NIGERIA: Lagos: Banana Island Cultural Festival

There was the Small World earlier this year...then there's the Indonesia Bazaar in May just before summer holiday and finally (if I could say that) the Banana Island Cultural Festival to top it off for 2015.

Indonesia Bazaar ticket

Small World 2015

Small World entrance deco

NIGERIA: Lagos: Eid al-Kabir (Part 2)

In the earlier post, I mentioned the Eid gathering of Malaysians in Lagos. Just a small get together, pot luck style. Most of us here in Lagos are just a few kilometres apart but to  meet up regularly is another matter. All caught up with work, children's activities, other function and in the case of Mogan and Karthig....either they were assigned outside Lagos for a period of time or just a simple case of being too busy to meet up. I suspect Mogan bar hopping all over Lagos...Island and Mainland included (yes, there's two parts of Lagos...another post..maybe)

Btw, when Madam expressed her intention to have a makan-makan (eating) session during Eid....I was unsure it would happen at all. I just love to tease her. I excel in doing just that. Without our helper at home (we gave her off day for Eid), she would struggle. But she can cook pretty well since we moved to Lagos. I love her Nasi Minyak or butter rice with some spice added to it. Maybe this time, this time it will be a breeze for her.

Well done, Madam!

Ladies in the kitchen.. Ida, Norhuda
and Dayang

Malaysians in Nigeria

Masuk kandang kambing mengembek,

Masuk kandang kerbau menguak 

-Malay proverb

From Google Translate (which I have to alter to give more sense)

You bleat when in the goat pen,

Moo when in the cowshed...

But the best to explain the above Malay proverb before Google translate comes up with things like "GST is good for you" or  "I'm not 3.85 CGPA" (hahahah, kidding) is,

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do"

How clever our forefathers, yup, the English ones too..for coming up such proverb. We are here as guest, and we do our best to follow the customs here... 

But despite the above reminder, after a while the sense of belonging and wanting to be among your contrymen was overbearing. We need to mingle among Malaysian, (the food was the strongest factor..) to be among our people and to  ..ahem... gossip too (that was Madam's motivation). 

The chance came when Madam went for a trip all over Nigeria, to meet up with the team. It was while in Abuja (the capital  of Nigeria since 1991, before this it was Lagos) she visited the High Commission (Nigeria is also a Commonwealth Nation) of Malaysia. She met both staff Mrs. Sarmiah (Third Secretary, Admin/Consular) and Mr Gadafi (Head of Chancery), also Datuk Lim Juay Jin, the High Commissioner himself. They chatted like long lost friends, I was told. They exchanged stories and phone numbers of other Malaysians in Nigeria. Most of them are in the Oil and Gas industry. 

Tip: to anyone who is on a long term overseas assignment, please get yourself registered at your embassies. They need to know your whereabouts (just in case).

pic. above left: Mrs. Sarmiah, Madam and Mr. Gadafi
pic. below left: Madam and Datuk Lim (High Commissioner) source: madam's fb