Diary of an Honest Naturalista: Week 27

I have been back in Lagos for two weeks now, and I was posted to work at a Local Government office. I am still looking for a way to work it out of there, because I feel working there would not challenge or stimulate me in any way. Unfortunately for me, my chances don't seem very bright.

One of the people posted to the Local Government office with me is Tonya, the lady whose iPad I used in this entry. Tonya is a mixed race girl I started befriending towards the end of my stay at the NYSC camp. Actually, she was the one that came to meet me, saying she admires my bravery to carry natural hair corn rows for that long, even though they were now very rough. She was not in my platoon, so I had not noticed her among the sea of people, but apparently, she had noticed me for a very long time.

Even though Tonya is mixed race, and a proper Yoruba girl, she looks more white than black. It was very strange hearing her speak some sentences in Yoruba, just to see the reaction on my face. She knows the language well, thanks to her very African father. She herself is quite adventurous. Or why would she leave her family, and come all the way from USA to come her serve her father's native land for one year. All these people with dual citizenship sef, it is as if they don't know what to do with their American passports. They should just give me one, let me teach them.

One thing that really fascinates me about Tonya is her hair, which is completely natural. One day, her hair is all looking sleek, curly, and clumped up, that I literally want to kiss it, rip it off her head, and stick it on mine, and the next day, it is a total mess, looking like a mass of cotton wool dyed brown that you just can't quite detach from its package. Sometimes, I wondered why someone with 'good hair' would do so much injustice to her hair.

On the day we went to Local Government office to submit our posting letter, while I silently prayed for a rejection, Tonya and I got into an argument about whose hair is easier to manage. Of course, I said hers is, and she strongly disagreed. In the end., I was like yes "I have heard, go tell that to the marines."

I don't know what I was thinking, but she got me to agree to follow her home after we were done at the Local Government office to help her detangle her hair. Mehn, all I can say is it was one of my worst decisions ever.

I spent two full hours detangling her long, thick and full mass of hair, and that was even with the aid of a conditioner with slip. I am sure she must have been grinning internally, and chanting "I told you so." I was like "Where did you get all this hair from, and how do you cope doing this? Mehn, you are trying. I don't think I could do this regularly."

Source

She replied saying, "I thought you always said I had the good hair, and yours is bad, just because I am mixed race, and you are not."

I was glad to run away from Tonya's house when I was all done. All I can say is, when next I see that mass of cotton wool dyed brown on her head, I wouldn't be so quick to judge. As for now, I just thank God for my own hair.


N.B: Please, we need your feedback. What do you think about the GIF images in the recent diary entries? We started using it, cos we felt it makes the entries come alive, and reflects Anna's emotions better. Do you think it is a good idea, or we should cut it out? Your opinion is highly appreciated in the comment section.

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