Hi friends *covers eyes and hides*
I know it’s been a minute, but I swear, it’s been with good reason.
Life update: my little family moved to Lagos, Nigeria, and the preparation to get here really was something else (aka almost took me out).
People that know me well know that I am not big on announcements, and as an ambivert, I can get a bit overwhelmed and thus disappear, BUT I’m well, alive, and finally have my head above water.
A question I’ve been getting quite often is, “What made you make the move?” and to be honest, it’s a very simple answer:
it was time.
11 years ago, during one of dettiest of Decembers, I met my husband and we had a very interesting first date; we talked about the kind of world we wanted to live in and the things we thought Nigeria needed. He shared his dreams of one day transforming healthcare and building a world class surgery center. I talked about my dreams as an artist and all the disciplines I could see my talents flowing through. We spoke intimately for hours, laughing about our upbringing and getting to know each other, though it felt like we’d met in a past life.
Truly, it was the best first date I had ever been on and it wasn’t even fancy. Towards the end, he looked me dead in my eyes and asked me if I would ever consider living in Nigeria. It was a strange question to ask, given that we had just met and both of us lived in the US, but I knew exactly why he was asking, and as crazy as it sounds, I was open to the possibility.
Over the years, as our life progressed, it was not something that we spoke about monthly, or even yearly, but just something that we knew eventually down the line would inevitably be, so when Julius woke up one morning, looked at me and said, “Babe, this is the year we’re going.” I didn’t blink, stutter, or doubt it and simply said, “Ok. Let’s go.”
And I meant it.
My entire life has been full of twists and turns, but for the past few years, I’ve been feeling a bit complacent; things have felt just a little too routine, perfect, and regimented in all the right ways. I personally wanted the challenge of doing something different and new, especially in a city like Lagos where nothing is predictable and everything is possible.
On social media, there have been so many comments on what some may mistake as naivety, but we are fully aware of how challenging Nigeria is and are dealing with it on a daily basis, just like everyone else.
Yet and still, there is a peace and a joy that I feel, and the best way I can describe it is to equate it to that warm feeling when you take off your shoes and walk into your home: you just feel like yourself, in a space where you’re comfortable.
That’s how Lagos feels to me.
Interestingly enough, people have been applauding me for my willingness to leave the US to support my husband, and I appreciate it, but if I’m being very honest, I also wanted to move for myself. As a mother who still very much has her own aspirations and dreams, I find that the US can be limiting, lacks support, and has a way of boxing you in as only a mom, but in Lagos, being a mother is very much in the fabric of the culture—-it is what we do—it is not entirely who we are.
I’m looking forward to this new beginning and know that my best work is in front of me. I haven’t been this excited in a while, and for that, I’m extremely thankful.
Anyway, this is getting kind of long, lol.
Will keep you all posted :)
Listening, Again
I’ve been listening to this podcast consistently and I really, really, like it. On this episode, Ta-Nehisi Coates speaks on his new book, “The Message” as well as the response to the now infamous CBS interview that had the internet on fire (and Ta-Nehisi standing on business).