I’S MARRIED Y’ALL | Traditionally |Part Un

WELL HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOO PEOPLE! I know the gaps between my post are as wide as the river Nile and the Grand Canyon, but Y’ALL your girl had to plan a traditional wedding in none other than…. Take a guess- N I G E R I A!!!! Now, I do not know if I want to set myself up and try to do a documentary/vlog because you all know I am tired [lol], I mean, if someone wants to drop some coins for production about my unique journey then by all means šŸ™‚ .

Now, I planned my traditional wedding by myself, and I did receive help along the way and I definitely had to plan a lot with using @whatsapp as a collab tool (shout out to whatsapp, I should be an ambassador for yall), and did have to disturb my fiancee and friends on ground back home to make things happen. Luckily m dad and step mom were on the @whatsapp tip and were able to make things happen with them dollars (holla Parentals! lol).

So my thing was using group chats to effectively disperse information and using @pingexpress to transfer monies. My traditional wedding did take place in Nigeria so I had to find a better way to send money other than western union (such a drag lol and now I have a naija account I good schmoney). I really had to be thorough since some of my friends that were attending and participating in my traditional (trad henceforth) were American, I wanted them to have the best experience as possible- because you know… it is Nigeria. I can attest that nothing can really prepare you for Naija, you just have to bear it, be frustrated, and pray you do not get arrested, fight, or kicked out of the country (that would be hard, but at our pace.. very possible lol). So many Things happened that I have to break these posts into parts [series] but I will continue to name the tools I used for organization and the hiccups that I (and friends) experienced on our memorable trip. See you in the next post! [Here are some sneak peek pics from my trad]

Ciao,

Nnennayalator

Here Makeup was done. mua:@isabelmakeovers
let me try to look modelesque with my horsetail of igbo status
mua: @isabelmakeovers
Getting my Gele tied, dont I look elated?

 

UNSUNG ARTIST | Shiri Achu

Hey y’all it is your random around the way blogger bringing some under-discovered content that you more than likely never heard of because I like the beat of my own drum [off beat drum… but nonetheless… a beat]. I have had the pleasure of knowing Shiri for years. Guess where we met? In random fashion, on the WMTA on our way to work! She asked me who did my hair, and my friendly behind is always giving the deets and from there we exchanged numbers and I have been stuck to her ever since!

I have visited one of her exhibits 36inPrint:DC,(check out her press release inĀ click munagi here), which was absolutely amazing and infused Art + Live Music in an intriguing fusion. I have been to many of her workshops and made my own piece [with a whole lotta help], and watched every step of accolade and accomplishment Shiri has achieved. HOWEVER….. [INSERT MEGAPHONE] SHIRI SHOULD BE A REGULAR NAME. She has done much for the community, women empowerment, AND awesome African inspired art for the soul!Ā  Ā So browse around her website providedĀ hereĀ and check out some dope art [purchase a few here and there… I know you know an art lover] and be inspired!Ā  Shiri’s Social Media Links [be her friend!]: Facebook: Shiri’s FacebookĀ Instagram: Shiri’s Instagram

Bai y’all. Nnennayalator | Bougie Villager

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I and my sister at a Shiri Achu Workshop

Buhari must send his pythons back to the bush! The two face of a president.

Take a look at some insight of what is going on in Nigeria involving the Igbo people

Wakeupafrica360!

The president and the commander in chief, of the armed forces of the federal republic of Nigeria, recently sent his army in all its full might to intimidate, terrorise and to kill unarmed civilians in the south-Eastern Region of Nigeria, the habitation area of the Indigenous people of Biafra

The killings of these unarmed igbo youths, the intimidation that most of them suffered in the hands of the Nigerian army, as seen on diverse documented evidences on social media, is still being celebrated, all over the southwest and the northern part of the Nigeria.

While the president in his five minutes speech talked about how the unity of the country is none negotiables, those in the north and the southwest of Nigeria, are still celebrating the deaths of other Nigerians in the southeast of the same country!Ā ā€œThe unity of Nigeria is indeed none negotiableā€.

The question that remains to beā€¦

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Secret Concerts | Sofar Sounds DC

Can I let you guys in on a little secret? Yes? Ok, so I stumbled across a cool way to explore my city (DC) and listen to cool music, but there is a catch… YOU DON’T KNOW WHO PERFORMING or WHERE IT IS… weird right? Lol, well I definitely thought it was an Ed Sheernan and Ledisi concert I paid for – 2 tickets at that-just for me to fix my specs proper and see that was a charity concert for a completely different date… Welp.

So I told my friend ‘girl, we are not seeing anyone’ s Ledisi or Sheernan gurl’, and should cancel plans (I already sent my request for a refund to their no refund policy lol). To my surprise she was against canceling and still wanted to go (bless her heart because I didn’t want to go to this weirdness alone lol). Responded to support and let them know ‘Imma give y’all a shot’ and kept my lil pennies for the secret concert, and Y’ALL, LET ME TELL IT!!!

Got the email of the address (still no clue of the artist) the day before and we’re all set and confirmed on the guest list (they fancy y’all). Was super early so I got to check out some areas of Petworth that I have NEVER seen (like ever lol). Tried some Czech food (will withhold the name because they were nice) and some bomb food at Midlands… I recommend Midlands… The Chef there is an arse hole, but he is good for it… Dont take any offense lol. Now on to the show..

The show was AMAZING.

The location was amazing as well (Sofar Sounds takes pride in more intimate settings… And guess what?! BYOB (Bring your own beer *drinks*). So not į»nly did I get to hear some awesome music, in an awesome location, meet awesome people, and do this all locally- I may just try a sofar in any city that I travel to.

