This weekend was hella busy! It was the 16th annual Nigerian Reunion, and it was held here in Baltimore, Maryland at the Hunt Valley Inn (formerly Hunt Valley Marriott, as of two weeks ago).
Friday: I didn’t do much on Friday, except visit the nail salon and cook a pot of fish stew. I did things in between, of course, but I cannot remember what exactly they were.
Saturday: I woke up early so I could be at the Nigerian Reunion townhall meeting (I was a part of the panel), and which was slated to start at 9AM. I knew it would be a cold day in hell before that event started at 9AM because (1) My people don’t typically start anything on time, and (2) 9AM was too early for a town hall meeting, and (3) The people partied till 5AM the night before. Still, I got there at 8:40AM.
The president of NRC (Nigerian Reunion Corporation), Mr. Segun Adeyina took us for breakfast (the panelists) where we introduced ourselves and built some rapport. I was in awe of the caliber of people that I was sitting next to and talking with, people (Nigerians) that were not doing the status quo, but instead, going out there and doing big things.
The event finally started at about 11AM. We all had intelligent things to say about the state of Nigeria, and how we can – individually – make a change. By the end of the event, I had learned a lot. Like how Nigerians don’t typically socialize with Americans, like how Nigerians – home and abroad – are not united, like how we do not use our power in America (like the Arabs, Jews, etc), and how we can and should not be satisfied with the status quo.
After the town hall meeting, we socialized outside for a bit, and then we (Igwe and I) went home to change and take a nap (not in this particular order). We came back at 7pm for the Image Awards. We took pictures, ate, drank, and enjoyed the show. Helen Paul and Wamilele were the hosts, and we saw performances by Mike Okri, Janelia, and Ice Prince.
Before these performances, we had dancers – don’t know the name of their group, and we watched Femi the Entertainer give us an outstanding performance as President Barack Obama. There were lots of stars, and the best part was that we were sitted right behind them. They laughed with us, shook hands with us, and even invited us for a sleepover in their home. Okay, that last part was a lie.
Among the stars sitting in front of us were DJ Jimmy Jatt, Mike Okri, Audu Maikori (Founder/CEO of Chocolate City), Paul Play, Seyi Sodimu (Love Me Jeje, Love Me Tender guy), Helen Paul (after she was done with her hosting skit), and much more. By the way, Helen Paul is really short. That surprised us. I told her, too, that her TV height was extremely deceptive. She laughed and said it as a secret. Oh, and we got free Helen Paul CDs. Didn’t even know she sings.
Sunday: No church. Woke up an hour after church started and decided to respect myself and stay home. Did some Verastic work, and then got ready for the live comedy show by Basket Mouth (called Basket Mouth Uncensored). He was so flippin’ funny!!! And the ticket only cost $20. He literally entertained us non stop for almost three hours. No opening acts. No breaks. No help.
After the show, I got to meet and socialize with some of my listeners and readers whom I had never met before. Was pretty awesome!!
Most valuable lesson learned from Basket Mouth: “Prick wey don hard no dey get conscience.” [Translation: A hard penis has no conscience.”
I have another post coming up about the Nigerian Reunion. That one will be more detailed, and will include pictures and videos. Meanwhile, I got to meet some of my readers and listeners. It was pretty awesome!
How was your weekend?
