The title for this post comes from my professor's class ramblings. He once said "...something you should have noticed about we southerners [in the United States]. We would throw throw every insult possible your way, ending it with bless your heart. As long as we bless you, it makes everything else okay (eg XYZ is completely nuts, bless her heart)". On to business now...
...give me the beat boys, free my soul
I wanna get lost in the rock and roll
And drift away...
(That's me croaking along to the car radio)
How do you know these songs?
(my friend, whose car we happen to be in)
What do you mean?
Well...uh...but...uh...you are from Africa!
Now I'm thinking "BB, you are my friend and I love you but you are so dumb. Bless your heart." I bet that if I had been chanting some tribal-like hymn, used to put my pet elephant to sleep, she wouldn't even have raised an eyebrow. And yes, I have once been asked if I owned a pet elephant back home. At least I haven't been asked "How'd you get to America?" or "How do you speak to your folks back home?" Thank God for small favors.
Before you get all righteous on me, I'll admit that its not just a west-vs-others-thing though. The first time I went visiting up North (in the U.S), I found that saying "...I school in Texas" was almost always followed by a question that involved cows, horses or both. Again, "Dear so-and-so, you're an idiot, bless your heart"
"...IS IT TRUE that y'all raped a security guard?"
So I started thinking that maybe there's something more to what I've now termed the "really?" questions. Soon after I start thinking this, I noticed a new trend. Every time I told a fellow Nigerian that I had attended a certain girls' high school back home, I get the following reaction-
"Oh, you went to that school. Is it true that y'all raped a security guard?"
This happens every time without fail. I mean, Really? This is a rumor that has been doing the rounds since before I was in elementary school, you'd think people would know better by now. I swear, I've even been asked twice or thrice by the same people. Really...bless all your hearts.
I have to say though, the mother of all "Really?" questions occurred while I was watching Chak De! India. There I was, happily minding my own business and enjoying the movie. Then, I get to the scene where the hockey team reports to camp for the first time ( Apologies if you have no idea what I'm talking about). Suddenly, I find myself thinking "...so India has States? It's not just...you, know...India?"
Yea, I know, I know. I really am stupid, bless my heart!
...give me the beat boys, free my soul
I wanna get lost in the rock and roll
And drift away...
(That's me croaking along to the car radio)
How do you know these songs?
(my friend, whose car we happen to be in)
What do you mean?
Well...uh...but...uh...you are from Africa!
Now I'm thinking "BB, you are my friend and I love you but you are so dumb. Bless your heart." I bet that if I had been chanting some tribal-like hymn, used to put my pet elephant to sleep, she wouldn't even have raised an eyebrow. And yes, I have once been asked if I owned a pet elephant back home. At least I haven't been asked "How'd you get to America?" or "How do you speak to your folks back home?" Thank God for small favors.
Before you get all righteous on me, I'll admit that its not just a west-vs-others-thing though. The first time I went visiting up North (in the U.S), I found that saying "...I school in Texas" was almost always followed by a question that involved cows, horses or both. Again, "Dear so-and-so, you're an idiot, bless your heart"
"...IS IT TRUE that y'all raped a security guard?"
So I started thinking that maybe there's something more to what I've now termed the "really?" questions. Soon after I start thinking this, I noticed a new trend. Every time I told a fellow Nigerian that I had attended a certain girls' high school back home, I get the following reaction-
"Oh, you went to that school. Is it true that y'all raped a security guard?"
This happens every time without fail. I mean, Really? This is a rumor that has been doing the rounds since before I was in elementary school, you'd think people would know better by now. I swear, I've even been asked twice or thrice by the same people. Really...bless all your hearts.
I have to say though, the mother of all "Really?" questions occurred while I was watching Chak De! India. There I was, happily minding my own business and enjoying the movie. Then, I get to the scene where the hockey team reports to camp for the first time ( Apologies if you have no idea what I'm talking about). Suddenly, I find myself thinking "...so India has States? It's not just...you, know...India?"
Yea, I know, I know. I really am stupid, bless my heart!
" Yay or Nay? "