catchabiifyoucan

[catchabiifyoucan]

February 10, 2024

Today was my first full day since I arrived yesterday and half day. My sleep was alright. It was really hot even during nighttime. Air trapped in the bedroom with AC and fan blasting on. I slept in the same bedroom with my nieces. Two bunk beds. The room was pretty spacious for 4 kids. We slept under the mosquito net so we wouldn’t get bit by bugs. I have been taking malaria pills because I do not want to end up becoming sick. I have to take pils before and after the trip to ensure I am well protected. I was not sleeping all the way..

I woke up sometimes in the early morning and would either type up blogs or watching Netflix series. My body was confusing since it was six hours between here and there in America. Good thing I came here a little early before the big birthday party. My body needed some time to get used and be able to adapt and adjust to whatever may make an impact on my body or affect me. It is good to travel slowly and allow my body to adjust/adapt in nice paces so my body wouldn’t be overwhelmed or broken down.

Last night my sister B asked me if I could cook pancakes for tomorrow breakfast. I had done that before in past Fall. And my nieces liked my pancakes very much. I was going to make my signature silver dollar pancakes that I always made back home. For some reason, I couldn’t sleep and got up early in the morning around 6 AM. I was in mood and ready to cook pancakes but I realized that I didn’t know where all the ingredients I needed for pancakes were. Not everything was labeled. I didn’t want to make bad pancakes. So I waited until someone woke up so I could ask for help. My niece T1 woke up early in the morning just to read books and play pretend. I asked her if she knew where the ingredients were. She said no. The nanny/maid came and set up the common ingredients. I saw that I cannot make silver dollar pancakes because i didn’t have baking powder. It was one of the most important key beside butter. So, I decided to make banana pancakes instead. I later found baking powder.

Admittedly, I was way out of place because I used to have cow’s milk but here you use instant milk powder to make milk. Just one part of powder and three parts of water to make one cup of milk. That really threw off my game big time. But I managed to make it work somehow. I doubled the batch since I had four hungry nieces. And bananas were not that ripe so that changed the game too. The more ripe the best tasting. My niece T1 asked me if I also can add sprinkles to her pancakes too. I haven’t done that before. I think I earned A for efforts!

After the breakfast, I was finally able to sit down and rest myself. It was a lot of work to make and cook pancakes from scratch. I took a bite of pancake and it was not so bad. Not so salty or bland. It was pretty good. Sometimes, you have to work with what you have to make it work. And I did. A big pat on my back. Would I do that again? Nope. I realize that I am too Americanized where I am used to things that are pretty convenient. This experience definitely taught me how to appreciate small things and give what you can offer/do rather than taking things for granted.

My sister B and brother in law J had to get ready and hit the roads so they could pick up my brother, sister in law and two nieces who also traveled from America. My sister B told me that it took them forever to get on the main roads/highway because all streets were closed. It is impossible to calculate time on departure and arrival. Because it’s Africa standard time.

My sister I and I stayed home with my nieces. They were supposed to have music/piano lessons but their music teacher cannot make it due to closed streets. So instead, they practiced playing piano on their own.

My two nieces had gymnastics class scheduled at 1 PM. Their nanny and I took a walk to the school nearby where it offered gymnastics class after lunch.

The walk was not that far but the hot weather made it so forever. I was sweating a lot even though I rarely sweated. I was not used to that walk in the hot weather. Good thing I brought water with me to stay hydrated. There were no long streets, a lot of blocks/avenues to take rights, lefts, up and down while walking. And streets were not very well- paved. There were no sidewalks either.

We arrived there early. My nieces took an opportunity to do the warm ups and stretch. Finally more girls arrived for the class. The class started a bit after 1PM. In total of 10 girls with one manager and 3-4 coaches. I never saw this kind of class before. This gym didn’t have any fancy or expensive equipment but they had very basic equipments. What impressed me the most was the coaches teaching proper and safe techniques that helped girls being more flexible and able to do the tricks like bridge, cartwheel, back flip with help, etc.

