Journal

December 29, 2005
Christmas

Christmas has come and gone and still doesn’t feel like it’s happened at all. Even though it didn’t
feel like Christmas a lot of fun has been had and so much has happened I don’t know where to
start and can’t remember ½ of it! I guess it all started when Simon and Janita arrived from
Kaduna on Thursday evening. Friday I took them to Tejeshu market for a little shopping and to get
a feel for Lagos. It was packed and crazy and we had a good time.

When we returned I prepared my contribution to Chief’s party, a tossed salad, and by 6pm we
were gathered with Kim and Julius at tables set up outside in the car park. We had a great time
sharing stories and catching up, by 9pm many of Chief’s guests had arrived, some by the bus
load, and the party was in full swing. At midnight it was officially Chief’s 65th birthday and we all
gathered upstairs for an hour’s worth of speeches. After cake it was time for dancing and we
headed back outside to sit and chat more. At 2am Kate & Aine arrived from Abuja. After some
food and catching up Kim, Kate, Jan (Janita), and Aine went to bed and Simon and I went upstairs
to join in the dancing. Exhausted at 5am we finally collapsed for 2hrs sleep before it was time to
get up and on our way in the morning.

At 8:30am Tayo and a mini-bus picked us up and took us to Park ‘N Shop to pick up treats.
Unfortunately for some unknown reason the government made them close a week before and we
were out of luck. So by 9:30am we were on a boat headed to Tarqway Bay. We arrived to find our
accommodation in fair condition, better than expected. There is no electricity on the island so we
had arranged for a generator which was present. There is no running water but they promptly
brought us buckets for the bathroom. The beds were pretty much just springs that were vicious
but at least the sheets were clean. The screens in the windows had holes, but none too big for us
to stuff with plastic bags to keep out mossies. The lounge was clean and comfortable but turned
out to have no wire to the gen so we had to spend out evenings by candle lite.

Michael the landlord was difficult at times but he was manageable. He wanted all the 12,000 from
us up front so I had daily battles with him to dole out the money bit by bit to ensure there would be
enough to buy petrol each day. Every morning he had some new excuse for me: I spent all 8000
yesterday on gifts for the children, My brother needs an operation, I need to go to the clinic for
treatment, etc etc. In the end it all worked out well. Two of his children, a tiny boy Francis and a
lovely little girl Gladys attached themselves to us and helped make our time special. Gladys says
her name is Patricia but her father says Gladys is more suitable. She helped me take out my
braids.

The beach was wonderful and none of us wanted to leave yesterday. Our daily routine was as
follows. Up around 8am meet in the lounge for boiled eggs and bread that we took turns
fetching. By 10am we were at our spot in Taiwo’s chairs at the far end of the beach and a fruit
plate containing fresh pineapple, papaya, banana, mango, oranges, & bread fruit was being
devoured.   We’d spend the rest of the day sitting in our chairs watching people go by, swimming,
napping, reading, shopping, and chatting. When we got hungry we’d wander the beach returning
with suya (bbq), shwarma (like donair), or rice & beans. We’d wrap up on the beach just before
dark and head home to shower the salt and sand off and clean up for the evenings.

The 1st night we headed into town for suya and a beer and did a little dancing. Recovering from
the party the night before Kim and I were in bed by 9pm while the others went back to the beach
for a bit. Christmas evening we popped a bottle of champagne and mixed it with fruit juice in
sawed off water bottles doubling as our cups for the evening. Once we al had a drink we were
ready to begin our Secret Santa game. But just as we were about to start 2 bats decided they
wanted in on the fun. As the circled the room unable to find their way out there was lots of
screams and giggles and people diving for the floors and I kept trying to snap the bat’s picture! I
came up with the idea that if we blew out all the candles and it was pitch dark they would be able
to see better and would find the door. This worked and we were left bat free to exchange gifts. I
drew Simon and was given 2 necklaces, chocolate milk powder, a hand made card, and banana
cream biscuits wrapped in a t-shirt that I had to return. Aine drew my gift and got a small basket
with coconut rum shots and a carved gourd. We sang some Christmas carols, talked about
Christmases back home and ended the night playing cards.

The last two nights we stayed on the beach after dark as we just could not tear ourselves away. It’
s so peaceful there and just lovely. The last night Columbia and Taiwo made us a bonfire to
enjoy. Unfortunately something had made Kate sick that night and she and Simon missed out.

We all agreed it was a perfect few days. It didn’t feel like Christmas at all but it was wonderful.
Our friends at the beach MC Black, Columbia, and Taiwo were very helpful and ensured we had
no hassles and were well taken care of. Kim and I took turns getting up in the middle of the nights
to tell Michael when the gen ran out of fuel or the wires fell out but it wasn’t so bad. The trip turned
out to be a lot more expensive than I though. I think I spent about 30,000N ($300), this country is a
LOT more expensive than Uganda! That’d be a whole months pay for me but thanks to some
saving up I did in Canada and a Christmas gift from my parents I could afford it.

