West African Girl

Lagos this December! I was so lucky to go home for such a long period of time (2 1/2 weeks). This trip was wonderful, fun filled with lots of family time and wedding planning. But it was also bittersweet. My fiancé and I are starting a new chapter of our lives which probably means these super long trips to Lagos in December won’t be happening every year. We will have to find some way to split the holidays across the different countries. I still can’t quite wrap my head around it.

So yes major life update I’m getting married! After 7 years of dating we got engaged on a trip to Bruges for our 7 year anniversary. I’m so excited, anxious and overwhelmed at the mammoth task of planning 3 mandatory wedding ceremonies across 2 continents and planning a wedding that celebrates our relationships, our families and our different cultural heritage. Planning is well underway now and dates have been set, venues have been booked. I’ve been such an awful blogger for the past year but I really want to post here now just to document this time. I don’t think I have any followers anymore so it’s just me shouting into the void 😂.

Wow it’s been a while. I’ve been sick all week and my mood is at a low point right now. Generally though it’s been a great few weeks, great bank holiday weekend, spending lots of time with my boyfriend, family and friends. Watched one of my oldest friends get married. Life has been good and I really need to find the time to write on here more.

I’ve been reading this book and wow it’s amazing! I’m only in the first chapter but I think now with me being halfway through my 20’s is the perfect time for me to read this. I’m quite happy with my life so far but I definitely would like to become more disciplined and focused.

Last week I got this delicious cocktail filled with gold dust with @blackcatsfriend while we bitched about feminism and spoke about obstetric violence. That pretty much sums up our relationship 🤣.

Fried rice is my boyfriends favourite Nigerian food and he requests it often. I’m always happy to cook it because it’s so delicious!

All my friends are starting to get married which is amazing, lovely and very scary. My life is changing so much and the era of it all being about my friends is well and truly over. I’ve got the first wedding of one of my close friends in a month and I’m extremely excited but it is also like wow we’re adults! It’s a weird place to be, I’m very happy and settled in my relationship so I can’t complain, but on the other hand I’m very nostalgic about the past and the way me and my friends used to be. Let’s see how this year goes.

Haven’t been on here much as I’ve had some great but very mundane days, highlight of my week so far was definitely going to Afghan Kitchen with @friedaubergine on Tuesday amazing food and even better company :). This is honestly one of the things I love about London, I walked out of my flat for ten minutes and I was eating Afghan food! Something I never would have gotten the opportunity to try if I lived in Lagos and the food was delicious. I am however currently bedridden with 3 ulcers in my mouth and lots of pain so that’s not great.

I made an amazing tasting dauphinois with lamb last night for me and my boyfriend. I cook Nigerian or Congolese food 90% of the time so it’s always fun to experiment with different food.

It’s fine as I still see my friends fairly often, but I can’t spontaneously go to a friends or meet up randomly which is something I miss. I’m really looking forward to moving back down south of the river and being much closer to friends and family, but that’s probably not for another year and a half or so.

I’m back from Düsseldorf! Spent today sleeping and eating take out. Also did some online house shopping. I’m in a bit of a weird phase in my life, I’m getting to that age where most of my friends (I’d say 80-90%) are in relatively serious relationships and so we are all busy on the weekends. Meeting up with my friends has gone from a several times a week thing to a few times a month thing. I’m guilty of it too as I spend almost every weekend with my boyfriend (and I spent last evening/this morning with him). Also I’m in so many long distance friendships with my Nigerian friends and I do miss them a lot. I don’t know, it’s weird in that I feel very happy and I do have a great life but at the same time I wish I had more friends who are actually living in this city and who lived more centrally/close to me.