Let Me Tell You!

I have a couple of issues to address in this post. Please stay with me:

1.    I went home on spring break about two weeks ago. I couldn’t afford to fly because it was so expensive so I opted to drive with some friends of a friend. If you know anything about America, you will testify that indeed nothing is free. I was prepared for this. Also, prior to the trip, my friend “Lank” had told me that his friend,” Boon”, wanted $35 as “fee”. I agreed to pay it. Mind you, Lank and Boon are both Nigerians. When I wanted to pay, I didn’t have the exact amount on me so I gave Boon $40 and waited to see if he would give me my change.

About 30mins after I gave him the money, he gave me my $5 change without me prompting him. He had picked me up from my hall and dropped me off right in front of my house. I would have returned to school with him but he left NYC long before I was ready to leave. Lank then linked me up with another person who I could travel back with----an African American (I believe) who I shall refer to as Looney.

Lank had told me that Looney was requesting for $30 and that kind of made sense to me, considering that Looney expected me to join him in The Bronx (though I live in Brooklyn). I had to take a cab to Looney’s (Cos of my baggage). So tell me why as the journey progresses, I see us branching off into some town like that. I hadn’t been told/forewarned of anything and I sat there like a mumu, watching the proceedings. I later got to realize (on my own) that he had branched off to pick up his girlfriend (who seemed to live out of our way) and even spent like an hour after we got there.

Anyway, I found some conviction within myself that it was time to pay. I had not the exact change (again) so I gave him $40 and waited for my change. Five hours later, he made no mention of my change or proffered any explanation. Mind you, I was not the only person in the car who was paying him and from what I saw, the others paid him way less that the said $30.

I just smiled within my mind and said nothing of the money. Why you ask? It was not his fault that I hadn’t asked for change from the co-passengers before giving him the money. Also, I got some unexpected money that morning so if he would revert to duping me to take care of his needs, God had already blessed me in advance. Plus now, I have learnt my lessons.

So, moral is, if you think Nigerians are the only dubious ones, you are on a loooong thing.

1. I was sitting in one of my classes, stiff-bored (that is another post since I still don’t realize the essence of some of the classes I am being forced to take in my major), when an idea popped into my cute little (and yeah I said little) head. I had been remembering YY’s niece who I met on my trip. She was only 3 years old but could recite the states and capitals. To cure the boredom, the idea was to attempt writing the Nigerian States and Capitals. I use the word “attempt” because that was exactly what it was, an attempt:

a.    I came up with about 20 states after 3 hours.  *runsawaybeforeyoustartstoningme*

b.   The capital for my Adamawa was Umuahia.

c.   Jos was a state.

d.   The capital for Enugu was Aba.

e.   The capitals for Kastina, Maiduguiri, Anambra and a few others were missing.

f.   About 16 states and capitals were still missing in recital.

Needless to say I am shamed! I then tried remembering what I learnt in my geography classes in High school. I came up short. Believe it or not, until I came to the States, I had no idea there was any other Black continent except from Africa. I always though Brazil was in Europe. I thought Europe was to the West of Africa.

I need not disgrace myself further with my geographic ignorance. My concern however lies in the question of “what then are we being taught in school?” The average American Child has a rough idea of where other countries are located (at least they can tell you in which continent it is). Can the same be said of an average Nigerian Child?
Yet, we aim to compete on international levels though we have little or no idea of our neighbors, talk less of the rest of the world.

I am going back to my drawing book and relearning the states and capital. Try it and let me know what you discover.

The World in Our Hands

Abia- Umuahia

Adamawa-Yola

Akwa Ibom- Uyo

Anambra-

I’m out of here before you fully stone me…….:d