Journal

October 29, 2005
All That Jazz

Last night (Friday) was my first night on the town. Chief had been invited to a Christian Jazz club
with friends. Around 6pm people began arriving everyone chatted and had a few drinks. It was
hard for me to stay involved as they all spoke Yoruba and I almost decided not to go. Lola did her
best to chat with me and keep me filled in. She wasn’t planning on coming with us but when we
headed out at 7:30 the Chief told her to come. So 8 of us hopped into cars and off we went.

The club was a covered, but some what open air, place and it was packed. As I followed the
group in I was worried about where we would sit. I should not have been concerned as we
proceeded to the very front where the best seats in the place were reserved for us.

The music was incredible. The singers were so good it was very impressive. The songs were a
mix of English and Yoruba and each group did 1 song then it was the next groups turn. In the
middle a man’s birthday was celebrated by his family and his daughter sang, it was all a surprise
for him. After one more group a man spoke and gave his testimony. It was an interesting
Nigerian history lesson more than anything. He’s 72 and a big wig lawyer and talked about a lot
of human rights cases that were won and changed Nigeria.

Throughout the night there were a lot of ‘praise gods’ and ‘hallelujahs’ along with dancing to the
music. Nigerians, whether Christian or Muslim, are very passionate about their religion like
nothing you’d see back in North America. Anyhow the music was great and I enjoyed myself and
we were home by 10:30 for a good nights rest.

Internet connection permitting I will upload a sample of the music for you to hear.

October 28, 2005
Work

Well I figure I better write a little bit about work. You probably all think I’m just on holiday over
here! Well actually it’s hard work in itself just to acclimatize and learn about the culture and how to
get by here and that has taken up the majority of my time. But I have been working too. Usually a
couple of hours a day. I get the most work done when everyone else is napping and it’s quiet.
People nap a lot, especially after lunch. Or even just anytime, it’s the heat, it’s seriously
exhausting. 25 degrees in my room right now with humidity, and a lot hotter outside.

At the moment the computer training center is shut down and locked up. I had a quick peek when
I was in Ilorin and there is 1 room set up with 10 desks and computers crammed in very tight, then
a teacher’s computer off to the side. There was no electricity so I wasn’t able to boot them up and
take a look. The Chief tells me they are running Windows 98 and I could see they are older
computers. I have asked him if we can make a trip back there soon as I want to know what
version of Office they have and see what it’ll be possible to install. He seemed perplexed that I
need to know.

At the moment I am working on the curriculum that will be taught. I have a collection of material I
can pull from but everything is Win 2000 or XP and the same for Office. I have another month or
so to get the curriculum completed and printed complete with study, exercises, and tests. I also
have to design brochures and a certificate of completion. But to be able to complete the
curriculum I need to see what I can install on the computers so that I can do the screen shots and
everything accurately. I also don’t know if they even have CD ROMS so that I can install the
software I’d like to have and copy the course material over. I didn’t bring floppies with me. Even
better I’d like to network the computers.

So I think I am about 25% of the way there at this point, but I’ve done all the easy stuff. Next week I
hope to get into some the details and really get a lot done. Since Kim left today and Lola is
leaving tomorrow there should be a lot fewer distractions. Other than Internet there shouldn’t be
much else I can do but work.

The plan is to hire two teachers in December who I will then train on the material and show them
how I want the Training Center to run. In January after Christmas break classes will start. I think
we’ll be starting with the 10 computers, 3 sets of 2hr classes per day, that’s 30 students. The
Chief’s goal is to have 40 computers with 120 students by this time next year. I’m not sure where
the other 30 computers will come from but I think he plans to write and call and ask everyone he
can think of for donations. If you know of any organizations that would want to ship us the old
computers they are replacing please put them in touch with me! Or if you know of anyone that
would like to sponsor us and send money to purchase come computers we would be more than
happy to accept the donations. I could arrange for it to come through VSO so that you could get a
tax receipt.