This class was completely different from my kids’ gymnastics class back in America. I feel that my kids would be more advanced gymnasts if they took class here in Nigeria. Simple but efficient.

Walking to the school nearby for gymnastics class.

To be continued…

[catchabiifyoucan]

Hustling hard

[catchabiifyoucan]

February 9, 2024

After the long travel from DC to Nigeria and traveling by the plane to the car, I am finally home.

I was beyond exhausted from lacking sleep, taking public transportation, watching too much Netflix series and getting lost into time zone difference.

From one continent to another continent. From one country to another country. From one “world/culture” to another “world/culture”.

Arriving my siblings’ residence finally caught up into the reality that I am in Nigeria. No longer dreaming. I am actually here again after five years.

I went upstairs to the third floor- a unit of four bedrooms, three bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, living room where I will be staying with my siblings and nieces.

My other sister I just flew in Nigeria with her baby a few days ago from America and didn’t know I was coming. She had no clue at all. I sneaked in and surprised her. She was completely lost and in shock. She couldn’t believe that I came. She was like what? You have been lying to me. that was a really good surprise! My sister B did a good job keeping a secret even though she hates surprises. It was really hard for her to keep a secret because she didn’t want to be suspicious for acting funny or telling white lies.

And nope my mom has no idea that I am coming. She thought I was home with my family in DC. She would be on clouds 9 and very happy having all of her four children here celebrating her 70th birthday. Can’t want to surprise and see her in a few days.

Hugged my five nieces, sister I and brother in law. The first thing I wanted to do was taking a hot shower. I felt good and clean. And then I sat down for a nice meal. My first Nigerian meal in long time. It hits home. It’s like I was being electrocuted or awake after a good Nigeria fix!

After eating my meal, I went through my suitcases and too out gifts that I brought for my sister and nieces. Late Christmas, early/ late birthday gifts or whatever the reason is. I am usually a giving person. I just can’t came here with nothing. You know the saying, sharing is caring. Giving is caring too.

I was exhausted and missing my family. I struggled to stay up late because I was six hours ahead of my family. It was only 10 pm here but it was 4 pm there. That was when my girls got home from school but not my boys. I called and chatted with my girls and partner for a little but not my boys. I wanted to see my boys too, so I set an alarm to wake myself up at 1 am to see them. I didn’t wake up or see them because I was too tired. And I didn’t want them being more sad when they saw me.

Wow what an adventurous day!

Nighty night!

[catchabiifyoucan]

Overpopulated. Under development.

[catchabiifyoucan]

I don’t think you have seen something like this in America. There’s always I mean always heavy traffic in Africa. There’s no express lane where you can get out of the hectic/crazy traffic.

If you are hungry, thirsty, in mood to shop or need something for your home/car, this is the place to buy foods, drinks or goods.

I always am fascinated by how Nigerians sells on street/highway. Really, they are everywhere. I have seen young children selling stuff to support their family. That’s the only way and how they earn money to survive… by hustling hard… working hard. Not everyone can go to school to be highly educated. Schools are not free and there are not many free scholarships even though education probably is the only way to get out of poverty unless you have high skills in arts, cooking, clothing making, etc.

I swear these sellers would run harder to earn money. Whenever you are on a move and needs something, they will come to you and give you whatever you need to buy. They want to go home early or be able to survive for days rather than day by day. That’s the best definition what high hustle truly means. How hard they are willing to go far and how smart they are when it comes to selling stuff and earning money.

Whatever you need, you can find on the street easily. Sure, I am a hustler but they hustle better than me because they have no choice…. That’s the form of survival. High respect for them.

[catchabiifyoucan]

The more farther away from this town the more development and businesses the better. From low class to high class neighborhoods based on socioeconomic.

Driving through the Ikori-Lekki bridge

[catchabiifyoucan]

Traveling from the airport to Lagos Island, Dolphin Estate, Ikori (stopping by to see my cousin for body measurements) and then finally Lekki where I will be staying mostly at my siblings’ residence house.