On Wednesday around 3pm we said a sad goodbye to the beach and caught MC Black’s boat
back to VI. We hopped in two taxi’s to head back to Chief’s in Surulere. There was a lot of hold up
(traffic) along the way which always attracts vendors selling you everything under the sun through
your car window. This time we were all treated to something we’d never expected to see. There
was a man standing in the middle of the road with no pants on, he was accompanied by 2 more
men asking for money on his behalf. The man with no pants had what I thought was a penis but
Jan thinks was a scrotum the size of a very large egg plant. It was quite the shock, and sad to see
him being used to generate cash.

Back at home Kim headed to Ikeja and the rest of us went to Sultan to enjoy loads of Mamhoud’s
yummy Lebanese food and a good nights sleep. Today Simon is not feeling well and all our
stomachs were feeling a bit of the effect of having a very rich meal that our stomachs are
unaccustomed to. In the afternoon Kate, Jan, Aine and I went back to the market to take another
look and wander around. When we returned we enjoyed some white cheddar I’d been saving with
white wine courtesy of Deb & CJ. For dinner Aine and I cooked up pasta with tomato vegetable
sauce & tuna fish. Right now we are relaxing and some are having pasta seconds. Tomorrow we
head to Opobo to meet other VSO’s returning form Cameroon for New Years.

December 21, 2005
Badagry & Osogbo

Where to start? So much has happened since I left my computer last Friday. I could write a book
but I will try to keep this short and therefore readable for you.

Badagry

Friday I traveled to Kim’s to spend the night in Ikeja. Saturday morning her co-worker, Dapo,
picked us to for a day trip to Badagry. Badagry is a port on the border with Benin where slaves
were held and shipped from Nigeria. Today there are several small “museums” where you can
see pictures and artifacts and learn about the slave trade activities of 120 years ago. The drive to
Badagry from Lagos is supposed to be an hour but by the time we got going, stopped at a
supermarket for food, packed a picnic at Dapo’s, and fought Lagos traffic it was at least a 2hr
journey.

In Badagry we saw the 1st building ever built in Nigeria, and visited two small “museums”. The
museums have been set up by the descendants of the Chief’s who acted as middle men
between the German and Brazilians and the slaves.   A few rooms in the Chief’s homes where
slaves were kept and traded has been converted to these museums and come with guides and
cost about 100N to visit. The Chief’s would capture Nigerians, hold them in their compounds
having them work their fields and then sell them to be shipped. The shipping route was Nigeria –
Brazil – Americas – Europe. The “tour guide” at the 1st house was keen to tell us about each item
on display. She would say every time “This is 120 years old and was a gift to the Chief from Brazil”
no mater what the item was. I decided to try to help her by explaining that the carved beer mugs
came from Germany but she didn’t seem to understand. It was also sad that some really
authentic items are not protected at all and she would hand them to you. There was a parasol
featured in one of the pictures that was lying tattered propped up in a corner. The artifacts should
be in a real museum or they are not going to last much longer.

My idea for Badagry: The families should get together and pool the money they’re making to build
a proper museum and tag and display the artifacts in proper protected style. That way they will
last and so will their source of income. The families can run the museum and share the profits.
But hey what do I know? I’m sure it’s a lot more complicated than that. Anyone with a tourism
background want to apply to VSO and take on the task?

After visiting the town of Badagry we headed to the beach nearby for our picnic. Dapo brought a
mat and we set down in the shade of a palm tree for tuna sandwiches. After lunch we wandered
the beach. This beach was packed with Nigerians and had huge waves, very different from
peaceful Tarqwa Bay. We sat for a cold drink and Dapo took a nap while Kim and I amused
ourselves watching the Nigerian’s dancing on the beach, many dogs hunting for food, and a few
locals with very mal-nourished horses giving rides to who ever would pay.

On our way back we had to pass through many customs and immigration officers even though we
didn’t cross the boarder. We were almost through without hassle when I spotted French Baguette
from Benin that I had to have. Dapo stopped the car for me to make the purchase and that’s when
the officers decided to take notice of us. They demanded to see Kim & my passports. Dapo said
no and got out of the car to have a discussion with them. Dapo wanted to make a point with them
that since we didn’t cross the boarder they have no reason to be harassing us and should leave
us alone. As a human rights worker and probably future politician he can’t pass up an opportunity
to make a point and I don’t blame him. In the end they demanded to see our passports anyhow.
Kim and I produced the photocopies of our passports, visa, and the letter that says VSO has our
passports. Unfortunately we all then discovered that our visa’s to be in Nigeria had expired on
November 11th. Luckily they recognized VSO and said we could go but that we needed to get our
visa’s taken care of. Both Kim and I emailed VSO the next day to get on top of this. From talking to
other volunteers it seems this will be an ongoing issue for the duration of my stay and most
volunteers do not have current visa’s.

Traffic was bad on the way back to Lagos and we arrived back in Ikeja around 8pm. We stopped
at Sweet Sensations, a fast food joint, to pick up some food for dinner. A dancing, singing, Santa
was also visiting Sweet Sensations and Kim and I made quite the spectacle of ourselves singing
and dancing along to the Christmas carols. We both had huge smiles and were feeling a little of
the Christmas spirit.

Sunday we relaxed at the Airport pool from 10-3 and then headed to my home in Surulere. The
price at the pool has gone up as of this weekend from 300 to 500 naira. They said it’s to reduce
the crowd. This is a good theory, but it also means it puts the pool out of Kim’s & mine price
range to go on a regular basis.

