Relocation Meets Returnee

Every time I've moved in my life I've had to do it on my own.

There are people that exist in my life before the move but they conveniently find a way to not "exist" at the time of the move. But they do conveniently show up after the move to give their unsolicited advice about the move, the choice of apartment, the new space, the feng-shui of the new space, and just overall comments that you don't need to hear after going through a tumultuous move by your lonesome self. 

And it's sad because moving is one of those few times, I wish I had a man in my life. Men are so much better at that type of bullshit. Dealing with artisans - movers, electricians, AC installer, cable installer, blinds person, etc. You know, A R T I S A N S. In Nigeria, there are even more artisans as there are Landlords that don't fix shit. They own the land, build on the land, create apartment space and that's it. Tenants do the rest! They expect the tenants to do the rest. As a tenant, you have to install Air-conditioners, thoroughly fix the bathrooms, (because God knows they don't know how to build bathrooms in this country), you have to reinstall the fittings, because you know those landlords will install the cheapest of fittings. Then, there's even simple things, such as cleaning the space, they don't even bother to sweep the apartment after the previous tenant moves out. They leave it for the new tenant to handle. Also remember to call an electrician to connect your generator because you know we don't have up to 6 hours of electricity in Nigeria, and finally, the biggie, SECURITY. You have to ensure that the place is secure. Even if there are locks, you have to change the locks, buy new keys, ensure that the place is Fort Knox secure especially for a single woman. Never take it for granted. I have once and I paid for it, dearly. It's an endless wheel of hurt moving into a new space. The most painful, and foremost process to be tackled are blind (or curtain) installation and air conditioners. The 2 most essential parts of a move in Nigeria that never, NEVER, existed in America. In Nigeria, the windows are bare, wide open, sometimes even broken with torn mosquito nets and the air is tight so you need some serious ventilation and some privacy. 

So here I am, about to embark on a move in Nigeria for the umpteenth time and those 2 are yet to be installed. 

The funny thing is, I could go through moves, back to back in America. There was a certain period I was moving every year and I would go through the stress of moving and eventually feel fine, and exactly about a month later I would recover. I would even loose some LBs in the process and the end result would be a brand spanking new space in a new neighborhood waiting to be explored. 

In Nigeria, I have had to go through moves back to back and sometimes against my will, and I have to say, it is the absolute worst debilitating stress. Literally the worst. Even worse because God keeps moving me back to this crummy ass city - Port Harcourt. From the moment I came back to Nigeria, 4 days later, I had to come to Port Harcourt. It was one of the worst times of my life. I felt like I was trapped. In Hell. There was no moment of escape, pretense, acceptance of my new reality. It was like, "Welcome to Nigeria" with a high aplomb! 

I thought I would be content enough in myself and in my environment. I would make my space my Anita space but this country is so frigging screwed it's not even possible. The people here don't want anyone else to succeed. They spend a lot of time conspiring against another person. It's all so Macbeth. 

In moving, and self-discovery, you realize the folks that are your friends. You also realize so much about your tolerance. And so much about your life choices. The grass is not always greener on the other side. Your country does not really hold the sincerest of people. Even the best of jobs. You should really work with and try to perfect what you got!

On Moving and Relocation...another opportunity of self-discovery for a returnee.