pagesbyike 3/8/16 pagesbyike 3/8/16

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!

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

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.

Any out-of-your-comfort zone adventures recently? Time to populate that bucket list!

pagesbyike 2/25/16 pagesbyike 2/25/16

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!

pagesbyike 2/11/16 pagesbyike 2/11/16

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?!

pagesbyike 11/25/15 pagesbyike 11/25/15

Travel: What Happens in Vegas!

Secret: Whenever I plan to drink any amount of alcohol I usually eat a fine, piping hot meal of Eba and whatever soup. Laugh if you will, it's the truth. Lol. I've found that it keeps me from getting easily tipsy. Well, guess who didn't have Eba in Vegas. Yours truly.

Next thing you know, you wake up and one person is missing

Therefore the drinking was kept to the minimum, the starkest minimum. The point of Vegas was to celebrate our amazing friend's birthday and it was so much fun, it also coinsided with the 4th of July weekend last summer. It's definitely a city worth visiting, complete with torrid weather conditions, all the souvenirs a tourist could dream of, bubbly traditional cabbies (no uber, take note), too much food, way too much and first time opportunities to try and discover new things.

There were many instances that I'd say to myself, "hmm, that was a first!" Vegas was a great bundle of new experiences for me. Here's to new experiences, Eba and the birthday boy!

FIRST GAMBLE

Gambling is pretty addictive.

My friends and I were stuck on some titanic-themed slot machine clearly targeted at women and Leonardo Di's fans in general (there were some men there too *blank stare*). I won $10, then lost it and more. Everytime you win something the machine bursts out singing the bridge/chorus of My Heart Will Go On "Near, far, wherever you are......" and the clanking of coins overwhelm you, causing so much euphoria. Then in two minutes you plug your winnings back in and it's all gone!

Conclusion: Last time gambling ever

FIRST CIRQUE DU SOLEIL

Cirque du soleil is special. They create stage performances inspired by circus activities, street entertainment and some other mysterious (very very mysterious) elements. I had no idea what was going on most of the time. Lol. All in all, the experience is the value added. When I was done though, I felt like I had experienced a different aspect of life. The bizarre aspect and it was quite sensational.

Conclusion: Maybe I'd see another cirque show, one less abstract. Good luck to me finding that.

FIRST SINGING TAXI DRIVER

Imagine it's 3am, you are in a taxi and your extremely chatty taxi driver decides to break into a song at the top of his voice-then he sings another-then another-then another. Half way through, he pulls out his harmonica (mouth organ) and it's now a full-fledged concert! It was quite entertaining, maybe not suitable at 3am. At the end he demanded a fee for his performance! Lol!

Conclusion: Everyone is Elvis in Vegas.

HIT ON BY A GIRL FOR THE FIRST TIME

Words failed me indeed. I was at a pool party so we were all minimally clad. She begins to chat me up. I just always imagined I'd be off limits to lesbians. Why? I don't know. Maybe because they say they can tell if you are straight. Maybe she's a beginner, still getting that sensor tuned.

Conclusion: *blink*

FIRST TIME WEARING A CROP TOP

Crop tops make you very ab-conscious, i think it's a good piece as long as you wear it to appropriate places. Definitely not to meet his parents.

Also, maybe more suited for others than some of us though. (Tip: if you are self-conscious, try them with a pair of high waist bottoms)

Conclusion: Haven't worn it since. I'll try again next summer

FIRST KARAOKE

While I have a video of considerable length showing this extraordinary incident, I will be unable to put it up because there were other participants involved. Lol! It's safe to say we were the backstreet boys and girls for the night and everyone thought we were awesome!

Conclusion: karaoke is best served sober. Then you have no excuse for your behavior. Nope, no blaming it on alcohol, all your innate issues spew forth lol! And forth they did spew that night.

Have any fun Vegas experiences; karaoke experiences, fun taxi driver experiences? Share below!

World's largest chocolate fountain- The Bellagio

Photo II with flowers; Vegas turned me into a flower-backdrop kinda gal

All you need for fun in Vegas, this fab lot

Big Win for the birthday boy! ......which we proceeded to spend on a good(bad), greasy dinner

Chances you'd be married by night fall with a chapel in the hotel basement

Brides dressing room (Photo credit: Demi Eni-Olorunda)

Groom room (Photo credit: Demi Eni-Olorunda)

Shot down the aisle! (Photo credit: Demi Eni-Olorunda)

pagesbyike 11/13/15 pagesbyike 11/13/15

12 Ways to Hack Culture Shock

Culture shock is an absolute waste of time. Time, which should be spent discovering the wonders and thrills of a new location; time that should be spent mispronouncing street names and getting lost; time that should be spent eating amazing street-food, discovering local art, observing culture; time that should be spent expanding your mind; time that should be spent meeting the locals, who then offer you illegal gifts.............we'll get to that in a moment.

