5 Awesome Things I miss About Lagos
Photo credit: Ed Adegboye
Lagos is one of the most remarkable places i've ever lived. It has a life of its own; bubbly, loud, severe and self-consciously modern. It's completely oblivious to other places as it sun-bathes (literally) in its resources and lively metropolis but still, is intricately tied to the global world! It's my city crush any day and I can't wait to visit soon. Here are 5 things that I miss about Lagos:
1. The Traffic Shopping Mall
It's common knowledge that you can purchase anything while stuck in Lagos traffic. Three random items that I've negotiated for in traffic-- a dog, a Christmas tree and a standing fan! Lol! I miss you, mall of life! Innovation in retail.
2. Buka Food
While I am not an avid buka crawler like Ed, I do have certain buka crushes like "white house" in Yaba! Hmmn. I do a pretty good job with cooking my Gbegiri's and Ogbono's, but nothing beats firewood-cooked food, that wasn't cooked by you (the latter is the important part, lol). I miss the street food too; puffies! Boli! Roasted corn! Akara and bread on Ile-Ife highway! Haha! Street, yo!
3. My Adrenaline High
Driving in Lagos is my ultimate be-wary trigger. Your adrenaline is pumping over time as you swerve from an incoming bus, avoid a pothole and miss by an inch, a pedestrian walking haphazardly across the street! You have to be able to keep your eyes focused on the road and also have eyes at the back of your head, in the bid to make it to your destination in one piece , while watching out for LASTMA, FRSC and that strange guy in your window who may have a concealed weapon. I met that guy.
I do NOT miss that guy.
4. Living the Music
Listening to new Nigerian music on YouTube is just not the same as living in Nigeria and listening to it in your car or at a party on the weekend or is it just me who feels this way?
5. Yellow Cabs (Oko asewo*)
The first time I heard a biker call a yellow cab driver "Oko asewo*", i was thoroughly offended! I thought he was insinuating that i was the asewo, considering the fact that i was the only one in the cab. My aunt later pacified me with the truth; "Oko asewo" is their nickname because they served a different clientele after hours. Interesting! I miss seeing them though. I'm sure uber is giving them a run for their money! I hope they aren't struggling so much. Are uber drivers the new Oko asewo's?
Where do you live? What do you miss about your last location? What do you miss about Lagos? If you live in Lagos, please recommend bukas and tell us the most interesting thing you've ever bought in traffic!
*I want to believe the translation in English is Pimp.
Heat Hack: 3 Zobo Recipes You Must Try
If you haven't had chilled Zobo (hibiscus leaves) out of an oblong transparent polythene bag on a torridly hot day, life is trying to rob you of an amazing experience! My childhood was sufficiently Zobo-ed but my adulthood, not so much. My last drink must have been when I was 12.
Therefore, the plan this summer is to make my own amazing Zobo coolers, so I can manage the amount of sugar I put in and play around with all those great flavors. It's going to be epic! *Chin Palm* Where am i going to find fresh Zobo leaves out here?? Where there is a will, there sure is a way!
Here are 3 recipes from Funke Koleosho, 9jafoodie and Fabila's fitness blogs! I'm so excited to share. Hit the links below and hack that crazy heat! #HowZoboTookOver #HackthatNigerianHeat #Summer
1. Pineapple & Hibiscus Flower (Zobo) Cooler by Funke Koleosho
2. Ginger-lime Zobo by Fabila's Fitness Club
3. Iced Zobo Lemonade by 9jafoodie
Zobo is rich in vitamin C, flavanoids, calcium and niacin! Any Zobo-enthusiasts? Please share your recipes below!
Special thanks to Funke Koleosho(Funke Koleosho's New Nigerian Cuisine) , Funke Edoho (9jafoodie) and Ibifaka Ben-Kalio (Fabila's fitness) for granting permission to use these awesome photos!
Nigerian Girl in the Alps: How to Enjoy your Unplanned Planned Trip
How rarely do the words "Nigerian" and "Alps" appear together in the same sentence. We Nigerians just aren't about that life, myself most of all!
One bright, sunny day in Geneva, my friend Emily suggested we spend the weekend in a little Swiss town known as Interlaken, spend the night in a hostel, take a train to Grindewald, where we would hike up Jungfrau, one of the 3 summits of the Bernese Alps. As Emily is making this suggestion, immediately of course, my Nigerian self is mentally and violently shaking her head, but we snubbed her and booked those tickets anyway, baby!
