Things You Might Say in Lagos

I Must Ease Myself: This is the polite way to say I have to go to the bathroom. I had to ask where I can "ease" myself a number of times after a night at a local beach bar. Usually it involves squatting close to the Atlantic after the sun goes down and a mental reminder to face uphill!

Sorry: To a sneeze, you will not hear "Bless You," but rather "Sorry." The first time I had a 3-peat sneeze I got a couple of these. "It' s not your fault," I responded after wiping my nose, to which I received some confused looks.

Oyibo: For those following this blog on a regular basis, you
know exactly what this is (see my previous post).

You Are Welcome: Rarely used as a response to "thank you," this is a typical Nigerian greeting usually heard upon a first encounter or when entering someones home. It is an invitation for one to enter anothers physical space to which "thank you" is the appropriate response.

No Wahala: Some things are the same even halfway around the world. "Wahala" is the Yoruba word for "problem."

E casan: Yoruba for "Good Afternoon." Locals will use
this terms even when addressing oyibos like me!

Dodo: And no it is not pronounced like the extinct bird...think more excrementally. Despite a less than appetizing name, these fried plantains are a local specialty and delicious!

Eba (see side photos): Another local dish made from the cassava root. The cassava is peeled, dried, ground, sifted, roasted, then made into a mashed-potato-esque blob used by locals to sop up gravies. As my Ugandan friend notes, Africans like their food wet.

Present Tense: The use of present tense here abounds. Though some may find it sounds a bit primitive, I for one find it sounds wise. Somehow purging all the helping verbs makes present tense statements succinct and insightful. Think, "Confucius says..."