[catchabiifyoucan]

Note:

Today is Saturday, February 10 at 6:52 AM (12:52 am in USA). Everyone sleeps while I am up typing here in the living room. If I was in the US, I would be still sleeping or staying up to 11 or 12 PM watching Netflix. My nose is stuffy because air is trapped in the bedroom with fan and AC blowing on. I personally hate sleeping with either fan or AC on.

February 9, 2024

The minute I landed on the land of Nigeria, I felt little anxious because I didn’t know what to expect. The feeling became surreal. I mean I haven’t visited here more than five years. So I don’t know how much has changed or remained the same. What I know for sure is that Nigerian vibe (don’t know it is a thing ha) and weather (heat/humidity) haven’t changed at all.

It took a while for me to get out of the plane. I couldn’t get out because I was sweating while waiting already. Wow it was really hot here. I wore ribbed jeans jogger pant with black light material long sleeve with sneakers. So I felt more hot that way.

I was the first of few passengers getting off the plane, walked down the stairs and then hopped on the shuttle bus. The trip from the plane to airport entrance was not any longer. Less than 5 minutes walk. I was hurried because I didn’t want to spend a lot of time waiting in the line for customs. When I got to the customs with my backpack. I was called immediately to the officer desk. I handed the customs officer my US passport with visa. I was asked for the address that I plan to stay. I gave out my sister/brother’s residence address and phone number. And then I was good to go. All done less than 5 minutes. No long line. No issue. No deny of entry. no interrogation.

I went to the baggage claim area and waited until suitcasws started to load on the conveyer belt. It took a while. I was so relieved when I was able to connect Wi-Fi so I could communicate with my sister who was waiting outside by the arrival entrance. She was not allowed to go inside and was concerned because of my deafness. Saw my first suitcase, and then second one came. After I claimed all of my belongings, I informed my sister that I was ready to come out. She explained where to meet her. I was so happy to receive her messages because once I stepped out of the airport, Wi-Fi disconnected immediately. I took a long walk… the longest ramp ever. I was sweating and out of breath badly. I had no trouble finding my sister. Hugged her and then got in the car.

The airport was not very busy at all and was happy that I was able to come early in the afternoon rather than evening. The plane was not leaving on time which caused some delay. But I was so happy that my flight was not cancelled or got delayed again! The worry was all over now. And now my journey begins.

To be continued….

[catchabiifyoucan]

My sister and I got in the car and there was a driver for hire in the drivers seat.

I couldn’t describe how I felt when my feet touched the land where I was born. Is it home? I don’t know because home is where the family is. My family is not here with me. Admittedly, I feel empty and funny without my family but they are here with me in spirit.

I was in awe I think. I completely forgot what Nigeria looks like. From first class world to this third world. What a complete opposite. I took pictures and videos as many as I could while on road. It was because you often don’t see this on social media or television.

We hit in a heavy traffic and didn’t get home like an hour later or so. We made a quick stop to see my cousin who’s also a fashion sewer. She needed my body measurement so she could make laces for my mom’s birthday party which is in a couple of days (Wednesday on Valentine’s Day).

Rather than me explain what Nigeria is all about or looks like, I do think pictures/video says a thousand words. Go see them for yourself. Enjoy.

[catchabiifyoucan]

February 9, 2024

About the boarding and delay, I was not sure if the plane was boarding late and/or being delayed because of time zone. The difference was one hour. But I know the waiting was taking forever. I was very inpatient because my layover was long. But I was happy to get on the plate and sat with no one.

This time, the leg room was more spacious however there was no screen in front of me. That means I would have to watch Netflix on my iPad. And the battery went down to like 30 percent. I lost track on how many episodes I had watched since I traveled to Africa.

I knew I needed a break from watching on screen, so I decided to read a book- a graphic novel about ADHD and other neurodivergent disorders. As much I tried to read, I lost motivation to keep reading because it’s manga- reading from right to left and it became confusing to read. My eyes were tired.