Anyhow from now to January there is a lot to get done, but at a relaxed pace. Nothing happens
quickly in Africa, and the Chief is no exception. There is work to be done so I can move into my
place and I don’t see that happening anytime soon. Once December arrives nothing much
seems to happen as the world shuts down for Christmas and people travel home to their
villages. So I have accepted that it’s all going to take time and happen when it happens. I’ll do
what I can to keep the pace moving so that we can open the school in January, but it really would
not surprise me in the least if there are delays.

And finally please forgive me if the quality of my English is beginning to lapse, both here and in my
emails. As I speak only in broken English and incomplete sentences and as simply as possible I
feel it’s beginning to be reflected in my writing. So don’t be surprised if you think I am talking
funny!!

October 27, 2005
Food

The Chief would like everyone to know that there in no shortage of food in Nigeria. And he seems
determined that Kim and I should get fat to prove it to everyone. He tells us at every meal about
the ‘bush people’ who travel by swinging through trees. He says they like the skinny people and
will crush their bones. Therefore we must get fat or they will come for us. He also has a rule that
‘No one says no to the Chief!!!’. So every meal he forces us to eat more and more food. Kim and I
have spent the week coming up with creative ways to get out of eating.

Decline with anything but No, for example: “I’m sorry sir I am so full”, “Sir I must save room
for…” cause you know there will be more food forced on us later. “Chief I would love to
save the Pawpaw (papaya) for snack so I can’t eat it now”
Take only a very little bit to start and eat very slow, then go for seconds and thirds doing the
same. This way it looks like you have taken many portions and have eaten lots.
Never finish eating before he does, if you stop eating he will pile more food on your plate.
Give up and leave the extra food on your plate and simply don’t eat it, then he stops giving
more.

It’s been fun and tiring fighting off the food. I feel for Kim cause he likes to feed her more than
me. I’m thankful she was here this week to take the focus off me.

Our daily meals are usually as follows. Breakfast is coffee or tea with fruit. There is always
oranges, and pawpaw, and sometimes banana or pineapple. Every lunch he must have pounded
yam. Yams are like a 3 foot root that is chopped, boiled, then pounded into what is similar to a
mashed potato. Luckily I like pounded yam, unfortunately I doubt it’s very good for me. With the
yam we have some sort of beef stew. There are usually some good pieces of beef I can get and I
manage to escape the liver, heart, intestines and occasionally skin all which are considered the
favored pieces. Dinner is sort of the same, some starch with some meat. So often rice, or more
yam with beef stew etc. I’m ok with the beef stew, so long as there is no fish broth or okra which
is slimy. Last night we had beans and bread which was so surprisingly good! And tonight there
was plantain which is essentially fried banana. All the meals are very spicy and I am getting much
better with the hot food. They call it Pepe and it's made from the very hot peppers that burned me
in Uganda.

Lola is going home tomorrow catching a ride with Kim who lives near her. When she leaves Chief
has indicated it’ll be my responsibility to ensure meals arrive. I think that only consists of deciding
what to have and communicating that to Gloria the cook. It should be interesting. I like Gloria, she’
s a sweet girl, but the language barrier is big.

Actually that’s another point I’ve been meaning to mention. Although English is the official
language here it’s not often spoken. In the south, both Ilorin and Lagos, it’s Yoruba and Pidgin.
Unlike Uganda you can’t get as far with English. I really need to learn Yoruba but need help as
languages are difficult for me. Pidgin is easier, the best example I can give you is it’s what you
would picture as Jamaican. “Me makesa go” = I’m leaving now. I can pick that up ok once they
talk slow enough. I am worried how I am going to teach in English when no one here seems to
understand me!!

Anyhow back to food. I do like the food here but I need to get a healthier routine. I would really like
to have the freedom to cook for myself but I guess that opportunity won’t come till the new year
when I am settled in Ilorin.

With all this eating I really feel like I need to get some exercise. Since I am not allowed out, going
for a run is out of the question. I talked to him about running at my home in Ilorin and he said
absolutely not!! He said he will get me a membership at the golf course and I can go early and
run there. That would be interesting. Kim and I asked to go for a walk this afternoon and right
away he said no! Then he asked did we want to walk for exercise or walk to see and shop? We
told him to see and shop, that we were allowed to do, so long as we took an escort. I think in a
week or so I will talk to him again about exercise again and explain how it’s essential for me to
stay healthy etc and see what ideas he comes up with. In Abuja I saw a store that had treadmills
and bikes so although it would cost me a fortune I think it might be a good investment since I’m
here two years.

