ktravula – a travelogue!

Three Degrees Centigrade

I think today is the coldest I’ve experienced so far in Illinois. Looking at the weather temperature gauge, I am horrified by what I see and feel: it’s three degrees Centigrade! America uses the Fahrenheit system, and that would translate to something like forty. In Lagos today, it’s 86 degrees F (or 30 degrees C), yet as far as Illinois temperature is concerned, this is not even cold yet, but just the beginning. We’re still in the fall, heading towards the winter with almost zero degrees Fahrenheit. I still have plenty more days of sunlight before daylight savings time which comes with longer nights and shorter days.IMG_0001

Yesterday while looking through the photo album of a fellow FLTA in Colorado, I saw snow, and wondered aloud how this came to be. A little more inquiry tells me that I should indeed count my blessings. For right now, in October, the rocky mountain state of Colorado is already covered in snow. I can only imagine what it would be like over there in December, and February. Yes, I am counting my blessings even as I lay here freezing within a four-piece clothing that marks me out like a Soviet spy, and with smoke coming out of my mouth as I speak.

Lying in bed, I wonder why I no longer find warmth within its soft embrace. It used to be where to go and hide when everywhere else got cold. Now the cold bites more even from within the folds of the bed spread. One thing is sure now: I’d most likely spend more time in the hot shower now than I’ve done before. And sad but inevitably, the days of my bike riding are coming slowly to an end.

Three Degrees Centigrade was published on October 11th, 2009, with the tags , , under the Soliloquy category. There are currently no comments on this article so far.

Come Autumn.

scan0006“I wanna live. I don’t wanna die. That’s the whole meaning of life: Not dying! I figured that sh*t out by myself in the third grade.”

– George Carlin (1937-2008)

Come Autumn. was published on October 1st, 2009, with the tags , , , , under the Art, Fun, Soliloquy category. There are currently no comments on this article so far.

10 Reasons Why I Love The Cold Weather

10. It is definitely better than the hot weather.190920091337

9. It’s given me an excuse to shop for some really nice clothes and shoes.

8. It gives me a reason to always be in a crowd. It definitely helps when one is in a community of people.

7. I have to take hot baths everyday.

6. I don’t get to sweat much.

5. It is cozy. It gives me an excuse to stay in bed longer.

4. I definitely look better than I looked two months ago, and for that, I credit the cold.

3. It has provided an excuse for me to get/sit close to those who smoke, just so that I can get a little whiff of their hot smoke, without holding the cigarettes in my hands. Wait a minute. Is this a good thing or not?

2. It will at least give me a chance to see snow. I can’t wait to see the Cougar Lake freeze over so I can walk on it.

1. It gives me an excuse to eat more food, fatten up, drink tea, coffee and hot chocolates.

See you all next month, and thank you for being there. Thank you T, for making me write this. Have a nice Anniversary Celebration tomorrow, Nigeria. May you have something to celebrate.

10 Reasons Why I Love The Cold Weather was published on September 30th, 2009, with the tags , , , under the Observations, Soliloquy category. There are currently 2 comments on this article so far.

10 Reasons Why I Hate The Cold Weather

30092009146910. It lasts for too long. I’ve been here since August, and from what I hear, it will get colder and colder until March.

9. It has cost me a fortune in buying coats, gloves, and boots, hats and shawls that I might not need anymore by the time I leave here in the spring.

8. It has a way of showing me out of a crowd. Wearing three shirts and a sweater, it’s never hard to pick me out of a crowd, especially when everyone else is wearing just one shirt and jeans each, and some in shorts.

7. I have to take hot baths every day.

6. It is windy, and often unpredictable.

5. It keeps me in bed longer.

4. It has dried up my skin, and now my palms look like a snake changing skins. I also think I’m getting fairer complexioned.

3. It’s unavoidable, inescapable. Being claustrophobic. I know that there will be a time when it will make me feel like I’ve been stacked in a cold freezer, with nowhere to go, and it will feel like the end of the world. What will I do then?

2. It will soon prevent me from riding my bike when it starts snowing, or typing blog posts when I have to wear gloves all day.

1. Nobody seems to have anything else to say to me when I broach the topic other than: “Oh no, this is not cold yet. Wait until a few weeks/months time.”


Watch out for 10 reasons why I Love The Cold Weather

10 Reasons Why I Hate The Cold Weather was published on September 30th, 2009, with the tags , , , under the Observations, Soliloquy, Uncategorized category. There are currently 1 comment on this article so far.

Heading Eastwards

I have just received a very pleasant news, that I will be going to Washington DC in December for the annual FulbrHyatt, DCight FLTA Conference. It is not a totally unexpected news, but coming today, it is a pleasant beacon of warm hope waiting for me in the city of the Capitol.

Illinois is getting really cold, as we approach the last days of the fall season. Today in class my students kindly informed me that I should start doing my shopping for leather boots and hats as it might drop up to 30degrees totally unexpectedly anytime soon. I thank them. My nice leather gift shoes from Laurensonline in Lagos will now have to give way to really heavy stuff that reach up to the ankle and can withstand snow and ice rain.

Speaking of Washington DC and the East Coast, I made another interesting discovery today, that someone in the State Department has been reading my blog, or at least has discovered it. It was a pleasant surprise to get some commendation on content and design, and a mild admonition that I had forgotten to state clearly in my about page that this blog is NOT an official Fulbright FLTA site. Of course it’s not. It just one man’s head split open publicly. That man just happened to have been young, Yoruba and loquacious, grateful to have been chosen to go on a Fulbright FLTA programme in the United States. Let this be another disclaimer that the thoughts are solely mine. It is the random thoughts of a Nigerian soul in an America space. That said, let me look forward to meeting the Secretary of State in December, shaking her hands and taking pictures with her. Now what are the odds of that far-fetched eventuality? But if my dealings with serendipity is anything to go by, I won’t be surprised if this ever comes to pass.

I have seen the picture of the hotel in which I will be lodged in December along with the other Fulbright FLTA students. It is beautiful. And guess what, it is just a stone-throw from the Capitol. I will sleep well tonight, just thinking about it.

Heading Eastwards was published on September 23rd, 2009, with the tags , , , , , , , , under the adventures, Travelling category. There are currently 1 comment on this article so far.