Happy Birthday Sr. Helena!

Today we had a birthday party for Sr. Helena. Sr. Helena is British but she has lived in Nigeria for over twenty years and it has become her home. Technically today is her 70th and a ½ birthday but she was in England for her real birthday.

In many ways, I enjoy the party preparations more than the celebration itself. Yesterday I helped bake the cake. Nigerian cake is sorta like pound cake with raisins, usually heart shaped, and served without frosting. Today I chopped liver and carrots and washed dishes. Those things might not sound exciting but I love hanging out in the kitchen. The best conversations take place when everyone is cooking together and we laugh a lot.

It was a fun party. SNDs came from around Nigeria and I think there were almost thirty people here. Typical of a Nigerian celebration, there were speeches and toasts in honor of the chief celebrant, lots of food, and lots of dancing. I have two left feet but that has never stopped me from dancing. The party broke up about an hour ago and we finished the cleanup. Now I am just relaxing and enjoying what is left of my weekend.

Long live the Mountain Troubadours!

I just wanted to give a shout out to all my friends in the St. Mary's Youth Group, especially the Mountain Troubadours. You guys are awesome.

To answer your questions, Nigeria is a deeply religious place. About half of Nigeria is Muslim and half is Christian, with a smattering of traditional religious practitioners. Generally, the south is Christian and the north is Muslim. Even though I live in the south, I can usually hear the iman calling Muslims to prayer throughout the day. However, more often than not when I hear someone on a loud speaker it is usually a Christian. My neighborhood has churches everywhere and they like to make a lot of noise. It is not unusual for them to have loud all night vigils, which can be annoying when I have to get up for school the next morning.

The church I usually belong to is called St. Theresa's. I usually go to the 8 am service because that is the mass for children (they walk to church and attend mass without adult supervision). I like the children's mass for two reasons: one it is nice to see my students at church and I feel bad saying this but it is shorter, only an hour. Mass at St. Theresa's is in Igbo and I only understand a handful of Igbo phrases. The other services can last up to three hours and that is a really long time when you don't understand what is being said. Still I find it interesting going to church. Nigerians have different customs, for instance all the women cover their heads in church, people bring yams or toilet paper for the offering, and there is a second collection for community development where the altar servers squirt people with water. What I really appreciate is the things that are the same. I like the fact that half way around the world, I am reading the same bible verses and saying the same prayers as you are at St. Mary's. Just like you, we are celebrating lent. Although we don't worry about eating meat on Fridays because we only eat chicken or goat once or maybe twice a week. I am looking forward to Palm Sunday because the Sisters tell me that people cut down their own palm leaves from the trees.

If you are interested in sending something here are some things we could use:
Colored chalk
Educational posters (the walls of the school are depressing)
Flash cards (for either math or reading)
Colored pencils
Markers
Masking tape

Please address it to:
Sisters of Notre Dame
CO: Katie O'Dea
14 John Nwodo Close
PO Box 3777, Enugu
Enugu State, Nigeria
Please don't send anything breakable, valuable, or perishable (although I would kill for a cheeseburger). On the customs form you might want to list it as used school supplies without any value, so corrupt postal officials won't be tempted. My mom sent be a package and it took several weeks to arrive but it made it in one piece.

So thank you for everything. Everyone at St. Mary's has been very good to me, especially the Youth Group. I appreciate all your prayers and support. I would not be here without you. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Love from Africa,

Good News

I got a call from Sr. Theresa today. The Catholic Secretariat told her that my passport has a brand new visa. I was expecting to get only one more month but I got a three month extension, which is so much better. That means that I can stay in Nigeria until June. I am so excited.

So my plan is to spend the next three months enjoying life in Nigeria and then God willing I will go to Kenya. Right now there are four volunteers living in Malava, Kenya. Sissy Corr, our Executive Director and Fearless Leader, has found me a job working at the Divine Providence Home for abandoned and abused children. I would live in Malava with Jean and Sue and the SNDs in Malava and I would commute to the home in Kakamega. It seems like an ideal situation for me. It will be nice to be around other Americans again. I also think it will give me a better understanding of Africa to live in both West and East Africa. If I can't stay in Nigeria, going to Kenya would be the next best thing.

