I have come a long way. A long long way. When I look at pictures of my younger self, I think 'Thank fuck for puberty' because not that I was incredibly ugly or anything, but Im glad Iv grown. The braces, hair growth and filling out came in very very handy. What brought this on? Well I found a letter from myself to my mother. I wrote this 7 years ago (2002) so I was 12. Let me set the scene. I was a 'Lagos Girl' , first child of her parents, sent to boarding school in Ibadan of all places. This is actually just page 2, I cant find the rest.
'I want to see Grandpa. Are my cousins back yet? Please please please come and take me away. Do you know my house mistress would be shouting that 'Oh, we have our bath late' when she doesnt let us fetch water in the night. Aunty Funky, that one with her pangolo body will be trying to forge one stupid accent. 'Let the celebrant come to the centerrrrrr' And she is a bush woman oh! Look at me when I get home from midterm, Im allready getting crocro and what not from the disgusting dirty brown spirogira filled water that they give us to bath. And that Aunty Kemi...if I should slap her, her pimples would fall off. She is so mean, I dislike her immensely. One time this pimple party had the audacity to tell me that I, OluwaRose, was talking about boys! Me! And of all the useless things to talk about. Boys! when I have better things...'
And that is all I can find. I will look for the rest. But the point is....wow, I cant even imagine EVER using the word 'pangolo' but apparently I did. And I used to fetch water! It really pisses me off when people hear me talk and assume im an 'aje butter'. I have lived the rough road in in nigeria!! Well, not the roughest obviously but relatively rough! 6 years in England has done some much needed magic!
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Lol at pangolo.......mehn u rily sufferd back in boardin skul o nd i thot i had it bad.
ReplyDelete6 years in jand has done the magic now abi??? Good 4 u o....but u kno u can take the gal out of naija but u cnt take the naija out of the gal....lol
lol.....i agree with juiceegal, u can take the girl out of 9ja but u cant take the 9ja out of the girl
ReplyDeletei had none of the boarding house experience but i think its an asset, cus it toughens u up 4 the reality of life
Well, I say magic and all but Im glad I went through it. It was an experience and I made proper lifelong friends there so I would probably do it all again. I love the naija in me! I used to go back home every halfterm to 'ensure that I didnt get out of touch with my roots' (mothers idea) and I loved it...all my friends were jealous that I got to eat pounded yam on the regular. lol. So the naija in me can definately never leave!juceegal I want to say yes oh, I suffered but tbh, I think back then I was a master of exxageration...just so my parents would take me out of that school. Ironically when they did, I didnt want to leave! Well, now im glad im the way I am, cuz im adaptable and whatnot. I like to think I can survive anywhere! Like you said Devine, im toughened up for the realities of life.
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