Kim’s last visit to me, and my visit to her this weekend are the 1st times we have braved traveling
between our homes, on our own, on public bus, with no prior escort to show us where and how.
We are both very proud of ourselves as this is no small task and we are feeling much better as
true volunteers without Chief’s driver escorting us around. The bus stop, Ojulegba, where we
have to change busses in the middle of our journey is a scary place and we have to cross one
end to the other. So far we’ve had no problems.

Osogbo, Osun State

Monday morning after a hot restless night without NEPA Kim and I again braved public transport to
travel 3hrs to Osogbo and visit Shuah a Kenyan volunteer. We had to take a city bus to Ojulegba,
find a city bus to Ojota, then find a long distance bus to Osogbo. All was going smooth till Ojota,
that is one crazy place! The moment you try to step off the bus hands are grabbing at you and your
bags. It’s a scary feeling watching our bag being pulled away from you while another hand has
you firmly around the wrist trying to dragged away from you in the opposite direction! The
offenders are boys trying to escort you to their bus lines, they get a cut of the business they round
up. Kim and I managed to claim our bags and our persons and escape to the Texaco station for a
breather to get our bearings and figure out how to find a bus with the least amount of hassle.

We asked some men near by where to get a drop car to Osogbo? They said a car is 7,000N,
should we bring one? No! We were told to pay 800, we think this is each. After asking a few
more people it seemed we could go back the way we came or cross the road and up a ways.
Rather than go back we opted for moving forward even though crossing the road seemed a bit
backward. We survived risking our necks running across Lagos version of a freeway and began
asking again for Osogbo. Eventually I managed to find someone who took us to a bus that was
going. Now time for pricing, again we were offered 7000 for a car, no I said we want to take the
bus and pay 800, they said it’s 600, we got on the bus and the price went to 400…hmm this is not
the way bargaining is supposed to work!! The bus (mini-van) was packed with 20 people and
rather uncomfortable, but the 3hr journey went smooth and quick.

At old Garage in Osogbo Shuah’s friend Laide met us and traveled with us to her home. Turns
out he is a tour guide and had a whole schedule set out for our short stay. We went over it with
him and renegotiated the times. He had us booked for lunch at 3pm which I told him had to be by
1pm at the latest or I’d be getting rather grumpy! That evening we visited Shuah’s office where I
took a picture of her and Kim by the popo tree (papaya). We then took it easy and turned in early
for a very good nights sleep. The entire time we stayed in Osogbo we did not see the NEPA
(electricity) go away. What’s wrong with Lagos?!?!?!?

Tuesday morning we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and Laide arrived at 9:15 to start our day. 1st
on the itinerary was Osun Grove Shrine.

Osun is a Yoruba water spirit of youth, beauty, love, wealth and good fortune. Every August there
is a 12 day thanksgiving feast offered to the river spirit to bring peace and harmony to the land and
people. The Osun Festival honors the Osun Goddess because it’s believed to have brought
clean and medicinal water. Today she is the goddess of fertility. People come to the shrine year
round to make offerings to the goddess when they have fertility problems or miscarriages etc.
Osun Grove Shrine is full of art and carvings created by an Austrian woman who is now in her 90’
s. There are even a few carvings that represent her walking through the shrine with her dog and
assistants. She built and still maintains the shrine today.

In the jungles surrounding the shrine live monkeys. These are the 1st monkeys that I have seen
in Nigeria which is fairly void of all wildlife. I think I was more excited about the monkeys than the
shrine. Laide found my monkey fascination very amusing and went off to buy some bananas so I
could feed them. At the end of our tour Kim and I spend about 20 minutes trying to convince a
monkey to eat from our hand. We were not successful. They do eat form Nigerians hands but I
guess our white skin was new to them. We got some fun shots of us trying to get close to the,
Very cute little guys.

After the Shrine we went to 2 art galleries. Both were well out of our price range but it was
interesting to look anyhow. Genesis Gallery is full of carvings, some were really incredible. I
picked one that I liked best, a 2ft statue of a mother nursing and a basket on her head with a
monkey on top, and asked the price: 18,000N ($180) not exactly in my ball park! Later I met the
owner and he said they could make a smaller version of the statue in teak for about 6000. I said I
will think about it and return in the New Year as Ilorin is only 2hrs from Osogbo.

As we were driving to the galleries I noticed some drum shops along the way and asked if we
could stop. Kim, Shuah, and I all bought Sekere. It’s hollowed out gourd with beads around it that
makes a loud shaking noise. There’s a picture in the album.

After the galleries it was time for lunch at The Authentic African Restaurant. The view from the
back patio over Osogbo was great but the food was lacking some. I ended up with pounded yam
and chicken in egusi soup. I had wanted vegetable stew, and the other piece of chicken was
sparse so I took this one. Although the yam portion was very small it was sweet and soft and
yummy. The chicken though was not plucked well and I could see roots of feathers which was
rather a turn off. After I managed to peel the skin it looked a little better and I ate most of it. Kim
took a picture of me peeling in disgust. Laide was appalled at how much I left and polished it off
for me. At the end of the meal the owner appeared as he heard we were unsatisfied. He turned
out to be great and I would go back again just because of him.

