NIGERIANS GAVE MY HUSBAND A HEADACHE!

When Nigerians get together, there is bound to be a sharp increase in the noise levels. I'm not sure why that is the case, but Nigerians, no matter their tribe or religion, are a very vibrant people so, our speech is extremely colorful and the conversations tend to be loud.

In contrast, Dominicans (from the Commonwealth of Dominica), are a more quiet bunch. They have lively conversations like anyone else, especially about cricket and politics, but their discussions, in general, do not reach the decibel levels of the average Nigerian 'shouting match'-posing as a conversation. I think because there are only about 70,000 of them on their island, versus the approximately 140 million Nigerians living in Nigeria, Dominicans just don't feel the need to talk as loudly as we Nigerians in order to be heard.

Anyway, that little preamble should help give you some context as I gist you over this weekend's events. On Saturday evening, a group of friends came over to hang out, eat and be merry. The kids ran around at break neck speed, taking very few breaks to catch a breath. The men huddled in front of the television set, downing Heineken beers while lamenting over the U.S. economy. We ladies, gathered in kitchen sipping delicious Pomegranate Martinis, Smirnoff Ice and Riesling, while I cooked.

When the food was ready, everyone made their way to the kitchen where we ate, fed various children and cracked jokes about everything under the sun. And then, it happened, the Nigerian folks (all 4 of us) began to yarn about Nigeria and the opportunities back home. In fact, it all started when I shared that my cousins in Nigeria chided me for asserting that my dream car is a Mercedes Benz GL 450. My cousins laughed at me and told me to aspire for more, since GL 450s are as popular as okada in Lagos! So, the melee began. A group of Nigerians talking shouting at each other to get their points across, drinking, laughing, shouting some more and talking about the price of land and houses. During this exciting conversation, my Husband (God bless his heart) somehow slipped out of the kitchen and made his way to the relative quiet of the kid's playroom, downstairs.

Guests started asking, "Where is your husband?" I, in turn, asked TE (she isn't The Enforcer for nothing!) and she informed us all that her father "went downstairs for some peace and quiet!" Well, once our guests had later made their way to the respective homes, I asked Husband why he disappeared, and was told that the Nigerian dialogue gave him "a headache." And, accused me of being the chief noise maker. =)

What headache? Now, mind you, my hubby has been to Nigeria, has a good amount of Nigerian friends, is married to a self-confessed loud Nigerians (um, yeah, me) and has loud children who have been diagnosed by all that know them to be more Nigerian than Dominican due to their ability, since birth, to shout like Nigerians and move with the smooth swagger that is Naija!

So, where is this headache complaint coming from? lol!


I guess I never looked at it from the outside but when I think about it, I can understand why a non-Nigerian would think we Nigerians were nuts. My old housemate in law school, a Malawian, always asked why we Nigerians talked to each other as if we were mortal enemies fighting each other. We don't do it with non-Nigerians, but when you get us Nigerians together, our general mode of conversation can be considered very combative even though we are all extremely friendly and are simply having a good time. My husband told me that he likes all the friends we had over, which I know he does, but he couldn't handle the decibels and so he went downstairs to listen to some smooth reggae.

Na wa oh! I told him he had been naughty. I am still tickled that even after all these years of marriage to a Nigerian, my poor husband still cannot handle the noise levels. But now, I am on a quest to Naija-sensitize my husband without overdoing it. lol! Any tips?

And congrats to all the winners of the MTV Africa awards in Abuja over the weekend.

When are we bloggers going to have our own glitzy awards? When we do, please give my husband a Nigerian-loudness-induced-headache award. lol. He'd deserve it. =P