October 26, 2005
Shopping and Trouble

This morning the Chief let Kim and I take Lola and a car and go shopping. I wanted to start
looking for some Christmas gifts and we wanted to pick up some material to have clothes made.
Lola is great and so helpful.

We were very successful in our shopping. I now only have a few gifts left to buy. I need to get it
done quick so that I can mail it in time. We also found some good material to have our clothes
made – Nigerian Style. We decided that we still had time to go to the tailor, some ways away, and
make it back in time for lunch with the Chief.

Unfortunately this is where we got into trouble. When we were almost at the tailor we were
stopped by a group of men and directed off to the side of the road. It turned out they wanted some
permit for the advertising (SATCOM) written on the sides of the car. Whatever permit they wanted
we did not have. So they said we must pay some 8000 naira (about $50 US). That’s a lot of
money and way more than we had with us in the car. Lola did her best to negotiate but did not get
anywhere with them. The only options were to pay or to wait till dark (it’s 11am now) and then go
with them to their office so their boss can deal with us. Of course the problem was that Kim and I
are white and white people have money. But seriously who travels with that kind of cash? And
even so there is no way I would pay that.

So I decided we would walk to the tailor and see if they had changed their mind by the time we
returned. So we walked about 20min, which was really very nice. It was probably the most
exercise I’ve had since I arrived and it felt so good to be out and free. We were able to get things
sorted with the tailor and go back to the car, only to find the situation had not changed. We tried
everything for the next 30min to get them to let us leave. Finally I called the Chief. He spoke with
the men. He was able to negotiate letting us go for 1000 (about $10) and I think he promised to
pay the balance later. They kept his card.

So we hurried home feeling like naughty children as the Chief was upset we had gone to the tailor
so far away and made him miss his lunch. He’s also probably upset about the money he has to
pay and that we were given trouble. Unfortunately I think that Tiye and Lola will get it worse than
Kim and I. When we returned home and had our lunch he did not speak to us. I would rather he
did talk to us and we have it out and get it over with. Oh well, we’ll just have to wait and see. Now I
want to go to the Internet café but I am scared to go ask him.

October 23, 2005
Death in Nigeria

Today I journeyed safely from Ilorin (E-lorin) to Lagos (Legos), others were not so lucky. We left
around noon, Tiye took the white car, Chief, Lola, and myself in the Red Toyota, and traveled a few
hours south to the home of a King in a small village for lunch and to pick up the Chief’s white
Mercedes limousine which he had leant the King for a special occasion. After lunch Lola and I
went into the limo and arrived at the Chief’s Guest House in Lagos in style.

Along the road the past few days I have seen many accidents that remind me how dangerous the
road is. The roads here are so crowded and people drive crazy never looking before changing
lanes or pulling onto the road. Today I saw the worst I hope I will ever see. Two very new cars in a
very bad accident, both cars were completely crushed. As we drove by, one of the drivers lay dead,
covered with a small sheet of metal, on the side of the road. Both cars had a lot of blood, it was
really horrible. It’s just unbelievable how people don’t take care driving when they know how often
people are dieing like this.

To add to the death toll in Nigeria today a plane leaving Lagos crashed this morning killing all 117
on board and then the President’s wife died in surgery right before her 60th birthday. The Chief
was to attend the party on Saturday. It’s all rather depressing.

So onto more cheerful topics. Today I had my first exposure to ‘bush meat’. This can be any sort
of wild game or road kill. Often antelope or even cat, rat, or squirrel. The King served us some
bush meat for lunch. I went digging for something that resembled meat in an effort to be open
minded and try it. While digging I came across the creature’s leg, it had a claw and fir and looked
very much like a cat to me. Well that pretty much did me in. I did take a small piece which the king
then informed me was not bush meat and that I should try the bush meat. I politely refused and
did my best to swallow the meat without thinking of the cat. I asked if I could take a picture and he
said yes so check it out in the photo album. When I told him I think it’s cat he said no it’s
‘grasscutter’ a very small antelope. Someone want to look it up and tell me if there is such thing
as a grasscutter???

