Our "digs"

Mostly cloudy, 85 degrees, 94% humidity

Note: Addition of humidity in the report per Holly and Grandma Bettye's suggestion - thanks guys, great idea! 

Instead of words, I thought I'd update you with pictures this week.  I was hoping a picture post would be quicker than writing one.  Turns out, with the incredible speed of the internet, it was NOT.

The below are all pictures of our place. Not exactly VIP accommodation as some other volunteers (and ALL expats) in Abuja, but it's home and I've grown to love it!

Bedroom
The white spotches you see on my sea green walls are spots I scrubbed so hard (with bleach water) the paint rubbed off.  I think it adds character - as if a sea green room needed more character.

Bedroom - Closet

Bathroom
Big blue bucket for clean water, small blue scooper for pouring the water, and cooking pot to stand in and catch what would go down the drain, which is then poured into the toilet to flush.  We are VERY good at conserving this precious resource.

Living Room

Living Room + Dining Room

Kitchen

 

Laundry Room

Where is the washer, you ask? She's taking the picture.  That's right - all of my laundry is done by hand - my own hands! Probably one of my least favorite activities.

Front "Yard"

The Office

Partly Cloudy, 87 degrees

After the first week at work, I can think of nothing better, for your reading pleasure, than a brief description of the interesting atmosphere at The Office.  Our workplace is actually nothing like the NBC show The Office, that we all know and love (or at least  I love), but I think it's just as, if not more, entertaining.

 
My partner organization, Education as a Vaccine - see link in upper left hand corner for more information - as a fairly well-off NGO, has a respectable space (by Nigerian standards) in a central area of the capital city.  They are lucky, in that respect, to be able to afford rental of this space as it's considered prime real estate and a lot of non-profits would kill to have office space to begin with, let alone office space in a central area of Abuja.  That being said, my work environment - everything from the building to the atmosphere and the work style - is going to take some adjusting, even for the consultant that's worked at an array of different clients, locations, and cultures and in a few not-so-ideal work environments.  This one trumps them all - by quite a bit.
 
While I could write paragraphs about my work environment, I am going to sum it up in a few (hopefully short) sentences.

      

·         Crowded .  Although I don't think the word crowded really does it justice.  I've never seen so many people working in such a small space and this is saying a lot considering the proximity in which I've worked with colleagues in a number of client locations.  The only part of the office that is spacious and doesn't have a workspace set up is the bathroom, although it wouldn't shock me if this too was soon turned in to a working space - every other inch of the office has been.

·         Sticky.  There is no central a/c and with all those bodies, it's bound to be hot - especially after climbing the 4 flights of stairs to get to our floor.

·         Religious.  Wednesday morning church service is held in the office for anyone who wants to attend.  Attendance is not required, but encouraged, from what I understand.

·         Baby-friendly.  Two women, including my boss, the Executive Director, have 4 month olds that spend their days with their moms (and young care givers) at the office.  This is actually one of my favorite parts about the office.  Anytime I need a break from what I'm doing, I can play with the babies and it's totally acceptable (and I think almost encouraged) as a normal part of the work day.  The babies add an interesting element to the work environment.  In addition to contributing to the overall noise level, they also contribute to awkward moments in meetings when your boss begins breastfeeding mid-discussion with no qualms or modesty.

·         Loud.  No explanation needed.

·         In need of a good cleaning and a few (one, in particular) basic amenities.  I'm pretty sure there is no one that regularly cleans the office.  While I don't need a space that is sparkling clean to work, a good scrub could do wonders for my (and I'm sure other's) attitudes about the environment.   In addition to constant power supply, better lighting, and regular internet access, another, in my opinion necessary, amenity is missing.  A toilet seat.  While this may not be an a big deal for the men in the office, I find myself dreading going to the bathroom even though it is the place where I have the most room to myself.  I don't think I'm asking too much and I'm tempted to use my meager volunteer stipend to purchase this amenity as my personal donation to EVA.  I've been reminded by my colleagues that, as the fundraising advisor, I can make a pitch to a donor to get at least a toilet seat and if I'm really good, maybe even enough money for a larger office space.

All that said, I have had a good first week and think I am truly going to enjoy my work, the people, AND The Office. 

