This Week
Ah, I do not feel good. I arrived in Maryland after a somewhat scary flight ( I can't remember how many times I prayed the rosary), and slept all day. I didn't know I was so tired until I hit the couch. Today I went to get my glasses (they're so damn cute!!!). I actually picked out a guy's pair for my second pair, but they look so good on me. It's been quite a week for me though.
Monday: Veteran's Day
I was honestly confused. I don't even know what Veteran's Day is about, but my guess is it's to honor old army and military personnel who have served their country, past and present. When I took the time to ask someone about this, they told me that it is one of the most celebrated days of the year, and that many honor these amazing people by looking for flagpoles from somewhere like Flagpoles Etc (https://flagpolesetc.com/blog/flagpole-lighting-options) and flying the American flag for all to see. He told me that it is a great way to remember those who have sacrificed so much for their country over the years. And whilst I didn't know what it was to start with, I have to say that this is one of the best things I've ever heard. All countries should do the same to honor their own soldiers and army personnel. I'm proud to be part of such a momentous occasion this year. My uni also thought it would be great to combine it with some good old community service. That, I was also clueless about. I thought we were going to hang around the school and wash some cars and stuff. I had no idea we would be going to different places and working on lots of diverse stuff. I initially wanted to go to Target or a similar supermarket; I knew I would get to socialize with a lot of people shopping there, especially since holidays can be a good time to collect coupons and promo codes (like the ones you can discover here) and do some cheap shopping. However, all such places that were on the list of places to serve at were filled up, so I ended up going to the Boys and Girls club with Pauleisha's team.
At first, it felt like the place was overflowing with students, and it seemed like there were more uni kids than actual kids, but we played an American version of "Form a big circle." The kids were sweet. And I met a guy that I never knew was in my year. Honestly, I'd never seen him before. But he was nice. No.... there is no potential of a love interest there, so stop wishing.
Tuesday: My Speech
It was fantastic!! If I say so myself. I delivered a speech, aided with a powerpoint presentation on Facial Scarifications in Nigeria and Western Africa which I wrote a fantastic essay on previously, and my professor was just blown away. Ahhh, the sweet smell of success. Not quite the smell of overdue homework which is about to choke me at this point.
Wednesday: Intercultural Food Night and My Culinary Debut
Thanks to Nneka, I can cook! Or I can pretend that I can cook and bask in the admiration of those that don't know better.. The original plan was to make Goat Meat Peppersoup, but student services mixed up the ingredient list, and this greedy girl from Jamaica hustled all our goat meat, so we switched modes and decided to make Jollof Rice.
Cooking Nigerian food takes so long. Honestly, there is no fast way to do it. Darling Charla-Maye let us use her kitchen, so that made things so much easier. Of course, we left them a pot of rice and chicken in thanksgiving (no pun intended). Our food turned out to be more than a hit. After setting out all the food in the warmers, I nipped back to my room to shower quickly and change because cooking for six hours left me smelling like onions and cayenne pepper. So in the spirit of the International thingy, I slipped into my ankara skirt that billows as I hurry down the stairs. It's simply marvellous.
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The food is gone. All I met was upturned plates, and forks and spoons. We had cleaned out in under three minutes reportedly. I didn't even get to see people eat my own food! But it was great because all the other countries still had full pans of food. Nigeria rocks everybody!! But we specials already knew that.