Hey guys! I know many
of you are as terrified as me upon reading the blog title huh? Don’t you worry,
you will soon find out why.
Ever Since I moved back
to Nigeria.. I am still confused whether to continue to stick to the word
relocate or visit… But I digress. Ever since returning back to Nigeria, I have
continued to imagine the things that people do here, those that could almost
make one’s head explode from thinking them through! In no particular order, you
will find out those things that irritate me more than anything else. Again,
these are from my own experiences.
Number 1: Unsolicited Advice
When an older woman sees you, or those you perceive to be older than you (say age 35 or so), they always feel the need to offer you a firsthand account on how you should take care of your child. It has been raining cats and dogs these days, and little me, got a cold. I took her to see her peds yesterday. And I was eating akara (which by the way has been a breakfast ritual). Once, we settled in the lobby to have them pull out our card, this woman with her own baby on her back in the rain (hawking puff- puff and donut) came to me, and here was the short but uncomfortable chat we had:
When an older woman sees you, or those you perceive to be older than you (say age 35 or so), they always feel the need to offer you a firsthand account on how you should take care of your child. It has been raining cats and dogs these days, and little me, got a cold. I took her to see her peds yesterday. And I was eating akara (which by the way has been a breakfast ritual). Once, we settled in the lobby to have them pull out our card, this woman with her own baby on her back in the rain (hawking puff- puff and donut) came to me, and here was the short but uncomfortable chat we had:
Her: “Madam don’t give that girl that dry akara, she needs water”. This made me
uncomfortable, and everyone had their gaze fixed on me.
Me: Without holding
back, I immediately said you do not have any right whatsoever to tell me how to
care for my child. She’s mine and not yours can you just face your business
already? Mind you, yours truly knew that was petty to reply to her, (I did
because it has repeatedly been happening to me) just while we were walking from
the parking lot to the office, She had demanded for water, I gave her. What gives
her the right to open her mouth to speak?
Her: In Yoruba she said
“emi ko ni dasi oro oloro mo. Translated- I will never have to poke my nose
into what’s not my business
Me: Nigba ti e mo be,
kilode t’ese d’ake? Translated- When you
knew that common sense like this existed, why did you care?
Has this ever happened to anyone but ME? Please
feel free to share your experiences.
Happy Thursday!
Gifthin, please I don't want to laugh...good one sha, every body na doctor, pro because they are older than you or have more kids than you.
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