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"THIS IS LAGOS, IT NEVER READ, WELCOME TO LAGOS. FROM ORIENTATION, I KNEW I HAD TO BE CAREFUL WITH MY LUGGAGE." Travelling to Lagos the land of opportunities was pretty exciting for me, I didn't feel tired at all sitting in a bus the whole day. I realized that all the time I said I hated travelling was because I had nothing to anticipate in the journey. This time I did. It was my first time breaking out of the Southern part of Nigeria where I was born, raised, did my undergraduate studies and completed my National Youth Service Corps. Going to the West was a big deal for me, I had scouted the east just a little bit. I remember going to one of the Eastern states, Abia state for my younger brother's Matriculation ceremony and all I did was detest the roads, wondering what the youth and the state government were doing that they couldn't pay attention to such bad roads capable of giving one an instant back ache, accompanied with terrible waist pain motivated by buses trying to maneuver the dusty paths with large pot holes. Well, this isn't about my Eastern sojourn but my leap into the unknown. The popular Lagos. I scaled through the online interview for a three week media workshop which I had applied for and was happy to be sent an invitation mail. This meant I had a valid excuse to tender to my disciplinary mother for being in Lagos. I packed my luggage in excitement as the due date approached and like Magic, I was on the streets of Lagos trying to locate my workshop venue on the first day. "Cele one, Cele one" The drivers kept shouting, it meant they needed just one passenger to board Cele my first bus terminal before getting to Montgomery road, Yaba, my actual destination. Well, we were two waiting to get a tricycle that would accommodate us. Oh no! I wasn't stuck with a new friend already, I was stuck with my cousin. Being a "Journey just come" a Nigerian term for newbie, my aunt, after giving me lectures on the wild streets of Lagos had instructed one of her daughters to accompany me to my first bus terminal and show me how to make my next trip, an act I found embarrassing and caring at same time. More of embarrassment actually because I could find my way. Anyways she ended up stuck with me and I had to free her of her burden by telling her she didn't need to follow me seeing all the tricycles needed just one person and I was running late and could find my way with the given directives. On getting to Cele, I enquired and happily hopped into the only available bus heading to Yaba, not knowing this would be one of my greatest undoing. All the while, I was conscious of my bag. Everyone was a potential thief as long as I was concerned. I had watched too many films about the tricks in Lagos and was too informed to be foolish. This was a place to 'shine your eyes' as my seat mate in the bus while coming to Lagos had said. She too was on her first trip to Lagos and it marveled me for what purpose she made the journey, to see her boyfriend. She obviously didn't have the kind of strict upbringing I had and dared to visit a boy in a far away city. In the bus, we had the prayer warrior who suddenly started unleashing insults to another passenger, forgetting that she had first raised her status to that of the pastor of the bus and brought herself down to just an ordinary bus member. I travelled on a Sunday morning as my training was the next day. There were lots of singing, we practically had our church service in the bus since we chose to travel on a worship day. Back to my sojourn to Yaba, that very day, my instincts saved me from being duped and stranded twice in an unfamiliar city. Did I arrive at Montgomery road in one whole piece? Look out for episode two.