Moving on to the guest house in Lagos. It’s quite the place. I am in one of the guest rooms on the
ground floor. There are two bedrooms, each with a bathroom and a shared sitting room and
additional bathroom. Upstairs is a large living room, dinning room, bar, and master bedroom,
and 2 bathrooms. The entire place is really decked out in the best African furniture available, puss
TV’s everywhere including a big screen in the main room.

As we traveled south through Nigeria the climate and vegetation changed a lot. In the north it was
dry savanna, exposed rock mounds, and crops. As we traveled south the vegetation got thicker
and greener, around Ilorin and south it’s thick jungle, except where it’s been cut down for living
and crops and roads. The grass grows higher than my head and is thick. This is snake country
and I saw my first snake today. He was on the road being beaten to death, I was able to snap a
picture before he became too mutilated. I have now seen lizards everywhere, a frog in my toilet,
and the snake on the road, lots of reptiles in this country!

And to wrap up today’s entry, despite my sick stomach, I was able to really enjoy corn on the cob
with fresh coconut for dinner. Chief is going to have someone teach me to make coconut rice
which I am looking forward to. OK time to get some rest, tomorrow I hope to officially start some
work and get at least a timeline worked out with the Chief.

October 22, 2005
Home Sweet Home

Today was my 1st full day in my new home. Actually I didn’t even step foot outside the gate. I am
still so tired and I slept late, then after lunch I got my first taste of stomach problems, that I’m sure
there’ll be a lot more of, so I went back to bed till 2pm. The power was out and it was so hot I had
to get up and move to the sitting room where the air conditioner was still working. I downloaded
the pictures I took around the house and did some reading VSO provided on Nigeria.

This afternoon the man with the water came. I guess how it works is there are two large tanks
and every few weeks the man with the water should come and pump them full. Then we have
water, but the man had not come for two months so there had been no water, and that’s when we
use the well. Now that the water is on we were able to find that 1 toilet and shower do not work.
He asked me for a list of repairs so I made one, I don’t expect it all to happen, but I might as well
ask. Having a big place like this just complicates things, I almost wish for the simplicities of
Uganda. I’ve also had my 1st really good introduction to NEPA (National Electrical Power
Authority) or Never Expect Power Always as it is commonly referred to. Power was out more than it
was on today. The generator is for the house only and not the computer school. This means I
need to prepare myself for a lot of computer teaching without power.

October 21, 2005
Welcome Home

The only constant is change. I woke at 6am to depart for Abuja this morning knowing I would
either spend the night or if there was time continue on to Lagos. Once we arrived in Abuja and
fetched my ID from VSO the decision was made to go to Ilorin. The trip took longer than expected
for no apparent reason and we arrived in the dark just after 7pm. Home. The power was out but
there is a generator that was turned on when we arrived. We drove through a flimsy steel bar gate
to a courtyard in front of a three story large cement building housing 6 flats. The Chief’s mother’s
home, and my future home. We were greeted by Lola who had dinner waiting. Lola ate with us
and lives in Lagos and my guess is that she is the Chief’s girlfriend.

I was given the guest room for now as the Chief has his things in the master. Before I move in he
will move to the flat across the hall. My flat is quite large, big living room and dinning area, regular
sized guest room and sitting room, main bathroom, good sized kitchen, and the master bed with
en-suite. There is a large patio out front and a smaller one in back. The water is still out. Chief
showed me the well where I can pull up buckets of water and carry upstairs to use for washing
and flushing and showering etc. Unfortunately the water filter is also broken. I wish he would
have mentioned this as VSO would have given me a new one. So it’s boiled water for drinking
and fingers crossed my stomach can handle it. And I guess I get to bathe with well water. It looks
clear so hopefully this is ok. Showering for now will be dumping a bucket over my head, fun
times. Any volunteers to mail me that camping shower?!?!?