There were two seats on each side and four seats in the middle. Mine was two seats by the window. Even though I am a small person but still it was very difficult for me to lay down and sleep. How uncomfortable. I managed to sleep for an hour or so. I felt better afterward. I knew I needed some sleep because I would be seeing my two sisters, brother in law and five nieces. Hoping I will be able to have some decent sleeps during my stay in Nigeria. I often have hard time to sleep longer and end up being sleep deprived.

My lunch/dinner meal was all right. Just one main entree, side salad, small dessert and bread with spreads (butter or cheese). Earlier, I was very hungry, I was handed out a slice of bread and it was not any good. I threw it away and ate snacks (apple

Or is that a slice of pound cake? Have no absolutely idea what that is.

Cinnamon rice cakes and apple oatmeal crumble) that I brought with me. My stomach acted funny lately but I was able to drink a lot of water to give it a good cleansing and relief.

Let’s learn a bit more about Nigeria before my arrival in Nigeria where I was born and raised until age 5.

Did you know…?

Source:

https://www.kids-world-travel-guide.com/nigeria-facts.html

As of 2023, there are over 220 million people living in Nigeria and 3.8 million people living in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria. Lagos was the original capital city of Nigeria.

Nigeria’s motto is unity and faith, peace and progress. 53 % Muslims and 44 % Christians

Nigerians are known for being the most happiest people in the world.

Official Language: English

About 65 percent Nigerians age 15 and over can read and write.

Nigeria is the largest country in the Western Africa, the most popular country in Africa and the seventh most populous country in the world. Go Eagle Go!

Flag colors: Green and White.

Nigeria is about twice the size of California or slightly bigger in size than Venezuela. You can’t miss Nigeria on map.

Nigeria is not only an oil-rich country, but also mainly exports petroleum, petroleum products, smaller amount of cacao, rubber products, cotton and palm oil.

Nigeria’s nuts may be the only one peanuts that I love eating and can’t stop eating them!

That’s all for fun and interesting facts about Nigeria.

What I have to prepare myself before landing in Lagos is that the weather will be very unbearable. Very hot in high 90-100 degrees with humidity. Hoping that will help me lose some weights ha!

Good thing I bring my sun hat and deodorant to maintain good hygiene. I definitely would have to drink a lot of water otherwise I would be fatigue. I also have to take malaria pills and sleep under the mosquito nets. I wouldn’t be surprised if I have a lot of bug bites due to my sweet blood.

Foods here are what I look forward to the most. I am a foodie and like to eat. I have to be careful with foods because I can end up become sick due to bacterial infection from raw/uncooked food. Foods are often made fresh, from scratch and are plant-based and/or naturally processed (no/less chemical additive or artificials).

About one hour left to land down… finally after nearly 24 hours of traveling from DC to Lagos. Hoping customs wouldn’t take a lot of my time to be allowed entering Nigeria. To enter Nigeria, you must have either visa or valid Nigeria passport.

I was not able to renew my Nigeria passport in time before my departure for Nigeria. So , I applied for a visa instead. The cost for visa and passport application and process is about the same. Visa is usually good for single or multiple visit up to 6 months. But I am granted for a five year visa because I was born in Nigeria. I hope I will take my family back to Nigeria again before my visa expires. My daughters and Harish had visited Nigeria before but not my sons. My daughters don’t remember their visit in Nigeria and would love to visit there again. Gotta save up $$$. Roughly, $8,000-$10,000 flight tickets for a family of six.

Wow I can’t believe I will be in Nigeria less than an hour. What a surreal feeling. I will be very overwhelmed and in awe for sure.

Just landed in Lagos!!!! Finally after 24 hours of waiting and traveling!

Talk later. Oxox

[catchabiifyoucan]

Now waiting for my last flight to Lagos.

Plane is not boarding yet even though it is supposed to be 30 minutes again. I pray for no delay flight.

My mom would usually tell me always take pictures of my belongings in case if they get lost or stolen.

Checked in two suitcases and carried one personal backpack with me

I remember reading an article about one Lego builder was paid to build Dulles airport. And here I see the building in person. This reminds me of my sons R and J who always build legos. Hopefully they will be a professional builder someday!

