Out of Africa...

April 18, 2010

Sunday morning, I made sure that everything was packed and ready to go. I carefully wrapped and folded all my souvenirs the night before and had just enough room to take all my treasures home. I showered, dressed, and cleaned my room before walking out to breakfast. I took a few final pictures with The Supremes. The airport and the church were both located in Ikeja, but we took separate cars. Renny and the girls were taken to church in one car, while the other driver took Onome and I to the airport. Onome would meet with them after making sure I was settled at the airport. I took my final pictures of Lagos as we zoomed along the highway with relatively little traffic. I thought I might be able to buy a couple of CDs from hawkers along the way, but there was not enough traffic for them to safely sell on the road - meaning the traffic was not stopped where they could dash in between cars without being struck.

crossing the bay in Lagos

We arrived at the airport and went to the EgyptAir counter to check in. There was a table where the Nigerian guards opened my bags to check for weapons I guess. They spoke in Yoruba to Onome. Apparently, this table wasn't setup for safety. They wanted a "settlement". I gave them 1000naira and gave them a dirty look. I was pissed that this was my last impression of Nigeria. I do not reward bad behavior, whether it is from a child, a store clerk, a waiter, whatever. The whole time I was in Nigeria I hated when we were stopped at checkpoints and artificial barriers erected by police or "area boys" to collect settlements or "shake body". Now, I was an unwilling participant in the corruption, and it went against my principles. The EgyptAir worker who checked my passport before ticketing asked if I was okay and Onome said that I was just tired. I suppose I need to hide my facial expressions better. Or, maybe the culture of corruption should be ended. Just a thought.

Anyway, after my bags were checked and I had my ticket in hand, I hugged Onome goodbye and he was off to the church. I went to the giftshop and bought a CD (Asa - see below) that would have cost 150 naira on the street, but was 600 in the store. I proceeded to the gate after being stopped 5 more times to check my passport between the initial screening and the gate. I boarded the plane and sat in the aisle seat. I prefer to sit by the window, but I was unable to select my seat for the EgyptAir flights. I watched over my neighbors' shoulders as the last glimpse of Lagos faded away into lush green vegetation and the blue/gray Atlantic coast of Africa.

Lagos Airport

Before the plane landed in Cairo, I decided I would stay in a hotel for the night. I would not be sleeping in the airport anymore if I could help it. My flight landed around 8pm and my flight to JFK would depart at 9:15 the next morning. I bought another entrance visa and went through customs. I didn't have to claim my baggage because it had been checked through to New York. My carry-on bag held toiletries and a change of clothes, so I was set. Since I had not made a hotel reservation prior to landing, I knew my best bet was to find a Marriott hotel. I am a Rewards member and I also knew that I could expect a clean comfortable bed for the night. (This is why branding is important.) A travel agent tried to sell me on a reservation for another property, but I didn't want to take a chance. I went to another travel desk and asked for a taxi to the Marriott. It was located downtown approximately 30 miles away, but it could take up to an hour to get there in Cairo traffic. I didn't mind though. We crossed the bridge over the Nile and the driver slowed down.

I did not expect the hotel to be on the banks of the river, but it was. It was beautiful to behold the architecture of this old building in the golden glow of the light at night. I walked into the ornately decorated lobby with tiled floors and gold trim and told the clerk I wanted a room for the night. He told me the room rate for the night was around $200, which seemed a little low to me considering the location and amenities, as well as it doubling as a casino. I told him I wanted to use my Marriott Rewards, and he told me that they usually required a reservation be made at least 48 hours prior to redemption, but I could go to the business center to try to book it online. I made the reservation online, walked back to the desk with my confirmation number, and the clerk told me I would receive a room upgrade due to my status. I walked into the room, and finally, I exhaled. (That line came straight from a movie.) The hotel tried to cater to every palate with restaurants ranging from Italian, sushi, coffee/bakery, steak, etc., but I settled on "Eyptian Palace", the only restaurant that seemed to serve actual Egyptian fare. It was a huge open air restaurant located in the courtyard. The host asked if I wanted smoking or non-smoking. It seemed as though the whole place was smoking, and one small corner of 10 tables was for non-smoking patrons. That small area was closest to the stage where a man, a woman, and a DJ sang Arabic love songs. I enjoyed my dinner of assorted breads, hummus, chicken tikka, and a traditional drink made of flowers (I dont remember the name) that tasted like cranberry juice but sweeter.

