How to re-engage when your world has been rocked? Spent the last few weeks travelling to Dubai and then Tanzania- remember the visa sagaI blogged about earlier? Well they finally let me in.
There are insights too many to name or mention. I will need to digest and savour them before I can blog meaningfully.
One night sitting in the bar of our hotel talking to some incredibly brilliant and talented people, sipping Konyagi and tonic (Konyagi is the Tanzanian brewed spirit- gin like in flavour but much milder), we hardly notice as the hands of the clock go right round and when we look up it is 4 am and the hotel staff are starting to set the tables up for breakfast. What to do? Keep talking and then order a slug of strong black coffee and keep going. A magical time is had by all.
The next day a colleague marvels that in spite of the fact that Tanzania is one of the world's coffee exporters, properly brewed coffee is hard to come by. Instead we are served little boxes of instant coffee. I frankly do not mind, not being a coffee aficionado. Growing up on Nigerian Nescafe, I do not have the kind of high standards that led an Italian classmate to once spew out a mouthful of Starbucks coffee and then head for the nearest phone booth to ring Mamma in Italy, asking her to send her coffee machine ASAP to London.
Ah, Chimamanda! What more can I say that hasn't been said already and more eloquently? Read the interviews
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article1908943.ece
http://books.guardian.co.uk/orange2007/story/0,,2098238,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=10 and leap as I did for sheer joy
Back in the UK I see Big Brother immersed in another row over the use of the N-word- what's that all about? I wonder
The day I arrive back in London, I go with a friend to the new Whole Foods shop on Kensington High Street. The food is piled high in glimmering heaps- twenty-something different kinds of peanut butter alone. After the austerity of Tanzania, it all seems faintly obscene
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13 comments:
yay!! First....welcome back, when do we get the gossip from your latest travels and why were details of dubai so conspicously absent??
tanzania.....hmm....that sounds interesting.....
well finally uve updated ur blog...seen!
yes o...big brother and all their wahala...maybe its time for it to end really...
Visiting your blog after ages, was thrilled to see you're still blogging. Must blogroll you, this way I will remember to visit often.
That coffee is tru of many African countries, often the product is to valuable as an export that you do not get them domestically. LOL
Did you go to Zanzibar?
Welcome back dude, was starting to worry that you were going to retire from the active world of blogging. Too many good bloggers have bitten the dust recently, its nice to see you back.
welcome, oga! I am sure you have lots to write. I do drink coffee, not the fancy stuff, i get a coffee pot and "cook" the coffee, one of the few "skills" I picked up from my then romanian and croatian flatmates. Hard stuff! Other skills included making errrrrr alcohol...story for another day!
NAIJA BLOGGERS- THE BOOK!
Dear friends, please do not forget to send in your submissions, a lot of people have sent in great stuff but a lot of my favourite bloggers are missing, what's up, people? Come on, send in your stuff! June 15th is the last day, come on!
Submissions should be sent to nigerianbloggers@yahoo.com not later than Friday, June the 15th 2007 stating date of blogging and blogname/address.
@internationalhome- thanks, will do later
@jadedjune- thanks. Na wa for big brother o
@lotus reads- good to see you here again
@omodudu- I guess
@morontodoun- I'll keep trying even though it's hard
@good- was in Zanzibar very briefly
@waffarian- my sista wish now?
Welcome back! Kept checking up on you and well after all the visa issue, you went to tanzania and can see you had a good time.
Oh really? High St Ken restaurant or shop? I'm meant to go on Sunday.
Snuffy
Jambo UK,
Nice to see you back. Sounds like you had fun in TZ...glad they finally let you in :) Went on my first trip to E. Africa a few weeks ago, came back addicted to Kenyan tea and the charms of Mombassa (plus or minus the Rift Valley Railways!)
Hmmmm, I see our brideprice on Ms. A is steadily creeping up, Orange prize and all. Ahhhh UK my bros, dis matter don dey hard o! J/kidding, a most-deserving win for Chimamanda and a fitting tribute for Chinua Achebe with the Man Booker prize. Its like christmas in June for Nigerian/African literature!
Welcome back.
-oo-
welcome back!
we'll like to hear more gist!
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