So today being Black Friday in America represents the first official day of the Holiday MADNESS. Heading to the gym this morning for a workout, the entire roads and parking lots were jammed packed. All am thinking is people are out in the gym getting their sexy on after experiencing some guilt with their Thanksgiving feast RIGHT? NO! The cars in the full parking lot represented all the holiday shoppers who just swore up & down Xmas was now moved up on the calendar to November and just had to finish their shopping before the department stores run out of goods for consumption. SMH! Now if you are one of these people or know any of these nonsensical humans or comp outside a store overnight just to buy some over publicized “LIMITED” or “EXCLUSIVE” holiday item then yup you guessed it; You are SUPA-STUPID!
NOTE: My homeboy “T” made a great point today; ever noticed that the department stores or local businesses never have the items you actually want on sale? The BIG Discounts promised are always on products that have little to no importance on the long wish-list you carry around with you leading up to Xmas. It’s a ploy to get you in there establishment to move out all the dead items on their shelves for months prior to the holidays.
Now for many Nigerians not raised or entrenched by this North American tradition, the first week of December typically represents the time period when chaos and the mad scramble begins in preparing and making arrangements for their much awaited reunion with family and loved ones. Who remembers their first trip back to Nigeria after leaving for many years? It is always a double edge sword somehow; everybody in Nigeria is thrilled and excited awaiting your return while many of the travelers can at times dread the reception to come. This is the bottom line: when it comes to the holidays and traveling; people love to do business with Nigerians and they have no issue with how we make our money. F***kin HYPOCRITES…
Airline Carriers – I would love to see a study conducted on Nigerians that examines how much we spend annually on TRAVEL. Seriously; WE are in every International airport imaginable this time of year with our standard 6 pieces of luggage (a very conservative count), sporting an oversized winter coat for that harsh Nigerian winter to come, loud as ever and unfortunately some of us carrying around a very bad case of body odor on that long plane ride. The irony of all this is from my vantage point is that the holiday season because of the mega business Nigerians generate for these airline carriers is the only time we are treated with some level of customer service that can be best described as barely passing.
Shopping – Well documented in my forum here on my blogspot (www.myomonaija.blogspot.com) and other outlets is our affinity as Nigerians for aggrandizement and buying without limits. The Nigerian mentality is “the BIGGER the Cost the BIGGER the Statement”. Unfortunately, this is one of the most backwards things about my people that continue to stunt our development not only as a community but as a nation. Forget thought, the pressures of a visit to Nigeria only compounds this issue more as people typically only equate your love and affection towards them by what they deem to be a gift of affluence.
The reality of it all is that by the time a perspective traveler has purchased his/her airfare, spend loads of money on gifts and treats to share with loved ones and escaped the bills and cost of living outside of Nigeria, there is very little left to spend on him/herself during the visit. What is suppose to be a vacation, some quality Rest & Recovery time becomes unbearable and all you can do is just count down the days before your departure. But guess what; NOBODY I know in Nigeria cares nor will they be interested about your efforts and the hard work you put in to ensure that you were thinking of them prior to your arrival.
Everyday is a Holiday…
Website: www.myomonaija.blogspot.com
Facebook: My Omo Naija
Twitter: www.twitter.com/myomonaija
You have a precise description of the nigerian idiosyncratic system. We are neck-deep in materialism and possession-ism that we can give our very own souls as collateral to purchase vanities! Kudos to you for such a sensible in a largely sensitive area of the nigerian life.