It's Here. It's Finally Here!

Yup, spring break is FINALLY here. Good God, yes, it is!

Yesterday, after weeks and weeks of putting off cutting their hair, our two boys finally went for a hair cut. Right on time before we get on the plane today.

The hair salon was buzzing yesterday when we came in. As soon as we opened the door, we were engulfed by all those hair sprays, chemicals etc. Ironically, this was the SAME salon that damaged my hair. Oh yes! Our boys however LOVED their new hairdo. If only I felt the same way the last time!

Five months later, I think I finally got rid most of my damaged hair and I plan to grow it long again! I don't care about it right now. All I care about is clearing security at the airport and start to chill out! Pass me the cold wine please. Thank you!

Home Is Where The Heart Is

Living an expat life is not easy at times. Friends and families give you grief when you tell them that you are moving away on an expat assignment. "Lucky you!" they would say. Some would even talk behind your back secretly. I know who you are.

So the question is, where is HOME?

This was our house in Beaumont, Texas

This was our "house" in Singapore before we came to Lagos. LOVE the pool at the backyard. LOVE the green grass. Miss that!

Home will eventually be where we end up when we retire. Don't know when that will be. We have an idea as to where we are going to be calling home. As for now, we are in Africa. Hands down, Nigeria is quite a challenging place to live in. We are going to use this opportunity to explore it nevertheless. Nut case? Stupid? Out of our mind? Yes, yes, yes. Guilty as charged. That's us. After all, when will you get another chance to be here. To be in Africa and experiencing it! Gotta go. Safari is calling.

Quote of the week:
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony~Mahatma Gandhi

I See Kids Everywhere

I gave birth to another eight kids on Saturday in Lagos. In an instant.

Did I catch you off guard with that sentence?!?! Good. I did not. I did not gave birth to another eight more kids during the weekend. Come to think of it, that wouldn't be so bad after all. I can try to form a soccer team in that way since my family's so cuckooed with soccer. We fell in love with soccer even more eversince we moved to Singapore.

Our youngest son had a playdate with a few of his classmates. He felt left out because his brother ALWAYS have playdates and sleepovers. So a pizza playdate it had to be! Several of our neighbor's kids came to hang out with our oldest son. 

Most of the boys were running around

Girls doing what they do best :)

Thankfully, I did not give birth to 8 more kids. I love kids but two is definately plenty for me and my husband :)

Mean, Mean, Jelly Bean

SWEET AS CANDY?

Not exactly! I probably was one of the most hated person in the world yesterday. After I made our driver "surrender" his car keys towards the end of the day starting yup, yesterday. I finally did it after eight months. I am actually a very nice, sweet person (typing this with a SINISTER grin!) if you must say.

Around 1.55pm yesterday, the look and reaction on our driver's face was, well, "priceless"! Our driver didn't think I was nice and sweet at that moment. Biatch was more in his dictionary. I just had to do it. I probably wouldn't resort to this if I didn't caught him red-handed using the car one or two times for personal use. Even our nanny/stewardess rides in the car ALL the time just to get to the bus stop. Take leg, woman! I am trying to close my eyes on that one.

They didn't know that I've been monitoring them all these while. I could care less because the car really doesn't belong to me but that doesn't mean that they can do whatever they want.

Nevertheless, it's all good. Our driver doesn't bear a grudge though I know, downstairs, secret meetings have been going on. For now, I shall stay away from the lion's den.

Are You A Tai Tai?

MOMMY DUTY.

My husband admire hated my guts for being a full-time housewife and not having to work especially being here in Nigeria! Mind you, I haven't been in touch with the working world for almost 11 years now and hello, I am so loving it! How do I do it, you may ask? If one have the opportunity, why not?

"Oh boy…must be nice to be tai tai (tie tie) expat wife slurping coffee and piddling around…" This I quote from my husband's email to me this morning. Before you judge me, I will say this. We are not wealthy. We are not millionaires. Ha!

I like the fact that I don't have anybody telling me what to do. I have two boys to take care of full-time, well, three boys, if you include my husband. That's a full-time job already. I don't mind it. I love doing it. I am a mom. That's my duty. I also LOVE to cook! I find that eversince we came to Nigeria, I have been cooking even more. I learn how to cook some dishes from scratch here. I learn how to cook from BIG jars of food.



What am I going to do with this? It's been staring at me for months!

I learn how to make my own pesto sauce. I know. I know. You would be saying to me it's easy, how can I not know how to cook/do my own pesto sauce! I was "spoiled" before. I used to buy those pesto sauce in jars. Until I get to Nigeria! After I bought one jar from one store, I couldn't find them anymore. For months. So I gave up and made my own.



