Betterlife Trip || 30-11-2024 || Covering the Wedding of my Friend in Calabar, Nigeria on the Steemit National Meetup Day
It's no news that I missed our first national meetup to attend to the wedding of my friend. If I'm to express how pained I was, you may not be able to console me. Anyway, my reason was for a just course. It wasn't just about the money but about the help rendered. That's what moved me to make that choice of being absent during the meetup.
The cost of covering an event was a bill of 500k minimum which is roughly 1300 steems. Seeing this, my friend couldn't push through with it as other photographers said same. This coverage is without photo Album and full editing. He pleaded with me to help him cover his wedding with my mobile device as I do for others. Considering the condition of things and my plans to surprise many Nigerian Steemians, I just had to make the hardest decision that month.
Okay, I went to CALABAR, and I'll be narrating my experience with you as you go through the details in this post. Some days ago, I made a post about my journey to Calabar. You can read it up using the link below. So I'll be narrating what happened on that Saturday, dated 30th November, 2024. A weekend to remember.
It was the wedding ceremony of my friend, and I was there to cover the event, though I'll not share the main wedding pictures here as I was told not to do so yet. I'll just share random pictures I took throughout the day.
Cooking Food for the Event |
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It was a Saturday morning, and I woke up to feel the whistling, dry, cold breeze that filled the environment. The day before, I lodged in a hotel with my crew members, and we woke up in that hotel to continue the business of the day. Sunrise was giving, and the morning was just as blissful as blossom, though it was the last Saturday of the month, a sanitation exercise day. I captured the sun and thank God for making me see this beautiful sunrise, which many aren't opportune to.
I then moved to the cooking area to conduct a little interview with the women and ladies. They were all so busy, and information reaching me was that people came from far distances to assist in cooking while some were around the previous day, so they could embark on their cooking journey earlier. I saw varieties of food items. Some food items were already prepared the day before to avoid the stress of double work.
I took my mobile device round the corners where deep pots were stationed. I first asked the woman in charge of cooking, as she was busy plucking wild spinach leaves to make the soup. I asked her about the food menu for the occasion, and she did tell me what they had installed to prepare. With the information provided, I asked how many guests they were expecting to feed with all this food, and the number shocked me. It was going to be a big wedding..
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I then moved to other women who were busy with other activities and interviewed them as well. There was this particular woman who was in charge of cooking the rice, jollof and coconut rice. From the look of things, she's no ordinary cook, and she was just issuing out instructions to ladies who came to assist while she did the supervision. I covered her carefully because I was very much interested in tasting her food.
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My coverage didn't just stop with her but also extended to those in charge of the soup preparation. Just look at how they did these preparations passionately. Accompanying the soup was fufu prepared out of pressed cassava. The woman in charge of this section did her best to ensure she mixed the FUFU very well, dissolving all the lumps so it would be smooth for swallowing when eaten with the prepared soup.
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Another section was the plantain area. The girls in charge of those sections ensured that they did the plantain well and that the puddings were visible. It was the best morning I had in a long while. The five foods prepared for the occasion were:
Jollof Rice
Coconut Rice
Afang Soup
Plantain Porridge and
Yam porridge
White Soup
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These 5 different types of food were to be served at the event. So I had the opportunity of tasting the foods before contained in the various cooler sizes available. These women did excellently well in ensuring the foods were well cooked. We were then served Jollof Rice which my crew and I ate as a group and ordered more. They gave us willingly, so we'll have the strength to cover the event.
Exploring The serenity |
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After capturing the glory of the kitchen area, I moved to exploring Calabar as we still had time before the main activity. I left the compound with my crew, and we strolled down the interior of Calabar. It was just so dull and less lively, but their drinks, like the Kunu and soya beans milk were what I used to sustain my dry throat.
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Their Kunu tastes great, but their soy milk was something else. We then moved to check some apartments and hotels nearby, as the one we were staying in was comfortable but small in size, as if it were a prison. We discovered that most hotels in Calabar are old hotels that are very stuffy with old structures.
 | Picture of me with Calabar Kunu |
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Just imagine entering a room where you can't even breathe fresh air, but people are plunging in as if it were the best hotel. Their structures and rooms are so outdated and out of standard, so to speak. After exploring the serenity of that place, we took to going back to prepare for the grand event to be held.
Preparations for the Wedding |
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When we went back to the hostel with which we lodged, I took to dressing up in preparation for the wedding so we wouldn't arrive late. Little did I know there were lots of disappointments awaiting me and my crew. After dressing up and taking some photos with the groom and his groomsmen, I took to warming up the car we would use to get to the venue, but it didn't give any good signal. I was like, is this not the car brought to us in good state that's giving this sound? We tried everything possible to revive the car but to no avail.