Home Sweet Home

Scattered showers, 82 degrees

We have officially moved in to our flat - my home away from home for the next 12 months! After spending the first week and half living out of suitcases in a hotel , I was more than ready to get in to our new place and get settled. Don't get me wrong, the "Palace" was a fabulous place to stay - with constant running water, electricity, wireless internet, and a very hospitable staff - not to mention security guards that remain awake at all hours of the day and a great shawarma (my new go-to "Nigerian" dish when dining out) place in close proximity. I was simply anxious to start what I would say is closer to "real" life in our new place and more importantly, start cooking my own food! A week and a half of Nigerian food - and pretty much the same dishes due to limitations of the hotel restaurant - had me excited about the thought of vegetables (any and all of them) and steering clear of potatoes, yams, corn, and all other starches.

"Moving in" took less than 5 minutes and included only 2 trips up the couple flights of stairs to the flat on the 3rd floor. The beauty of only bringing 2 suitcases worth of belongings to your new home is that, although you may have a bit of shopping to do after your arrival, the actual "move" is pretty easy. This, I was thankful for, as it started raining just before we left the hotel in a cab loaded down with our "lives." I was also thankful to be riding in the nicest cab I have been in since arriving. This cab had seats that did not feel or smell of years of wear - soaked in rain water, covered in grime, and often smelling of fish or some other foul smell- had seat belts that worked (something I get excited about), and had enough room to carry all of our luggage without having to put any of it on our laps or smash in uncomfortably. True luxury.

The entire move - counting cleaning my room (a few hours of scrubbing/bleaching), unpacking, market-ing (a term I am going to use for the act of shopping - at the market), and doing a bit of decorating took a full 2 days. Although I was expecting the process to go a lot quicker and I was sick of being in my room after the first few hours, I'm now quite proud of it - all you crafty friends will be too! I used limited resources and a good amount of creativity to create little odds and ends (decorations, storage containers, etc) and have created a space that is comfortable and feels homey - something I think is very important and will pay off when I get homesick and/or fed up with the frustrations of living here.

On the topic of frustrations, although they haven't been all that frustrating yet, I wanted to answer a few basic questions about my accommodations that have been asked a number of times - some of which I didn't have answers to before I left.

Q: Are you living in a hut?

A: NO. The 3 bedroom, 2 bath apartment (flat) we are living in is similar to something you could find in the US or any other developed country.

Q: Do you have running water and electricity?

A: Sometimes. We are supposed to have running water Monday-Friday every week, but recently it's been known to be off for periods throughout the week. Electricity is off and on. As one of the most resource rich countries (in mainly oil) in the world, Nigeria, ironically, has major problems with consistent electricity. We are lucky in that the area we live in has a more consistent supply of electricity and I would say that it is on more than it is off, but we always make sure to charge laptops, phones, etc when the electric is working.

Q: How do you get around?

A: Taxis (called green cabs) are our main means of transport. There is public transportation available, but cabs are very reasonably priced - around $2 USD for a trip to work or the larger supermarket and when split among a couple people, are often cheaper than the "public" transportation system (buses) that run irregular schedules on irregular routes. We can also walk to a number of places for food or other basic needs - a farmers market, a few shops and "mama puts" (street food vendors) are right down the street.

I think that covers the basics. I'll share photos of the new digs soon. More to come next week as I start the next big chapter in life in Abuja - working as a fundraising advisor!

Lafiya

Partly cloudy, 80 degrees

"Lafiya" is the typical response to "Yaya ki ke?" meaning "How are you?" in Hausa, one of the 3 predominant languages spoken in Nigeria.  The response, "lafiya" means "I'm well."  It is also the name of the awesome little town (spelled Lafia) about 180 km from Abuja, we visited this weekend.  To give the Abuja-based volunteers a taste of the "real" Nigeria, our placement visits took us outside the bustling city of Abuja that we will grow to love (and probably also hate).  After 4 days in Abuja and 3 days in Lafia, I must say "Ina lafiya" - "I'm well!"

Although we have been staying in a hotel while in training and have not yet been to our apartment or workplace, my feeling is that my life in Abuja will be very different than the Lafia-based volunteer's lives.  While a part of me is jealous that they are experiencing a more "real" Nigeria, not living in the "big" city, the other part of me knows the adjustment to life here will be a bit easier.  Thankfully, I now have friends in Lafia (and the even smaller village of Obie) that have invited me to "come and stay anytime," so I will get to experience the best of both worlds.