The next few months will be interesting. The Chief would like us to be ready to start classes in
January. I was thinking this would give us lots of time to prepare till I found out he plans to visit
Siera Leone and Texas before Christmas. I will hopefully be able to hire a few teachers by
December so I have a few weeks to train them. To keep things on track I need to be living here in
1 month, but the way things have gone so far I have my doubts if that is possible.

It’s 9:45pm and I have been serenaded by my Muslim neighbors for 45min now. It sounds like the
loud speaker is in my courtyard right out my window with 2 guys yelling at each other. I am hoping
they will be finished at 10pm as my ear pugs will not even begin to drown them out. And I know I
can expect them to give me my wake up call at 5 or 6am for another hour I believe. Calls to prayer
happen regularly and are a part of life I will get used to, I think it’s 6 times a day.

Well it’s been a very long day so I am going to sign off and try to get some sleep. Tomorrow I
hope to explore my neighborhood and Sunday we will travel to Lagos.

October 20, 2005
Food and Travel

Well I am happy to say I made it safely to Zaria with Chief and without incident. I am glad to be out
of Abuja and I didn’t think I would be. Once we were in the country driving the roads everything
seemed much more familiar to me. With the exception of the smooth road we were traveling on it
was all very much like Uganda. There were the roadside stands filled with the familiar piles of
tomatoes and onions and fruit, the furniture makers with the same items, the market people and
the scenery. I felt like I had come home and today I loved Africa I am so happy I am here.

We traveled north out of Abuja and two hours to Kaduna. In Kaduna we went to the polytechnic
university so that the Chief could speak to the director about his Public Pay phones. Nigeria is
primarily Islamic in the north and Christian in the south. It was very apparent the difference when
we arrived in Kaduna, almost all the women and men were dressed in the traditional Islamic way,
the women with covered heads. Many houses also hosted a star and moon. Our driver today is
Tiye (Ty-ee), he is Muslim and he is fasting right now. I was worried the poor boy was going to
collapse, I was happy for him when night fell and he could go eat. The chief (who is Christian)
teased him in the car waving cookies under his nose. He explained to me that when he was
fasting previously then Tiye got to eat all his food.

Speaking of food I am finding I enjoy the traditional Nigerian meal a bit better than the Ugandan.
In Uganda most food was quite mild, here the food is HOT. I really like pounded yam, this looks
and feels like white play-dough, and doesn’t taste like much, you then dip this in stew. There are
three different stews, one made with crushed crawfish (shells and everything), one called pepe
(so hot you will melt), and vegetable (the one I like). Your stew then comes with your choice of
beef, goat, fish, or chicken depending on what is available in the kitchen. I’ve had the veg stew
with both goat and beef now and I really like it. It’s pretty hot and I have to drink a lot to get it down
but it’s growing on me. And the best part is I get to eat it with my fingers!! It’s really fun, and I think
I believe them when they say food is not enjoyed and does not taste as good unless you enjoy it
with your fingers.

After Kaduna we continued for a final hour to Zaria for a meeting to demonstrate the pay phones at
ABU the local university. I got to sit in on this demonstration. It was long and boring and I will
avoid all future demonstrations. The best part was while waiting outside for the demonstration to
begin there was a puddle that attracted a lot of little lizards and one big one. I had some fun
chasing them with my camera while Tiye watched me like I was a very strange girl indeed.

It’s 7:30pm now and I am going to sleep, it’s about time I got caught up, and we depart for Abuja at
6am.

Wednesday October 19, 2005
Surprises

Well I have now had time to get to know the Chief Alabi-Isama ‘just call me chief’. He is quite the
character! He acts and is treated like royalty. He’s also a social butterfly and a business man
who is always networking. He is really friendly and I like him, so far so good.

On the way to the dinner at the British High Commissioner’s home (mansion) I was informed that
I will actually be staying in Lagos for a few months while we develop a plan for the computer
training center and he completes some improvements he is having done. He let me know that he
has fired everyone and I am to start fresh when I arrive. Lagos scares me. It is the largest city in
Africa with a population est. Around 15 million. The crime rate is high and the city is very busy. It
took a while to get used to this idea but I think I am ok with it now. Kim, the volunteer from Texas,
is also in Lagos so we hope to support each other and learn together.

