Jacinta Odoemene won the special prize for her story that recounts a visit to her parental homeland, Nigeria
My name is Jacinta Odoemene. I am now 10 years old. Last year I went to Africa. Unfortun-ately I didn't go to all the countries. I went to Nigeria, which is the most populated country in Africa.
I noticed that Ireland is different compared to Ni-geria. In Nigeria there is sand nearly everywhere, but in Irel-and you don't see sand everywhere. The food in Nigeria is very different from the food in Ireland. Some shops are the same and some aren't. In Nigeria you could just ask for what you want then they give it to you, but you can't go inside most shops because some have iron gates, maybe for security. There are plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits in many places in Nigeria.
The weather is very different to like it is in Ireland. In Nigeria, they have two seasons known as the dry and wet season. It is great during the dry season, or what we call summer in Ireland. But during the wet or rainy season, it rains like cats and dogs, more in southern Nigeria than in northern Nigeria.
I enjoyed my stay in Port Harcourt, which is the capital of Rivers State, and is popularly known in Nigeria as the ‘Garden City’ due to its uniqueness and beauty. Port Harcourt is situated east of the River Niger and very close to the Niger Delta. Apart from oil companies, there are many other companies in Port Harcourt.
I also went to Owerri, as well as Aboh and Ahiazu Mbaise local government areas. Owerri is the capital of Imo State, while Aboh Mbaise is one of the most populated areas in Imo State. People from Owerri and Mbaise in general are predominantly Roman Catholic. My cousin is a priest and my niece is a reverend sister. They were happy to see me.
While in Owerri, I visited the Pastoral Centre, as well as many other places of interest in the Imo State capital. While in Aboh Mbaise and Ahiazu Mbaise, I visited my paternal and maternal homes. My granddad is a great man. My granddad knows every person in his community. Also, my granddad is well respected by many people. He is the best of all the granddads. He was very happy to see me. He kept me happy throughout my stay, even though he was not very strong when I arrived home. He told me many good stories about Nigeria. He is funny.
I enjoyed every bit of my stay in the village. Many people came to see me. It was great fun. Children are free to do what they like doing, not like in Dublin where my parents are afraid to allow me to walk alone to the shop or to the park.
It rained most of the time in Port Harcourt while I was there. The school uniform is not the same. In Ireland boys usually wear trousers but in many parts of Nigeria boys wear shorts because of the weather.
Finally I went to Lagos, which is a great city. There are plenty of people living in Lagos. My uncle told me that Lagos is more populated than Ireland. In Lagos there are many skyscrapers. I saw the Lagos Lagoon and the busy Apapa Wharf. Auntie Chinwe made my visit to Lagos a very enjoyable one. She took me out to places and I was happy to be in her company. Although Lagos is a great city, I preferred Port Harcourt as it is a more quiet city than Lagos.
I enjoyed my trip to Africa and I would like to visit Nigeria again in future, as well as other great countries of Africa.