[catchabiifyoucan]

As a deaf/disabled person, I believe I have a right to ask for better accessibility and accommodation. I can’t stay silent and shrug it off like it is nothing.

I was glad that I took the time to type up the message telling a steward what the issue was and how they can make it right for me.

The foods were alright. I was asked which meat I wanted- chicken, beef or fish. I asked for both beef and fish. Not so delicious but satisfying.

This was my last meal before landing down in an hour. I didnt know if this was for my breakfast, lunch or dinner because I lost track of time and become confused with time zone/difference.

After I was moved to a different seat, finally I was able to move more and went to the bathroom anytime I wanted/needed.

Talks later

Oxox

[catchabiifyoucan]

Note: please pardon my grammatical errors in advance since English is my second language, will travel with limited time to write, proofread and edit my blogs and tiredness/sleep deprivation.

February 8-9, 2024

Here I am writing while being in the middle of nowhere in the air. 4 hours left and 6 more hours to go. 10 hours flight time in total to Cairo, Egypt from Dulles Airport in VA.

I didn’t have a good sleep last night because I was very overstimulated, overtired and anxious about my upcoming trip. As I mentioned before that I haven’t gone on the solo international trip since 2012. I went to Nigeria alone when I just graduated from college and went there to celebrate my mom’s late 50th birthday.

Fun fact about me

Personally, I am not a social butterfly but love to tell stories through social media (instagram) where I usually share pictures/videos and real life experiences. I often make stories about my cooking/baking as I enjoy trying different cuisines/pastries. My kids love to try mine and give ratings.

I used to be a high school teacher for the deaf and left my career to become a full time stay at home mom. No regrets. I am very fortunate to be able to have good relationships with my kids. My kids are my everything.

I have a longtime dream which is to travel around the world with my family for a year. Before my boy(s) was/were born, we were a family of 4 and usually traveled a lot visiting different countries. But then having one/two more kids and COVID happened had pausing our travels. And it’s getting really expensive to travel with 4 kids now. I hope we will be able to travel and visit at least 2 countries within two years. Life happens, you know? I have passion for traveling because I find it very fun to discover the unknown and exciting.

N and S are my inspiration and my number one followers. They are mainly why I am so eager to write blogs again because I want them to jump into my world while I explore and learn more about my Nigerian culture. I simply love to tell stories and educate my kids about life in general. I am a teacher and storyteller at heart.

Anyway, let’s go back to the story about my first day of travel today. Day #1

I couldn’t sleep in the early morning, so I decided to bake banana breads for my kids (their other favorite pastry) and my sister and her family in Nigeria who I plan to stay with for a few days.

The bananas were not very ripe but will be in a few days so why not using them up before they turn spoiled.

Yes, I baked banana breads in 2-3 am in the morning because I couldn’t sleep due to being overstimulated. And I was thinking too much and very anxious about my upcoming trip to Nigeria. Like I said before, I had not gone on solo trip in a very long time.

After baking banana breads, I was watching a Netflix series for a little. I told myself I had to go back to sleep for 1-2 hours and I did. So yea, my sleeping schedule has messed up big time. And I know I will not be able to sleep well in Nigeria when I arrive there because it’s six hours difference between Nigeria and USA. Let’s see how fresh the bread will be after 20+ hour. Would they stay moist? I packed the bread for my sister and her family. Hoping they will like the bread. I couldn’t wait to eat a slice of banana bread whenever I get hungry in the plane.

I had hugged my kids close to my heart because they grow up fast before my eyes even blinked. And they are my precious gems.

After my kids going to school this morning, my partner, Harish, dropped me off at the metro station nearby. He couldn’t drop me off at the airport because it would be an hour drive each way. I could take an Uber but the fare is insanely and ridiculously expensive. No thanks! I am frugal and a hardcore hustler/ baragin finder. Thanks to my N, I was able to ride the metro for free using her kids ride free smart trip card. She has saved me $4-6!

