This was written in my first few weeks of relocating to South africa from Nigeria...and started the weekly "journal " I sent by mail to friends and colleagues...and gave rise to this blog...
When I first got here and saw people wearing sunglasses, I thought they were all crazy. Then you look at pictures of my colleagues at their functions, they are all in sunglasses… As I am driving to work, nearly every one is wearing sunglasses.... Wetin?
Guess what? I have joined the sunglasses craze… Every morning the sun is out by 6am and as I am driving to work at 6.40am, I drive towards the sun… that’s East I hope (I am seriously geographically challenged). Anyway I have to sit drive bumper to bumper for nearly 30 minutes sometimes to get from my house to join the exit to the N1 freeway that takes me 6 minutes to Innovation Centre. So for the last 2 weeks I have been sitting through this without sunglasses and did not even realise that I needed one.
So I went to the mall on Sunday to pick up a girl to weave my hair… ever wondered why SA women have low cut… the wahala of finding a good black salon is making me reconsider keeping the one I have… that’s another long story… So while in the mall, tired, sleepy and just waiting, I decided to a buy a pair… I think that’s the best decision I have made in a long long time… I tried like 5 till I got THE ONE… and boy do I look good… when I get into my car now, I back out of my garage and as I head out of the cluster gate, I put on my sunglasses and smile to myself and singing to myself “if you could see me now”… vanity upon vanity is VANITY… I have repented of that vanity this morning oooooooooo…. But a girl has to keep herself happy.
My sister brought some Ibo gospel CDs that I like to listen to, so the ride to work is now interesting, with me singing at the top of my voice (don’t worry my windows are fully wound up so they can’t really hear me) and dancing to some strange rhythm… one lady had to overtake me so she could take a good look at the lunatic driving in front of her.
I turn off the free way into 14th Avenue, home of Innovation Centre and there’s traffic… One young guy smiles at me and gives me room to join the lane… I know it is the glasses.. I have gone this route a few times and all they want to do is run me off me the road particularly at the robot… that’s what traffic lights are called here…. So the glasses do make a difference… I knew it! I drive into the premises, swipe my card to get through the main gate, head to Phase 2 basement, swipe again and hey… there’s loads of parking space.. Now I can pick and choose… I find a spot that’s close enough and park so well that driving instructors all over the world will give an arm and leg to have me demonstrate this to their students… Feeling good with myself, I remove the sunglasses and put them back in the case and tuck it away in its special place in the car… I sit in the car listening to the CD and psyching myself up for work today… It is the start of another Tuesday…
Am I crazy? I think so… it has to take craze to justify relocating at this age… no be husband I follow, na me take my own leg with my own hand carry my bag enter plane to come here… No problem.. the work na PhD thesis dem wan make I write… when the big boss was talking about the correlations he’ll like to see from the Org design work and report we are putting together, I wanted to remind him that I don’t have a PhD and certainly not in Social Statistics but I held my peace… why open my rough lips and confirm that I am thick… I missed not having prescription glasses…you now the kind that gives the impression you are intelligent… I think I should invest it one…. In the absence of the glasses, I manufactured a frown that I hope looked like I was deep in intelligent thought.. Looks like it worked because he paused to listen when I did decide to speak…
My trip to Sudan is confirmed… and I have asked the Sarah, my contact there for the dress code… None!! Only a smile… she’s even trying to line up some potential hubbies… but you know my specifications… 10% as rich as the Company President… Who cares about love and beauty… money has a way of making everything rosy and with that kind of money, my cloud 9 will be really really soft… Don’t I need a super soft cloud 9… At least it will get me away from the 8 to 5 grind…
So I am starting work o…. Catch you later and do have a great week… I am still whistling from the sunglasses and the music from the drive to work… I hope I keep the sunshine in my heart…
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