It was a very exhilarating experience; first time sleeping in a hostel with complete strangers, ascending over 12,000 feet above sea-level (note: Ibadan, the town i grew up in is about 300 feet above sea-level) but hey, life is about taking chances and setting fire to your comfort zone, aye?!
Here are 6 ways to enjoy your next unplanned planned trip!
1. The obvious; Travel prepared!
Hey Socks, meet face!
Saying I wasn't prepared would have been an understatement. True, the trip wasn't really in my plans but i did have enough time to prepare. We went up over 12,000 feet and i had forgotten my gloves back in Geneva! I can't begin to describe how my hands felt. Ok, I can- I felt like i was in 'The Revenant'. Emily gave me her spare socks as gloves anyway, which saved my soul and my fingers.
2. Get creative with your memorabilia and photos
(Ed = Samuel btw)
Sometimes, the spontaneity of unplanned trips gets your creative juices flowing, especially when you are on a tight budget and you can't go wild buying souvenir chocolates and fridge magnets. So i had bought a coke with Ed's name on it and since it was in my bag, took this photo! He loved it! We still have that Coke, it's 2 years old next month! Smh.
3. Take it all in!
About 16 times, I considered ditching my city life and moving here; i'd buy a cow, throw my phone away and open up an African restaurant with a cheese themed menu. There's something about mountains- the solitude and tranquility connects you with something unseen. I totally get why Moses and the others kept climbing mountains to hang with God. New respect, Mo.
4. Travel with friends!
The best trips are with friends! All those embarrassing memories.......... someone has to remember them at your wedding! I got a mild panic attack like halfway up. I was on relatively flat ground but i thought i was falling off....it's complicated. When you try this, let me know how it went. Lol.
5. Travel with friends with geographical acumen lol!
I still get lost on my street here at home, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that I got lost up in those mountains. If Emily wasn't there, my #3 cow-cheese African life would have unraveled immediately. Cheese-egusi. anyone?
6. Get goofy
It's your vacay, so do whatever brings you joy. Don't be afraid to get a little goofy, no one is going to see you again anyway. At least, i know no one will be seeing me on Jungfrau for eternity. Back in my comfort zone, on level ground.
Sock Salut! The backdrop though 👀😍
Any out-of-your-comfort zone adventures recently? Time to populate that bucket list!
3 Amazing Benefits of Traveling with a Child
I once traveled with my then-3-year-old nephew and his parents and it was so much fun! Well, other than the time he wanted to see the pilot, visit the flight attendant station, run down the aisle and remove his clothing for no reason. Yes, other than those, it was a riot. I also traveled with a set of triplets once-my nephew and nieces and i couldn't believe how comfortable everyone made us feel. Do you get any preferential treatment when you travel with kids? How do you deal with traveling with your kids? Do you find it stressful? Any travel hack tips to share? Here are 3 benefits of traveling with a child from my experience:
Skip that oh-so-grey airline meal
Did you know toddlers could have their own homemade food on a flight? So not fair, while we get stuck eating those plastic chickens and weird brown rice. Anyway, we had made him some noodles to take on the trip but he didn't want it, he wanted cereal instead and all the juice the flight attendants could produce. So we ate his juicy, spicy noodles instead of the plastic chickens. Noodles on the plane is the best.
Those eager helpers
People love to help families with children. All you need to do is look distressed and borrow someone's child like I did and help starts flooding in! Even at security, there's usually at least one person mesmerized by the child , cooing and gooing!
Get seated first
People with kids get seated first right after priority. If you fly first or business, then you probably don't care but if you don't, welcome to the land of endless hand luggage storage opportunities! We know your luggage is already over weight, so take advantage!
Any experiences? Share, share!
Remember to enter the giveaway!
Hey, City Bling!
I grew up in good ol' Ibadan with a population of over 3 million people. Ok......sigh.... I'll take all your Ibadan-girl jokes and memes now. Thanks. Lol. Anyway, 3 million people! 7 weeks ago, I moved into the most adorable town with a population of 100,000, still the moment I crossed the borderlines, I fell in love with the city.
Of course, I had given up on finding any Nigerians in such a small town or any Nigerian ties at all. Then two weeks ago, I stumbled on this record store, and there resting languidly against eachother were two records; Commander Ebenezer Obey's Operation Feed the Nation and an album from King Sunny Ade! I was a little too excited. I screamed a little and the guy across from me was mildly worried. Lol! I couldn't believe I found those records here. A piece of my identity as a Nigerian was just waiting there for me to find it. Hello, hidden city-blingy treasure!
