Dear Njideka (9)

Hopewell or whatever,

Look I am not in your class, nor grade. I don’t have your time. You say you love me and I ask, is it by force? I don’t want and now you are calling me a small girl. You yourself are not mattured either, must every woman fall for you just because you like her? I told you I have a boyfriend, you insulted him, I should not insult you back?

You berra upgrade yourself Hopewell because the world ha gone digital. And please, don’t write me any nonsense text again.

Thanks.

Njide.

Dear Njideka (6)

Dear Njideka,

You have to be carefule. Beware of those people who seek to corrupt and deceive you. Beware of men who only want your flower. All this boyfriend boyfriend, it is not every man who says he loves you that truely loves you. You have to shine ya eyes. You have to be careful, Njide.

I am willing to give you chances to change your mind, Njide because my love for you is real. I want your heart not your waist.

Hopewell Okoronta.

Dear Njideka (5)

Come, Hopewell or whatever you call yourself.

Please stop disturbing me. I have a boyfriend.

Njideka.

The Hero Series: Part Five

A vocabulary lesson

I have noticed that the same search terms keep recurring. Basically, there is not an Igbo dictionary out there that can help you say what you want to say to this kain Igbo man that you really really want. Well, call me Mgbeke Ekeresimesi, because your Christmas has come two weeks early. Yes, Cinderella put down that ogbo igwe cutting into your hands, fling that ite ona cast iron pot away and find your glad rags, for you shall go to the ball. (Pardon my mixed metaphors, I haven’t had my daily dose of palm wine today and I am seeing things).

Bear in mind though that Igbo is a very tonal language. Unless you’re going to be writing whatever it is you’re going to say, this will not help much.

Here we go:

1. ‘You hurt my feelings’ – I gbawara m obi  (Literally, you have broken my heart). You can also say ‘Ihe i mere m di m njo’ or ‘I mere m ihe ojoo’ – What you did to me was wrong/bad. (Note: Not to be used after sex when ‘Bad’ means ‘Good’ to an Igbo man).
2. ‘Do you love me?’ – I huru m n’anya? (Asking this to an Igbo man without a ring on your finger is tantamount to GAME OVER. And I don’t mean finger rosary o. Use this wisely.)
3. ‘Are you well husband?’ – Di m, aru adikwa? – My husband are you feeling alright?/Are you well? Preferably follow this up with rubbing his head or shoulders before you ask him for money. (Note: May lead to sex. Do not touch him if you are not in the mood. Do not say you have a headache when he is in the mood. He will buy you Panadol extla extla and wait for it to work before getting well and truly jiggy with it. If you are not in the mood, best to say ‘Ndewo’ – ‘Good morning’ like a normal person as you leave for work. The money can wait).
4. ‘I will marry you’ – Aga m alu gi (Use ONLY in response to the question, ‘Will you marry me’ or the statement ‘I want you to be my wife’, ‘I ga alu m?’ and ‘Achoro m ka i buru nwunye m’  respectively. Anything other than this scenario will send the man to those churches convinced that you are trying to bewitch him. He will stop eating your food as well because we all know that a woman that is bold enough to propose to a man has been cooking his food with the special water she’s been using to cleanse certain parts of her body).
5. ‘Good woman’ – Ezigbo/Ezi nwanyi. An Igbo man will only call you this when you have repaid your bride price to him. You do this by bearing him strong Igbo sons to carry on his strong Igbo name. If you have girl-children be prepared to bring them up, clawing for every kobo you can get from their father until someone comes to pay their bride price at which point they revert to their father’s property.
6. ‘I want to have a baby’ – A choro m imu nwa. I’m going to assume that you mean ‘I want to have a baby for you’ which is ‘A choro m imuru gi nwa’. Say that out loud. Sound out the words. Good. Now look around. You see that dust rising from the carpet? That’s your guy vanishing at the speed of sound.
7. ‘There is no problem’ – Nsogbu adiro/adighi. So what if you’ve just seen evidence that he has another woman? Shrug it off, nsogbu adiro. It’s not as if he’ll marry either of you anyway. He has a girl in the village who is just finishing Class 6.
8. ‘I love you’ – A huru m gi n’anya. So your man has just said these words. Congratulations. If he said it after eating nkwobi, ofe nsala or chopping…ahem!…it doesn’t count. Wait…don’t tell me you’re going to tell him this first? Have you learnt nothing?!
9. ‘I’m tired’ – Ike agwugo m. 
10. ‘I don’t want’ – Hahahaha! Good luck with that!! Igbo men are the most persistent buggers you’ve ever met in your life. It will be simply better for you if you just marry him and give him like six or seven children. You’re going to do it anyway. OK, if you really must know, it’s A choghi m, but it rarely ever works. Your best bet? Buy a club.

