My Green Land

MY GREEN LAND

Ever since I have been in the United States, I cannot but think of my country, Nigeria. I have seen a lot and come across a lot of exciting and fun activities in the USA, but it cannot be compared to my home which is a land filled with milk and honey. I now believe the saying “there is no place like home”. Therefore, I miss the culture and way of life of my native country; there are two things that I will never forget as well as the pride in being a Nigerian.

Every culture is unique in its own ways and different cultures enjoy different food staples. Each individual is able to find one particular type of food that they enjoy. As a child, my grandmother used to feed me with all types of Nigerian food and my personal is amala with ewedu this is yam flour with vegetables stew. Every time I went to my grandmother’s house, she would always fix that for me. I can remember some occasion when we sit in the kitchen for hours and make different foods and deserts for our family gatherings. Every holiday that we got together, she would always make some amala with ewedu, but coming here has totally changed that a lot and I even find the necessary ingredients.

Another cultural practice that I have been unable to observe since moving to the United States is the traditional marriage ceremonies. Marriage is a big event in my green land of Nigeria. Before you get married, the groom first has to pay a dowry and he also has to bring food, drinks and other things the bride’s family may request. The groom must prostrate seven times before they give him his bride. During the ceremony, traditional attire must be worn and also, lots of traditional food is served. For example, two years ago when my elder sister got married to a man of European descent, he had to go through our tradition way of marriage. He was astonished that he had to go through all these rituals to get married, but still he enjoyed our traditional way of marriage.

In spite of globalization, each ethnic group in Nigeria has their own unique way of dress. As a Yoruba woman, we traditionally wear styles known as buba and iro, bubu, ipele and gele. These different clothing styles are specific to different occasions, from daily wear to more formal gatherings. I find our traditional styles more comfortable to wear. They are always tailor-made and usually very affordable. This being the case I do not feel to the pressure to wear name brands which usually cost a lot and are more expensive. However, I still have to wear them because it difficult to wear my native attires this advance country.

In summary, the cultural values of my ethnic group and country will always remain with me. Our way of life, clothing style, popular food and cultural ceremonies always put a smile on my face when I remember them. While it is possible for two cultures to exist symbiotically, there will always be a dominant one that shapes a person’s view of the world. I cannot wait for the day I will see my green land again with my friends and loved ones being happy to receive me back.