The Diary Game:How I Spent My Holiday in the Village[24/04/2026]

Hello Steemians! 👋 It's @demigodsms, I will love to share another episode with you all. It was early in the morning, I packed a small bag and traveled to my hometown in Enugu State, Nigeria, to spend my holiday in the village. What I thought would be just “two quiet weeks” turned into one of the most grounding experiences I’ve had in years. I was really surprised.

The journey from Enugu city to the village took just under two hours, but i felt like entering a different world. I thought it would rain but though the weather was fresh., there was no generators. Just crickets at night and roosters at dawn. My grandmother’s mud-and-zinc house still stands strong. The first thing she did was hand me a calabash of cold water and a plate of hot _okpa_. We sat under the udara tree, everyone was excited while she asked about “that Lagos life.” I realized how much I missed everyone. Mornings started at 5:30am. I joined my uncles at the farm. We cleared weeds, planted cassava stems, and checked the maize, but the feeling of working with soil was full of stress.

Because it was holiday week, the village was alive. age-grade groups organized football matches on the community field. I dusted off my boots and played for _Umuada United_. We lost 2-1, but the jollof rice and _nkwobi_ after the match made everyone a winner. Night were for stories. Grandpa used to tell us about the Iroko tree that “walked” at night, As a kid I was scared of those tales. But now I see them as culture. We use to eat fresh ugu from the backyard, smoked fish from the river, yams roasted in ash, and palm oil. I ate abacha a lot.

The village reminded me that happiness isn’t loud. knowing your neighbor’s name, in sleeping early and waking with the sun. I saw wealth in people who own little but share everything. I returned to Enugu city with happiness of heart. To anyone thinking of visiting home: do it. The village will strip away the noise and give you back yourself.