Friday 18th April - part 2 - Chief Caroline

Friday the 18th of April - part 2
I had written up the Proposal for the House Parent Sponsorship funding and fond some pages of blog that I had written and lost so felt eager to get to email. V/Rev had to go to town to chase money so he drove us into town. We had decided to leave at half 7 but the heavy rain delayed us until almost 10. Martha is trying to get a place sponsored to study her Masters in either England or America so had a lot of things to look at on the computer. I had finished my emails and was getting hungry. When V/Rev came in to check up on us I asked him to take me with him so I could buy some bread and jam to stop my stomach from crying. He was going to meet a man about his induction. I am beginning to realise now the importance of the Very that is placed before the Reverend and am trying to make sure I use his title because it, and the induction party, are very important to him. The man he was seeing is called Benson and he is a management committee member of Amaudo. He is also a lawyer and a judge and is working administratively to organise other judges. I am still not entirely sure what all this means but I just recognise him to be an important man who must lead an extremely busy and hectic life. Anyway Benson welcomed me into his office and sat me down next to V/Rev and started asking the usual polite questions about who I am, where I am from and what I am doing in Amaudo. He seemed pretty impressed that I have spend the last 8 months making money to fund myself and come out to Amaudo at the age of 19. I told him that I enjoyed working hard for the money because I got a lot of different experiences with out even leaving Bristol. The Hotel work was the most challenging but I think I have learned a few valuable lessons from it. My visit rather took over the point of the meeting, Benson asked me to come to his village and the more we spoke the grander my visit to his village became.

First it was to see the 300 destitute people he himself cares for out of his own pocket.

Secondly he asked if I would care to see some traditional dancing and I said yes (of cause! I would actually really LOVE to see it)

Thirdly he offered to give me the title of Chief to celebrate my achievement of coming over to Nigeria as such a small girl. I asked him if it was ok for a woman to be a Chief and if I had to be a LoLo (pronounced lor-la) which means princess or wife to an Eze (king). He told me that Chief would be fine because I must have the heart of a man to be able make this trip.

Being told I would become Chief was very exciting to me. He said he would get his secretaries to take me to the tailor and buy me a shirt and some George to wear, this is an expensive cloth that is worn by Chiefs and important people. He would also get me a crown to wear and an animal skin hand fan. These were all the details that were delighting me and making me to feel very excited about the 11th of May which is the proposed date for my Chief title celebration. The details that made V/Rev Timothy happy were the location that it would be held in the former governor of Abia States home. 13 Eze’s would be invited and it would be a big occasion. Seeing as Amaudo is the reason why I have come to Nigeria and Benson is an Amaudo management member this is an absolute blessing of an event in which to talk about the work of Amaudo and to collect ‘big money’ and try and collect agreements to monthly donations.

I think I am forgiven for scattering* the meeting because of the amazingly fortunate bit of good luck that came out of it. When I got back to the centre I called my mum and told everyone else that I could find. Me being me forgot to mention all the important parts and only spoke about the very exciting parts like the new dress and crown and the fact I will get a new title of Chief. It was only when V/Rev Timothy told people that they really understood my joy to be a good thing and a joy they should be sharing in.

*Scattering is used to describe messing anything up. You can scatter my hair or the story I am telling or my belongings… It is like the word picking. You use scatter to describe any disorganisation, just as picking is anything you take/bring/collect/buy