Places
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29. Of Language and Of Words.
Two conversations – one in person and one over on Bluesky (if that counts) – brought words and language to mind for me today. First off was a work conversation in which a Venezuelan expression, Donde ronca el tigre, no hay burro con reumatismo was used. The wider context was a work project which is… Continue reading
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21. D-Day
And so to the main day. First order of business: breakfast, for which there were at least forty people spread out all over the cafe at the hotel – cousins, nephews, nieces and a fair few friends of the family all making up the lot. Nigerian weddings are a village affair after all. I shudder… Continue reading
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20. Going Southern
Having spent the majority of the past few days waiting out the rain – often tropical out here – the chaps decided they wanted a meal one evening. After going back and forth on options, we settled on a steakhouse, allegedly one of the very best out here. Being the ultimate cynic that I am,… Continue reading
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17. Cheat Code
One small mercy it seems of travelling with little children, particularly a loquacious one, is that they are conversation starters which helps with glum, over worked border agents once in a while. My experiences of travelling to Trumpland before it became that are mixed, with more than one weird conversation around my reasons for coming… Continue reading
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16. Bedlam
Best descriptor of the day! Bags, trolleys, cabs, airport transfers, negotiations about what to watch and when, moaning about airport food. Take the chaos of two adults and two kids traveling, and add to that two teenagers, sprinkle on that inability of Nigerians to travel light, and bedlam underestimates the outcome. Overwhelmed. Continue reading
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15. Heatwave
Stepping out of the door just past noon to get my hair cut, it felt like a wall of heat hit me, in all its energy draining weight. The key driver for the long overdue haircut is the small matter of a family wedding in Trumplandia, for which a full assortment of family will be… Continue reading
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12. St Catherine’s…
Passing through Feltham again, I paused to take a picture of an interesting building: a church spire somehow attached to what looked like office buildings. With the benefit of time on the train, I got a-googling and discovered it’s what is left of St Catherine’s which was closed in 1974, converted into offices in 1981… Continue reading
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11. Re: Upon This Rock
This week Pádraig Ó Tuama poses the question: “What is a rock I’ve got a memory with?” in his newsletter. For whatever reason, the first place the question took me was Nigeria, specifically the northern bits of the small state I trace my origins to. Some of my earliest memories of growing up are of… Continue reading
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9. Out and about
After nearly three years of making notional plans to meet up as a group, it finally happened; my two and J’s two spending the whole day at the Legoland close by. Of course, there was tardiness involved, the five year old deciding at the last minute that her regular breakfast of cereal wasn’t going to… Continue reading
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8. Re: Running Behind
Photo by Andy Beales on Unsplash — In her Granta essay, Running Behind, author Stephanie Wambugu reflects on her relationship with (a lack of) punctuality. Weddings and church services are specifically noted in the piece – no surprise to anyone who grew up in an African context. As someone who is fiercely protective of their… Continue reading