I just had an out-of-body experience driving to work this morning. I live in a city I have nothing in common with, how did I get here? The only way I have survived here thus far is by frequently going on vacation to nearby cities.
Lagos, Nigeria according to a friend that dared to visit 'has no charm whatsoever,' sometimes I believe this statement and I guess today was one of those times. A city with so much potential and every day I see it being ploughed down like the old colonial houses that have to make room for the new high rises 'cause for some reason people keep migrating here.
My frustration lies in the fact that Lagos, a huge metropolis which originated from Islands separated by creeks, is empty. It exists purely on hype. The boredom that overcomes me sometimes is scary, I mean work has become my social life. What happened to the excitement you feel when you've discovered something for the first time, these days I get that when a new lounge or restaurant opens up and I wouldn't call it excitement, more like an 'ah' feeling that lasts exactly 5 seconds. The sad thing is, according to gist, Lagos is considered the most exciting city in Nigeria, wtf?
I love what Governor Fashola is doing, I mean it looks really pretty, but how about the Mallams on the street corners, our own kind of Bodega, or the women that sell roasted corn and Boli on the roadside, that was actually a remnant of the cool that once was, when one could walk down the street and be shaded by the trees and actually get there without being run over by either a bus or an Okada, the simpler times. Could it be that exposure has me craving more than what was satisfactory in the past or am I just old and going through the motions?
One thing I realise is that I probably have to make something happen or else this is it, so this is my new mission, God help me!
