Graduation Party

So there were suppose to be 50-60 people, but in reality there were about 20 (sort of a let down). None of my friends came--Jolene was in Houston, Paul had a soccer game, and Nick went to Las Vegas. I really wished some of my friends were there especially ya'll because it was a total cultural experience. My brother's girlfriend and army friend came, and Chinyere's friend was there too. The menu consisted of fruit, veggie, and chesse/cracker trays for appetizers. Then the main course was rice and stew, fufu and soup, bbq chicken, mai mai, and salad. We also got a huge marble cake with buttercream icing.

The party was scheduled to start at 2pm, but the bulk of the crowd didn't come until around 3pm. At 4pm, we started the formal ceremony. My dad got up and welcomed everyone and because there were a few non-Nigerians there he tried to introduce our culture to them, but I thought his manner was kinda hostile. He would say, stuff like America is not the best place in the world...my kids see certain things and they say so and so has this and so and so has that...blah blah. He did say that they were all welcome and we are all here to have a good time. He also tried to explain what was going on, so I don't want to make it seem all bad.

One of the things he explained was how he and my mom are chiefs. Chiefdom is a huge deal in African culture and demands a lot of respect. It was really funny because at one point my dad said "now my wife had something to say" and the other men were saying "all right, all right let "Igolo One" speak. Then my mom corrected them saying, "Actually it's "Igola Oma" and everyone started laughing and cheering because my mom (a white American) corrected the Nigerian men. It was great.

There's another very important tradition involving the kola nut. The kola nut is always around whenever there is any special occasion whether it's a birth, a marriage, a funeral, etc. It begins with the youngest son of the host. He brings it out and passes it to the next oldest male relative. This continues until it gets to the oldest, male relative of the hosting family. Then it gets passed to someone (I'm not sure of the specifics) from a different village that has the closest relationship with the hosting family. The kola nut is then passed to a person from each of the 6 villages (if present) from within Naze. Then it goes back to the host who then asks someone to bless it. The youngest son of the host cuts the kola (usually there is more than one). Those who have a title (like chief) get the first piece and then it is passed around the circle. Now it is very important that you pass the kola to the correct person otherwise you could be fined. This importance was displayed because there were two arguements about whether the person passing the kola was passing it to the correct person. They all started to argue in Igbo and they would all try to calm themselves, so that they could explain it in English. I kept asking my aunt what was going on. The rules about who to pass it to seem very complicated, and I don't understand them. And note that women are not involved in kola nut ceremony.

Together the introduction and the kola passing probably took an hour. We were all getting restless. Finally we got to eat. I ate in my brother's room with his friends, Ezinne, and my cousin Chi Chi. Then my dad came in wanting me to dance with him. We got down with our bad Nigerians selves and people stuck money on our foreheads. As far as presents go, everyone gave me money. By the time everyone was gone, it was 9:30pm. I was pooped by the end.