The con about using the metro is the long ride- 23 stops and an hour trip. Harish said the metro (train) cars would not be very busy or crowded and he was right. It was not like before (pre-COVID). The cars were less crowded and quiet. So, I was able to rest a little and little sleepy due to baking banana bread and insufficient sleep.

Leaving my family this morning was not easy. I was surprised that I was not very emotional like crying or something. I guess I was too tired to feel sad or cry.

Arriving at the airport exactly an hour later. The silver line to the airport was added a few years ago and is now effective/convenient for travelers/commuters.

Dulles Airport is very extremely big and it takes a lot of walking from the metro station to the ticketing office. Lot of escalators and steps to take but here I arrived there before 10 am. My flight would be boarding around 1050. So I had some time to rest and talk a little on the phone with my loved one.

Not lot of people here- no long line for security checkpoint or checkin for tickets. Easy and quick.

When it was time to get into the plane, I went inside and found my seat. I was immediately upset because the leg room was so small. I kid you not. I am only five feet and 4 inches tall considering myself a petite short person and there was not much room left for me to rest my legs. My phone fell down by the side of window, and I had hard time reaching down because I couldn’t move, wiggle or bend my legs. What I always look forward going on international plane is food and entertainment.

Unfortunately, EgyptAir airline is the worst flight ever even though the plane has not moved yet. Why? No one cared enough to make sure I am accommodated or having full accessibility due to my deafness. No warm welcome. I waited and waited for the stewards to come to me and explained to me about the safety. Don’t think they knew. But one knew I was deaf because I asked if there is any movie that has English subtitles since I am deaf. The steward helped me and then said sorry. Believe it or not, there is only one movie that has English subtitles while the rest of movies/shows have Arabic subtitles. Oh great. I was like wow what would I do for ten hours if I never brought my iPad. Thank god I downloaded offline Netflix shows/series.

I guess I must be very tired because when I woke up I was in the air already. I didn’t feel the take off or anything. How strange. I usually am a very light sleeper and can feel movement easily. But no, I missed the takeoff. Oh well. And, I was not very comfortable due to very small space here. I fed up and decided to write a message for the steward. I explained that I would like to know if there was any important announcement for my safety.

I also told him that I want to sit alone because I do not feel comfortable tapping someone’s shoulder for him to move so I can get out of seat and go to the bathroom. I do not have strong bladder, so I can imagine how frustrated he would be if I keep tapping his shoulder or interrupt his sleep every time I need to go to the bathroom. The steward found three empty seat row and asked me if it was ok for me to sit there. Of course!

I feel much better after moving to new seat assignment. Finally, I can breathe and be more comfortable here. I took a nap and it was not that great or comfortable but it was better than nothing. More leg room.

Foods are not that yummy. Just ok-ok. Subpar food and entertainment. That is what I get what I pay for.

No snacks. Just one meal platter and one small sandwich. Don’t think they will serve any more food or snacks. Good thing I brought my own snacks to feed my hunger if needed. Can’t wait to eat that slice of banana bread that I made a few hours ago.

I didn’t sleep well because I swear I felt like I was in the snow globe that was constantly shaken! The plane was tumbling too often and too much. That scared me a lot because I didnt know if it was normal or could led to dangerous condition. Was it because of the bad storm or what? What caused the bad turbulence? How annoying! I felt like you had seen enough snowfalls, why keep shaking me up? You know?

I couldn’t think of any good thing about this EgyptAir Airline- I guess it’s just this very affordable fare to book with good itinerary. The layer is not too long though.

Sigh. Only three hours left now. Then a three hours layover then catching another flight to Lagos for 6 hours.

I do not know what time now is. I get lost with time and everything. Good disconnection I guess.

See next story for more pictures.

[catchabiifyoucan]

At CVS taking my passport photo for my upcoming trip. I haven’t gone on a solo international trip since I was in my late 25s. I feel out of touch with travel and feel scared because I am a mom of 4 with a long time partner. Anything can happen, you know? But I have to be brave and seize the opportunity to learn more about who I am and my identity as a deaf Nigerian woman.