Calm Before the Storm

T minus 1 hour until Kevin Barry, Lauren Halloran, Cara Harshman, Keegan O’Neil, (a.k.a. four ex-University of Wisconsin-Madison students and proficient Yoruba speakers) and Moses Mabayoje, our resident director at the University of Ibadan, board a flight headed to Lagos, Nigeria. We have been in Washington D.C for the past three days attending our American [...]

Read Full Post »

In hindsight, delay is a blessing

On a recent drive back from Wisconsin, a close friend and I discussed the happiest times in our short lives–the times with the most sustained happiness. I reflected on the past 22 years. I can confidently say that I am generally a jovial, happy person. It takes a lot to get me down. The junior [...]

Read Full Post »

Weekly Òwé

Proverbs are fundamental to the Yoruba language. Yoruba people use these poetic sayings –one or two lines of words– to convey a message with more meaning than a 30 minute conversation could accomplish. A proverb (òwé in Yoruba) can be used to give advice, give warning, express reproach or express compassion. Children start learning them [...]

Read Full Post »

Back to the original plan : Nigeria

It’s all happening. After two months of waiting, deciphering confusing bureaucratic emails and gloating over the fact I would be in Madison–not Nigeria–next year, it turns out the trip is back on! I will be going to Nigeria for fall and spring semester this year. I leave my hometown of Chicago on September 5th for a two-day [...]

Read Full Post »

A glimpse of Ibadan

Through this blog I have been in contact with many new friends, many of whom are Yoruba people from Nigeria. One of my new friends, Tetteh Pecku, sent me a link to his photos of Ibadan, his hometown. I am so pleased he said I could post a few on my blog for everyone to [...]

Read Full Post »

A sudden change in plans

On Friday, June 11–three days before I was supposed to leave for Nigeria–I received devastating news: my summer study abroad program at the University of Ibadan is cancelled. The feelings of shock, denial, sadness and complete disappointment I felt were overwhelming. Abike, another girl in my program told me over the phone as I was [...]

Read Full Post »

What this is all about

My name is Cara. In Nigeria, people will call me Títílayò (pronounced Tea-tea-lie-oh) or Títí for short. I am 21 years old. I study journalism and Yoruba language and culture at University of Wisconsin-Madison. I am days away from leaving the U.S. for a year to pursue these two areas of study at the University [...]

Read Full Post »