Remembering everyone

[Bashorun 1]

Hello Bashorun,

You have quoted me, but I agreed with your impression of the posting. I do not feel that the OP meant harm in her posting and it was filled with love and compassion formed from her United States perspective.

My impression is that Nigerian people are pride filled people. They work hard, worship hard, and value family.

Maybe you quoted me because I was the last post, but it looks like your are talking to me.

When I first read the post I thought the same thing as Bashurom. My husband's family and culture is so rich in tradition. I am looking forward to him sharing/incorporating that with our family. I think the traditions of family and church at Christmas are most important. Living inspirit with the reason why we celebrate Christmas.

Next year any gifts that are swapped at home have to be hand made, recycled, or made in the state of Maine.

My nieces spent the weekend in preparation for our family get together on Sunday before Christmas. My niece of 5 years said "I do not need Christmas gifts from you, because being here with you is like a gift." I was so moved.

Well sorry sister but someone has to correct the wrong impression americans has about africa, and who is going to do that??? An african native just like me. U won't believe how ignorant people are about africa but at the same time i don't blame them alone but the media thats make it even worse. I fight it everyday at work becos some ignorant people think becos am from africa, i shouldn't have gotten educated, i shouldn't be able to talk the way i talk, i shouldn't be able to make a wise comment about an issue. And when they try to bring me down, they say he's from africa like that has to demerit any wise or constructive idea I have brought to the table. I have to start first by saying, excuse me, am from nigeria, a country like the United States and nigeria is a country from the continent of africa. Go back to geography class.

Hey if U can't stand a correction then u better not post. When we are ready to post in a forum like VJ then we should be ready for someone to be against what we think, if we don't want that then something is wrong in that picture. It would only go out of line if I desrespect the poster which i will never do with my comments but rather inform and educate the posted of what i seem to know better so we can all learn from each other at the end of it all. That is the reason for VJ isn't it?? The person that posted whatever she posted has addressed her issue properly where the hell did U come from? I think U don't have an idea of where to contribute ur vent but rather my just friendly way of addressing an issue that i may think is wrong about africa. So when next U want to pick a fight for urself, pls pick the right one, this one u picked is definately the wrong one.

Happy New Year in advance!

sorry bout that Mrs Jibowu, I was going to quote ebonyqueen but becos u r the last on the topic I made that mistake. Yeah I know the poster meant well but some people may take it the wrong way so for the benefit of everybody I decided to make the comment I made. Just imagine a Nigerian reading from a forum about someone saying why did U marry a Nigerian? they are dirty stinking people and they don't believe in deodorant!!! damn, that is the igorant kind of comment I was just not wanting someone else to pass on.

Probably they don't believe in deodorant becos they take a shower 2, 3 times a day and unlike some people that won't even take a shower for a week and all they do is use deodorant to cover what stinks. How many american SO here married to Nigerians are tired of seeing ur SO take a shower 2, 3 times a day??? That becos they believe in being clean the natural ways.

The reason why i replied to that comment is becos someone may be sitting and reading and at the same time get a negative impression from what the poster was actually trying to drive in. I will continue to spread the african gospel as much as i can, like they say knowledge is power rite? (smiling)

I don't normally post but i always read I only post when I see a wrong impression been made. But some of U may know me by Lekan.

Have a good one

[Zee Bee 61]

[ebonyqueen 0]

WHOA...hold on there

First off...I am not the one who turned a positive post about lovin and prayin for all the people of the world who are less fortunate, into a negative post about assuming the original poster was in someway tryin to say something different! It is very plain to see that her first comment was a personal account of her feelings about "her" family. Not about every Nigerian or African family. The rest of it was thoughtful and loving.

U the one who needs to pick ur fights. I have seen tons of posts on here bashing Nigerians and Africans, why don't u go there and rile things up.

Sounds like u are angry with the way u are being treated by people in your everyday life..Well those are issues to take up with them... The people on VJ are not ur enemy. Out of all the people in America, dont u think those of us married to, or engaged to Africans are in better understanding? We kno as much as we could possibly kno without having lived or been raised there. No one can ever kno another culture fully if they were not born into it. Same with u coming here...u will gain understanding, learn more every day, and settle into the norm...but u will never be an AMERICAN, just like none of us will be an AFRICAN. The advantage u have is that u get to live and experience our lifestyle to better understand it. We only have the short time we spend in Africa, and what our husband shares with us, to learn by.

My point is...dont blame us for not being able to kno everything. And plsssssssssss dont put us in the category with the ignorant people u speak of.

