Love and Immigration

By Temi and Julie Aluko

A Memoir: LOVE AND IMMIGRATION narrates the true story of two youngsters who share the same childhood dream. Temi, at the tender age of three told his Nigerian family he intended to marry a white woman. Julie, at the age of ten, who lived with her family in Wisconsin, USA, had a dream of her own, that of marrying an African man.

In this love story, Temi and Julie tell about their experience of meeting each other online from half way around the world. They share how they fell in love and eventually get married in Africa.

Their story shares the challenges of an online relationship, as well as cultural differences and the immigration process, which involves being separated for over a year after their short honeymoon.

LOVE AND IMMIGRATION describes how they managed their marriage while living 6,500 miles apart.

A story of inspiration, hope and making dreams come true!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Feb 9, 2015
• ISBN: 9781480815209

Temi

Temi and Julie Aluko reside in Houston, Texas. Professionals in their field, they are enjoying the adventure and experiences that come with the blending of their two cultures.

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Copyright © 2015 Keith Halliburton .

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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ISBN: 978-1-4808-1519-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-1520-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015902033

Archway Publishing rev. date: 2/4/2015

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Near a small village in an isolated part of western Africa, a quiet, peaceful farming community of hard-working families thrived by planting and harvesting a few crops they could sell to other people who lived nearby. Temi was the youngest boy in a close family of twelve members, all of whom laughed when they repeated their favorite family story: they were almost a soccer team! The family consisted of the father and mother, one brother, seven sisters, a cousin and the youngest boy, Temi, who was a wriggling escape artist, was very often almost impossible to catch. Temi’s father worked very hard every day and taught his family the value of hard work and of being responsible to each other and to the crops they tended. Their own family farm of two acres was only three miles from their protected house, which had six bedrooms, one sitting room, no running water, no electricity, but the dirt floors were smooth after years of many bare feet running back and forth. They also had a life-sustaining well in the center of the home’s property and by lowering buckets down the strong rope, they were able to haul water inside their house to use for cooking, drinking, bathing and cleaning. The well was also the center of the village’s social life and everyone within walking distance depended on the well they named Konga for all their water needs. They all walked each morning to the fields and late in the afternoon, they walked back to their homes with bales of the ripened harvest piled on their heads like massive headdresses! It was not an easy three-mile walk, either. It was a narrow path on the hardpan worn smooth from hundreds of tired, bare feet. The most difficult times were in the rainy season but the good-natured people made light of it and knew the sun would come out again, before too long. It was a very hard life but they were also extremely happy together which made the work much easier than it would have been otherwise.

The struggling farmers sold their crops at the local market on certain days of the month and this was the source of the income they needed for all the necessities they couldn’t grow or make out of the tall grasses or the clay they could form from the soil with a little water, then bake in the sun. The well outside, Konga, in the middle of a clearing was a community watering hole and also a place to meet all the neighbors since everyone needed water. They obtained the water by lowering a bucket on a rope which was tied to the old car axle they used as a rod to wind and unwind the rope propelling the bucket. They scrubbed their clothes clean by rubbing them on a wash board and rinsing them several times to get the soap out as well as the soil. The younger children ran and played games in and around the large tree in the center of the yard area around the well, which is also where all the people in the community came together to meet and share stories and just socialize. They were convivial and enjoyed each other’s company and were interested in the well-being and the habits of all the children as they grew closer to adulthood and some prepared to leave their childhood home.

The best of times were when the entire village decided to have a communal supper and the men built a grand fire and the women got to work preparing the yams and squashes and corn and they roasted a goat, pig, fish, or chicken and the men played games as the happy children watched and learned. Breakfast in the early mornings, were always eaten by each family in their own home but suppertime was almost a celebration for the entire village. When the mischievous hyper-active little Temi was about three, he developed a serious