The most awesome feature of winter break is the snow, with snowmen and snowfights. It’s beautiful. Besides the usual resentment for extreme cold especially for people like me coming from tropical regions of the world, seeing snow for the first time, playing with it, building snowmen and stoning each other with huge balls of it is delightful, much like a festival. (There are festivals in Nigeria where people beat each other up with canes, for fun, and with glee).
With the ground already thick with inches of the white fluffy material since Christmas Eve, we got on it a few days ago on our way to the cinema. “No, don’t throw snow at me,” Em shouted. “I hate it.” Mohammed, the young man who was being admonished, showed traces of changing his mind when I screamed at him from a distance: “Come on man. This is the season. You’re not going to let her stop you, will you?” “No, I won’t,” he replied “but now you’ve spoilt the surprise.” He threw a hand-moulded snowball towards her as she fled from his direction, screaming. “You’re wicked, Kola,” Chi said from another direction and I grinned. Then she got a bright idea. I looked away for just two seconds and two heavy snowballs flew towards my head. One was from her and the other from Mohammed who had now turned his aggression towards my direction. “I like snow, he said, smiling.”
I didn’t smile back, but the snow tasted very good.
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Grace @ Sandier Pastures at http://sandierpastures.com
How fun!! Good luck in the contest!
Posted at December 28, 2010 on 11:46pm.
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Kola at http://www.ktravula.com
Thank you Grace.
Posted at December 31, 2010 on 6:17am.
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lara dunston at http://grantourismotravels.com/
What a fun post, Kola! Being from Australia that’s exactly how Terry and I felt the first time we saw snow when we moved to Dubai and used to do trips to Europe in the winter. I remember lots of fun snow-fights – when it was a novelty. Now, sadly, we seem to take it for granted. Your post reminded me why we shouldn’t.
We were in Kenya recently for 2 weeks for Grantourismo. I’d love to go to Nigeria.
Thanks so much for entering our contest! Best of luck!
Posted at January 1, 2011 on 6:07am.
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Kola at http://www.ktravula.com
Thank you Lara. There is no snow in Australia? I never knew that. Yes, I love the snow, and the novelty seems to wear off after a few weeks of having it in several inches all over the ground for more than two days, especially when you have to drive. But for the very first days when it whitens the world all around, it is heaven.
I’ve been to Kenya too. I was in Nairobi, Kitangela and Eldoret in March 2005. It was a very beautiful experience. When you do go to Nigeria, make sure you visit the Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi, the Obudu Cattle Ranch in Calabar and the ancient city of Kano among others. I’d like to see the country through your eyes.
Posted at January 1, 2011 on 10:08am.