After lunch we did more running around including visiting a big hotel about 25min away. It was
pretty posh by Nigerian standards. It’s where the VSO conference was held last year. This year
we don’t get to have a proper conference because they say they can’t afford it. It’s very unfortunate
because this is such an important time for the volunteers. I really enjoyed it in Uganda. Other
than the workshops I would say the most important factor is that it gives volunteers a chance to
get away and talk to each other. This is very re-energizing and helps you to cope knowing you’re
not the only one who gets frustrated sometimes etc.

Another lazy evening followed where I was deep into my book Purple Hibiscus, a story about a girl
growing up in Nigeria. A good fictional read for anyone interested in learning some Nigerian
culture and customs. I was having a hard time sleeping so I ended up reading till after 1am and
finished the book before getting home today.

Wednesday morning Laide came at 11am to take us home. He was traveling to Lagos and
offered us a lift for the price of the bus. We also got to find out the cost of our tour around Osogbo.
1,350 for gas and 500 for the shrine. I thought that was a little steep for gas but it was too late to
do much about it, we agreed on 1800 so that it was easy for Kim and I to split. I really like and
would recommend Laide, but next time I will work out a rate beforehand. He says there is much
more to see and do in Osogbo so I hope to return again in February for a weekend. Shuah was a
wonderful host and a kind and wise woman and I hope to spend more time with her.

December 15, 2005
HIV & Girl Time

Back to the routine of life here in Lagos. It’s been a great week as my first care packages have
begun arriving. Jan & Pete in Wales sent me coffee flavored chocolate, parmesan cheese, and
seeds to grow basil and coriander. I got a card from my Aunt Katie with a picture of my Grandpa.
And today I got a homemade picture and story album from Tamara who is so creative, a great item
to have to show all my new friends about life back home. Thank you all!!

Evelyne, the other Canadian volunteer is here in Lagos this week doing a site visit with Julius.
Julius is a Uganda volunteer who works at the Youth Empowerment Foundation where they
provide Voluntary HIV/AIDS Counseling and Testing. Evelyne works for One Sky in Calibar where
they do HIV/AIDS awareness and education programs.

Since I ended up back in Lagos while Evelyn is still here I wanted to see her, and Julius’s work is
on Bode Thomas the same main road in Surulere off which I live, I invited them for dinner last
night. In the afternoon I was watching a bit of TV with Lola and told her where I was going. I
invited her to come with me and get tested. I told her that if she came I would pay for her and get
tested too. This started a conversation which Martina the secretary also joined in on and they
asked me a lot of questions about HIV. It was a very good and open discussion. I knew the
answers to most their questions and did my best to answer them. Lola agreed to come with me
to get tested today and I think Martina is now going to go on her own another time.

At 4pm I walked down Bode Thomas to meet Evelyne and Julius. The address at the cross road
with my street is #111 Bode Thomas and the Youth Empowerment Foundation is at #7 Bode
Thomas, so it’s not a short walk and it’s so hot out these days. We all walked back together and I
picked up some humus to add to our meal of beans and plantain.

Over dinner Chief was in his element with new people to tell his stories to, it was quite
entertaining. It’s really incredible how much of the world he has seen and the people he has met.
Since Julius is from Uganda, Evelyne was born in Uganda, and I’ve worked in Uganda we talked a
lot about it, and East Africa. It turned into an incredible African history lesson. Near the end of the
evening Evelyne asked Chief how many children he has. When he said 23 you should have seen
her face! I was surprised that she was so surprised. She asked how many wives and he said
that “consensus here in Africa is very difficult and often inaccurate” that’s his story and he’s stickin
to it!! I happen to know there were 4 wives and some girlfriends I believe. He also mentioned that
he’s not through having children, God willing. He said that in the Bible God told him to “Go forth
and multiply”. I felt compelled to see how he explained God’s view on multiple wives and was
informed that God said it’s ok so long as it’s not at the same time or in secret, in other words so
long as you are not cheating then it’s ok. Gotta say that’s not the same rules I learned in Sunday
school but interesting theory.

Today when it came time to go to the YEF center for our tests Lola was chickening out on me.
After some gentle persuasion she got up and came with me. At the center Julius took Lola in
first. Something that is different about getting tested here from Canada is that counseling is
mandatory before and after the test. This is to ensure the opportunity for education and
awareness before the test. Here there are so many myths and this is a good time to clear those
up and answer questions and generally ensure the client really understands HIV/AIDS. After the
test they counsel you on either how you are going to take steps in your life to maintain your
negative status or how you will now cope with your positive status.

Thankfully Lola came back an hour later with a smile on her face. If not, due to confidentiality, I
would not be writing this today. Next it was my turn, not much counseling needed since I am pretty
well educated, have been tested regularly, and am usually careful when it comes to playing safe
etc. And of course my test was also negative otherwise again I would probably not be writing this
today! In all it was a cheerful and fun afternoon but I can’t imagine what it must be like for them
when they have to break the news to someone that they are positive. Looking through the
anonymous results book it was incredible the number of positives. They average 21%, that is very
high even for an African country.

