Rainbolt Travel Diary

The expat calendar of social events in Lagos is quite extensive. You have all the school events, and all your major holidays. There are some good restaurants, a couple of movie theaters, and endless time around the pool. The Nigerian Field Society offers trips to the beach, author talks, and art walks. All of these events are secondary to the Trifecta. It is this series of events which concludes this weekend that allows the expat living in Lagos the opportunity to re-live his or her miss spent youth. The events of the trifecta are the Marine Ball in November, The Yacht Club Round the World Event in late November, and the Women’s Charities of Lagos Small World Event in February. In familiar terms, these events are the Senior Prom for Old People, the Frat Party for Old People, and the Talent Show for Old People.

The Marine Ball celebrates the birthday of the United States Marine Corps and the occasion is marked all over the globe. It is an evening of formal attire; tables set with two much silverware, etched wine glasses, and quite a bit of ceremony. The colors are posted, dignitaries are introduced, cake is cut, and speeches are given. After all of this the prom starts. There is a band; they start with a slow dignified song and couples slowly make their way to the dance floor. Most of the men are stiff and awkward, only dancing now in hopes of a different kind of dance later. The women are eager, although it seems that much of their attention is focused on what the competition is wearing. The lines at the bar become longer, the music gets faster, and the dance floor fills. The men become dancers, or at least they believe they can dance. High-heeled shoes are abandoned, ties become loose, and conversation fills the space between songs. The crowd on the dance floor will freeze and watch admiringly the couples that can dance rewarded them with whistles and applause. Slow songs are the same as in high school; bodies pulled tight, arms draped around the neck and hands placed on the hips. The crowd at the bar has filtered down to the true professionals.

The early energy dwindles and more chairs on the sidelines are filled, but no one is ready to leave. The band takes a break and groups wonder to the desert table. More water is asked for at the bar then anything else. When the band starts again the dance floor fills and the energy peaks once again. As it gets later more and more couples drift from the dance floor to their cars, and just like in high school, many of the cars have drivers. And just like in high school, sweaty tuxedoes and formal gowns are tossed aside at the end of a long evening.

The yacht club hosts the frat party. There is a dance floor and a cover band on the lagoon side of the club and booths line the perimeter of the club. In theory each both is supposed to offer a sample of the cuisine of a given country. They do, but the real draw is the alcohol of that country. Baileys on the rocks from Ireland, hard cider from Wales, Gin and Tonics from England, wine from Australia, ice cold Heineken from the Netherlands. Stand in line for a quick sample of food, sure…but nobody walks away without a drink. The Danish booth draws the crowd. The food? A hot dog with crispy onions. The drink? Beer in a can. Does it get more frat party than that?

On the dance floor the music is fast and loud from the beginning. Sweat is mandatory. There are no fancy clothes but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any ladies dressed to impress. In fact, the naked skin factor is quite high at the yacht club. The dancing is not elegant; it is drunk and fun. The booths run out of food, no one complains, they run out of alcohol, and voices get louder. Then the yacht club bar opens and soon half full red plastic cups are left on every horizontal surface. The dance floor is lit with camera flashes as everyone tries to capture the fun before they alcohol washes away the memory of it. The bathrooms are trashed, people are trashed, and nobody will want to wake up early the next day.

The final leg of the trifecta is the Small World Event. In many ways, the set up is the same as the yacht club event, except this time the emphasis is on the food. Latin America, China, Malaysia, India, Switzerland, the United States, Lebanon, and Israel all serving up their specialties. At the Indian booth, it doesn’t matter what they serve because they have huge bowls of the mint yogurt dip. I think you can put mint yogurt dip on shredded wheat and shredded wheat will taste good. Stir fried noodles from China, shrimp from Malaysia, and dessert from Switzerland with a beer from the shortest line and you have seriously good dinner.

When it gets dark, people wander from the tables to chairs near the stage. It is not an elevated platform; it is a stage with multiple levels, lighting towers, and stacks of speakers. An elegantly dressed couple will take the stage to serve as emcees for the evening. With their British accents mixed with soft Nigerian pronunciations, they will introduce the different women’s charity groups that will perform. All will have singing, dancing, props, and special effects. One of the beauties of living here is that some traditional rivalries will disappear for the evening. The Israeli’s will get the same greeting as the Lebanese group. The American Women’s Group will get the same cheers as the Indian Women’s group. The secret of success for all the women’s groups is not to follow the Lebanese women. Those women can shake it down, they know they can shake it down, and they are proud of the fact they can shake it down. The audience sits in total respect. It is the Talent Show for Old People.

Maybe that is one of the appeals of living here. How many times do you get re-live your senior year of high school and your freshman year of college? How many times do you get to re-live those years on a yearly basis? This weekend is the Small World Event and we will have completed our second trifecta.