I was really impressed with the High Commissioner's home. What a palace! We were served
expensive wine by caterers on silver platters in the garden. Then the buffet dinner was very
yummy and included cheese cake, truffle, and ice cream for desert!! This is the last of the royal
treatment for me for 2 years I am sure. I met volunteers there serving 4 years who never had
anything like it and had to come to town just for the ice cream! He also invited pretty much
everyone who is anyone with regards to foreign representation to meet us. The wife of the
Canadian commissioner was so nice and even offered me a computer for our training center. (We
are on the hunt for computer donations). It was a great time.

I also found out that I will be headed 3hrs north tomorrow with him to visit Zaria where he is going
to make a presentation on Public Pay Phone to the university. After that we will return to Abuja so
that he can present pay phones to the airport director. And then Saturday we will travel the 8hrs to
Lagos. This is likely to change as it’s already changed 3 times in less than 24hrs. I just have to
go with the flow. I am exhausted though and would love some down time. Also my luggage is too
big to fit in the car because his pay phone is in the trunk. He wanted to send my luggage on
public transport to Lagos with his assistant but I have insisted that I am not comfortable with this
and hopefully we’ll be able to make it fit in the back seat.

In a week or so I should get to travel to Ilorin to see what it is like. I found out this afternoon that
there is actually not running water at this time; it’s been out for about 2 months. He has dug a
well. There is no latrine so I will carry water from the well to pour into the toilet to make it flush!
And showering will be a challenge. If it looks like the water will not be back soon I’ll be asking one
of you to mail me a camping shower!!

If I do depart to Zaria with the Chief tomorrow I will likely be out of email contact for a while so don’t
worry if you don’t hear from me or if there are no postings.

Tuesday October 18, 2005
Life gets more exciting

Well not all has been smooth sailing here in Nigeria. But I don’t like to focus on the negative so
that you don’t get the wrong idea of what it’s like in Africa. But there are a few stories to share.

One of the volunteers luggage did not make it here with our flight and she had to return to the
airport the next day to fetch it. Luckily it arrived safely, but when returning to the office, her and her
driver were stopped by the police who claimed they ran a red light. Before she knew what was
happening one of the officers jumped into the back of the vehicle which was frightening. They
were asking they pay for running the red light, the driver insisted that they did not and should not
pay. Then they said they would have to go to the police station. The discussion went on for 30min
and for a new volunteer this is a scary situation. Luckily in the end they were let free. In a way it
was good that it happened so that we ca prepare ourselves that this will likely happen to us as
well. When they see a white person they think they can get money from you and will stop you if
they ever have the chance.

Last night one of the volunteers forgot her purse in the dining room, when she returned 2 minutes
later is was missing. There were only 4 other people dining at the time and very few staff.
Everyone insisted there was no bag and it was not taken. We have all felt very safe here at the
hotel and VSO trusts the staff and uses this facility regularly. It’s caused a stir and VSO is trying to
work with the management to get the bag returned. It’s really tough for the volunteer though as
she lost her cell phone with all contacts from home and a large amount of money. It’s also an
emotional time for us all being away from home and acclimatizing; the extra stress on her is really
unfortunate.

All in all I consider myself fortunate that things have gone smoothly for me – knock on wood! I
know my trials are yet to come but I’m glad it’s not happened right away to give me a chance to get
used to being here.

I got to meet my boss today, The Chief And he did seem like royalty. He arrived during lunch and
very boisterously went around and introduced himself to everyone. He seems really friendly and I
am looking forward to getting to know him better.

From talking to my VSO program officer Niyi yesterday I found out that my home in Ilorin is not 2hrs
away from Abuja the capital but rather 6hrs away. That was a disappointment as that seems to be
where the closest volunteers are and I was hoping to be able to spend weekends with them. I
also found out that there will be one other teacher at the school and that he will be looking to me
for guidance as the most senior and knowledgeable person. I am expected to improve the
courses taught so that the unskilled youth can learn basic computer skills as quickly as possible
and hopefully find jobs.