Walking home together Lola and I talked about our tests. I told her how it always feels good once
you know your status and she agreed (so long as its negative I suppose). She gave me a hug
and thanked me for taking her to get tested. I talked to her about how I personally make it a
regular part of life to always get tested, even if I’ve been safe cause you just never know, and
encouraged her to do the same from now on. We stopped on our way home to celebrate with ice
cream. It was a really nice girl bonding afternoon.

Do you know your status?

December 12, 2005
Still in Ilorin

Spent a quiet relaxing weekend here in Ilorin. On Sunday I ventured out only to find everything was
closed up and there wasn’t much to see or do. The most exciting part of my day being several
visits from the A/C man and electrician. Obey (Abey) the A/C guy is friendly, he was as interested
to talking to me as he was fixing the a/c problems. He’s determined to get me married and to go
to church with him. I did my best to convince him that no Nigerian would want to marry me
because I don’t want to have children, I have no money, I can never take them to my country, and
every other excuse I could come up with. I also tried to convince him that I don’t want to get
married again because I didn’t like being married before. Anyway I was having some fun with him
because really none of this is true but I’m trying to deter people being interested in me. I did my
best to convince him that I am a crazy girl but he has vowed that when I return in January he will
convince me to marry and go to church.

This morning I went back to the Internet Café, this time it was a bit faster. On my way back I got
the share taxi to drop me at the Post Office as there are lots of shops around there and I wanted to
explore. I figured I’d wander around a bit then catch another share taxi home. I bought a new
rechargeable light/radio/cassette as last night my candle fell over and I burnt Chief’s to a crisp.
Opps. I also bought a Scotch Egg (boiled egg in fried dough) Meat Pie and loaf of bread as I
wandered along. I was enjoying the exercise so I kept on walking. I found a Mr Biggs (Nigeria’s
Mc Donalds) and a place that sells rum, both handy to know. I bought a small bottle of rum to test
and see if it’s any good, it’s hard to find anything but beer or gin cooler here. Eventually I walked
all the way home. It probably took me about 30 minutes so it’s possible anytime I feel up to it. If
only it wasn’t so hot out during the day. Dripping I arrived home, bought a coke and rushed up
stairs to my air conditioned sitting room very thankful there is NEPA.

I’ve included a small map of my area:

December 10, 2005
Flip-Flop City

Day 3 in Ilorin and I am feeling quite comfortable. Yesterday I made it to the Internet and did some
shopping. Turns out the Café’s are far from my place, too far to walk and rather slow unreliable
connection, well at least the place I went yesterday. I’ll have to shop around and see what I can
find. Looks like it’s going to be hard to keep up the daily emailing routine though.

After pasta leftovers lunch I made a list of some things I need around the house and hit the street
in front of my place to see what I could find. I bought: cheese grater (N150), can opener(N300),
broom(250), garbage container(N150), strainer(N50), and twine(150) to hang my mosquito net.
Total = N1050 about $10.50!!! But that also equals almost a day and ½ pay so I need to be careful.

For dinner I made instant cup-o-soup and boiled some eggs to make an egg salad sandwich.
One of the eggs seemed a strange texture when I was peeling it so I took a small taste to check.
Yup rotten, yuck, lots of spitting an gagging and choking, luckily I don’t feel sick today so I must not
have ingested any. Lesson learned: Do not taste eggs with funny texture!! With the help of my
mossie net I slept much better last night despite the noise.

This morning I got up at the seemingly late hour of 7am and wandered onto my patio to watch my
neighbors morning activities. To my surprise I discovered the sun rising to my right meaning my
house faces North, it was rather disorientating since I thought it was South. After a relaxing
breakfast of coffee, pineapple, and another egg salad sandwich I decided to go explore my
neighborhood a bit further. So at 9am with all my morning chores complete I hit the street.

I wandered West past the market for a long time just to see what there was to see. I responded to
endless cries of Oyinbo (Oweeeeeeboooo!!) with Ekaro! (Good Morning) This really set them off
and I usually ended up with a big grin. In some cases though it meant they thought I actually know
Yoruba and continued speaking to me words I did not understand so I just smiled and walked on.
After a while I crossed and returned on the other side of the street. To my dismay I found no ‘real’
supermarkets like they have in Lagos and no restaurants.

Each day I’ve ventured a little further into Ipata Market and now decided it was time to really see
what it holds. It’s HUGE! I wandered for a long time and manage to buy 4 coffee mugs, set of
serrated knives, tiny bananas, carrots, beans, and tomatoes. Despite the incredible size of the
market it seems to sell all the same things: Tomatoes, onions, red peppers of all sizes (all hot!),
spinach, beans, oranges, pineapple, coconut, meat in all stages of bloodiness, standard staples
such as pasta and tomato sauce, and some house wares. I was hoping for some real veg
somewhere inside and did find one vendor with carrots, green beans, green pepper, cabbage,
and irish potato but that was it. I was also hoping for tuna fish but no luck, looks like I’ll have to
stock up in Lagos.

