Tour guide, Day at the library and the "O" factor

My weekend was great. Went to church with my Ghanaian friends (they worship just like Nigerians too), i had a swell time. Fashie the heels i wore o, I really boogied down to the songs, ehn, it wasn't even easy. I really did get my Holy ghost groove on, and gave Jesus enough wipers (waving your hand in the air during worship). My MCAT books arrived today, i tell you the books are humongous (sp). If not that i'm determined to take this exam, and take it wellu well, i could've been easily intimidated by the size. Me wey cross 7 rivers, 7 seas and land, if we come put Atlantic join am, nko and even the Sahara sef, before i take reach Yankee, shey i go let ordinary size of the 5 books weigh me down? Tufiakwa, shebi na read i go read and i don tell Baba God say i wan take the exam just once and excel in it, so my brodas and sistas, remember me for una prayers o.

I had the orientation for my part-time job as a tour guide today in school. That went well too. After that, i was in the public library for over 3 hours jacking (as my fake A-Hall school son, Uzo would say, booking) seriously. I decided against going to the school library, 'cos i think the place is jinxed. For real mehn, oya tell me, how come whenever i go in there to study, the minute i get there, i start feeling sleepy. There was one day, i slept and even missed two back-to-back classes. Thank God i didn't have quizzes that day. You'll think i just blew you a big fabu (lie) and that maybe it's just me, but it isn't. I have proof; the same thing happens to my friend, M. No matter how much caffeine i poison my system with, that still doesn't prevent me from dosing. Okay, lemme tell the truth, maybe me too i caused it small, just small o, 'cos of where i sit whenever i go there, i sit in the most comfy sofa.

My very good friend, James, a Kenyan BTW called me one day saying he had something serious to discuss with me. Me too, thinking say na better talk him wan talk, 'cos he doesn't just call me like that, except he needs something of course, i called back ASAP. He now started saying that why is it that most Nigerians end everything they say with "O." For example o, leave me alone o. I laughed long and hard for 2 reasons: (1) Why it was bothering him so much and even with the seriousness in his yeye face and (2) 'cos it was very true. I now explained it to him like this, that it's only when you're familiar with the person and u're relating to them like they're ur personal person (paddy from way back). Of course, i won't talk like that to my professor. In as much as it is done unconsciously, we still know when to be plagued by the "O" disease and when not to. Whenever he sees me now, the next thing you hear is, "Kokoro Ewa o, how're you o." Take for example, Ghanaians say, "Chale this, chale that." Even though i really dunno what it means, i think it's just like our "O" 'cos they use the word even when they're speaking fluent english.

When my little cousin came to Lagos for just 3 weeks, he was about 5 then, by the time he was leaving, he was already punctuating his sentences with "o." Even now that he's 11 when he's talking to family, the boy (born, bred and buttered in Yankee) still adds his "O." When asked why he does that, he says it's "Nigerian English" Imagine?!?! Right there and then, if his playmate is there, he switches to fonee (phonee, whichever way u spell it, jo). See me see trouble o, abi how you take see am. Anyway, that's what makes me an ijinle pampam (true) Naija girl jare, and i'm not ready to change it. Imagine just how boring life would be, if all we spoke was our Colonial masters' (Queen's) English, without the pidgin (broken) English and jo, o, jare, sha's added to spice it up? Come to think of it, i wonder how i even learnt all this broken and bastardized English i throw in every now and then. We always spoke proper English while growing up, as per mumsy was a teacher, we were forbidden to speak "improper" English, u could even chop koboko (whip) for that.

Anyway, i don yarn enough dust for today. Till i come back with more tori, my fellow blog readers, Remain blessed and highly favored.