Tripping!

The Journey So Far...

If you’re wondering what the items on the picture are or whether I've started selling such items. Well, wonder no more, these items, my dear peeps, are the stuff I journeyed with to Atlanta! The cup was the first cup of tea I bought when I got to Heathrow. But this story no go sweet if I don’t start from the very beginning. So here it goes….

I got to the international airport extra early (you know how inconsistent our people can be which is both good and bad. Good- because it makes everything fresh and not mundane and bad, because sometimes you just want to be right when you say stuffs like, “they’ll start on time!”  I mean I love naija, but sometimes me sef I dey wonder… so I spent an hour and half waiting for check in, eventually it started and I checked in without a hitch, bade farewell to mia familia and headed to the boarding gate.

That was when I noticed the pain on my right thigh. I shrugged it off at first and passed through immigrations like speedy gonzalese, again I vaguely wondered where those ‘officers’ that used to rag for money went because no one did except the one who called me her sister and was even speaking vernacular with me. I gave her a tip for effort and chortled on.

When I finally sat down at the hall, whether na because the place was hot enough to pass as sauna, or I was just anxious, the pain on my thigh intensified. By now, my trusty blackberry battery had conked out and I couldn’t call anyone. Na so I start to ‘scalibash’ o. I binded all the ‘spirits’ that were trying to ‘hold me down in naija, I casted all the demons that were sending arrows, I loosed the hold of every illness from my body!

Laugh all you want, but one has to believe in something or you will be open to everything! Anyway, I finally charged my battery and called home. I was thoroughly prayed for and told to take some pain killers and was reminded of how days before my trip I’ve been walking around like an enthusiastic manic shopper, visiting the most boisterious markets for bargains.

I took the analgesic and we finally boarded just when I thought I was cooked through and through by the heat. As I enter the large body plane I strolled to my seat and collapsed gratefully into the air conditioned and soft cushioned comfort the plane offered. Before we took off, I was fast asleep, either from the fatigue or analgesic I wasn’t sure, but it was grateful sleep.

On getting to Heathrow where I had a ten hour wait, I noticed that the pain had started again Chineke! Which kain winch come follow me cross my Jordan? I pondered as I limped towards the escalator. Me wey carry clothes to change into when I get to Heathrow so I can enter America with crisp new jeans and fresh top, I no come fit change sef! Na so I dey manage, all the oyinbo dey ask, “are you ok?” in my mind, I’d imagined the worst; torn ligament, bone marrow katakata, I intensified prayers o! God can heal and do anything, chikena!

By the time I was on my last hour in Heathrow, the pain had finally subsided! Dem no dey fear? I thanked Baba God and hopped into another plane for another nine hour journey to Atlanta.

My people, I go pause the story for here. The next leg will follow shortly!