Ilorin, or at least my neighborhood Ipata, seems to be the home of the flip-flop. It’s like someone
flew a cargo plane of a million flip-flops over and dropped them and each shopkeeper gathered
them and sells them along with their wares. Meat and Flip-flops anyone? How about Spaghetti
and flip-flops?? They come in every color, shape, and size of flip-flop imaginable. Of course none
are as smart as my pink, beaded, Old Navy flip-flops, but theirs are practical for wearing out of the
house where it’s so sandy you feel like you are walking through a beach all the time! Somehow I
think I’ll be picking up a few pairs of more practical plastic flip-flops for everyday use and saving
mine for parties.

December 8, 205
Short Visit to Ilorin

Yesterday I left Lagos to travel to Ilorin for a short visit. Chief decided that with Christmas
approaching quickly there was no point in moving to Ilorin and beginning to set things up. I said
that I really needed to go to Ilorin before Christmas to pick up some things I left here and to take a
closer look at the situation to see what work lies ahead of us. So I was all wired and ready to
come here Tuesday morning, and we didn’t come, then Wednesday morning I was ready again,
this time departure was set for 8am. The posse was supposed to be Taiwo the driver,
Ayinde (I-in-dey) the caretaker, and a plumber. At 9:30am we were still waiting for the plumber to
arrive. Chief decided we should wait no longer and at 10am we hit the road. About two hours into
our trip Taiwo pulled over and told me he is very sick with Malaria. I had been reading the latest
Sophie Kinsila book ‘The UnDomestic Goddess” and hadn’t noticed. Now I could see he was
about to pass out! I was rather concerned and offered to drive or told him we should rest for a bit
but my pleas went unheard and we continued. Shortly after we stopped at a pharmacy where he
was able to buy Paracetemol (Tylonal) and some other pill, poured water on his head and off we
went.

About an hour from Ilorin we were stopped by some officials because of the advertising on the car,
we’ve had this problem before. They wanted N1,000 ($10) because although we had the correct
documents and the 2005 sticker they wanted to see the receipt to prove we didn’t steal the
sticker!! I told Taiwo that they needed to deal with it and just pretend I was not there. He didn’t do
such a good job of this, but I don’t blame him since he really wasn’t feeling well. Finally I called
the Chief, he said to let Taiwo go to court to settle it and for me to take public transport to Lagos or
Ilorin. As I gathered my things and got out of the car the Official realized he wasn't to going to be
getting any money from us and said we could leave. I thanked him and off we went.

We arrived in Ilorin around 4pm so the journey took us about 6hrs. I walked into my home to find it
covered in a thick layer of dirt, no NEPA (power), and no running water. It was (and is) disgusting!
The fridge seems to be a favored home for cockroaches larger than mice and full of droppings.
Every time I walk past the fridge now I open it to check for new arrivals. I have a bucket with 7 dead
monsters standing by waiting to be joined by other family members. I spent the rest of the day
cleaning the kitchen and the boys were kind enough to dust off most of the rest of the house and
bring me buckets of water from the well. I am very thankful to Deb for a load of food, and most
importantly cleaning supplies and insect killer she gave me to help me settle in. It’s been
invaluable!!

After I boiled enough water to keep me going and ate a pack of Lipton Noodle Soup I retired at
8pm with an aching back to watch another episode of The Sopranos and listen to the sounds of
Ilorin go by. It’s an incredibly noisy place here! I am just off a main road and very close to a
market. For about an hour last night a van drove up and down the road playing a variation of
Christmas Carols, ice cream truck style! At 9pm I heard a loud cheer outside, like my whole
neighborhood, and realized the power was on, seems everyone was as happy as I was!

I woke this morning at 5am to an hour of Muslim prayer by 2 men competing with their loud
speakers. I know I will be ‘blessed’ with this to wake me every morning for the next two years.
The religious passion here continues to amaze me. I would not say that Nigeria has the most
Christian or Muslim following people here but I would say it has the most Religious zeal. For
example as we set off yesterday Taiwo asked me to pray for our safe journey. I asked him why he
does not pray since he is Muslim? He seemed confused, I said “ you fasted for Ramadan, you
are Muslim yes?” He said “In Ilorin sometimes I go to Church, sometimes I go to Mosque, more
often in Ilorin I go to Mosque, but here in Lagos I am nothing”. After that Ayinde began to pray (in
Yoruba) and Taiwo uttered many “praise God”s and “Amen”s and I said a silent prayer of my own.

Today I got to explore a bit of my neighborhood for the 1st time. Before I was even out of my gate
cries of “Oweebo!” came form all around. I was hunting for sugar and quickly made friends with a
few of the shop keepers along my street who wanted to show me everything they sell so I will
always come back to them. After my morning coffee and an Indomie (Mr Noodles) lunch their was
NEPA so I headed downstairs to check out the computers. The computer room was covered with
a similar thick layer of dirt that my flat is. The computers are covered with curtains though that has
kept out a little dirt. Once I figured out how to get power running to them I was able to boot them
up and see what I have to work with.