Before this, we lived in Madison, Wisconsin, which has about 200,000 people. People still find it amusing that we lived in Madison but, goodness, did we make the best out of it! I can say with all of me that Ed and I ransacked that town; restaurants, fairs, lakes, zoos, rinks, bars, adorable roadside breakfast places, almost snuck into a college party(covering face), almost ice-fished, African parties, Afghani restaurants, street markets, fancy dining, woodsy hikes, gun range shooting...everything! EVERY.
Wherever you are, you are there for a reason and you're probably sitting on a goldmine of experiences. Explore, meet people, dig like a rabbied dog till you find the city's core, till you discover hidden treasure! (I know, rabied dogs aren't cute; they aren't, ok, dig for golden experiences like a healthy dog!)
I've only been in this town for about 7 weeks and everyday has its thrill. I can't wait to find out what else might be hidden behind these brick walls ❤️
Where is your city? Have you found its hidden, crazy gems?!
Source: Wikipedia
Credit: Ian Britton
Source: Alchetron
Quinoa+Sweetcorn with Chicken, Shrimp, Broccoli Stir-fry (a million sighs)
Remember the not-everytime-jollof-rice goal i set in January, here's me living it out! My friends gave me this recipe a year ago and I became the hugest Quinoa fan out there. It's loaded with so many Superfoods it's almost illegal.
What you need:
For the Quinoa
1 cup Quinoa (feeds 3)
1 tin of Sweetcorn
For the Stir-fry
3 tbs of olive oil
1 pound of cooked chicken (cut into medium strips)
1 medium onion (sliced)
1 clove of garlic (grated)
1 red bell pepper (sliced longitudinally)
1 green bell pepper (sliced longitudinally)
2 Scotch bonnets (optional, I use 3!)
4 cups of broccoli florets
1 cup of mushrooms
3 sticks of spring onions (chopped)
A pair of bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground pepper/Cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
Go!
Cook Quinoa according to directions on box, once cooked, turn off burner and add drained Sweetcorn.
Next!
Sauté the onions and crushed garlic in the olive oil
Once the onions are translucent, add the other vegetables
Add your spices and stir
Add your chicken (and shrimp)
Stir-fry for about 4 minutes
Serve with your steamy quinoa-sweetcorn and enjoy!
Let me know if you try it out!
Thank you for the recipe Demi and Ife, the original #fitfam!
Eat Your Way to Creativity: 15 Foods That Light Up Your Mind!
According to this study, your creative ability is closely linked to a little seahorse-shaped structure in the brain, known as the hippocampus! The hippocampus is that bad boy in charge of your learning, long-term memory, organizing and storage of past knowledge and experiences.
Take a moment to recall your most thrilling moment as a 7 year-old, as you buried your face into that awesome piece of birthday cake, pause, then take a moment to remember your worst memory- that silly bully on the playground with no front teeth. Remember? Yup, that's your hippocampus working. Now, mentally locate yours (it's close to the center of your brain) and thank it for a job well done. Amazingly, studies also show that this sea-horsey structure is closely related to our ingenuity and the backbone for creative thinking. In fact, this study shows people with damaged hippocampi lose their ability to imagine.
Gasp!
Imagine if all writers, painters, artists, musicians, art-enthusiasts, mums(the most creative of the lot) lost their imagination! Imagine if the writer of Game of Thrones lost his!! I honestly, I'm close to tears right now at the thought, then we'd never know what happened to Jon Snow! (Now we know *updated August 2016)
Ok, the real reason you clicked on this post: the food.
The hippocampus is a fitfam-ish kind of structure. It remains healthy as long as you feed it with foods that are high in Omega 3 fatty acids, Vitamins A, D, E, Zinc and Flavonoids. Here are 15 foods packed with all these creative juices (in no particular order):
1. Fish
High in Omega 3 fatty acids, Vitamin A, D and E. Fishes are so amazing they deserve their own post (coming up soon).
2. Flax seeds
Rich in Omega 3. Sprinkle some ground flax seeds in your smoothie before blending!
3. Green tea
High in and catechins! Don't steep with boiling water, use moderately hot water and add some lemon juice for better absorption of nutrients!
4. Liver
Rich in Vitamin A and iron! To be consumed in moderation, over consumption could lead to toxicity! Limit to 10, 000 international units daily.
