I was nervous about the food options that would be on Ethiopian Airlines but it was actually really good. Mostly chicken and rice with veggies and salad. I guess because they fly internationally they have to serve some pretty basic foods for the population they serve. I ate really well on the plane, 4 meals in total on the 22 hour trip. When I landed in Lagos, Kenneth met me at the gate. We had to go the a neighboring airport to hop a quick plane to his hometown of Owerri. Once we got that sorted out we went to a little cafe in the small airport. I wasn't hungry so I just ordered a drink. They were making freshly squeezed juice out of any fruit you wanted, so I got watermelon and pineapple. If you ordered that do you think it would be cold when you got it? Yes. The answer is yes. It was room temperature. I guess the fruit was behind a glass case that was not refrigerated. But, it was still delicious.
Hours later when we checked into the hotel we went down to the restaurant which was completely empty but had a whole buffet line with huge empty trays. It mentioned a buffet breakfast, lunch, and dinner but we thought maybe it wasn't offered that night, or we were too late. They didn't have a menu and said we could just order whatever we want. Kenneth told them I don't want anything spicy and they told me they would make me spaghetti. Perfect. Do I want white sauce or red sauce? I looked at Kenneth not know what to say because I knew it didn't mean like tomato or alfredo. Then she asked, "How about bolognese?" "Yes," I squealed with delight!
When the food came up to the room I was so tired I just wanted to sleep. But I was ready for the spaghetti. When I lifted the plastic wrap off the plate I thought I was going to die. I gagged. I don't know what they thought bolognese meant but it smelled and looked like raw meat mixed with red sauce on top of noodles. I couldn't even lift it to my mouth. Kenneth assured me it wasn't raw, but it sure looked like it. The smelled literally cured my hunger. I just put the top back on and crawled into bed. I felt terrible, but there was no way I could eat that. I wasn't hungry anymore.
A few hours later in the middle of the night I woke up and ate a handful of nuts which tided me over to the morning. We tried again downstairs. I ordered scrambled eggs and toast. Can't screw that up. I must haven't not been feeling well because I could barely eat the toast with peanut butter on it. The eggs had hot peppers in it, I ate a few but it just wasn't sitting well. I think a combination of jet lag and nervousness just made my stomach twisted. We headed to a grocery store to buy some fruit, cereal, milk, and ramen noodles that we could cook in the room with the kettle. I didn't eat much for the first two days. Just a few handfuls of nuts or an apple. Finally on the third day I was able to eat a meal. I thought I was going to lose so much weight! Haha!
Finally on the third day I was able to eat a meal. I stuck to fried rice, fried plantains, and basic salads. I really didn't want to get sick there. And guess what? I didn't!
Actually that's a lie. On Christmas night a few friends came to the hotel and we sat out by the pool drinking and talking. We ordered two pizzas. I managed to eat a slice of the vegetarian which for some reason I ordered with pepperoni on top. It wasn't real pepperoni, so I picked most of it off. Either way it didn't taste great. It was not a real pizza. I went up to the room a while later to brush my teeth and ended up throwing it up into the sink. I didn't feel sick at all, but I think it just wasn't sitting with me. I guess the Italian in me refused to accept it as pizza and ejected it from my body! Other than that, I didn't get sick.
While at his parents house we picked some oranges which were delicious but not orange! Still green even though they were ripe! His mom was eating these little fruits that looked like tiny watermelons. She asked if I wanted to try one, warning they were bitter. But she was eating them just popping them back so I thought how bad cold it be. She left the room to get something and Kenneth had me try one. I cried and spit it into his hand gagging. I literally through tears asked, "Why would you do that to me?" We laughed so hard. His mom has diabetes and those are good to eat for diabetes. Yes, they are THE OPPOSITE OF SWEET.
One of my favorite things we did a few times was pull over on the side of the road to buy bananas and roasted peanuts from kids or ladies carrying them on their heads. Those peanuts were so damn good. Warmed by the sun and lightly salted. The bananas were freshly picked and also slightly warm from the sun. It was heavenly. The first time we stopped to buy them, Kenneth ate 7 bananas. I finally told him he better stop or he'll get sick. It was so much fiber. The next morning he came out of the bathroom and just looked at me and said: "You were right." a) he should already know that I'm always right. b) who eats 7 bananas?
Why am I talking about food so much? Okay fine, I'll move on to guns.
Guys. There are just guns everywhere. I don't know how to explain it. Basically from the time I stepped off the plane until I got back on, there were just men with guns everywhere. Police, military, security, just everywhere. I never saw a gun actually pointed at someone but just seeing that many guns really does something to a person. And I'm not talking like a little pistol gun that police in North America carry. (I'm about to describe a gun without knowing any terms or types of guns.) I'm talking a long black gun the size of their whole leg.
