NIGERIA: Wedding and another wedding. Thank you! (part 1)

Thanks to Madam, I've attended a fair share of weddings here in Nigeria. Mostly in Lagos so far.

Once, we arrived early and managed to witness the traditional part of the ceremony. The elders of both families would meet and sat in front of each other, especially both bride's and groom's parents were present. During Fadamewa's and Richard's wedding, there were two ladies as the MCs (emcees or Master of ceremony) and every few minutes they will break into sing song about the ceremony.

Also with sing song and jest, they invited the groom to meet his future in-law. The groom and his entourage would enter the hall dancing...all happy and smiling before the MCs dropped the heavy end on them.... Ah! Some Naira (money) is needed to proceed... Both MCs would bully/pester him to deposit some money into the waiting container. Of course the groom and his entourage would comply... Eyes on the  asking for some money...of course he complied. Eyes on the prize broda (brother).

NIGERIA: Lagos : Batik print table cloth....

His visit would normally means that a travel back home to Malaysia is just around the corner. Enter...Johnson, our friendly batik table cloth artist.

Craftsman like him do make house call if there's demand for their crafts. Sometimes, the ladies within the compound organised visits by these sort of craftsmen. We've had some sculptors (metal, clay and from recycled items) last year and October 2018. The ones came are quite good and their products pricey but  of course you bargain before purchase.

Johnson normally designs  for 4 seater all the way to 8 seater table; suitable for round, square and rectangle shape. 

I do have a certain type of design in mind, but colour is also what I'm looking for. There are lots of it on sale at Lekki market, but they aren't lively enough. I try my best to avoid drawings of animals and human figure but instead opt for trees and flowers. We do purchase those design, a few for our friends..we know which one. 

NIGERIA: NIGERIAN 101 - Wash and Dash

These are the two words that most foreigner (oyinbo) would caught off guard when in Nigeria. 

The first one is wash, it does not reflect the actual act of cleaning for wanting a hygienic environment and the other one is dash, has anything to do with running or sprinkling small quantity  seasoning into cooking. 

Washing

Let us take a closer look at wash or washing. 

Scenario 1: Ademola just got his first wheel after saving enough money to buy one by saving his .... Later that day, he brought his mom and dad (btw he is still single) to an eatery where they ate and celebrate his success and pray for more success in the future.

Scenario 2: Madam just turned 40! A big milestone in her life and since she is 'Madam', powerful and influential in its own right; decided to pull the stops and celebrate with her colleagues at office. On her birthday, she bought packed foods, cakes and drink for everyone in the department and selected few outside the group. 

GHANA: Accra - Hot is an understatement...

Last week, Madam and I went to Accra, Ghana for a short business cum visit. Two weeks before depart, I managed to send an email and set contact with the Malaysian's in Accra. Khairy of Matrade office in Lagos (MATRADE - Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation) also provided me with a few numbers of Malaysian residing in Accra. Short trip, 3D/2N only.

Day 1

We departed from Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos (LOS) to Accra's (ACC) Kotoka International Airport (KIA). It was a 40minutes flight on an Embraer ERJ 145LR and may I add, it was a little bit claustrophobic for me.

Aircraft safety card

Landing time! (P.Ramlee fans will get this)

NIGERIA: Be safe

I am currently living in a country where there's only a handful of Malaysian here. There are 5 families in Lagos plus some blokes who are on various assignments with some of the multi-national companies based in Lagos. In the mix, we have Shiela Madu who married a local man many many years ago. 

In Abuja, there's about the same number of us, but from time to time; Khairy from Matrade office in Lagos would announce there are Malaysian currently in Nigeria on attachment as consultants to some other international or reputable local companies in other locale (e.g Port Harcourt, Calabar etc). 

Since there's only several of us here, we know each other quite well and always within contact; just to be on the safe side. 3 years in Nigeria had thought us a lot on being constant contact within the group. Like I mentioned to prospective business group back in Malaysia, it's generally safe but like everywhere else; things can go wrong. So, it's best in to be in contact with the rest of Malaysian here, staff of the High Comm included. 

NIGERIA: Depression...Househusband

Let me quote a paragraph from the last posting:-

Ahhh..the life of an expat's spouse. Hah! Nothing rosy about it. Basically an emigrant, for want a better word. The life of an expat also comes with depression, especially to the not-working-previously-working spouse, moi. Ohh....How I wrestle with my ego...put it under wraps. But once a while, it reared its ugly head out and well....there were exchange of words. OK....why not put a stop here and talk about it at length in another posting, yes? 

New place, new environment and adjusting expectation versus reality. I had to put a few notches down, hmmm maybe a few more. 

view of VI from Five Cowrie Creek

Prior to our arrival, the company sent in advance the 1) Invitation letter to the country for each of the family members and 2)  A brochure of the country including the Do's and Don't and first time arrival at the airport. The keyword was 'discreet'. Not to attract any attention. Oh my..

INDONESIA: Bandung - One last visit....

Some say the bond between human so strong that once the loved one left, the other tend to follow not long after that.