Basically:
-        There are 12 computers, 10 mice, 11 keyboards, 1 scanner, 1 printer
-        All are running Windows 98 with Office 97 and various other programs
-        Most mice are affected by the dirt, no mouse pads
-        3 computers have bad sectors on the hard drives and can’t completely boot
-        2 computers won’t power on at all, I’m guessing the power supply is shot
-        3 of the working computers don’t have CD ROMs
-        1 UPS and 10 surge protectors/power stabilizers

So it seems I have my work cut out for me. Somehow I need to figure out a way to replace some
of this equipment. I’ve made 3 contacts here in Nigeria that promised me used equipment from
their offices when they get replacements, but so far none have actually delivered. If you have any
mice or mouse pads that you are no longer using and would like to mail them to me I would be
ever so thankful!

The next morning…

Didn’t sleep so well last night. Between the noise, heat, and mossies I was continually
disturbed. When I was here in October I though the Muslims were having extra prayer time since it
was Ramadan, but I was mistaken, this is a daily thing. In Lagos I just hear the Air Siren go at
each prayer time all day, but here I have 2 Muslim preachers with their loud speakers in my room
for my personal entertainment. It seems the two favorite time of days to compete with their million
decibel prayers is 5-6am and 8:30-10+pm.

Last night I think one Mosque had a special gathering or something, they started around 8 and
went till after 10. The man on the speaker had a backup congregation to chant along with him. I’d
be interesting in reading or talking to someone with a Muslim point of view who could explain to
me what they are doing and why they do it. It seems there is a certain number of times to chant
each line, I haven’t yet tried to count, but it’s a lot, like they chant 1 line then repeat that line about
50 times before they move to the next line and do the same. I’ve convinced myself that the
chanting it not an altogether unpleasant noise, I can pretend I’m in India. It doesn’t sound African
or Nigerian at all and the sing-song way of the chant has beautiful harmonies. Yes, I am trying
very hard to make the best of this since it’ll be a constant in my life for the next two years! The part
I’m still struggling with is why it has to be at such a loud volume and at such inconvenient times.

In general this is a very loud place Nigeria. People like it all loud, I was talking to Chief’s uncle
yesterday, Abdul the Attorney, and he said it’s what he noticed about London and Paris: How quiet
they are! Here the car horns blare, the motorcycles rev, the people yell to each other, the people
selling wares shout their products up and down the street, the goats cry, the music blares, the
loud speakers pray to Allah, and the Christians sing to God all day long. I don’t think Kim, or
anyone for that matter, is going to want to come visit me because it’s so loud here!

December 6 2005
Black and Pink Hair

As many of you have noticed by now I got my hair done last week! In an effort to try what Africans
do I got black braids put in, and in an effort to have a little fun I had to get some pink hair too to be
like Jen in Kelowna. Friday morning I walked to the hair dressers about 2 blocks away. My
hairdresser Oday met me along the way and we reached her mothers house together. While I hid
from the fierce sun on a bench in the shade she opened up her shack and swept the yard after
dropping her sleeping baby Timi inside wither her mother. After it was all set I was called over to
sit in a plastic chair in another shady spot, I was still dripping from the heat of the sun. A friend
Becky and her mother helped get the hair started but soon disappeared as they got bored or
decided to do other things. Her brother spent the morning on and off playing with Timi when he
fussed. When Timi was fussing he had a few toys and was happy in his play pen which was a
cardboard box. When it was nap time he was tied onto Oday’s or another ladie’s back to rest.

In the pictures you can see the different stages of my hair progressing and pictures of Timi in his
playpen, on his auties back, and on Oday’s lap at the end. The whole process took about six
hours. Twice Christiana came to visit me and take pictures and buy me some lunch from a fast
food place near by. Best meat pie I’ve had yet in Nigeria! While I was gone the NEPA also went
not to return till just now, Tuesday afternoon.

On Friday night Kim was unable to come as she ate something bad and was becoming better
acquainted with her toilet. Christiana and I decided to go to Sultan for Lebanese food. As they
were affected by NEPA too it was a sauna in there so we decided to get it to go. An order of
humus each, spring rolls, and some sort of small beef ball to dip in the humus along with pita
made a tasty feast! Around 9pm Nik, Christiana’s husband, arrived from Abuja where he had
been sorting out what to do next with VSO. The decision was made that they would leave and go
to Australia and figure out their next step in life.

Saturday morning Kim was feeling better and didn’t want to miss out on a day at the beach so she
braved taking an unknown public bus to Surulere from Ikeja. I was very proud of her as this is a
scary task when you haven’t gone the route before and the bus stop where she has to change
busses is not a friendly place. But she made it without problem and I’m very proud of her. Next
week it’ll be my turn! We’re becoming more like VSO’s and growing independent from Chief and
his driver.

Nik and Christiana decided to go to Kim’s where there was more room to sort through their
luggage and talk while Kim and I headed to Tarqway Bay with Deb and CJ. This time as we hit the
water in our boat to the Island the tide was coming in. Passing under the bridge the current is very
strong and there was some serious break happening. The driver skillfully maneuvered around
the turbulent water to the seemingly safe open water. After a few minuets we were approaching
the final turn into the bay and hit the biggest waves I have every seen! They were rollers twice the
size of our boat. We all clung to the boat for dear life. Although Deb was making cheerful noises I
have to admit I was terrified and I am probably the strongest swimmer of the lot! I wish I could
have taken a picture but my camera was in my bag keeping dry and I was using both hands to
hold on. Luckily we did make it safely to the beach. On dry land CJ asked me if I was scared. I
said yes, but only for my camera!! I could avoid this paradise and perhaps live longer, but even if I
stayed on dry land it seems everyday here you risk your life so I might as well enjoy the rewards of
a peaceful beach and relax in the sun.