At a restaurant eating lunch.
Driving along the road at random points you'll see some military/police with a gun just doing a checkpoint. He wants bribes. It's illegal but it's all over. Sometimes he'll wave you by, sometimes he'll stop to talk to you. He might ask for a bribe or just say hi. Often they wold ask for a bribe when they saw me but Kenneth would lie and say that I'm in the service in my own country and it would be an embarrassment to the Nigerian military if I saw him pay a bribe to the military, knowing it's illegal. Like this is what blows my mind. Both parties know it's illegal. But it's a power thing. They have a gun so they can do it. I was fine with that until I asked what if he asks me to prove it. Kenneth said there is no way they will ask me to prove it because if I out-rank him that would be so much worse. I could go to his superior and have him removed. No one ever asked me and we used that explanation like 10 times a day. We only had to pay once. The officer just said I don't are who she is, give me some money.
Every time we met a family member or friend and we talked about it they would laugh at me about the guns. But I am telling you, seeing hundreds of guns a day just does something to a person. I was uneasy the whole time. And again, I never saw someone even pick up the gun, just holding it at their side. But still. The government is corrupt and it just bleeds down through the whole country. At the airport counter on the way out the lady asked me what I thought of Nigeria. I said it's beautiful, I love the people. She said yes, it's great except for the government. It's just that the government touches everything.
Everything is money. I didn't see the subtleties until Kenneth would mention it to me or make a comment. I had just landed in Lagos and we hopped over to the neighboring airport. As we were handing our boarding passes to the flight attendant she said something to Kenneth in pidgin English and I didn't pick it up. She looked at me and said, "I asked for a little Christmas jingle. Don't you think he could give a little Christmas jingle?" I was almost made a joke saying, "Oh he's saving his Christmas jingle for me later in the room." but I didn't because I am trying to be a lady. I should have and maybe it would have defused the situation. Either way we walked down the ramp to the plane. She had a security guard follow us until Kenneth gave him some money. So get this straight: The flight attendant who is a professional asked us for a tip and all she did was rip part of our ticket off to get on the plane. That's just how it is. Everyone asks for a tip. I went to the bathroom where there was no toilet paper. I asked a worker in there for some and she huffed and pulled some out. After washing my hands she asked for a tip. You want me to tip you when I have to ask for toilet paper? Do your job at least! It's just rampant and everywhere. From the military down to a cleaning lady, everyone wants you to give them a little something. They would say, "give me a little Christmas."
But you know what made it all worth it? Meeting Kenneth's people. The people he surrounds himself with: family, friends, and colleagues really makes him who he is. I just loved them all so much. It's a side of Kenneth I haven't been able to see yet and I'm excited to show him my side too. He has the best people. His friends were so nice, I actually miss them already.
Let me start with his mother who danced to the car door, opened it and grabbed me while we danced around their compound. She welcomed me so many times, hugged me, blessed me. She is so beautiful and radiating. His father was also so welcoming. He's more stoic and still, but just as nice.
One of his older brothers is the next family member I met. He drove from another part of the country just to meet me. He and his family were supposed to fly in on Christmas but the plane was delayed and they just ended up cancelling. He just drove in himself for the day. It was so nice to meet more of his family and hear stories as well as their take on the state of the country.
I can't make a peace sign without lifting my leg in pictures.
His brother is building a large house on the family compound. We took a tour of it so far. I would have thought it dangerous to walk through this half built house, but his mom did it so I did it.
Here are some more pics of the family compound. I loved being there!
Did you know Kenneth is an artist? This is his first sculpture. But he normally does oil paintings.
House from the back
Pineapple!
ginger
It is common to set of firecrackers at Christmas. My first time doing it! I took a video which is mostly of Kenneth trying to get it lit and the me screaming when he does. So here's a pic instead.
Looking out from the front of the house
His sister was also supposed to come in on Christmas but she ended up getting there late, so a few days later we drove out to see her. She and her husband have a 10 month old baby, Olive, and are expecting again. They were so nice and welcoming.
She made chicken and swallow for everyone else and a fruit salad for me, knowing I probably wouldn't eat it due to spice. Chicken and swallow is a staple dish that they eat with their hands. Swallow is just a big pile of cooked oats that usually is formed into a ball. They just rip some off, dip it in the sauce and chicken and eat. I was happy with my fruit salad.
