Traffic Palaver!!!

I couldn't tush this piece by giving it some sleek title like 'traffic memoirs" I just called it exactly what I experienced "Palaver"... One song writer said " palaver you dey find, palaver you go get" well I wasn't looking for palaver but it sure found me.

It was rush hour in Lagos and I was stuck in traffic, OMG!! I mean snail pace movement... I didn't know I was cluster-phobic. A distance that should be covered in no more than 25 minutes was going to take an eternity...(Lagos na wah)  In a city as boisterous as Lagos your wits need to be as sharp as a razor blade to cut through the stress.

My journey began 20 minutes too late, ''if I had set out 20 minutes earlier I wouldn't be here''..
Half way through the trip I started to look around, the street was bustling not minding the heavy vehicular buildup..not a pretty sight...

Waste Bin..

The back seat of the cab---some shocking revelation. First I noticed the crunching beneath my feet, the last occupant had probably been to the beach, because the sand I was stepping on was damp; on the other side was a half empty bottle of water and half drunk sachet of yoghurt .

Yoruba tribal marks!!

Just then, the neatly carved tribal marks on the cab driver caught my attention.I continued to stare wide eyed as if admiring art when his heavy yoruba accent jolted me "anty, effritin is ok?" I just smiled knowing I had been caught staring....meantime, the down pour kept at it as my patience grew  thin...

Its funny thought how the streets of Lagos have a way of entertaining you..

Food is ready!!

Motorists and motorcyclists continued to manoeuvre the narrow streets and whatever space they saw...now I was sweating profusely my note pad became a fan, only to realise the heating system in the car was on...oh my!! "anty na becos of rain I on am" again I smiled hiding my frustration..
I looked outside as if to find solace, then I saw them, the hawkers in the rain, on the third mainland bridge. These guys weren't bothered by the down pour we all were taking shelter from.


As we descended the bridge knowing my ordeal was almost coming to an end, without any warning I felt the car stop right in the centre of the road....."oh my, we must have a flat" I thought...''anty, make I piss"........................................that's what you get entering an old man's cab.
He insisted on calling me anty, why?

"ah, thank you".....I think he saw my confusion and decided to engage me in random conversation but that wasn't working..I'd respond in brisk pidgin and scribble in my note pad. from the look on his face I could tell what he was thinking.

The downpour reduced to drizzles and the loud chattering from nearby cars became more annoying (so the rain had drowned out the noise...) The splattering sound of water, the glitter of rain drops the blaring horns and the fresh air all seemed so beautiful.

Anyway, a pee break and 3 hours later my sojourn was drawing to an end I was almost relieved, the fact that I was pressed became more unbearable..now I got to go, I really need to go...................................rbg

Plus Size...

I've thought about writing this for  while but declined the urge. Now I'm ready...
I recently read a piece of writing on this topic and it got me thinking, I face similar judgments, remarks and glances...
Apart from the obvious fact that we are created differently, our metabolism also work differently.

The Beautiful Monique!!

All my life I've had people, strangers even tell me I need to exercise a little more(without knowing my routine), eat less (not knowing my diet) and loose that weight....hmmmm. I thought the fact that all the while they knew me to be the same is supposed to be indication that I was created plus size...not that I haven't tried to loose it... While I work at staying healthy, I'm fabulously me!!
Many plus size people I know have had their share of such judgmental statements....My advise, if you don't have self confidence or the urge to feel good about yourself, even getting the body people think you must have won't give you that confidence or happiness..

And while most plus size people get it genetically (being prone to becoming over weight ) others indulge and gain it (even this group were at a time prone to weight gain)... The question I have is, what then is a proper size?? who set it? most people even get compared to magazine cover model (not fair I'd say, alot of them eat any and everything but remain small...its the metabolism)
I'd rather that the emphasis be on ones health and well being..

I know plus size people who are healthier than alot of the magazine cover looking people... it's true...God made us differently so when He looks down He sees variety..how boring the world would be if we were all plus size or thin even..

Even Doctors are guilty of discriminatory statements too...imagine visiting a dentists and throughout the session endure his talk on how you need to loose weight not remembering to ask about your routine or life style decisions..

Recently in the US, plus size yoga classes are springing up....members say, most regular yoga classes don't address the needs of plus size people.. others say, they can relate to each other with out feeling too embarrassed to participate.

Plus size yoga

Plus size people are discriminated against and faced with psychological issues daily most of whom develop eating disorders in a bid to please everyone else.

Recent research reveal that, plus size women are more discriminated against than plus size men...even family and friends are guilty of pushing people to extreme depression...while they permit the men to have bulging pot bellies, the woman should be as thin as air... most plus size people live their lives without approval or acceptance by family..


Don't get me wrong, I'm not indulging overweight people who just splurge on food and any craving as a sign of enjoyment..... but because some of us were create bigger than others doesn't make us all gluttons..
I exercise and try to eat right, portions isn't an issue cos those who know me are amazed at how I eat but remain plus size...

exercise session

Well, I said my bit, waiting the shouts of ''crucify her''. My point is, those sleazy remarks we make about peoples size do more harm than the intended good, if you have to make a comment think of how it affects the hearer and what help you can give...............

To all my fabulous people keep it real and stay healthy!!!!....................................rbg

First of Eight!!

Recently I made a discovery, it was that, writing a lost of 100 things to do before you die isn't that easy..
I didn't know what I was up against until I set out, I got to 13 and just gave up ...."this is hard o!"

