Bookie Life Update: Explore Abia State with me on Twitter!

My NYSC Experience at Abia State

What I’m giving you!

I’ll be documenting my experience in Abia State(Eastern Nigeria) on Twitter.

Explore Abia with me on Twitter!

Explore this socio-cultural reality with me.

Peep my mini travelogue, see pictures.

Read my musings, tips and Corper diary.

Kekes, Pawpaw at Gate Market, Umuahia.

Where is Amethyst?

After a blissful, relaxing week spent in Kaduna after my Call to Bar Ceremony at Abuja. I returned to Abia state to continue my service year and being work at my place of primary assignment, Ministry of Justice Umuahia. All the travelling has fatigued me. I miss writing. I’ll be sharing little flash stories whenever I write.

Why did this Lagos Gem stay in Abia?

My Dad is from Arochukwu; it’s just a name and stories to me. I stayed back to do NYSC here because honestly I love experiences, exploring different socio-cultural realities and different Nigerian cities/states. I hope I can connect with my roots and pick up some Igbo.

What to expect from this travelogue/diary series?

My travelogue on Obudu Cattle Ranch Mountain Resort in Cross River is a highly read blog post. If you loved my bookie life updates on Abuja (during my externship), Yola (during law school) you want to explore Abia with me. With my creative eye, I’ll document my experience in Abia. I’m so excited.

Follow me on Twitter to get updates.

Explore Abia with me on Twitter!

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Thanks for reading Gem.

Rigata to Idu

Hey fellow bookies! How has your first 11 days in 2019 been? I hope you been breathing and readjusting to your work or school schedules with the holidays being over.

Car Selfie on the way to Rigata Train Station in Kaduna State, Nigeria.

I want to share my 5.01.19 travel diary from Kaduna State to Federal Capital Territory, Abuja to Adamawa State. I travelled from Rigata, Kaduna to Idu, Abuja by train! It was an odd experience because I kept saying ‘we’re moving so slow’. But in truth, the journey was smooth and quick. I usually travel by road or air so it was new experience. The landscape was littered with dark granite deposits on sandy desert terrain, sparse sandy brown and green foliage. The train was air-conditioned and my seatmate was really cool.

Idu Train Station in Abuja, Nigeria. The arid harmattan is a filter.

We arrived at Abuja a few minutes after 2 hours. Then I had to roll my bags. (PS: I’m never packing 4 heavy bags on such a trip again.) Although, my seatmate helped me out with it. An uncle picked me up then drove me on vast, tarred express roads to the Airport. My blue, 55mins flight took me to the Yola International Airport.

FCT Abuja in Nigeria

I’m back to Yola for the Nigerian Law School 2nd Term. The end of Week 6 is here and we’ve finally been split into groups. I hope you’ve been enjoying the stories I’ve published so far in 2019. Scroll down to catch up.

Don’t forget to care for yourself this weekend!

MOUNTAINOUS CLOUD

 

I dozed off and awoke up slowly by sharp jolts from the bumpy expressway. The passenger seat of the Muscle was slightly reclined to allow me sleep. The vast Lasgidi Mainland skyline once navy blue, dark was brightening up with dawn. My half raised eyelids saw ash and pale blue skyline dotted with passing off white clouds. It seemed like 5 mins ago we had left our sleep-over spot. My tired eyes became alert at the sight of the dark cloud.

It was large, mountainous and filled the right side of the approaching Ikorodu horizon. I had to blink, twice.  The cloud was dark grey and looked like the silhouette of a mountain peeking through a harmattan fog. As I peered at it some more it felt like I was looking at a similar mountain on a glistening expressway en-route to Ikom, Cross River State.

The Muscle sleekly sped closer to the horizon on the coiling road. With each passing bus stop we inched closer to our home. The silhouette grew in size. The road was brightening up with the clearing skyline. The sun had not shone through the ash- pale blu sky.  A few trucks, a motorcycle, some yellow Danfo buses were on the expressway. Many filling stations we passed weren’t open. It was just 6:30 am. I relaxed into the soft reclined seat and closed my eyes. Immediately a memory stamped out the darkness. I was seated upright in the less comfortable backseat of a caravan, looking ahead at a two lane expressway brightened by shining sun. Vegetation, trees, cocoa and palm plantations stretched across both sides of the road  as the caravan sped by. The chilled cup-cake fragrant wind blew into my face. I heard chatter in a language I didn’t understand, Efik or Igbo? Some Pidgin English and the low buzz of Afro-Fusion coming from my boyfriend’s Apple earphones added to the sounds of that road trip. Just as my eyesight returned to the open African literature novel and its funny characters. I blinked open my eyes. The car was off the expressway and onto Ebute road. It navigated bumps and portholes as it moved past familiar landmarks towards the Dangote refinery roundabout. Almost home. The cloud had long since drifted away like the memory of my Christmas vacation exploring cool, breathtakingly beautiful Cross River State.