Monday Bazaar

It's day 363 of documenting 2025.

2 days to 2026!

It's a Monday...and guess where I'm not? In the hostel! 😄

It's actually my last Monday here on holiday...and it was definitely well spent.

Why? Because I went out.

It was the Thanksgiving and Bazaar of the Anglican church my aunt goes to...and I tagged along with my cousin and her friend.

My brother didn't go tho....what I would describe as antisocial 😏

For the record, this is an overdue post...meaning I'm writing it much later than I should have.

Doesn't change much tho...as I'm still going to share the day's gist.

Moving on....

It was in the morning we left for the church.

My aunt gave me her bag, hand jewelry, footwear and a wonderfully furry hat to wear.

The only thing that was mine was my dress.

Well, that didn't matter, as I still looked good ✨

One thing about my aunt is, she likes to make an impression with her dressing.

Seems she wanted me to do same and boy! I killed it! 😁

We all got to the church and the service lasted for about 3 hours before the ceremony.

And by ceremony, I mean an auction sale.

You may be thinking..."what?"

Hold that thought.

Here's the whole concept of the event according to my understanding:

It's a Thanksgiving, right?

So, people come with gift items ranging from foodstuff to items like new suitcases, water containers, fans and even wrappers and mats.

I guess the item that people brought the most was yams.

At the church service, they bring their gifts, present it and then keep it outside.

My aunt came with a live turkey, the only turkey there...

(Talk about impression 😏)

After the service, everyone would then go outside for the second part of the event.

Before it started proper, food was displayed for sale by the women group and that's when I had my lunch.

A plate of Bazaar rice, rich and seasoned to perfection 👌

The event started with the MC introducing the main guests to the high table and then the chairman was asked to "open the sales".

That's when I understood what it was all about.

Those gift items brought by the members of the church were sold to the same members, whoever called the highest price.

When an item was presented, whoever was able to pay the most for it would get it.

My cousin later told me that it was to raise money for the church.

So, it's like you come with vegetables as your gift and go home with a fan, because you called the highest price for it.

You would later make payment for that fan, to the church.

I hope you understand how it works now....

Well, the auction sale was a whole lot of drama.

People wanting to show off their money,

Others wanting to buy certain items for use at home

And the rest just watching the whole scenario (I'm part of this category by the way...).

Some things didn't just make sense to me at all.

Like a cow being bought for 1.2 million naira, when it costs way less in the market.

And the turkey my aunt brought, which was eventually sold for 250 thousand naira!

I wondered as each of the men on the high table continuously bought item after item, reaching up to 5 million naira in cost.

My cousin later mentioned that some of them don't eventually pay the full amount for the items they bought.

Well, the main thing was to raise money for the church...and I'm sure all the money is up to 10 million.

Or even more than that...

It's mainly a transaction for the purpose of donation...and I'm thinking that's how all Anglican churches do.

Well, I witnessed a major drama between my aunt and another woman during the bidding process.

That's when I knew that my aunt is really endowed with funds.

Before I share the very interesting story, let's look into the highlights for today, shall we?

365 Days With Self-discipline

📌 On Relying Upon Yourself

"It always makes more sense to concentrate on the direct alternatives; the

things you do control. What others do is up to them, but there’s always a great

deal you can do. 

Choose from the alternatives that require only your decision; not from among the many hopes that someone will be something other than what he is. 

To rely on your rights or on your ability to change others is far less promising than to rely upon yourself.

Quote by Harry Browne

One dangerous pitfall to be aware of when setting goals is to avoid tying them to the performance or willingness of other people.

For example, I believe that the best business partner is yourself and nobody

else. 

If you have a goal to build a successful business so you can eventually dedicate yourself to your children and your business partner doesn’t have such a strong motivation, it will be a source of conflict forever. 

You’ll need his or her approval for any business decision, and 50% of the success of your business will depend on the other person. 

Losing full control over the decision-making process means lowering your chances of success.

In exercise, you might feel tempted to wait before you buy a gym pass until you persuade your friend to start exercising with you. 

Yes, working out with a partner is more effective, but if you’re relying on this person to establish a positive change in your life, you’ve already failed. 

And what if your friend drops out? Will you drop out, too?

Don’t wait for another person to change your life. You can hope that their

desires will be in line with yours, but it’s a better strategy to rely on yourself by

choosing alternatives that require your decision alone.

One thing I've learned is that the opinions and actions of others will always be out of your control most of the time.

What matters is focusing on what you can control: what you decide to do, your actions and emotions.

Most people (including myself) often base their plans on what others will do or say concerning them, as well as their expectations.

And they often end up disappointed.

There's a line from a movie that is stuck in my mind, and I remember it whenever I raise my expectations of others too high.

It goes like this:

"Expect disappointment and you won't be disappointed".

When I'm in a situation where an outcome is expected, I always prepare for what happens if it doesn't work out.

And if things work out, all good 🙂

Alright, back to my story...

So, my aunt had her eyes on a particular suitcase, which was part of the items to be auctioned.

When it was brought out, my aunt bidded 40k at first.

Then a certain woman bidded 50k for it as well.

My aunt went higher, budding 80k.

The woman bidded 85k.

My aunt bidded 90k

The woman bidded 95k

By then, it was clear that it had become a competition.

Everyone exclaimed.

My aunt bidded 100k.

At that point, I started to wonder if my aunt was actually going to pay up to 100k for the suitcase.

I think the woman bidded 110k.

Then my aunt bidded 120k.

My mouth was wide open! 😮

The woman bidded 125k and at that point, my aunt surrendered.

She was like, "Let her take it".

The MC called the highest price at 125k and urged my aunt to bid higher. She didn't want to anymore.

The woman got the suitcase and guess what she did next?

She gave it to someone, my aunt's friend specifically.

She didn't even need it!...and her action was insultive.

Competing with my aunt for the item, only to give it away 😒

It pained my aunt because she really wanted the bag.

But she left it and then bought another suitcase...a bit smaller and less fashionable, but useful.

It was a smart move, because she didn't end up paying heavily for it, when she could have gotten it at a lesser price in the market.

The woman who was clearly competing with my aunt would be the one to pay for it. But at the end, it's all for the church, right?

Well, at some point....I stood up and went to a corner of the building to take some pictures with my cousin's friend.

I took a good shot tho...with a good pose showcasing all the bling I wore.

I also made videos of me wearing that furry hat, which was super comfy and made it look like I wore a wig. 

Tres chic! 😘

I made a memory today, and it's one I'll keep in my memory bank.

(Yeah...that's a thing!)

All in all, I thank God for how the day went...that there were no casualties.

For preserving my life and that of my family, I'm eternally grateful 🥲

That would be all for today's documentation.

(Pretty long one, yeah?)

Thanks for reading 🎀

It's just two posts left....and I'll be done with Documenting 2025.

It's been a wonderful journey.

See you in the next post 💜