LIFE IN TRAFFIC

I don't know about other countries, but I know for certain how bad traffic can be in my country. And by how bad, I'm not exaggerating, it can be as bad as you stepping out in the morning and to go to a place that would normally take you 1 hour (driving). But because of traffic, you could end up spending the whole day in traffic. I once read where someone on hive shared a bitter experience of people who dressed and cooked for a wedding only to be stuck in traffic so long that they had to start thinking of ways to go back home and even started sharing the food they cooked to everyone it could reach. That's how bad Lagos traffic can be. Normally, if you are going to some areas in Lagos and you wish to get there on time, you had better leave at least 3 hours if not 5 hours before time.

This is because you can never tell what would hold you up on the road, and if you eventually enter into a traffic and it's not looking good, it would be best to start trekking to your destination if the time is very precious to you. These kinds of traffic also occur in Port Harcourt where I currently reside. Although Port Harcourt is not as populated as Lagos, and the traffic is tough but not like Lagos, the effect of both is still the same. I got a query twice last month for coming late and that was because the road was jam packed so much that trekking was the only way I could get to work and this happened even after leaving an hour and 30 minutes early. In the past I've had to trek 30 km to work because the traffic was heavy and that journey took me over 3 hours of non stop trekking.

Some years back when I was still in boarding school, I left school early so I could get home before my dad came back from South Africa. I made sure to not let Lagos traffic make me miss my flight, and when I finally got to the airport, I thought I wouldn't need to worry about anything. Only for the plane to take off and 10 minutes later the pilot announced that we should remain calm as we might have to hang on for a while because it was very cloudy and it would be more risky moving forward. That day it was as though I held my heart in my hands for over 6 hours. And just when I thought my problem wasn't enough, the plane suddenly started going down. This was when everyone (including me) began to panic even more.

When the plane finally stopped going down and came to a halt, the pilot apologized saying they ran out of gas and were using the one in reserve currently. Finally after about 30 minutes the ghost became clear and we arrived at the airport in about 30 minutes. At the airport I noticed everywhere was crowded, and when I asked my mum who came to pick me up she said the President was in the city of warri and it took her 3 hours to get to the airport. This was supposed to be a 30 minute journey, and I'm not one to sleep on a journey. Getting home at about 10:00 PM that day I just went ahead to shower and sleep, being too exhausted to even eat or exchange pleasantries.

THIS IS MY RESPONSE THE NEOXIAN CITY MONTHLY PROMPT PROMPT