Mak Cik Su and Hazim (eid 2015)

My sister and I traveled to Bandung, Indonesia last April when we got news that our 'aunt Su' or Mak Cik Su, the one  who took care of Hazim and all of us for 27years became ill. I flew in all the way from Lagos, Nigeria and took a low cost carrier, Air Asia to Bandung. The closest city we could get to reach her. We hired a driver there and the journey from Bandung to Pamanukan took almost 4 hours by car. 

The journey through rain took us to a very hilly region till we arrived in Subang where the scenery changed from tea plantation to paddy fields. The harvesting season just came to an end and they lit up the fields to prepare for the next round of planting; the area was choked with smoke. 

Finally we arrived at our destination. Walked a few metres to a small green house which she called home. Her frail body was on the bed and a standing fan was blowing air slowly. The room was smoky from the open burning and no window shutter ... I wept bitterly. She was just skin and bones. 

NIGERIA: Me a Tai tai?

Tai-Tai

A wealthy married woman who does not work or a privileged lady with lots of time to spare and money to spend...

I am not sure if there's any antonym for it but certainly I have the time but need to work harder on the money department.

The first time I heard the term was on my way back to Malaysia during one of the flight on Business class deck on a 380 Airbus at the lounge. With children in tow, of course we were barraged with questions from everyone else. 

"You're travelling with children, from where" one asked

"Lagos, Nigeria" I said

"Wah lao (some sort of exclamation.. frequently heard in Malaysia and Singapore) ... that far eh?" another one adds, an engineer for the airline flying home for much needed break.

"yup, 20hours flight time... not many would do, especially if flying to Africa.. " TRUE.. I've flown multiple airlines that serves Africa continent and mostly are 20+ trip. 

The next question would usually be along the line of ... How did I ended up there? Wife, would be sufficient answer. Nigerian lady? Nope Malaysian... I don't mind another one, I laughed. Then, from the bench...the engineer again said something that would make me laugh.

"You must be "tai-tai"... lucky you!"he said

"hahahahahahah" we both laughed... I wish.

Pictures on other websites and online news site

I am happy to say that in Nigeria, finally I had arrived in the blog scene. Not that the blog has lots of readers, even at the moment no followers..ahahahah... still, it's quite an accomplishment when the pictures were featured in some of the online news in Nigeria.

Naturally our High Commissioner, Datuk Lim Juay Jin is usually the most sought after Malaysian in Nigeria. He represents Malaysia for the past few years, did countless interviews and talks and like the diplomats I've met (there's one in the family too, mom's side) he's very much liked too!

Anyway, back to subject... these two pictures above were the ones I managed to find from the search engine but from another site altogether. The pictures were doctored a bit (crop, magnified, change of saturation etc) but frankly, I am pretty much OK about it. 

Next time, just name give credit where its due (in my case). OK!

NIGERIA: Lagos: Lagos Lagoon

If you're in Lagos for the first time... you would notice a huge body of water while crossing from Lagos Mainland to Lagos Island, vice versa. It's so huge that it must be one of the largest lake in West Africa, right? Wrong...

That is, my friend the Lagos Lagoon. Yes, a lagoon. More specifically, an inland lagoon. It's very much inland that I thought it was a lake with murky water. Even the Portuguese who came ashore in the 1400s got it all wrong. They named the place Lagos, built some trading post along the shore of the "new" found place and the name stuck! The original name, Èkó still in use too, by the Yoruba. After all, we are in Yoruba land. 

 Map of Lagos state and the huge inland lagoon, Lagos Lagoon

Random Photos from NANTA (National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies) Annual General Meeting

Date: 21st March 2017
Location: Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja

Event: NANTA AGM

MARTADE (Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation), attended there event on behalf of the Malaysia High Comm in Abuja. 

NIGERIA: Oyo State: Trip to Ibadan

A phone call by a fellow Malaysian, Haji Wan Zamri inviting me to a short trip to Ibadan. The purpose of the trip was to visit a school, a few mosque/masjid and some water well which were donated by the people back in Malaysia. I said 'Yes' and in turn invited Amaludin and Huda to follow us too.

The usual route to take would be the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. It seemed that a few areas of the expressway had received a new fresh coat of road pavement. There's a lot going on at the moment on the expressway. Some areas the road are busy with lorries making interstate travel laden with goods, then you have the danfos (passenger van) and all manner of vehicles (US and Japanese made SUVs and sedans). 

Some parts of the expressway we managed to speed up, and some was just a slow paced due to vehicles that broke down in the middle of the road. Broken axle, overheat, puncture etc...take your pick. There were also settlements which would slow down the traffic due to people selling and buying by the roadside. 

The journey took about 3hr plus and behold, the town of Ibadan in Oyo state. Welcome!!! Geographically (size) it is the biggest town in Nigeria and at one time, in the 60's it was 2nd most populous town after Cairo. In terms of size for my readers in Malaysia, you can put 2 states of Malacca in Ibadan town. That is just the town, not Oyo state mind you.

Ibadan town

FC WAMCO Luncheon and Long Service Award Ceremony - DEC'16

It was time for the company luncheon event! (December 2016)


White was the theme colour for the event and a month before it, we bought ourselves some white fabric at a nearby mall. Madam called our favourite tailor to have us measured and design a set of outfit for the function. We got ours just a week later.