The beach is quiet on Saturdays and I was sad that there wasn’t many vendors coming to sell us
their wares. I was also able to make the final arrangements for Christmas, seems someone has
been pestering our landlord with tall tales of big money and the price went up. With CJ’s help we
were able to negotiate him back down to a reasonable level, N12,000 for the four nights, N2000
each = $20. This is probably the most inexpensive thing I’ve found yet in Nigeria! After the beach
Deb took us to Park ‘n Shop, like Tescos or Safeway. It was packed high with all the goodies we
remembered form home. Kim and I each picked up a few things we couldn’t find in our
supermarkets like tikka masala sauce and cheese with fresh baguette. At home that night Kim
and I retired early after a yummy snack of bread and cheese. Unfortunately it was a fairly
sleepless night as the heat was intense and there was no breeze and still no NEPA. We were
both up wandering around showering & sitting outside trying to balance cooling off with being
eaten alive by mossies.

Sunday despite my exhaustion I still needed to cook my Chicken/mushroom dish for Bumi’s
daughter’s 16th birthday party. It was all hands on deck with Gloria, Lola and I cooking many
dishes to feed whoever may come. After mine was done I went for a shower and rest. At 3pm I
went up to see what was happening and have some food. I had my 1st sugar cane, really good
but really sweet so can only have a little. I also tried snail which are huge but don’t taste like
much. I stayed for cake then retired downstairs. I went back up at 6:30pm and the party was in full
swing, the music was louder than I could stand and the kids had disappeared to be replaced by
many adults I didn’t recognize and everyone happy and dancing. Nigerians love to dance. I just
grabbed some food and went back downstairs. Because of the party Chief had the generator on
so I was enjoying the cool in my room and a really good book that I am into, The Da Vinci Code. I
think the party went till about 1am and the base was rocking my room but I was so thankful for the
A/C I didn’t care.

Monday I took a taxi to Tejusho Craft Market in Yaba by myself to finish my Christmas shopping. I
took it slow and wandered through all the stalls twice. I still like the selection on the beach on
Sunday’s better. I did get a nice painting of a village scene for my home in Ilorin though. At 3:
30pm I took another taxi to Eko Hotel on VI for a Volunteer Appreciation Awards banquet.
December 5th is UN’s World Volunteer Appreciation Day. VSO with Nigeria’s VolunteerCorps
were recognized with some awards and there were speeches and videos of volunteer work being
done around Nigeria.   Since this is the place with the amazing cheese buffet I was really hoping
for some cheese and was very disappointed when none was available at our buffet, but there was
really nice rolls and sliced meat along with a delicious chocolate desert. Kim and I were on a
stealth mission to acquire the savory rolls for our table!

Once again risking my life I safely took a taxi home with a driver who grumbled the whole way
about the price I was paying him even though I know it was more than fair. I had a good sleep
with the generator on and woke at 5:25am this morning to pack and get ready to travel to Ilorin. At
6:45 I had my luggage ready outside and discovered I was quite alone. Then Moses came by to
tell me I am not going to Ilorin till tomorrow.  So back to bed I went. Turns out the delay is a
plumber who will travel with me on Wed to fix my toilet and shower so I guess I can’t complain. If I
do travel on Wed then you probably will not hear from me again till Monday.

The girl in black and pink signing off.

December 1, 2005
Well Done!

One of my favorite Nigerian greetings is ‘Well Done!’. It’s like Hello!. The boy in charge of security
at Chief’s says this to me every time I go out or come home. He does not speak English but has
3 phrases that he’ll use, Well Done! being his favorite, my guess is he does not actually know
what any of the phrases mean. Well Done! Is popular all over Nigeria and I think it’s quite a nice
greeting. I meet some one and they say Well Done! I always smile and say Thank you! I feel like I’
m not sure what I have done well, but what ever I’ve been up to I’m glad someone is thanking me!
When I get back to Canada I think I will use this as a greeting and get everyone saying it cause it
just feels so good!

On a more serious note I had a really good heart to heart with Lola the other day. HIV/AIDS being
fresh on my mind after the workshop in Umahia I took the opportunity to discuss with her. She
has confided in me some of her concerns, none of which are HIV. I decided she had better give
that one some serious thought too and really encouraged her to protect herself. She did not want
to think about it. She was determined to block it out, but I think I really got through to her. In the
end she said she was starting to feel sick thinking about it and that night she was quiet and
retired early.

I really like Lola, and I really like Chief, and I like them together. But only if both of them are happy,
and the relationship is not hurting either of them. Not that it has anything to do with me, but as a
friend to Lola I am trying to be supportive and help her to take care of herself. It looks like the
Chief will let her come stay in Ilorin and attend a semester of computer training. I think this would
be really good for her because then she will be qualified for a secretarial job and would be able to
support herself if she decided she wants to. In the meantime I’ve told her that you can always
recover from a broken heart, but HIV will kill you.