I love the green colour

So you see folks, becoming a tai tai is not all about shaking legs all day, eating bons bons, getting pampered in the spa all the time (gotta do this once in a while though!) and so on. My sister-in-law once said, "I don't see how my brother don't gain 200 pounds with you cooking all these great food?!?!". I'm taking it as a compliment. He did not gain 200 pounds. Our kids did not gain 200 pounds. I did not gain 200 pounds. Though I did gain a few. Don't ask me again how much. I am planning to lose it. The weight that is! Slowly.

Good Days And Bad Days

THANK YOU!

Two days ago was Monday. Was it going to be Monday Blues? Well, I hope I won't get it! I didn't get it. Yesterday was Tuesday. I wasn't sure what they would say about Tuesday but I did get the Tuesday blues if there's such a thing! I was not feeling good. Felt like a cold coming. I told my nanny not to come and I didn't do a shit except to go to Multiker to get a few groceries. Multiker is a small supermarket 5 mins away from where we live at.

Thank you to all my wonderful friends who have been cheering me up with your kind words. I didn't have a good weekend. Today will be a good day. The rest of the week will be a good week.

One or two things have been weighing down in my mind. I have been doing a lot of thinking. Been thinking if I should just be a "superwoman" and let go of my nanny/stewardess. Then, I think about all the household chores that I will have to do, dealing with the maintenance people etc. Yesterday, the maintenance people stopped by our apartment. This guy started jabbering but I couldn't really understand a word he said. All I can remember was they wanted to make a hole on the wall in the master bedroom. I was in no mood for them so I told them to come back. I'm going to let my nanny handle it. See, this is EXACTLY why I will need her to be around!

So, I stopped thinking. I stopped thinking about letting my nanny go. I froze. I don't really want to do ALL that! "You will have NO social life! YOU will have NO social life!", is all I hear screaming in my ears silently though deadly. Damn! I mean I don't mind doing those chores BUT I don't want to be spending ALL day ALL week doing them. So I have decided to keep my nanny. Reluctantly, very reluctantly. Until I find an excuse to let her go.

Lately, I have been quite happy with the power outages occurence in our apartment building. It has been ridiculous the last few months. Power would go off every now and then in one day. Thankfully, for our emergency lights that I had them installed in our apartment. We no longer live in the dark.

Now, it would go off only once or twice in a day and sometimes once every few days. I can handle that but it's not exciting anymore!! I can't play hide and seek with my husband no more. I won't be able to hear the screaming of our kids whenever they are upstairs alone everytime the power went off. The only thing that's exciting is not hearing the UPS (uninterrupted power supply) machine. That thing drives me bonkers!

Sunday Poetry

Stumbled across some great African poetry. Just want to share this with you on a gloomy-looking Sunday in Naija. Happy reading folks! 

I have a dream By Folarin Kolawole

I have a dream.
The trendiest hut of the village, I strive to acquire.
Although, the cowries to buy I have not.

I have a dream.
The Oòni’s daughter, a must to marry.
Although, the cowries for bride price I have not.

The company of the village aristocrats, I strive to belong.
Even if I have to borrow an agbádá to gain acceptance.

I have a dream…

It was a dream…a life it has become.

I have a dream…
I call it a dream, yet it takes away my daily earnings.

Another affluent man, to the villagers I seem.
Some envy me; some even wish they were me.

In the village square, the damsels admire me.
Yet, borrowed damask and Òfì fill my rickety closet.

My shame, with those I owe they pile.
Lies and tricks, my best friends become.

Although, sweet the waters of ostentation.
Yet, deep within, a fool’s dream it feels.
On this, my fears amass.

Uhmm…

My life… a life or a mirage?

This question my future asks me.

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In Isarun Land, So Far Away By Folarin Kolawole

In Isarun lands, so far
hid a timeless orifice
A hole so stygian, inside like the night
A tunnel, ensconced in granite
Air so light, its heart, without life
Temperatures at 40deg Fahrenheit
In past times, gave life, its shelter
11,200 B.C; a home for Yoruba man
So old, far older than Oduduwa
Alack!Liars told us…we’re from Arabia
Na wa!

This cave, so elusive like an abalone
Though narrow, but high its throws
Reposed in a cocoa grove
Alone, so bold, its pose
Our history, it holds, we probed, it told
In silt sands spread below
Lay its numerous gemstones
Chalcedony and flint, as big as the toe
edges as sharp as a hoe…
tools for people of old.

White on the rocks, ashes like snow
from fired pots…we were told
to this, the cave,its name owned:
”Iho Eleeru ni o!”