So if you are looking to do something different in your city and music enthusiasts like myself… Check out http://www.sofarsounds.com! You will not regret it (then you can tell other folks of something cool you did… See?!) check out a few of the pics (lol can’t load videos yet… This site still free homies).

I just felt like being hella abstract with this picture
Middle Ground had a soft alternative sound – cool dudes (shared my payday bites too lol)
Christian B!!!! Her voice is like butta!
Three Man Soul Machine

So yea, my random self will probably post who knows when, but if you want some more serious gist and posts you need to check out ivery arie where I am a contributing writer- get your knowledge up!!!

Ciao y’all

Nnennayalator|Bougie Villager

“Guess who’s Bizzack” | Travels & Tips

Yoooooooooo! So I am back from an amazing time in Cuba & Nigeria! I know I said I would be more consistent but like… Ā I LIED [no vex]. Between work, planning these back to back trips, Contemporary African Woman blog [check it out https://iveryarie.wordpress.com/, I like… blog there too or whateva] I really had no time at all to post. I am beginning to sound like a broken record so allow me to get to the meat and potatoes of this post!

fabrica de arte cubano

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fabrica de arte cubano

CUBA!

Now, lol I was suppose to have posted this AEONS ago, but Ā too much jet lag and daylight savings nonsense to deal with. I will be giving hella pointers on a successful Cuba trip because I get questions about it daily. If you are traveling with a group like I did [Shout out to Umu Igbo Unite Travel], planning all the details are essential.

  • Travel Visa: Funny enough, depending on which air line you partake… [as a US Citizen] you can get your visa from your airline day of at your gate, but you need to have a return ticket, sign the affidavit, and chose that it is people to people experience. DO NOT say for vacation [holding ear… una hear me!?] If you want your visa ahead of time, or your airline does not offer your visa [which would be weird.. ask them], then you can go to the Cuba consulate and get one. I have one in D.C., however… TIME is just not of the essence.
  • Accommodation: Now I opted for AirBnB. If you got that guap and want to stay in a hotel, by all means go ahead, I liked my AirBnb. It took a little while to figure out which one to decide on [twas 5 of us], but we decided onĀ ‘Casa Sisi y Dami’ in Miramar. Very cute & spacious spot, I had my own room, bathroom, kitchen, fridge stocked with refreshments, lounge and entrance… homie our spot was NOICE and in Miramar by the water. Now Madre [that was what I called her because she was Damien’s [Dami] mom. She cooks too [which you are better off]- all for a cost though [very inexpensive].
  • Monies: Here was my FIRST mistake. Yall, change your money with your bank, and change ahead of time because the airport exchange sure was expensive AND they ran out of money. I was changing from US Dollar to Euro, and that was a FAIL. Change to the Canadian Dollar and you will get more [wamp wamp, i struggled end of my short trip].
  • Food: YO, I was mind blown at how underwhelming the food in Cuba was. I was comparing it to other Cuban restaurants I have been to in like Miami, and it was a big let down. We were better off eating at our AirBnb than outside. You can check out El Literal, La Guardia, restaurants on Calle Obispo [Obispo Street], or see if your AirBnB prepares food for you. Just DO NOT have high hopes, you have been warned. Oh, but them dranks… are dranks for a reason… they GO hard!
  • Tours: Now, here was the SECOND and last time I got GOT. You can make arrangements for proper tours, but we thought we can look around by ourselves in Old Havana. After walking and wandering aimlessly for 10 minutes, we gave up and tracked down the initial man that came up to us for a tour “for a good price”. I will warn you, they know who the tourist are, and they will target you. We were pressed for time, saw some of the major monuments, and then came the fuxkery. We wanted to eat at a local restaurant, and he said he knows where to take us- La Familia. When we got to La Familia [cute spot], homie sat down… demanded his money [with tip], ordered his drink… finished his drink and said he would come back… NEVER DID. To make matters worse, the food was UNDERWHELMING, yet again. So be mindful.

THIS POST IS GETTING A LITTLE LONG… YALL KNOW I DO NOT HANDLE LONG POST WELL LOL… WRAPPING THIS UP

  • Transportation: This is pretty cheap as well. Do not let anyone play should be the theme of your trip and of this blog. You can get a classic car tour, or any cabs around, just be careful a lot of people are capitalizing off this opening of tourism so make sure they have a license to be a cab driver or all of yall will get in trouble. Just master the art of haggling, it will be your saving grace.

If you have any further questions, just hit me up on my facebook, instagram, or @ me on twitter. I am pretty responsive and you can check out the pictures and all because this blog post is getting hella long lol, your eyes must be just as tired as mine. Any way, I HIGHLY suggest Cuba, it was an awesome experience and I will be going again for sure!

Ciao,

Nnennayalator

 

FIRST GIVEAWAY!!!

Giveaway Alert!

IVERY ARIE

Hey everyone! Today is exactly a week I launched Ivery Arie: The Contemporary African Woman blog. I would like to thank my team, friends, family and recent fans of the blog for the encouragement and kind words. I never thought I would be this happy about the launch; my cheeks have been hurting a lot lately lol. As a token of my appreciation, I will be conducting a giveaway for a few things I think yā€™all will love. The products will be handmade with love by me. Here are the rules to enter!

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  1. Follow us on Instagram|Facebook|Twitter @iveryarie
  2. Repost this giveaway opportunity on your Instagram, Facebook or Twitter AND tag #IveryArie #CAW. For me to see it, you must change your privacy settings to public.
  3. Visit the iveryarie.wordpress.com website, like our page and under the Give Away Post (this post), comment your favorite article so far with your social mediaā€¦

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