5. Cocoa
Rich in flavonoids! SHOULD BE EATEN IN MODERATION. Cocoa is 50% fat and has a high sugar content.
6. Blueberries
Rich in vitamin A, C, potassium, manganese, anthocyanins and flavonoids! Divine in smoothies!
7. Mushrooms
Hold your breath for what mushrooms pack; Vitamin B, Zinc, Copper, Niacin, Phospholate, Folate, (Mushrooms aren't kidding here), Iron, Thiamin, Selenium, Panthothenic Acid. #HappyHippocampus
8. Almonds
Huge source of Vitamin E and B complexes just like mushrooms. Grab a handful a day, in between meals and chew away (I tried it with garri once, not too bad, i must say).
9. Avocados
Avocados = Super-uper food! They provide about 20 essential nutrients and are very rich in Vitamin E, Vitamin B and folic acid!
10. Spinach
Rich source of Vitamin A and C
11. Cod-liver oil
Rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, Vitamin A, D and K!
12. Dairy/ Dairy Alternatives
High in Vitamin D.
13. Broccoli
High in fiber, very high in vitamin C, potassium, B6 and vitamin A and protein!
14. Sweet Potatoes
High in Vitamin A and C!
15. Bell Peppers
Rich in Vitamin A, B, C and E!
Treat your body right as you create and change the world with your wonderful creative mind; exercise and feed that brain! It goes without saying that we have to protect the hippocampi of our creative people in the world (think Jon Snow). Send this post to as many as you know! (By the way, we all create. Being creative is not exclusive. This applies to you too! Eat your way to creativity)
5 Strange Things I Do in an Airbnb
Ed and I are serial road-trippers. We were on a road trip just last week and as usual we stayed over at an Airbnb apartment.
Being the moderately-adventurous and overtly skeptical traveler that I am, Airbnb and I have had a long, bumpy journey chaperoned by suspicion and distrust. I, initially wouldn't even consider staying over at one but I think at this point (after 4 successful Airbnb stays), I'm a little more comfortable in a stranger's space than I used to be. Here are 5 weird things I do unfailingly at an Airbnb:
1. Stare skeptically at the bedsheets
The first time we ever used Airbnb, we rented this really nice apartment, located downtown in a busy metropolitan city. It was a student's bachelor pad.
Problem: The sheets. They were dark colored; dark grey, almost black and that bothered me a bit. The dirt wasn't apparent and I couldn't tell if it had been used or not. As I stood there, contemplating how I'd sleep on the bed, Ed further exacerbated the situation by making a blue-light joke. No doubt these sheets had been involved in rigorous and energy-expending activities, I could now tell by the micro-creases and what indeed might have been a smear of something. I ended up sleeping on top of Ed. I couldn't imagine sleeping directly on 'the smear'.
Tip : Bring your own sheets along.
2. Find all probable hidden camera hide-aways
I won't lie to you and claim that I'm not a little paranoid in a stranger's space. I spend a significant amount of time eyeing places likely to have cameras stashed in them; in paintings, art carvings, the TV, the lamp. It's thorough search, bureau of investigation style.
3. Tiptoe around house....fully clothed
I just always feel like the owner will be back any minute. I'm fully clothed....because, of course.......the hidden cameras, and all bathroom activities, done with the lights dim or off.
Tip: Try to relax, pop open some windows, find your favorite spot and your least favorite. Avoid the least favorite, be rooted in your favorite spot. Take a breath, there are no cameras, probably.
4. Eat jollof rice and plantain
I, unfailing, bring along on my road trips, a nice food warmer filled with jollof rice, plantain and chicken. I think I learnt this from my mum. One of those fun things I learnt from Ma. It's my instant make-me-feel-at-home drug.
Tip: Take something along that reminds you of home. Make it your own space for the duration.
5. Initiate Barricade
When it's bed time, I pull up a table or dresser across the bedroom door. Actually, I just put my luggage against the door (I'm no light traveler either) Lol. I keep thinking the owner's disgruntled ex will show up or some random person would pop into my room. Sigh. This is just ridiculous but I keep doing it. All that trouble.
Tip: Read reviews of Airbnb hosts and if dragging a cupboard across the bedroom door helps you sleep better, then do it!
Don't mind me, Airbnbs are fun. They are much cheaper than hotels; definitely more flexible on food options; provide a chance to meet new people (or not); you get tips on getting around the city. Try it out on your next trip!
What weird things do you do during Airbnb visits? Do you drag a dresser across the front door? I can't be the only weirdly paranoid person out there!