Today made me realize how much I like the weekdays. During the week I have a purpose. On the weekends the hours seem to loom over me, making me feel lonely and maudlin.

This morning I used up a good half hour bathing. Like most people in Nigeria we don't have running water in the house. So there is a 30 gallon garbage can in our bathroom that is filled with the filtered water. From there we scoop out a bucket of water anytime we need a shower. Then we use a small bowl to pour water over ourselves. Most mornings the water is quite chilly and my showers are quick but today I did a more thorough job. It felt nice to be clean however that feeling doesn't last long in the Nigerian heat and dust.

After awhile I decided to escape the confines of my room and go for a walk. Yesterday Aubrie and I took to the streets and it felt good to get out. So we headed out again after a detour to the school playground so Aubrie could test out the swings. This time we headed in the opposite direction towards the river/stream. It was interesting to see the women washing clothes in the river and the cattle roaming free. Of course on the way back a group of people started following us and one young farmer started some harmless flirting.

Later this afternoon Aubrie nearly succumbed to the boredom so she called up the music teacher Oduka and ask if he wanted to do something. So he came over with his friend CJ. We walked to a lounge at a hotel just down the street. They ordered us fish and meat pies with fruit juice. Since we drink water at the house I was excited about the juice. I wasn't really interested in the meat pies but I didn't want to be rude so I ate one. It was a dry pastry crust filled with tasteless beef. We had a nice conversation about various topics and after a few hours we walked home.

Aubrie and I usually attract a lot of attention when we go out and normally it simply amuses me. Today it annoyed me. I am sick of feeling like a traveling freak show. I hate not knowing how to respond when people ask for gifts, money, or ipods. I am still taken aback when strangers (especially men) ask for my phone number minutes after meeting me. I am sick and tired of feeling like a nonentity simply known as Oyibo or Onyeocha. I am sick of people touching my skin or hair. The worst part is that there is no one to tell this to. I can't take out my frustration on some poor kid on the street.

Looking back over this entry I am half tempted to erase the whole thing. I want to write about happy things and what a great time I am having. But I want this to be a honest representation of my time in Africa. Today was not my best day but that's okay. The beauty of life is that tomorrow I can start over.

I guess that just goes to show how different things are here. Never in my life did I imagine I would want the weekend to end.

Our chariot awaits
This van must have magical powers because it manages to navigate through the traffic clogged city streets of Enugu as well as the unpaved roads of Awkunanaw.
In the background is our school. The library where I spend most of my time is the middle window on the top fourth floor.



The wall around our compound
Don't let the barb wire fool you it really is a welcoming place. The panels on the left are for solar energy. During the day the school is supplied with solar power. At night we switch the house over to the more reliable solar power. The rest of the time we rely on NEPA (National Electrical Power Authority). So we may or may not have electricity at the house during the day and late at night.

Me and the front of our house

Here is a quick list of a few things that I did today:

1. Began my first day of work at the Notre Dame School. I work in the library and the children read aloud to me.

2. Had rice, salad, and Paw Paw (papaya) for lunch

3. For once I didn't startle when a lizard scurried out of the bushes. There are lizards everywhere and I think they try to catch me by surprise.

4. Got the security code for the wireless internet connection. We don't have running water but we have wireless internet. Go figure.

5. Went to a major market in Enugu. The ride alone was terrifying because the road was being paved during rush hour traffic. I don't think I have ever prayed so hard in my life.

6. We stopped at a gas station and the sign read 65 naira a liter. However after the attendant filled up he informed us that the price was really 70 naira a liter. We had to do the math ourselves to figure out even with the price change he was still stiffing us 90 naira. Later on Aubrie pointed out the ironic fact that the gas station was called Conoil.

7. Bought a cell phone. (I will give out my number as soon as I figure that phone out.)

8. I saw a man driving a motorcycle with three children riding (one in front and two in back).

9. Ate more rice, salad, and Paw Paw for dinner. However Sister Martina asked if I wanted the chicken neck and Aubrie gleefully reminded me that I pledged to try new things. So since "African women eat everything" I followed suit and ate most of a chicken spine, bones and all.

