On January and the Friggin’ Weather

I was almost surprised to discover that it is already the 26th of January 2010. Oh how time flies. It was just a few days ago that this new decade began with fireworks and an almost panty bomb. And just like that, we’re already one month up the new dozen ladders of this new year. Impressive indeed. At ktravula.com, you know what that means, don’t you? It means that we’re getting close to another season of 10 Reasons. I still have no idea what we’ll be debating this time. But the blog always surprises. In a related info, by the end of this month I’d have blogged for six straight months on ktravula.com. What would that make me? A blogaholic? I think so. All I need is a dose of Nigeria to cure me of this malady. Today I heard that another opposition politician in the country was assassinated in Ogun State. Very classy indeed. What a good thing to spend the quality time of state doing – assassinating opposition. My country is never short of deep depressing distractions.

In other news, the Winter season here has proven not to be Winter at all, but a winker one. I just don’t understand the darned weather at all. One day it’s freezing cold, and the other day, it’s hot. In the evening, it rains. I brought it to the attention of my students in class today and they gave me this wonderful nugget peculiar to Illinois, particularly Edwardsville: “You don’t like the weather? Just wait a few minutes!” I mean seriously, I’m depressed by its inconsistency. It just never stays too long to be defined. The ktravulake has refused to stay frozen long enough for me to play on it. It started de-freezing on the very first day of my planned play, and it has not frozen again since then, thanks to the weather. Well, it snowed today, but only for a little while. Let’s see for how long it stays cold before it warms up again.

I heard there was Harmattan in Nigeria. It was funny because I first heard it from a friend on gmail chat who had just gone to heat water for a shower. I was curious about how cold it could have been to necessitate boiling water, so I went to weather.com to see for myself. It was 28 degrees Celcious (82.4 degrees F). What? If we get that kind of temperature here, it will be called summer! I guess that explains why the first time I got off the plane, I was wearing three thick shirts and an overcoat. And that was in August. 28 degrees Celcius looks more like a very hot day to me right now, and Lagos and Ibadan people have absolutely no reason to take showers with hot water. Trust me 😀 If you doubt me, just take a look at the blog temperature on the upper right hand corner.

PS: I’m still waiting for the first bid on my KTravulartworks, seen on the wall of my apartment – without a frame – in that photo. The offer is still good to donate all profits to victims of disaster in Jos and in Haiti, so send me an email at ktravulart@ktravula.com to make an offer. It is your chance to get a beautiful artwork in your living room while donating money to a worthy cause. There’s nothing as fulfilling as killing two beasts with one shot. Is there?

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.