“I left Ibadan for Kano to serve my fatherland and one of the most challenging issues that I have faced here in Kano is the language barrier. One day, I was going to Kano from Wudil (Wudil is on the outskirts of Kano). The conductor called the transport fare N250. I immediately replied him in English that I could only pay N200. I did not know that both the driver and conductor didn’t speak nor understand English. As we continued the journey, the conductor asked me to pay and so I gave him N500 then he handed me N250 as change. I tried to tell him my change was incomplete but he didn’t understand me. I tried to use my hands to tell the conductor what I was trying to say; still he didn’t get it.
To make matters worse, no one else in the bus understood English so I was on my own. The other passengers were amused by the drama that was unfolding – somehow, it was fun to them because they kept laughing at me and talking to one another in Hausa. That day I was so embarrassed, I almost cried. At last, one good Samaritan who understood and could speak English came on the bus. He was the one who bailed me out.
The weather here in Kano is something worth talking about. It is always extremely hot. The sun rises as early as 8am so that by 11am, it is burning up the back of your neck already by 11am and it gets hotter and hotter till around 6pm. At times, it gets so hot that I can’t go out without using sunshades. I can’t afford to open my eyes wide under such sun intensity so it’s either the shades or I bend my head and cover my eye with my hand. With this kind of weather, I drink a lot of water. I finish a bag of water in four days. I hear it has begun to rain in Ibadan, everything is still so dry here in Kano, no rain at all. Not even clouds pretending to bring rain. Thank God that my lodge even has tiles, we no more sleep on our bed. We rather sleep on the tiles.
I have noticed over the past five months that the Hausa people love their language. They speak it anywhere. Even in their schools they teach in Hausa. Back home in Ibadan, we hide our language and make pride of a foreign language. I like that these people cherish their traditional language. I really wish we could begin to cherish our Yoruba language too. By the way, I’ve started speaking bits and bits Hausa – a few words here, a few sentences there. lol.
I really miss Ibadan. I miss our foods especially gbegiri and ewedu. Ever since I stepped into Kano, I haven’t tasted the two soups. In the local government where I am here – Wudil – all they have is okro soup and some leaves like that which I don’t even know their names. I miss having a social life; I stay in my room most of the time and try to have some fun all by myself.
Also I miss my family, most especially my Mom. I have never been separated from her for more than a month. It’s five months now since I last saw her now, I miss her a lot. I also miss going to the mosque. Here in the part of Kano where I am, they don’t allow any female to enter the mosques; even for Jumat services. That means you have to observe solat in your room.
There’s been a lot of things that have happened here in Kano but these are the ones I remember for now.”
[END]
