Small Enjoyment, Plenty Shege
However, I’m glad I had small enjoyment cos the shege I beheld in April, Lordy Lord!
One thing I will tell you about my trip to Bonn is that a good time was had. My friend enjoyed my company so much that he asked me to stay a day longer. And as a good friend, I did. This is one of the benefits of being jobless. So fire your boss!
I got to Bonn on the night of the Thursday before Good Friday. I figured the train wouldn’t be packed if I travelled on Thursday. Jokes on me, everyone was on the street too. Day 1 in Bonn, my friend and I went for a birthday brunch. I had my concerns as I didn’t know anyone but my friend. But it was a good crowd. Good jokes were told. There was plenty to eat and drink. What more could I have asked for?
On Saturday, I went on a date. My date was good vibes. We first got tea (I’m always down for tea), then took a walk talking about movies, music and books. We walked into Thalia bookstore, a bookstore that used to be a theatre. Then at night, it was party time. My friend, his friend and I went for a pre-party drink that my friend had been invited to. I thought we would meet two or three people at this pre-party drink. Imagine my surprise when I walked in and there were 7 other good-looking people. And they all complimented me. Getting complimented by hot people hit differently. A few glasses, people getting roasted, new contacts made and we all went to shake what our mama gave us or didn’t give some of us (aka me with my flat bum bum). A few other things happened, but this is the part we live things that happened in Bonn to stay in Bonn.
However, I’m glad I had small enjoyment cos the shege I beheld in April, Lordy Lord!
Starting a New Job
When I mentioned that I was moving cities in my last newsletter, I didn’t say why. I had a job offer that required me to move as the workplace is about two hours away from where I lived. And it wasn’t one of those jobs where working from home is an option. This is my first full-time job since moving to Europe. And I’m grateful for having a job one of my friends described as “doing work that actually matters”. Social Works was one of the courses I considered studying at the university and now I’m working in the field. It is different from the other jobs I have done in the past. Everything feels new, but I’m getting the hang of it.
Being Homeless
You read the subtitle right! I was homeless for a week. To be fair, I wasn’t on the street. But I could have been. As mentioned in my last newsletter, I was looking for a place whilst looking for someone to take over the room I lived in. I was to vacate the room on April 15 (my resumption date at work).
On the day I travelled to Bonn, I left later than planned as someone came to check out my room and confirmed his interest immediately. He was ready to move in, but I still had two weeks to the exit day. While I was in Bonn, an agent I was working with called to say she had two spaces I might be interested in, but that she could only show me one and that I had to choose which one I would prefer. I chose the one closer to my workplace, which I viewed after I returned from Bonn. She said two other people were interested in seeing the space too. I told her I wanted to take the space. She sent me a form to fill out and requested some documents. I sent everything and asked what the impression of the other two was. She said they were no longer interested. I thought surely I was going to get it. But days later, I got an email that the landlord didn’t want to rent to me. No reasons were provided and I was told that the landlord didn’t owe it to me to give reasons. At this point, none of the caretakers, agents or landlords I was in talks with about an apartment was replying. I tried negotiating with my then-caretaker to see if I could extend my contract by a few days, but that was no longer possible as the person interested in my room had paid. And it was less than a week to my moving day.
I got lost one time going to view an apartment. My network went off for whatever reason and I couldn’t find my way to the right bus stop. I couldn’t make a call to the person showing me the house.
You can imagine what was going through my head. Where was I going to stay? How was I to get to work? How long would it take to find a space? At work, they hesitated to give me the job because of distance. I assured them it wasn’t going to be a problem as I was going to move.
The friends I mentioned in the last newsletter came through for me. I didn’t even need to ask. After I got the email I mentioned, I sent a VN to our friendship group giving them feedback. The VN ended with “Welcome your new roommate, Kenny”. And that was it. When the day came, I moved my things to Kenny’s room. I had another friend come later in the day to take my stuff to his apartment as Kenny’s room was small. So I stayed with Kenny from Monday to Sunday, going to work from his place. Whoever came up with the saying “mmadu ka eji aka” (literal translation - with people one becomes more) snapped big time.
Moving Houses
While at Kenny’s place, I got a call asking if I was still interested in checking out a particular apartment. I had stopped trying to reach the caller because it felt like she ghosted me. She told me that people indicated interest in the apartment before I did. So when she stopped responding, I assumed the space had been given out. When she called, I told her I was still interested in the space, and we scheduled a viewing appointment.
I viewed the apartment on Friday morning. I liked it and we agreed I could be back the next day to pick up the keys and sign the contract. I did just that and by Sunday morning, I moved into the new apartment.
P.S.: I got lost one time going to view an apartment. My network went off for whatever reason and I couldn’t find my way to the right bus stop. I couldn’t make a call to the person showing me the house. When he called, the call came through, I tried to explain the situation to him, but he was too pissed to care. I just turned back in the direction I had come and waited nearly an hour for a bus. This was on my way back from work BTW. The shege was plenty abeg.
I Failed
I was going to start another podcast. I announced it on the Japa Podcast. I even recorded a few episodes. But that is no longer going to happen. It took everything in me to relay this to the people with whom I recorded episodes. I wish I could do something to make up for their time. And I feel disappointed in myself for starting something and not being able to see it through. Phew!
I Now Identify as a Filmmaker
The nearly completed project I talked about in February is a film. I made a documentary film. I didn’t plan to talk about this until I was sure when the film would be available to an audience. I have always thought that until an audience sees the film, I don’t qualify as a filmmaker. But a conversation with a friend made me realise that making a film is enough to make me a filmmaker. As the Igbo rhetorical question goes, “Ugboro onee ka mmadu ga-egbu agu were zaba Ogbuagu?” (literal translation: how many times does one kill a leopard to earn the title of the one who kills a leopard?). So, this is me re-introducing myself to you. More details about the film will be made available in due time.
I would recommend Strained on Netflix. It’s the first time in a while I felt something watching a film. Being very familiar with the story might have contributed. I didn’t read a book this month as I spent the first half stressed about accommodation and the second half adjusting to work and to a new environment. I would encourage you to read My Father’s Daughter by Onyeka Onwenu. And then listen to Onulu Ube by Jennifer Eliogu.
How did your April go? Did you see shege like I did? Or was there an abundance of enjoyment for you? Let me in on all that happened.
For the month of May, find enjoyment, hol’ am for neck make e choke! Ya gaziere gi!