When I returned to the room, I called my mother to let her know I was in Cairo and that I was not impacted by the delays caused by the volcanic ash covering Europe. She started telling me about everything that was happening at home like it was a casual phone call. I politely interrupted and said the call was too expensive for all that and we would talk when I arrived in NY and could use my cell phone again. After the call, I bathed, took a few pictures from the balcony, and called it a night. I didn't sleep well that night though due to "Naija-rhea".

courtyard and restaurant at hotel



on the hotel balcony overlooking River Nile

I requested a wake-up call at 6am, but I was awakened by the sun almost an hour earlier than I planned, because I slept with the curtains open. I dressed, packed my things, and ate a quick breakfast in the Executive Lounge upstairs, before heading downstairs for my taxi to the airport. There was relatively little traffic that morning, and the sun bathed the city in thick, warm light. I could understand why the Greeks named the city Heliopolis - City of the Sun. I boarded the plane after going through a long check-in line and said goodbye to Africa. I started reading "Purple Hibiscus", a book I bought in Lagos by a Nigerian author, before the doors closed and continued reading until I finished a couple of hours later. It was a beautifully written story about a girl finding her voice. It reminded me of The Color Purple in many ways (not just the name). "This is It" played in the background as I listened on the headphones while reading. I only looked up at the screen when I heard my favorite MJ song. (Trivia: What is my favorite Michael Jackson song? Hint: It features a choir.) I slept some, ate a little of the imitation, overcooked food to stave my hunger, and slept some more.

I finally caught up on my writing from the previous days and wrote the words below during the actual moments they were happening.
The sun has shone since we left Egypt (we are flying backwards in time). I can see the light peaking under my neighbors' shades. We are 20 minutes away from landing at JFK. I have to take a taxi to LGA to finally go to Houston. Flying using airline points is not for the faint of heart. It has been extremely long and tiring, but I'm glad I had the opportunity to stop over in Cairo en route to and from Lagos. I'm also glad that my return trip did not take me through ash-covered Europe.

Now, I just want to sleep in my own bed for a few days, but I have to be at work on Wednesday. I'm going to force myself to stay awake until I arrive home at 9:30pm. God give me strength.






This video actually shows 2 songs by Asa (Ah-shah). Fire on the Mountain is my favorite song on the CD. Tell me what you think.

Monsoon Wedding

April 17, 2010

I woke up bright and early Saturday morning to accompany Auntie Bose to the market to purchase material and ready-made outfits to take home with me. She told me not to talk, just to point at what I wanted and she would negotiate the price. There were hawkers on the street selling foodstuff and toys while small shops held their doors open to display the goods inside. We did not stop at those shops because she said they were more expensive. Instead, we continued to walk until we came to a cramped alleyway barely large enough for 2 people to walk abreast comfortably. The small stalls only accommodated the seller and the patrons had to stand outside and point to what they wanted. The heat and stench were stifling even in the early morning hours. We stopped at a few stalls that sold beautifully dyed materials and clothing. She said that they still knew that I was a stranger and wouldn't go as low as she wanted. We didn't have time to keep trying to find lower prices, so we settled. We hurriedly bought what I wanted and started back to the house to get ready for the wedding.

The lady from the salon came to the house to tie the gele' this time. After dressing, the driver took Renny, the girls, and I to the church. Onome was already there because he was standing in the place of the father of the bride. There was another wedding also held at the church, and the attendants were just sitting down outside for the reception. When we walked to the entrance for our wedding, Mimi, Onome's oldest sister, was standing outside visibly upset. We learned that the heavy rain from the night before had pooled on the reception tent and caused it to collapse. They didn't know if it could be recovered before the reception.

After the Catholic mass, everyone walked to the front with an offering for the couple and was sprinkled with "holy water" before greeting the new bride and groom. Everyone was beautifully arrayed in their orange and brown geles and other regalia. We danced out of the church and stood on the church steps snapping pictures. We proceeded to the reception where everything with the tents had been rectified before the guests arrived. Upon arrival, two men in suits tried to prevent guests from entering even though there was no guest list for them to know who should be there. It was so chaotic. Renny pleaded that the grandchildren should be allowed inside and they reluctantly let us pass.

The tent was beautifully decorated with brown and orange draped across the posts and gold accents on the tables. There were subtle hints of the tent collapse, like grains of sand on the table cloth, but all else was just right. The wedding cake was a towering 4 layers of orange on a table up front. The friends of the parents danced in with them followed by the bride and groom escorted by their friends. They danced alone at the front and then the emcee told their friends to join them. After a song or two, he told the friends to sit down so the parents could dance. He said, "The friends will dance all night without spraying, but the parents and older people will spray the couple."

After the reception, we hung around while everyone else from the house went home. Someone finally told the bride and her mother what happened to the tent and showed them the video. Mrs. K. was speechless.

Traditionally, the bride goes back to her home for a final goodbye to her family before being welcomed to the groom's family. The reception was in Ikeja near the groom's (family) home, and it would take nearly an hour to go the bride's (family) home in Fair Stock. The MOB, aunts, sisters, and cousins gathered in a small circle under the tent and sang songs in Yoruba and English, then prayed for Anne in her new life. She had changed from her wedding dress to a pink gown and knelt before her elders as they prayed. Onome prayed as the male head of the family. Osaze's family sent a car to pick up Anne and we followed behind them to the house. Her mother did not follow and the father also would have gone home, but Onome chose to just be the big brother for this part of the ceremony. Her new family welcomed her to the family with songs. They offered drinks to the guests. We prayed and went on our way after about 30 minutes.

The day was full of joy and excitement, and I'm glad I was able to be part of it all. I started packing for my long journey home the following day. There was a prayer of thanksgiving to be held at the church on Sunday for the final act of the wedding, but I would not attend due to my flight.