10. Stopped caring that there are little red ants crawling on me in bed.

It was just another day in paradise. Love from Africa,

Americans on display

I feel like I have fallen through the looking glass and everything has been turned topsy turvy. It has been very amusing but it is still disorientating. Sister Francisca showed us around the Notre Dame school today. We stopped by each class and the children would recite "Good morning Sisters/Aunties. You are welcome and may God bless you." Some of the children were shy and would avoid making eye contact. Others were boisterous and eager to catch our attention. In one classroom the kids swarmed us and everyone gave us a hug. Poor Aubrie walked in first and took the brunt of the onslaught. I thought she was going to be knocked over.

Recess was even more fun. The three of us were walking around the yard when I noticed a gang of kids following. I turned around and like some bizarre Nigerian version of Red light/Green light the children stopped in their tracks. Realizing that they had been caught following us the children broke into nervous laughter. Our game continued on for a few minutes and apparently they found it (or maybe just me) quite funny. When Sister left us alone in the yard the children closed in. Some of the kids started to play what I have dubbed Onyeocha tag. Basically the kids would touch an Onyeocha (white person) and run away.

The craziest reaction came from one little boy in the nursery classroom (ages three and four). We walked in the classroom and he started crying. He tried to hide behind the teacher's skirts and just balled. When Sister tried to tell him that we were his friends he shouted that "They are NOT my friends and I am going to tell my mommy." Someone later suggested that his reaction was simply because he was new and he had probably seen white people before. I might have accepted that explaination except that in the last two days I have seen only two other white people and one was a nun. I felt a little bad that Aubrie and I had terrified some poor kid but mostly I found the whole situation amusing.

I do have a new appreciation for the animals at the zoo. Hopefully tomorrow there will be a little less gawking.

Home at last

Greetings from Awkunanaw. For those of you back home I would just like to inform you that it is ten o'clock at night and it feels like it is ninety degrees in here. That is with a ceiling fan running and both windows open. I have been in Enugu less than six hours and already I am sweating like a pig. I was not cut out for heat without air conditioning. So think of me the next time you complain about the snow.

So today was an interesting day. Aubrie and I took the bus to Enugu and it took eight hours. But I am really glad we took the bus instead of flying. I have traveled around North America, Europe, and the Middle East but I have never been to a place that seemed as foreign to me as Nigeria. I found myself overwhelmed by how different everything was and those eight hours helped me adjust. As Aubrie put it, the bus ride was like watching the Discovery channel. I was surprised how green everything is, since this is the dry season. It was also fascinating to watch the people. We saw women carrying baskets on their heads, men with wheelbarrows waiting for work, uniformed children walking what must be miles to school, and even people bathing in the rivers. The trip also helped me get used to livestock running wild, the pervasive litter, and the traffic.

I think now would be a good time to explain the rules of the road in Nigeria. (I would like to note that this is strictly my own observations and I don't know the legality of these driving techniques.) The first thing you should know is that I have yet to see a single traffic light in Nigeria. This makes it a little tricky when multiple vehicles enter the intersection simultaneously. Generally the right of way goes to the bigger vehicle such as the bus since it would come off better in an accident. However, it should be noted that the use of one's horn makes this rule null and void. A horn is used to indicate a driver's level of impatience and the likelihood that he or she doesn't care if they die in a horrible crash. So persistent honkers often get let in. Add to this the complete lack of lane lines, the horrible potholes, and the sheer number of suicidal motorcyclists and a simple drive can turn into a wild ride. I think traffic is the reason so many cars and trucks had slogans like "Pray constantly" and "Jesus Saves" painted on them. I certainly prayed for divine intervention when we were in traffic.

Random thought but I hope my malaria pills are working because I just swatted another mosquito.

Love from Africa,