The 112 mile trip, which we were told would take 2-2.5 hours, took 4.5 hours and included riding in a cab, bus, car (acting as a "bus"), and on an okadda (motorcycle taxi).  I will write more on transport in another post. This interesting topic deserves more than a couple sentences. 

McKinley, my future roommate, and I, visited our host volunteer's work, the YMCA/ATS farm and Obie market outside Lafia, met loads of wonderful people, and experienced local life in Lafia.  We also got our first good bit of interaction with people in a small(er) Nigerian community.  Although we learned in training last week about customs, norms, and things to expect, I failed to prepare responses to a few questions/statements that came up multiple times, including:

• "What is your number?" OR "Give me your number"
• "Are you married?" Followed by, "Will you marry my son?" OR "You should marry my son"

And my favorite.....

• "I want to go to America"

I'm working on witty responses to these common questions/statements.  Let me know if you have any good ideas.

There were also a number of firsts this weekend, including:

• Sleeping under a mosquito net - hot, yet comforting, in a weird way
• Praying in a staff meeting
• Taking a full bucket bath
• Riding on a motorcycle taxi
• Taking a detour because streets were blocked by masses of people praying
• Being "trapped" inside the house and cancelling plans because of rain
• Eating/drinking local cuisine - no no (warm yogurt straight from the cow), chapati, garden egg, malt beverage, and much more! This will probably be it's own post too - lots to talk about in the food department.
• Getting sick (or a running stomach, as my Ugandan friend like to call it).  This is not the first time I've been sick like this, but the first time on this trip.  I lasted almost 7 days before it happened - I like to think I did really well!
• Watching grown men do the leap frog (yes, the same leap frog we all did as kids) on the side of the road at a road block as punishment for assumingly aggravating the police

While I like to think I live simply at home in the US, I experienced truly simple living this weekend - no running water, no electricity, and certainly no internet. I was completely disconnected as my Nigerian cell phone has not yet been unlocked and my US phone, which will soon be turned off, was running low on battery. When we were not out and about, I entertained myself by writing in my journal - something I'd been neglecting since I arrived - and chatting with my Ugandan volunteer host, Macline. It was refreshing, though at first a little scary and uncomfortable, to be completely disconnected and without a whole lot to do.  I'm starting to get used to it and continue working to be comfortable (and, more importantly, happy) without my normal means of communication and things to do.  Adaptability, I continue to remind myself, is one of the core qualities of a Cuso/VSO volunteer :)

More to come this week as we move in to our aparment (called a flat, for the British-English speakers) in Abuja and get settled in to our lives here.  I've uploaded a few pictures to capture the weekend for those that are visual learners or are sick of reading......

Fulani women doing what they do best - moving.  These nomadic people are trekking to their next home.

McKinley and I with YMCA/ATS farm trainees and families. Note: I did not pinch the cute one on my lap. She was scared of us because of our skin color. Can you see how I sort of look like a ghost?

Lafia market

Drawing attention at the Obie Market.  We were watched (and followed) throughout the market.  I guess this is what it's like to be a celebrity?

Madame Susan - winner of the Female Food Hero award through the Making Markets Work project (sponsored by Accenture). If you look closely, you can see the bottom right badge says Accenture.  Pretty cool to see our name (and impact) in rural Nigeria!

The Danger of a Single Story

Partly cloudy, 81 degrees (fahrenheit)

“The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.”
- Chimamanda Adichie

Ted Talks - The Danger of a Single Story

Before I get started with all my storytelling, I wanted to share something I think is valuable for any reader of my blog to watch. In the (18 minute) Ted Talk linked above, Chimamanda Adichie, a Nigerian author, discusses the danger of a single story - how one story can easily turn in to how you view Abuja, Nigeria, or all of Africa.

While I am excited to share my stories, I hope they do not paint a single story for you.  I encourage you to learn more - read other blogs (links provided to the left) and do your own research.  There is so much to this great continent that I could never provide a complete picture - but only one skewed from my lens.

Made it - safe and sound!

After 2 red-eye flights, a quick trip into London, and 36 total hours of travel, I've made it to Abuja!  Although I already have stories to share, I am saving the first "official" post for a time when my brain is properly functioning.  Wanted to let you all know that I made it, but for now, it is time to sleep.