Ok starting out seemed easy but when you write out the obvious and the not so obvious and by 13 your exhausted, phew...

Number 7, visit the eight wonders of the world...you might ask how that's going I'd say pretty well for one who intends to live to see 100 years....lol

The city was Agra, the place, the magnificent Taj Mahal..

The Taj Mahal...

The Taj Mahal is one of India's greatest monuments and Historic sights, built in 1641AD by the Mughal Emperor, shah Jahan to commemorate his favorite wife (third wife actually) Empress Mumtaz Mahal.....hmmm what some do for love!!

It still looks so magnificent after over 250 years...WOW!

It took 20,000 artisans from all over the islamic world to finish the structure in 22 years...


The Taj Mahal cost Four Crores rupees (that is 40 million) white marble made the outer parts while the interior is decorated with precious stones; sapphire,turquoise, jade, lapis lazuli, emerald and many more...

Precious stone finishing...

The Tomb..

The Tomb is the centre of the Taj Mahal surrounded by a mosque and Assembly hall. It's width and height are exactly the same 55mtrs....making the Taj look exactly the same from all four sides
the trick here is, where ever you look at the Taj from it looks the same, everyone sees the same view.

Electric car..

The Taj Mahal opens to the public from 8am and closes at dusk..it is not connected to any source of electricity.. As a way of preserving its beauty and natural state, electric cars are parked a meter away to convey visitors to the site...

Now I was wowed the instant I got to the first of three entrances, the view does something to you....not something I can explain you need experience it for yourself...
Like most of you might be wondering, I was more in awe because the Emperor built this monument in honor of a wife he loved...

The Taj mahal

The architectural prowess is not like any I have seen, its splendor truly captivating..

Some proof I was there...lol!!

leaving the Taj...

I left the Taj with the hope of returning again this time to get a night time view (i hear when sun set hits the marble it glows) but in the mean time, the task of seeing;

-the great pyramid of Giza, Egypt
-Statue of Christ the redemeer, Brazil
-Manchu Picchu, Peru
-Chichen itza. Mexico
-Great wall, China
-Petra city, Jordan
_Roman colosseum, Italy

when i'm done, be sure to here all about it..................................................rbg

KARA!!

Since my move here, it's been one adventure after another..
Kara!! I can still smell it..
stale blood, animal dung, hides and skin in boiling water, wet hay burning hoofs and horns and human sweat..oughf!!! what a stench it was.

Kara!! the gory sight hunted me for days, it still hunts me.

As we alighted the car I had no warning what to expect, my crisp white slippers hit the muddy floor and OMG!! what did I expect, sparkly white floors? after all this is an abattoir.
As we tip toed trying to make our way further in, all I kept thinking was how bad my slippers were (I mean what was I thinking?? white slippers to an abattoir?) As if to put me out of the misery of wondering, ''ago lo ano!! kuro lo ona!!'two men pulling a bull wearing rubber boots, the splash of muddy water on me got me angry ''ago lo ano!! kuro lo ona!!''  (out of the way) that's the apology I get?? arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggghhhh!! my slippers! I felt I heard jeering in their remarks,
''anty you sef why you wear am come here''

bull taken away to it's death...

looking around I felt stupid, everyone had rubber boots...hmm, my bad









At the slaughter floor it was a battle of wits, the poor animals how they struggled to live, but none was able to win...they were  defeated by the strength of five strong men and the ropes that help them down.....

In a few moments they became pieces of beef on the floor and on tables waiting to be sold...

the beef!!

We continued in search of our customer (when i say customer, in Nigeria once you continually buy things from the same person you become his customer and he your's) ignoring the beaconing from several butchers waving their bloody hands and knives in our direction---''madam, anty I go sell beta for you''


It was then that my aunty paused to give me my second lesson, don't buy the meat already dressed and displayed...why?? "they let it sit in water so it swells and looks healthy'' hmmm
lesson one was never wear white slippers to any Lagos market!!

slaughter floor! point of no return!!

Besides the seeming chaos I saw at first, the next few minutes showed just how organized they were...finally we located our customer with the help of another butcher (healthy competition i must say)



While we waited to be served, I couldn't help but notice and inwardly lament the poor sanitary condition there.. I could see probably a million maggots under the table and animals and humans passing their own waste in nearby waters...

Men at work..

We placed our order and in minutes they went to work... one group handled the offal, another the hoofs and hind, the last dealt with the beef.... the speed and dexterity with which they worked got me envious... not that i want to be a butcher but I wish we all displayed such expertise at work.

One thing I was grateful for were the meat vans at least the meat gets transported in style...I watched as meat was hauled into the back of one van..the thought of my next meal having beef in it scared me...

Eko meat van!

Like the community that Kara is, they have it all..from tailors to sew the polytene suits they wore to protect their clothes, to cobblers attending to rubber boots that needed mending--food vendors, medicine sellers (what I like to call mobile pharmacy)

hoofs and horns

Here, nothing ever went to waste, hoofs and horns were roasted into bone meals (for animal feeds), the blood was also gathered (whatever for......i'm thinking animal feed) the skin (komo) is mostly sold and eaten, shoe makers hardly ever get anything.

waiting for their turn..

As we made our way out, kill in hand, I look back remembering the stench that was to follow me home, the tight road and slippery floor...it all went well, i had survived my first abattoir visit................rbg