I Miss Nigeria!

I Miss Nigeria!

The last time I was in Nigeria was 20th September 2016. It has been almost 2 years away from my motherland and I miss her.

In a previous post, Dr CeeKay requested I write of things I miss about Nigeria, so here we go:

I miss my family even though while I was in Lagos, apart from my sister who lives in Lagos, I probably saw the rest once or twice in a year. I miss Solu and our shared laughter. I miss Chuzzy, Lota, Chiebo, daddy and mummy.

I miss having friends. With frequent relocations - Nottingham, London, Manchester, Norfolk, I have to get to know and make new friends all the time which takes time. 

As summer is beginning to drift away, I'll miss the weather and being able to wear light clothes, expose my arms, legs and toes. I don't miss the flies, mosquitoes and cockroaches that come with the heat in Nigeria though. 

I miss the people; having people of like culture to share jokes with, to dance Shoki with or what's the latest now - Shaku Shaku. But I don't miss the road chykers, the grabbers in the marketplace, the pickpockets, rickety Lagos taxis and rough bus conductors. 

I miss my church Covenant Christian Centre; the vigorous dancing during praise and worship. I miss deep teachings. Though I stream the services sometimes, it's not the same as being in the atmosphere.

I miss the C4 choir. I miss learning new songs every week, gaining new clothes by our funky choir uniforms, getting on stage to sing, the social community of fellow choristers, the after service pictures, cakes and Zobo drinks. I actually don't miss the cakes 'cause I have too much of them here. I also don't miss getting up at 4:30 am to prepare for 6:30 service and having to do my Sunday makeup with torchlight because there is never power on Sunday mornings.

I miss Fedacad Alumni meetings. Federal Government Academy (Fedacad) is my secondary school. Our Lagos chapter had quarterly meetings which I never missed on purpose. I miss the camaraderie we shared, the strong bond even with seniors we never met while in school, the slangs, the jokes, the reminiscing of school days. 

I miss the food. I miss Afang, Oha, Okpa. I don't miss Okra and Banga soup 'cause I make them here.

No matter how far we go, we always long for home for indeed there is no place like home. 


Radiant ~ July 2018