My Fatherland

Nigeria. What do I tell you about this place? This is the place I truely call my first home. Here is
where the lump of clay that I was, got its first impression. And what an impression. I have no qualms about stating the fact that I would not be the person I am today had it not been for the time spent in Nigeria with her people. Nice folks down there I tell you. Thought they have the queerest lingo one might come across if on a world tour. Pidgin English is what it de be called o! You no de understand aam right if eh de speak to you. But slow slow u go get it. Wetin de stare at? I no no make aam o... if u laugh at me I go woze you finis.

Then there was Indian Language School... ILS... (I could rat off a choice of full forms we creatively came up with but lets not digress). The friends that I made there.... the teachers who instructed us... the local non-teaching staff that attended to us... each a class on their own. I would have never in my wildest dreams thought that a decade down the line, ILS would offer me something more.... precious..... that it would be the origin of my life's most painful lesson.....