Going Dutch Does Not Happen Here

You know when you go out to lunch with a bunch of your office colleagues, you end up just splitting the bill evenly? Well, I got myself into a little pickle the other day. I decided to go to Nando's (a chicken fast food joint) for lunch and asked if anyone wanted to go as well. A couple people said yes, plus we picked up someone in the hallways. When we get there, everyone orders, and then it becomes clear that I was expected to pay. Well, the other thing about Nigeria is that it is a cash society. So I am always running out of money. Plus, everything is so expensive here - yes, even in that fast food joint you can't get out of spending less than $10 on a meal. Uh, awkard, I didn't have enough to cover everyone - I had no idea that I was expeced to pay! Luckily, one of the guys came to my rescue and took care of it, but it was still one person taking care of everyone - and it wasn't like people were reaching for their wallets. In the end, I gave him what I had and then tried to give him the balance the next day, but he wouldn't take it, because he wanted to share in the rewards of giving. Yomi said later that was one of the things he had to learn when he moved to America -- he'd be in college, someone would invite him to their dorm room for pizza, and then expect him to chip in! He was shocked!