I'm home!

So yesterday, I arrived into Nigeria but before then I transited in HongKong and Doha but I had quite a number of challanges on the way home. In general I will say the trip was fun with lots of memories, but to be specific, it was with quite a significant number of challenges.

At the airport in Auckland, I got into this conversation with the lady at the counter and she mistook a statement I made that I couldn't wait to see what HK looks like. Even though it was clear to me and an esterblished fact that I needed to have transit visa to HK to leave the transit lounge, this lady pretty much mistook my words and wouldn't let me check in. She took my passport everywhere and made me spend another 45 minutes just waiting for her to get some clarifications from her boss and the boss of her boss. I eventually got that sorted and clarified that I wasn't intending to leave the transit lounge and that what I meant was that I had not gone to HK before, but this will be my first time ever and that I couldn't wait to see it even from the transit lounge.

As if that was not enough. On checking my luggage weight, I was over weighed by 4 kg and this same lady wouldn't let that slip. To cut it short, I repacked my bag, went to another counter and even though I was still overweighed, the lady at the new counter simply just let me go without any hassle.

So I got to HK, checked my back account from the internet and my money had arrived from my family. So I went to the ATM machine to witdraw money and behold. the ATM retained my card. Just when I though I was about to start spending money, as I had to stay in HK for almost 24 hours and needed to get an entry visa to see Elaine, my ex-girlfriend. Well, that plan was completely shattered and I had to stay at the airport transit lounge without any money in my pocket, without my kiwibank debit card and without any food to eat. Imagine not eating from 4.30am on Teusday to 2am on Wednesday. I kept asking for water from the restaurants until they all knew me and started to refuse to give me water. It was hell let loose.

My next stop was in Doha and I met a number of Nigerians in the plane from HK to Doha. This particular guy, a boxer, based in Australia had been boxing for 5 years in Australia and was going back home to see his wife and little daughter. He entertained me all through the trip with his story on how even though he is a married man with a kid, he still has a number of wifes around the world, both in Australia and in the UK and was battling with divorse cases pending in courts (Absord eh?).

In my entire history of travelling overseas, my 2 hour transit time in Doha was probably the most astonishing. Would you believe that an interational airport (or so they called it) does not have a bureau de change in it and to top it all, my new Nigerian boxer friend was trying to make a call to his Nigerian wife, to let her know of the changes in the arrival time. he had to buy a 10 minutes international calling card for 40 Aussie dollars and a cup of coffee for 9 Aussie dollars. To crown it all, the calling card did not work and they refused to help him operate it (very thought provoting experience I must say). he almost ended up utilisig his professional skills as a way to fight for his rights.

My most memorable time of this journey was on my way from Doha to Lagos. This was an over 200 seater plane and all around me were all black skinned, africans, mainly NIgerians. I don't know why exactly this was my most memmorable but I remember that this period gave me goose bumps. Why? Simple. For the last two plus years, I had not been in a room with all black skinned, not to talk of all Nigerians. I met with a number of Nigerians in this plane and powerfully and most memorably I could speak Pidgin English with freedom. I could use the Nigerian accent, I could laugh as hard and talk as violently as we always do. I was home again. But then this is just the beginning of a lot more memories to come during my stay in Nigeria.

Finally I got into Nigeria. You know that feeling of when you get back to where you belong. Even though the polution was there, the traffic was hell and the caursing and fighting on the street was there, I still felt at home. In the private car that drove me home, I couldn't help but smile, laugh and cry. Nothing much has changed but that sense of satisfaction that I was back home was overwhelming.

I met with my sister, her husband and her two little kids. The first born whom had been delivered and was up to 2 years old before I left the country, could not remember me any more. Her second born was so adorable. A Cute fine boy with and as little has he was, already had a sense of humour, a charisma and an astonishing maturity that completely swiped me off my feet.

So I am home now, for the next few weeks, today I will be seeing my dad and mum (can't wait).

Look forward to my pictures on Facebook by this weekend.

Cheers for reading up to this point.



Today's Inspirational Quote:

Today's Inspirational Quote: "Each must for himself alone decide what is right and what iswrong, and which course is patriotic and which isn't. Youcannot shirk this and be a man. To decide against yourconvictions is to be an unqualified and inexcusable traitor,both to yourself and to your country, let man label you as theymay."

-- Mark Twain