The luncheon was to recognise the long service employees and to bid farewell to Mr. Rahul Colaco, the MD who'll be serving the company elsewhere. We are happy for him, but also sad as we arrived on the same day to Lagos, Nigeria in 2015. My eldest and his are of the same age and went to the same school, same band and played the same sports game.


The luncheon went well. The emcee was quick on jokes and kept the guests entertained. Then the long service award ceremony for staffs that had served 10,15,20 and even 25 years with the company. Mrs. Ore Famurewa, Head of the Corporate Communication had served 20years with the company!


After each long service recognition, they would dance! Yes, dance to the local tune. Oh my...they really love to dance. Any single space available, they would just stand up and dance. One or two I saw "danced" while seated. The WAMCO band performance was admirable and music comes natural to them, I guess.


This was our last function for 2016 and may 2017 brings prosperity to the company and country.

SOUTH AFRICA: Cape Town Day 2 (Two Oceans Aquarium)

We alighted at the HOHO bus stop not far from the aquarium which is at V&A Waterfront. I was told by my friends who gave me specific list of places to visit with the children, this is a must visit attraction. voila! The Two Oceans Aquarium

We bought the ticket online as there's a 10% discount on each ticket. The ticket for adult is about RM41 or USD10 per person and children 4-13 ticket is 50% less than the adult. 

Two Oceans Aquarium, where two oceans meet, the Atlantic and Indian ocean. I recommend that you arrive either at around 11.30am or 2.30pm, during the feeding time. 

presentation by the centre's personnel

the I&J Ocean exhibit feeding

NIGERIA: Lagos: Banana Island Cultural Festival 2016

Counting how many times you've been to a certain festival is a sure way of knowing how long have you been around or in my case, in Nigeria. We didn't miss the Small World earlier this year and last year in October, there was the Banana Island Festival. This year too we celebrated our Eid al Kabir twice in a row (2015) & (2016).

We arrived very much later. We missed most of the performance, even the 'Poco-poco' dance by the Indonesian group. I think we were late for everything! Missed the nice food too! 

NIGERIA: Abuja: Malaysia Day (16 September 2016) - (PART 2)

IMHO, the personnel of the Malaysia High Comm had done their utmost for the Malaysia Day in Abuja last month. I think it was the biggest event so far. Thank you are also in order for the sponsors of the event, IRIS, Edmark and the rest for making it possible for the HC to organise the event.

NIGERIA: Abuja: Malaysia Day (16 September 2016) - (PART 1)

Late August, I received an email from the High Comm's office in Abuja inviting Malaysians in Nigeria to celebrate Hari Merdeka (Independence Day) with them. There will be the flag raising ceremony and singing of the national anthem, Negaraku. A short speech from the Prime Minister would be read out by the High Commissioner himself and like truly Malaysian we are, there's the makan-makan (eating, feast). 

It was the 59th Merdeka celebration and we in Lagos, 8++km away celebrated by organising a small makan-makan for Saifuddeen. He and his family left this shore a few days after Merdeka day.

NIGERIA: Lagos: Eid al-Kabir/Eid ul-Adha 2016 (Part2)

What a difference a year makes, we met Malaysian that had been here for the past 8years, Nigerian house wives (Malaysian ladies married to local men) and new families in Lagos. One family arrived less than a month ago!

As usual, pot luck style. On the list we have:

1. Nasi Beriani and acar timun by Madam
2. Ayam masak merah (chicken in red curry sauce) and dhal by Puspa
3. Chicken curry and dhal by Capt. Gordip
4. Laksa Johor (a coconut-fish base noodle soup) by Huda
5. Nasi Impit (rice cake/rice cube) with kuah kacang (peanut sauce) and Red Velvet cupcakes by Nadia
6. An assortment of cakes brought by Khairy
7. Fruits, tea and air sirap by Ghana

Let's makan!

the food....yummy!!! njammm njammmm

NIGERIA: Lagos: Eid al-Kabir / Eid ul-Adha 2016 (Part 1)

This would be our second time celebrating Eid al-Kabir/Eid ul-Adha (click here) in Lagos, Nigeria. Alhamdulillah, thank Allah this year we were able to participate in the Qurban (sacrifice of livestock during Eid ul-Adha). 

In the morning of Eid, I went to my usual masjeed near Awolowo Road. The jama'ah (congregation) this year is much bigger and even the imam took his time before we began to perform the solar (pray). It was not until 9.30am and still, throngs of people entered the area we performed the solah so special, only twice a year according to the Islamic calendar. 

NIGERIA: Lagos: Tarkwa Bay with the Saifuddeens (June 2016)

Another long overdue post. Just before the school summer break. Another trip to Tarkwa Bay, Lagos in order before fasting month and our trip back home to Malaysia. We love the beach here and Tarkwa Bay reminds us of our own Port Dickson in Negri Sembilan. Long beach and shallow water until you're quite a distance. This time we took Saifuddeen's family and Saisha (Fay's bestie)

ready for some sand and sun