Message

Jenny, 19 August 2007
Nigeria akwanga

last news from Nigeria

Tailors

I will miss going to the tailors shop. The noise of the sewing machines, the chat in Hausa and laughing, the shouting of various women who come in and find their clothes unfinished, the bargaining and beating of prices down, the smile of Alhaji with a blade between his lips, the smell of the burning iron, the loud easy listening music blaring and accompanying singing and sitting down dancing of all the tailors, the colourful piles of cloth piled up high and the excitement of getting a new outfit designed and made especially for me.


Time

I am going to have to try to get used to being on time now that I will very soon be back in a land where time stops for no-one. I have got used to being late for meetings – my record so far is 3 hours. Telling friends that I’ll see them around 4pm, which in reality means anytime before 5pm, waiting for someone for “just 10 minutes” and next realising that it’s been about an hour, asking how long a journey will take and the time underestimated by a few hours, rolling up for functions about 2 hours late and being early, slowing down, not wearing a watch, eating when I am hungry and sleeping when I am tired… I much prefer this attitude towards time, so I am warning you, it may take a while to adjust, give me some slack to start with!!


Language

I thought it might be worth noting a few language differences that I’ve got used to saying, please print and refer to when engaging in a conversation with me.

“I’m coming,” said when walking away but knowing that eventually you will come back.
“Sorry” when someone is sick, trips while walking, has had bad news, sneezes, or has any minor/major accident that is not at all related to you.
“Eh” yes.
“Light” electricity.
“Is there light?”
“ They’ve taken light.”
“On the light”
“Off the light”
“Well done” – can be said when you pass someone doing some work (farming, sweeping, reading, cooking, writing, sitting at desk) Can be said for doing nothing in particular, more like “well done for being you” can be said when you think that the person did a good job at anything. Very sincere and not at all sarcastic, sarcasm does not really exist here. Could be interpreted from our culture as being very patronising but not taken in that way.
“sannu” hello or filler in word
“wahallah” – trouble
no wahallah or ba wahallah – no trouble
“yauwa” – difficult to find a similar word, it is said after someone has greeting you, or as a kind of “you’ve got it”, very expressionistic and sounds good!
“How’s your body?” said when you are sick or getting better.

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