Today’s blog
Lynn Murphy Mark
Out of Africa
Last night I spoke to Jackie. She and Momoh and Cameron and Xander were lounging in comfort in an airline passenger lounge that featured plenty of snacks, and a television for the boys to watch. Xander was having his usual battle with a dinosaur in each hand attacking each other. Her has been clunking things together since he was old enough to hold something in each hand. He was not too interested in the television as long as he had his dinosaur friends to keep him company. Cameron might have been making the rounds of the snacks.
The four of them were waiting to board a flight to Paris, France, where they would change planes and fly to Nigeria, Momoh’s country where he grew up. While he is now a US Citizen, Nigeria allows him to have dual citizenship. He was supposed to renounce his Nigerian status when he was sworn in as a citizen, because we do not allow dual citizenship in this country. Anyway, he even got the boys, born here, their own Nigerian passports.
The last few weeks have been devoted to preparing for a 26 day trip to Africa. The most dramatic episode was when the boys had to have injections to protect them from malaria and other possible diseases. Jackie says they put on an Oscar-worthy show of protest, complete with hysterics and loud exclamations of “I don’t want to go to Africa!!!”. She said she was embarrassed until the nurse told her he had once spent an hour trying to get a shot into a kid’s arm. I reminded her that as a middle school nurse I had dealt with similar performances in my nurse’s office. It happens.
By now they might be landing in Abuja, the capitol city of Nigeria. It is a fair sized city with a huge Hilton Hotel complex where they will hang out for five days. The boys will meet at least two cousins, Aunts and Uncles, and their Great-Grandmother who might be 83, or maybe 93 years old.
Then they travel to Namibia. Momoh chooses countries in Africa that he has not traveled to, and Namibia has many exciting things to do that the boys will love. It is a haven for wild animals, including a large Cheetah population. They will stay in the two National Parks, where watching animals is the goal. It is a country whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. I think they might be going there as well. Momoh sent out a detailed itinerary, so we folks at home can imagine where they are every day.
Namibia is one of the African countries that was granted independence from foreign oversight as recently as March 21, 1990. Germany was the main colonizer, and rumor has it that in some towns you can get authentic German apple strudel. Food choices in Africa may be a challenge, especially for Mr. Picky Eater, Cameron. Momoh, of course, is looking forward to eating the food of his childhood with its rich tastes and spices. I did warn him against repeating some unfortunate food from a street vendor the last time he was there. He paid the usual gastronomic price that comes with eating food that may or may not be of the best quality. He claims he can’t guarantee that he won’t do it again, as he will be in search of the familiar flavors that he misses here in the USA.
Momoh and Xander will enjoy some dishes with goat meat. Xander is much more adventuresome than his older brother or his mother. Jackie is more or less a chicken-eating “vegetarian”, and does not do spices well. Too bad, because the Nigerian food that Momoh prepares when we visit is delicious and spicy!
This morning I have a picture of my grandsons landing where half of their heritage is from. I am so grateful that their parents travel everywhere with them, and that they are excited about seeing different parts of our Earth. They are becoming true Citizens of the World!