Where did I come from u ask....I came from the ghetto of the the Bronx NY...and I am proud to say I am a well educated, professional black woman who came up from poverty on my own. I have been coming to this site for a long time and just reading everything. But the tone of this forum has gotton so negative that I cant hold my tongue anymore. I came to this thread specifically becuz I thought it was a positive posting when I clicked on it. But as usual, it got turned around as so many of them do on here. Its such a shame.

If u want to educate...try starting in your own backyard. And get used to people making false judgements about u....its human nature. (I got my share of "american" sterotypes when I was in Nigeria) Just dont blame everyone for the ignorance of a few.

[Bashorun 1]

WHOA...hold on there

First off...I am not the one who turned a positive post about lovin and prayin for all the people of the world who are less fortunate, into a negative post about assuming the original poster was in someway tryin to say something different! It is very plain to see that her first comment was a personal account of her feelings about "her" family. Not about every Nigerian or African family. The rest of it was thoughtful and loving.

U the one who needs to pick ur fights. I have seen tons of posts on here bashing Nigerians and Africans, why don't u go there and rile things up.

Sounds like u are angry with the way u are being treated by people in your everyday life..Well those are issues to take up with them... The people on VJ are not ur enemy. Out of all the people in America, dont u think those of us married to, or engaged to Africans are in better understanding? We kno as much as we could possibly kno without having lived or been raised there. No one can ever kno another culture fully if they were not born into it. Same with u coming here...u will gain understanding, learn more every day, and settle into the norm...but u will never be an AMERICAN, just like none of us will be an AFRICAN. The advantage u have is that u get to live and experience our lifestyle to better understand it. We only have the short time we spend in Africa, and what our husband shares with us, to learn by.

My point is...dont blame us for not being able to kno everything. And plsssssssssss dont put us in the category with the ignorant people u speak of.

Where did I come from u ask....I came from the ghetto of the the Bronx NY...and I am proud to say I am a well educated, professional black woman who came up from poverty on my own. I have been coming to this site for a long time and just reading everything. But the tone of this forum has gotton so negative that I cant hold my tongue anymore. I came to this thread specifically becuz I thought it was a positive posting when I clicked on it. But as usual, it got turned around as so many of them do on here. Its such a shame.

If u want to educate...try starting in your own backyard. And get used to people making false judgements about u....its human nature. (I got my share of "american" sterotypes when I was in Nigeria) Just dont blame everyone for the ignorance of a few.

Well, what else can I say, U missing the point and I can see U just wanna fight, well am not ready for that. Am not going to be a part of the kind of attitude U ready to bring on, so enjoy VJ the way it is.

[Enlighten one :) 5]

I read this person's experience of christmas in Nigeria. It sounds like so much fun. The spirit of family, friends, and Jesus.

<Quote>

christmas Eve, stew is made. start from the mid of month, family go shop for clothes, or stop by the tailor/fashion designer to collect your latest style.

morning of 24, you go to sasa (a good market for stew stuffs) to shop for tomatoes, atarodo, tatashe, tin tomatoes, oil and onions

father goes off to bodija for the live goat/agric fowl, tolontolon or cow.

mother goes off to bodija for the Uncle ben rice and asorted stuffs

24 evening, while dad busy killing the fowl/goat, mother starts clean the tomatoes, tatashe and onion/rodo

once done cleaning, oya off to engine for blending then she boils it till thicken. meanwhile, mother collects all the ngwogwo for peppersoup

the kids busy surrounding dad looking for little meat to roast.

if it is fowl, the kids are given the job of removing the feather

some kids get themselves busy with knockout, bisco etc

lots of christmas music , etc.

after cleaning of the fowl/goat/cow meat, cooking is next, olalala the aroma is more than words can say

once the meat is well cooked, ororo (vegetable oil) is place on fire for frying of the cooked meat.

next is making the real stew, nothing like christmas rice in nigeria always delicious.

christmas eve service at about 8pm or so. it continues till midnight depending on when the service started.

once sevice is ended everyone go in peace the service is ended but some start the fun beating drum and stopping over any known members home. ha, fun plenty o.

some people go home right after service.

early morning on 25th, mother start cooking rice, warming the large pot of stew. bean is also cooked some guys love their rice with beans.

kids start cleaning the whole place, re arrange everywhere in the house.

at 7am, get ready for church if possible. if not, stay in the kitchen with mother and watch her cook + run errands.

once everything is ready, most share food with other nearby neighbors. come see wacking and tasting.

then off to shower and dressing up with willy willy makeup kids always funny

later during the day, ojuju start coming out and you watch different fanfare from different tribes

my little childhood memory </quote>