Culture shock robs us of all that awesomeness and the next thing we know it's time to leave! It's even worse if it's a long-term stay, in which case, we just stay within our circles, adhere to the familiar and refuse to burst out to our full social potential! I have been very guilty of this and a part of me thinks ruefully of how much i could have learnt with all the country-hopping opportunities i have had.

True, culture shock is a natural human response to a change and the human mind has never been known to be unresponsive to change, but then again, it doesn't have to rule your relocation process. Right below are 12 ways to own culture shock! Enjoy!

Before you leave for your new destination....

Read! (1)

Wikipedia is my best friend before I travel. It prevents a good amount of culture shock. Reading and getting familiar with pop culture and cultural characteristics helps to figure the new environment. Be careful with media's portrayal though, believe just 25% of what you see on TV and don't make the mistake of classifying people based on a stereotype.

Anticipate Homesickness (2)

While it's true that we're trying to get in on all the fun at our new location, nostalgia almost always creeps in. Homesickness makes culture shock a bit more unbearable, so before you get on your journey, get things that will help you manage home sickness. Get your favorite chips, teas, coffee blend, books, what makes it easier for you to get comfortable in your new space.

Now you are here!.....

Be open (3)

If you've always had prejudice towards the locals, I'd suggest you let go. People are not what you see on TV. For example, the Russians are not always villains! One of my best friends is part Russian. The Germans don't all drink beer. Not all Americans work in the CIA and not all Nigerians have a babalawo on speed dial. Try new stuff and hang out with the locals. Get in on all the street food, ok maybe not all, but good street food that is reputed for not causing diarrhea.

Set fire to your comfort zone (4)

Yup, set it ablaze. You have to get into the crazy street called "experience". It's fun getting to know new things and new cultures. I've come to realize that locals love to tell you about their culture and get you in on it. I remember this very friendly local who I met somewhere who wanted to give me a gift of marijuana! That was some friendly neighborhood.

Be observant (5)

Watch how stuff is done. Ask questions and don't be ashamed of your ignorance. In fact that's a great way to be rid of it. They know just as little about your culture too, so tell them about your culture, don't think they don't care, unless they explicitly tell you they don't. If they don't care, ask them about theirs and then tell them about yours anyway.

Don't overwhelm with your own culture (6)

My tribe generally has no chill, we are loud, bubbly and just off-the-hat theatrical, so I usually have to keep that side of me under wraps in places more tranquil....until I know they can handle it. I am currently learning to appreciate foreign culture by respecting them enough to respond with just enough naija-ness.

Get a steady dose of your supplies (7)

Find ways to get your favorite supplies coming; food, movies, music, books. Listen to music from home. Watch movies and videos. Call family and friends in your home country.

Try one new thing every week (8)

The new thing i did last week and this week was to try new recipes. As a naija babe, i have struggled with eating broccoli and mushrooms. We all know vegetable without leaves would naturally be eyed suspiciously by Nigerians. Surprisingly, they are fast becoming a staple.Try something fun, new and of course, outside your comfort zone!

Don't be awkward because you are different (9)

Different is great! Everything about you just got 1000% unique, embrace everything you are, including your accent. You are a little sprinkle of diversity and everyone loves that. Well not everyone but some people, hopefully you run into "some people".

Document experiences (10)

Write your memories down. Scribble them, tweet them, put them on instagram, blog about them. Social media is great for documenting experiences. Gone are the days we'd document using feather stalks and coarse paper or chisels and rocks. Think about it, if the early men and Eygptians took so much trouble to document their experiences and stories with supposedly primitive tools, what excuse do we have? Preserving experiences keeps a part of our memories alive.

Choose not to see only the negatives about your new location (11)

It's completely normal to see negatives, because subconsciously you might be comparing it to home but every place has its issues. Every place also has its beauty and the ability to evoke wonder. Embrace the privilege of seeing the other side of the pond and focus on the good.

Take it in your stride (12)

If you have huge strides and you like to jump head-first in new stuff, then do, by all means but if easy does it for you, then take in the changes in bits.

If you ever have the opportunity to live among different people, cherish it, usually it might be you are supposed to learn stuff from them. For example, the British taught me to say thank you to bus drivers, danfoo or not. The Americans make me chatty. The Swiss made me observant and made me quite confused with the valuation of currency but that's another post. The Italians made me realize that pasta rocks and dressing up is non-negotiable.

Have you had culture shock experiences? Any new things you've learnt abroad?Please share with us below.

Don't forget to enter for the give-away, ends today!