Saturdays are for daydreaming about nice places

Saturdays are for stretching and wondering what it feels like to be somewhere else, worry-free and deeply content. Or for chores. Choose whatever turns you on the most. I choose daydreaming. #WeAreTheChoicesWeMake. Did you ever see that Nespresso campaign?? I loved it. It rings so true and profound. ‘Love it!

Anyway, I almost digress. I was trying to write about going places. Nice places, fun places. Places you visit and feel you never want to leave, places filled with cool people, the promise of adventure, random kisses, hugs, exotic food, and alcohol. Those places. Places other than where you live your everyday life, and not just in your head too.

Except you do live in those places, like in real life. Then I envy you with all my heart.

I can’t say I love to travel, because that would imply that I enjoy most of the processes that come with it. Like going through customs and immigration, lugging heavy bags around, or going to apply for a visa.

Fucking. Visa. Applications. Woman.

But I LOVE going places. This brings me to my thoughts today.

Travelling as a Nigerian – Especially, a Nigerian whose socioeconomic status doesn’t usually get them ‘in the door’ – is difficult. So difficult that, sometimes when I hear the word ‘visa’, I feel like there’s a weight on my chest that I can’t move by myself.

All the things that stress me out in my life flash before my eyes. But then the word ‘visa’ just out-flashes them all, practically blinding me, because it stays the longest. Along with all the visa forms in the backdrop of this stress-induced nightmare. So, I start to heave and heave and heave… Then I start to make a list of all the documents I’d need.

Besides 17 African countries, Nigerians can only travel to about 26 other countries visa-free or with a possibility of a visa on arrival. None of these countries are in ‘The West’, to start with. Oh, except someplace in Europe called Georgia. I don’t know, I read these things.

The 40-something or so possibilities all sound great too until in some cases you realise you need a transit visa, or an invitation, or a lot of money in your accounts, and just all sorts of documentation to prove you’re not another unwanted migrant.

What is the deal?! All those requirements and documents. You can afford to travel, or at least you’ve saved up for it, or are having an individual or institution sponsor you. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying countries should ditch the visa policy. I just wonder why we have much more severe restrictions than citizens of other countries. You can check. Check what a person from ‘The West’ for example needs to apply for a visa (in a rare case), and then check what we need.

It’s our ‘reputation’, isn’t it? Degenerates from a shithole country? *Lol* Okay. I don’t know about it though. I guess that’s argument material right there.

Not all of us want to go and live abroad forever or run away when we get a chance to leave the country (I just laughed. I mean, we can’t ask why people would do that… Debate?). Some of us just like to go somewhere different every now and then for an experience, to decompress, to widen our horizons, and enrich our memories.

We who love to go places should all stand a better chance to go somewhere we’ve dreamed of. Whether we’ve saved up, or begged, or won a free trip. For someone like me, these memories are a blessing. On the days when I’m dealing with all manners of road rage. The days when I feel overwhelmed at work. The days when I just want to think of something nice and grin. So, I like to go places. The more, the better. When I can’t go, and that’s a lot of times, I imagine what it would be like.

Like today. Saturday. I’m juggling daydreaming with chores and making my hair. Well, chores came before the hair, but I’ve been daydreaming throughout. I still am.

When was the last time you went someplace nice? Even in your mind. #Daydreaming

I’ll sign to pack for a trip here. ‘Don’t mind the packing part at all.