Our trip was supposed to be 2 days in Owerri, 2 in Calabar, and 3 in Lagos but we spend the whole time in Owerri just with different family travel plans getting mixed up and delayed. And really, for my first trip there, I think that was best. Calabar was going to be a huge festival and I think the crowd might have made me nervous. I was very cautious there, holding my purse wrapped around my arm and close to my body, never leaving his side. So, it might have been too much. In that way, it was a bit of a low key trip, spending lots of time with family and friends instead of seeing a bunch of sights. There's only been a few times in my life where I've really felt like the minority in a country. I know I'm the minority here in South Korea, but it's just not as noticeable and it's more acceptable to see me here. The eyes on me in Nigeria were just everywhere, especially in the smaller city of Owerri. When people would see Kenneth driving with me they would stop us more, or just stare.
What made it great was his friends. We spent a lot of time with his friend, Prince, who lives near the hotel we stayed at. He invited us to his home and we spent a lot of time out doing different things with him. He is a great friend to Kenneth and such a positive light. He is always smiling and was so welcoming to me.
We also spent a lot of time with his friend, Ifany. I didn't get a pic with him, but he helped us a lot with driving around and picking things up for us. Oh I forgot to tell you about money. He helped us with that. So, there's banks here and ATMs but also people buy money on the black market. I don't know even how to explain this. There's just a certain street you drive down in Owerri and all these men have giant wads of bills wrapped in plastic and they wave in front of your car. You pull over and give them American money and barter on how much Naira you will get in return. Often he would jump out of the car to negotiate that for us or run into the bank for us to deposit money. I asked Kenneth how the men selling the money benefit from it. Like how do they make money? Because you'd think it would be cheaper to go to the bank to get money. Those guys are making themselves the middle man and are obviously taking some for themselves. I don't know. I just don't know . . .
Nigeria is a mix of so many tribes and religious which is why there is so much tension in the country. One thing that caught me off guard and would make everyone laugh when I talked about it was the masquerades. So, if you drive outside of the city to go anywhere, eventually on the road a group of people wearing some sort of tribal costume will jump in front of your car. It's a fun thing for them to celebrate their culture and to get some money. They might not let you pass without handing them a bill. Especially if there's a white lady in the front seat. It's not meant to be scary, but they carry a machete as part of the costume. So just imagine me sitting in the front seat and this guy wearing a giant costume made of hay (I guess?) with a machete jumps in front of the car. I said to Kenneth and his friends, can they not just use a plastic sword? Wood? I'll make them one! They died laughing. I'm just saying, if you do a school play or something like that, you don't use a real gun or sword. They use the machete and do the demonstration to celebrate the fighting they did to get to where they are. It is completely harmless. I'm just saying after being stopped 10 times by military with guns and then have a giant hairy man with a machete jump in front of you on the road may make you throw up your pizza on Christmas day.
This video is from the day we drove to a beach. I'm thinking great . . . I sit in the sand, relax a bit. Just enjoy the scenery. Kenneth hadn't been to the beach in many years so he didn't know what it looked like. Let's just say it has morphed into a very small bit of sand and a bunch of tiny boats with garbage everywhere. That is one thing I was surprised about. The amount of garbage all over the ground. They just burn the garbage in a field - I saw little fires everywhere.
Goats at the beach
We drove to another side of the beach which had no one there and just one boat that you could rent to take you out. We almost did, but decided against it. This time of year is called Harmattan (in Kenneth's accent it sounded like he was saying hammer time.) which means it is dry and hazy. The winds blow fine sand in the air making it quite hazy. It's why I didn't tan at all - I didn't even wear sun screen. It is sunny but it doesn't come through really. So I didn't find the weather that unbearable, it was just nice. Korean summer is a lot hotter!
Here are some pics from the beach day.
I really love this one.
He thought it was so cool to wear the hat backwards with strings in his face.
After the beach we met up with a few friends there to drink by the pool. This is a thing there. You go to a hotel pool and drink. We did it multiple times. I kept asking if I could dip my feet in the pool, so this time I did. While we were there a guy was having a birthday so they hired a DJ (ti was like 3pm) and he hosted a show. He played music and at times would invite the birthday boy on stage and ask him to bring up friends to have a dance competition. One girl killed it - she was so good. At another pool they brought all the kids up for a dance competition depending on age and gave out prizes. Here are two videos from that!
This is a video of a song that when it's played everyone gets up and just humps anything in sight. I don't know how to describe it - just grab anything and hump it. Apparently it's what happens in the music video. It was nuts
The second boy in from the left won. At one point people came up and threw money at his feet.
He was so good!
Altogether it was a great trip. I learned so much! I am so glad I got to meet Kenneth's people and see that part of his life. Now to get him to Canada so he can see mine . . .
Kenneth dancing on the beach
Picking oranges
Christmas Day cheers!
Wow! What an experience! And you even got to meet the famous Nigerian "Prince."
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