Raining Buckets

Today it finally rained. The Nigerian rainy season usually starts in March and I have been waiting for it to rain for weeks. Today the sky was pitch black when I left school at 2 pm and a half hour later it started pouring. We really needed the rain. Awkunanaw has been parched and the dust is awful. When I get home I have to wash off the layer of dirt that I acquire throughout the day. I have become accustomed to that gritty taste the dust leaves in my mouth. The rain also means that we are less dependent on water deliveries. As soon as it started raining, Blessings, our cook, positioned four huge containers and assorted buckets in the courtyard to collect the rainwater. It was raining so hard that within twenty minutes a huge garbage can was full. Later on the rain will probably cause flooding and problems with the roads but right now it is nice to have a break from the dust and the heat.

I'm back

I am back in Awkunanaw. I had an interesting trip to Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. Sr. Theresa and I made the eight hour bus ride on Monday. We got to the bus station around 4 pm and then made it to the hotel. We stayed at the Pope John Paul Catholic Center (and hotel). It was a typical Nigerian hotel. Not nearly as nice as American hotels but it was clean and had running water. I was excited to see that my room had a fridge, tv, and most importantly an air conditioner. Unfortunately, those commodities were rarely used because NEPA (Nigerian Electrical Power Association) was rarely working. On more than one occasion I was forced to use the flashlight on my cellphone because the lights went out. Monday night we went down to the hotel restaurant for dinner. Sr. Theresa was worried about finding something I could eat. I assured her that I can eat swallow (bland tasting pounded yam which ends up looking like mashed potatoes) and vegetable soup with stock fish. Nigerians roll the swallow into balls, dip it in the soup, and swallow it whole. I have yet to master this technique and I have to chew it. Swallow is not my favorite Nigerian dish but I can force myself to eat it.

Tuesday we had an appointment at the Nigerian Catholic Secretariat. We took a taxi to the Secretariat office and this was probably the most enjoyable part of the trip because we got a little tour of Abuja. We drove by landmarks such as the Central Mosque, the Central Church, the football stadium, and the American Embassy. We went to the Secretariat office for two reasons: I need help getting a visa extension and Theresa is trying to get an American visa so she can work in and observe Notre Dame Schools in the US. The Secretariat has two employees, Yakob and Stella, who deal strictly with immigration issues. Sr. Theresa's situation was more complicated than mine and we spent seven hours going through various documents. The good news is that Yakob told me that it would be no problem getting a three month visa extension. Apparently the Secretariat has good contacts in the Immigration office, so we left my passport, documents, and most importantly the money. They told me that I could go back to Enugu and Sr. Theresa could collect my passport when it was completed on Thursday or Friday. I am a little nervous about the visa extension but I am trying to keep the faith. I keep telling myself that there is no sense in worrying about things I can't change.

After leaving the Secretariat's office, we went to the bus station to buy my return ticket. Since restaurants are fairly hard to find in Nigeria, we ate at the bus station. It was a nice meal of rice and fried chicken. I was hoping to do some sightseeing or even some shopping but Theresa wasn't feeling well so we went back to the hotel. I lost the desire to explore by myself in the oppressive heat and I just went back to my room too.

This morning I left the hotel by 6:15 am. So it was a necessary trip to Abuja but not exactly an exciting one. The eight hour bus ride can be long and grueling especially on the semi-paved roads but I also find it interesting. I can't stand the Nigerian movies, which are full of overacting, bad special effects, and oftentimes casual violence against women. So instead of watching the on board entertainment, I enjoy watching the passing scenery. In the country there are communities of mud huts with thatched roofs. There are herds of scrawny cows with massive horns, sometimes wandering the roads. Almost all of the rivers have dried up by now and the dust is horrible. Trees and bushes look rusty brown because they are covered in dirt. Still the land is very green and the mountains are beautiful. Most days I forget that I am half way around the world in Africa but during the bus ride that was pretty much all I could think about.

So I am off to bed and it is nice to be sleeping in my own bed again.

Love from Africa,