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We then left for the main road so we could board a vehicle to the place. It was with the help of Google Map we were able to arrive there safely, as we didn't know the road and people we asked kept giving us wrong directions. Fortunately for us, we got there safely, but unfortunately, we arrived late for the event, though not really late.
I did my job, which was photo coverage, while my team did video coverage. It was a success, and I witnessed my friend exchange marital vows with his wife. It was such a delight to witness such a single person. We then moved to the order of photographs, where I was in charge of pictures taken from the couple to all those they were captured with.
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 | Exchanging Marital vows |
After ensuring pictures were available, I left with the couple for the reception, this time in their vehicle. The reception was held in a place called INEC Field in Calabar. The wedding started proper, and we did all the dancing, video, and photo coverage before entertainment a second time. After the wedding, I left to see my sister, who resides in Calabar.
I also used that opportunity to join the First Steemit National Meetup in Nigeria virtually. @whizzbro4eva and @imohmitchel tied me in via WhatsApp video call. I saw a lot of Steemians present during the meetup, and they were happy to see me virtually, though sad I wasn't present to give them hugs.
Network was a major barrier that prevented me from continuing to the end of the meetup. I met my sister in her apartment, and she took me out to see places in Calabar. This isn't my first time there, though. It's just that last visit, I was still small and didn't have the opportunity to tour around. I wasn't alone but with one of my crew members, who wanted to see Calabar with his own eyes.
We spent quality time flexing her, taking pictures of places, and entertaining ourselves in the available eateries. I got to know 6 places in Calabar that day ...
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Unical
Marian
Marina Resort
Parliamentary
Stadium Junction
11/11 U-turn
We were outside till 9 pm before returning to eat what we spent on that night. It was the best night tour in Calabar, though. I returned home to see a lot of people jubilating and chanting, dining, and whining. Good was in surplus. I couldn't fill my tummy anymore because what was at hand was yet to be untouched.
I freshened up and consumed all that was bought. I had the best night and slept like an egg till the next morning when it was time to leave Calabar for Uyo.
Returning To Uyo |
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It was as if we should just continue our stay there, as we would miss a lot of people. We trekked down to board a vehicle as early as 7 AM, back to Uyo. These are videos of us saying our goodbyes to Calabar. We enjoyed our stay. It was a memorable trip, though not completely memorable, as I missed a meetup.
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It was the 1st of December and we had the safest journey back to Uyo. One thing that made the meetup memorable for me was that I got to see one of the founders of Steem4Nigeria and, in fact, one of the organisers, in person: @xkool24. He wanted to leave for his place of residence that day but had to wait to see me.
I was especially honoured when I landed in Uyo and met him in person. I got the chance to see him and bid him a safe journey.
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I'm done with my narration. Hope I am forgiven for my being absent during the meetup as I won't miss another. Was the best way to end the month and start a month ending the year. Once again, I want to appreciate the sponsors and organisers.
Cc,
@steem4nigeria [ @xkool24 and @benton3
@steemkidss [ @ngoenyi ]
@goodybest
Despite the fact that missed the national meetup which I was eager to meet my mentor, you gave valid reasons for your actions. It's nice that you were able to help your friend in covering the event. I know the person is more than happy for the heroic deeds and iconic photoshoot you did there. During the video call, I noticed that network was really disturbing that we had blurred video and distorted voices at some time. Despite that, I was glad that the majority of the call time was amazing. From what I am seeing, you really spend a quality time despite the short time you spend there. Such a detailed diary game👍
Smiles......I really appreciate. It was such an impactful meetup I must say.
Although we really missed you at the meet-up, your presence was truly felt. You surprised me in a pleasant way! Thank you so much for your generous gifts; they mean a lot to me, and I pray that Jehovah replenishes your resources. By the way, I hope you had a great time in Calabar. Enjoy your day!
I hope you like the gift though it wasn't what I expected to present but had to because time was against me. I couldn't think of anything while making the surprise a secret. Even @xkool24 was shocked because he never expected it though I requested for his picture. I appreciate the way you worked hand-in-hand with the Nigerian communities in organising the meetup
Great guy, I trust your capacity!
Can't wait for the next meetup........
Sure, same here. The process is already on.
Yes yes! I don't just like it, but I love it! You know what? I've realized something about you. But let me keep quiet for now. Hey keep up the good work, you'll be glad you did 😎
Wow....❤️❤️
Congratulations, your post has been upvoted by @scilwa, which is a curating account for @R2cornell's Discord Community. We can also be found on our hive community & peakd as well as on my Discord Server
Felicitaciones, su publication ha sido votado por @scilwa. También puedo ser encontrado en nuestra comunidad de colmena y Peakd así como en mi servidor de discordia
Please respond to @chriddi's comment.
https://steemit.com/hive-147599/@chriddi/so9ybb
Ohkay..... Doing so now
Thank you 👍
Appreciated and thanks for the reminder...🫂
Appeal to community members: