states.
I stumbled on this old Nigerian song
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