Tonight we are invited to dinner at the British High Commission with the partners who have
arrived. Should be a good meal to look forward to. Tomorrow we spend the day learning with and
getting to know our employers before heading to our homes with them on Thursday.

Sunday, October 16, 2005
Arrived Safely

I can officially tell you that Africa, specifically Nigeria is very far away from Canada. It's an
unreasonably long journey to this place I'll now call home. I am happy to say that there were no
bumps in my journey, my luggage went through ok and didn't get searched as expected in
Nigeria. For this I am very thankful because it means my cheese survived the journey and is now
resting happily in my hotel room fridge.

I am completely exhausted though. I left Kelowna at 5pm on Friday and flew to Vancouver, 3hr
layover in Vancouver, flew 9hrs to London and had a 9hr layover, then 6hrs to Nigeria arriving just
after 4am. So it is now 5:30pm on Sunday and I have not yet slept other than a few naps on the
plane. I also feel like I was run over by a truck due to a few injuries sustained while attempting to
tame a certain bull on Thursday night. For those that were there and saw the injuries you'll be
happy to hear that my hand has almost returned to normal size.I

arrived in Abjua and went though a surprisingly pleasant immigration process, collected my bags
and joined the other 11 volunteers as we stepped out into a 29 degree humid yet beautiful
morning. During the 45 min ride to our hotel the sights, smells, and sounds reminded me very
much of Uganda. It was a comforting feeling a bit like coming home. Abjua is much better
developed that Kampala, Uganda, complete with smooth paved highways and overpasses. It's
also nice that they drive on the 'right' side of the road!

After arriving at the hotel we were only given 2 hrs to rest before breakfast followed by filling out
many forms and probing the 2 host volunteers on every detail of information on Nigeria we could
absorb. After lunch we all pilled into taxi's and headed into town to exchange currency and make a
few purchases at the market. Right away we got a taste of how white people have to pay more for
everything. It was a hard bargain for us to get the taxi ride for the price we'd been told we should
pay. The host VSO's told us that we need to become very good at haggling prices if we are going
to be able to live within our limited Nigerian allowance of under 1000 naira a day (about $7us
dollars).

We headed to Dave's flat where there are black market money men with good prices. We got to
peek in his place, nice and basic, and I was surprised how the smell hit me and reminded me so
much of Uganda. I was able to get a good exchange rate for my American cash because I
presented $100 bills, the larger the denomination, the better the exchange rate. I am very glad I
knew about this before coming and really felt for the people who did not know. After that we went
to the market and I bartered for a surge protector with Dave's assistance. I now regret paying 16
pounds for the one I brought when I was able to get this one today for 800 naira.

It's been so nice to meet Kevin, Dave, Marebec, & Wendy in person today after exchanging
emails and seeing their pictures. They are all very nice and helpful with all our questions. They
also told us that due to our late arrival our training has been condensed form two weeks down to
3 days. So rather than being in the capital for a while I will actually be headed to Ilorin and my new
home on Thursday which seems so soon.

The other volunteers are all great and we are becoming quick friends and I wish we had a bit
more time to get to know each other before heading out. I've added two quick pictures to the photo
album that I took today while we were waiting to exchange our money, you'll be able to see the
other volunteers and little bit of what Abjua is like. One thing that really stands out driving around
Abjua is the amount of demolition occurring everywhere you look. Perfectly good business and
quality buildings who have been established for years are being torn down rapidly the last few
months since they were all originally built on land they did not have a correct permit for. The
government has decided that anything built without a permit will now be bulldozed and there are
people everywhere who's lively hoods are being destroyed. It's sad to see there isn't another
solution to this problem.

And finally things that happened today that make me sure I am back in Africa:

No water when I really needed a shower
Largest cockroach I've ever seen ran by me in the hall
Cutest lizard ever scampered by me in the market
The feeling that everyone is watching me (and they are)
The taste of g-nuts (very yummy roasted peanuts)
Everyone repeating a word twice if they really mean it (now, now)
Strange fishey stew for dinner
Turned out the surge protector is a fake and doesn't work.!

Monday, October 10, 2005
Still Here

Well my departure date of Oct 7th has come and gone and I am still in Kelowna, Canada. The...