Enjoy the ride!

Love,

H.

The Hero Series: Part Four (A genuine problem from a reader)

Hello people,

I got this genuine, non-fictional dilemma both on this forum and replicated in my inbox and I thought you guys would like to give her your opinions. Remember, be nice. This is an actual human being with real feelings and she would really appreciate some help. I will put in my two cents when I hear what everyone has to say. The letter is below.

I stumbled upon this site and happened to find it very interesting as well as informative. I couldn’t find a place to submit a new inquiry so I hope it’s ok to leave it here.After reading your Hero Series I think I’ve violated some of the golden rules. Hopefully your advice can help get things back on track.

Well, I’m African American & I was recently introduced to an Igbo man through a mutual friend. Initially we talked on the phone to get acquainted and arrange our first meeting. He wanted to meet that same evening, but I declined and opted for the following day.

So we met the next day, sparks flew and we seemed to click instantly. We talked and developed a really good vibe. So much that we arranged to meet later that evening. This time he invited me to his home. He and his friend had just arrived shortly before I did from playing tennis. When I drove up he welcomed me in and introduced me to his friend. He had some Nigerian food prepared & asked me to join them for dinner. I wasn’t really hungry but I obliged & asked him to give me a very small portion. Over dinner he gushed to his friend over my beauty, I was flattered but slightly embarrassed, but concealed it with pleasant smiles. I joined them in dinner conversation which went over quite well. So after dinner his friend left. Afterwards we watched movies, downloaded music and played online for a bit. He wanted to become FaceBook friends, so I accepted him via my Blackberry and he immediately started to troll my page, wall and photos, while I was sitting there. He then asked me a lot about my family background, etc. After talking about our families & an array of other things we started to make out. One thing lead to another and we had sex, without even knowing the golden rules I was very hesitant & he had to try very hard to convince me to proceed.

Afterwards it wasn’t awkward at all. He practically begged me to stay overnight but I declined, although I didn’t leave immediately, I left about 2am or so. He called me on my drive home and we talked more. The next day he wanted to hang out but I had a lot going on so I had to decline. Now here is where I sense things started to get shaky. The following day we made 10pm reservations for dinner. So we last spoke about 4pm. I hadn’t heard from him all day thereafter, so I texted about 6pm, no answer. Then I called about 8pm, no answer. So I never got dressed for the date. He decided to call at 9:45pm. I didn’t answer. He called perhaps 3 more times. I still didn’t answer. I then responded with a text letting him know that I was extremely disappointed in him and he knew of our plans & failed to respect my time, I also added how much a despised inconsistency. He texted back immediately with sincere apologies and an explanation of a “family emergency”. I accepted his apology but refused to see him that night. So the following day when we finally talked he addressed me by saying how can I marry a man one day then divorce him the next without him giving an explanation to the mistake that was made, then apologized to me again. He made me feel really bad, like I was too hard on him. I apologized to him, if I offended him and we arranged to meet for dinner. We met for dinner that night, he then again brought up the incident. He asked me if I had told my friends that he was an asshole for what happened. I told him no I didn’t mention what happened to anyone. He then said he told his friends that he was surprised by my lashing out at him, because he portrayed me to be such a pleasant woman. I was offended slightly because, I don’t feel that me expressing my disappointment makes me an unpleasant person, but I didn’t debate him. I just said I didn’t mean any harm & I’m sorry etc.

So after dinner we went back his place, I stayed for a few hours, but again didn’t stay the entire night, he wanted me to but I declined. This now leads up to Monday (which was yesterday), he didn’t call me nor did I call him. We only exchanged a text regarding some business finance info he asked me to obtain for him. Then another text later in the afternoon saying he hoped my day was pleasant.

My plight is that I’ve noticed a decline in admiration towards me since the incident of me lashing out at him. I’m not sure what my next move should be. I’m really feeling this guy and had expectations of us getting to know each other better. I’m not ready for things to end. Also, he’s very attractive & extremely wealthy so I know he’s a hot commodity among women. I’m a little lost and starting to come down on myself for the assertiveness I’ve displayed. Help.. What should my next move be?

–LostInTranslation