Hungry Aba Gal - Yagazie Emezi

Why, hello again.

Last week, my friend Asiyami (amazing woman, check out her blog) invited me to Mexico with her. Should I go!?! Yes? No? I don't know! Ahhh!! Let's see, I had been working 60 plus hours a week since I got to NY, I just got fired (oh yeah, that . . .) after weeks of getting bullied by co-workers, a chunk of my tooth had decided to unceremoniously chip off, I was still sleeping on a folded up blanket on the floor for a bed . . . I figured, why not? Life is too short. I'm constantly stressed out, always angry, my feet hurt, oh and Playa Del Carmen looks like this:

So I looked at my bank account, promptly ignored what I saw and made plans for Mexico. I personally believe that the best way to live life is to travel. That the point of living is to see and experience how everyone else in the world lives. Can we all do that? Of course not, don't be silly. Ain't nobody got that kind of money or time to travel the world. But when an opportunity knocks on your door, grab it and run before someone gets a hold of it. As a child, I was extremely fortunate to have visited a handful of different countries and as an adult, I am blessed to have amazing friends and family who are willing enough to carry my broke ass along for the ride.

We arrive in Cancun and have a bus take us to our hostel which is about 5 blocks away from the tourist attractions. My first time in Mexico was in 2010 for academic purposes and while it had been nice to go to the more rural areas and gain a massive amount of knowledge, it was refreshing to come back and visit an actual tourist destination that's set apart from the 'real world' and made to look pretty. I hear so many people who say they want the 'authentic' experience when they visit a new place, they want to mingle with the locals; nope. Not I. Sometimes, I WANT to walk around in another country and take pictures of ridiculously mundane things and have that be okay.

The beach was our first hit. I have never seen the ocean so blue. We walked down the street filled with stalls and hawkers constantly yelling out to us. An interesting observation: They were all mesmerized by my friend Asiyami (who wouldn't be!?!) because well, she's gorgeous and secondly, by her hair.

Asiyami

My braids (everyone thought they were locks) did get a lot of questions, but aside from its length, my hairstyle was no real surprise. But people were baffled and mesmerized by Asiyami's hair (they thought it was real, too!). A man explained to me that it was so rare to see a black woman with hair like that and who was beautiful as well. Hmm. I resisted the urge to enter a one woman lecture about the exotification of mixed hair and the standard of beauty for black women when it comes to complexion and hair texture. That aside, we had several moments of confusion and giggles when people asked to take pictures with us . . . I just can't help but wonder if we would have gotten the same type of attraction had we been bald . . .

I waited years to buy a bikini, but something pulled me back to a full suit and I've never felt more confident in a bathing suit because it covered up my problem areas that I'm self-conscious about.

I was completely relaxed at this point!

Alright, the beach and yarn braids. Never again. As I got into the water, I was pretty confident that I could handle my braids wet. No. When I got out, I was as weighed down as a 7-yr old unsheared sheep. It took ages to wring out and HOURS to dry. Despite the ridiculous length at which I keep my braids, this was the first time I got severe neck pain from them. Don't make stupid decisions like I did.

The rest of our trip consisted of walking, talking and window-shopping. When any of you do visit another country/state/city, don't stress about buying cute little knick-knacks here and there! Yes, I wish I have bought a lot of things, but just being there was good enough for me. The reluctant lapping of waves on the white sands, the hollering of store owners, the smells of food escaping from nearby restaurants, the squawking of desperate seagulls, each building a brillant color, every corner revealing a hidden relic or two to take home; I took it all in.

Fruit stand. I got pineapple slices and coconut!

Dem go dey pose

I find that climbing into hammocks alone are a lot more fun than actually laying in them!

Was in the middle of shooting Asi for her blog content and got distracted by Jorge and his daughter, Janet. I'm pretty sure he was making sure I didn't run off with his bicycle! Running into them gave me a valuable lesson/idea. I need a polaroid camera. I took a picture of Jorge and Janet and was really surprised by Jorge's excitement over the picture. I would have loved a polaroid camera so that I could have given them a picture right there and then. I am forever lenient with children touching my hair. Adults are a big no and so I had to dodge many people in the tourist center -__-

Jorge came round a second time and offered us a ride, but we didn't have anywhere to go! There was definitely an upside to not having gotten a hotel by the beach. It was nice to be right in the middle of town where we had to walk through everything in order to get to the tourist attraction sites. Just more for us to see of Playa Del Carmen!

Asiyami getting involved.

Nigerians and Mexicans shouldn't bargain, we both walk away with nothing.

Taking in some art . . . I did try and touch the paintings...

Nnnneeeaaa!!!

Asiyami being hustled lol

The beach was never far off.

The colors.

I really took a leap of faith by going to Mexico, but I think it was just what I needed. I doubt another opportunity will come by way to leave my troubles behind, and that's okay because I need to handle my affairs! My random, last minute decisions have provided me with some of my most treasured memories. I get really bad panic attacks with my over-thinking and worrying so it is important that I (and you too!) take the time out to just . . . let go. Last minute decisions?? Why not?! As long as you're not hurting anyone, it's okay. Do it for yourself. Hold your breathe and 1... 2... 3... jump.

(psst....once again....bear with me on responding to your emails! There's so much to go through, but I always reply! yagazieemezi@gmail.com)
And for a better way to see when I update this, go to my FACEBOOK! Blessings!

I made it to Lagos! And jumped right into the backstage of it all. I mingled with models, stylists and designers. I paid attention to not only the fashion, but the people as well. The models were all extremely focused and talked only amongst themselves. The stylists were all friendly and down to earth. The fashion designers were usually all smiles and eager to extend their hands and kisses to everyone. A few Nigerian bloggers surprised me with their pompous attitudes and arrogant airs. And a few more were just as excited to see me as I was towards them. The attendees all came in their best attires. Colors, colors everywhere. It was a feast for the eyes, especially coming from Aba and New Mexico!

All in all, I was extremely fortunate to experience the show the way I did. With an all access backstage pass, I could move back and forth anyway I pleased. Then there was the hardcore party scene with a few of the designers and endless debates which has left me with a memorable experience. It was still a tiring week to be running back and forth in heels trying to get the right photos. Despite the excitement of this week, I am looking forward to blogging more about my stay in Nigeria, not just the fashion week. I leave all the AWFW details to the fashion enthusiasts. So here are just a few of the shots I took, there are just too many to upload all.