Ngozi Okoli, Transcorp Hotels
When my mind and body signalled to me that it was time to rest, I sought out Trump’s domain, the United States of America.
First stop, Florida. Let’s backtrack a little. Are you even Nigerian if you do not carry items for friends or family member living outside Nigeria? So, my long-time friend, B asked that I help her with some honey beans and disposable cups to make Moi Moi with as she doesn’t get them at the African market in Atlanta, I figured why not? I’ll just declare it and declare it I did! This meant I was stopped at customs to have my bag checked. During the process, the officer pulls out 2 long rows of plastic disposable cups and asks why I need to have them with me on my trip.
Me – My friend asked me to bring it for her
Customs officer (CO) – Why?
Me: She wants to use it to make Moi Moi. It’s a Nigeria dish that you make using beans (points at the beans I declared) You have to wash it and grind it into a paste then use fill the cups…
CO: That’s fine, you can go.
Lowkey, I was scared of being sent back because of beans and disposable cups. All through the questioning, I kept thinking, “how will I tell people I was deported because B wants to make Moi Moi for her and her family”. Thankfully, I made it in. Lool!
On this trip, I registered to attend a Digital marketing conference, Pubcon which took place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Except for everyone being fascinated with my Nigerian origin, the knowledge gained and the fact that I speak good English, nothing exciting happened there.
Next stop, Miami. I was really excited about this because I had heard so many amazing reviews of this place. I met up with some friends and we got an Airbnb apartment.
My friends were going on and on about how they wanted to jet ski and I decided to be adventurous as long as I rode with an experienced instructor. This wish was short-lived as there was no instructor available and riders had to go in pairs or by themselves. I paired myself with a friend of mine who seemed confident even though he had never ridden one before.
My group had to go out with 2 other riders, a French guy who was a first-timer, or so he said And a British couple who had experience going on jet skis in other parts of the world. Thankfully, we had a guide who went with to get us back to the dock safely.
The ride:
My friend and I got on the ride and I kept hailing myself for being very adventurous. However, that hailing was cut short. When we took off, the water currents were so fierce. Not long after take-off, I found myself inside the ocean with our ski overturned. The first scene that came to mind was titanic and how jack froze to death. Shortly after replaying that, I started thinking of shark movies like Jaws and how sharks have amputated people. After this, I started wondering what I will tell my family when I come home with one leg – that I went Jet skiing?!
Thankfully, our guide was close by and assisted in getting us back up. We fell into the salty cold water about 5 more times and the French guy who joined us in saying ‘this is my first time too” was riding like a pro and even standing on the ski… the number of swears that went to him from my mind… a story for another day.
After colossally embarrassing my family members in a strange land, my friends and I proceeded to take a walk and do some shopping. We came across a store selling tickets to an event happening at night. Just like that? Buy a ticket for an event by the roadside? My Nigerian spirit was revolting but my friends said that’s how it is done in Miami, so I obliged.
Turns out that was a good decision, from riding in a party bus to skipping the queue to enter a sold-out venue and jamming to Nigerian music at intervals I had a blast with total strangers.
The rest of my stay in Miami was spent by the beach basking in the sun, listening to the gentle billow of the winds and watching various individuals swim because my braveness ends at the shore.
So, if you are visiting Florida anytime soon, I’ll recommend trying out exciting things that will make your heartbeat race so fast. An example is jet skiing (like me), parasailing or paragliding. But most importantly, take some time out to relax by the beach it will give you that much needed time away to reflect on work, family, life and your future plans.
If I ever visit Florida again, I will love to visit the magical Disney Land and just maybe feel like a child again. After Florida, I made a stop at Atlanta were I gracefully handed over the beans and disposable cups that almost got me sent back to Nigeria.
For now, I am back to work, feeding on the energy boost and planning my next trip to maybe Asia or Europe.
Some vacations are worth remembering. LOL @beans
Enjoyment!