It's Just different Here...

The past few days, I have been exhausted.  Living here is a "trip"...some days, it feels like I am bored to tears and other days I don't have a single second to think....

This week has been one of those weeks when I really realize it is just different here and no matter how hard I try to explain it to family and friends back home, it is so hard to understand.

For instance, we went out to the beach the other day for our last Board meeting of the year, and I was supposed to be back at the dock in V.I. by 2 p.m.  so I could pick Jeremy up from school and take him to a promised play date.  Of course, the boat was late getting back to the dock and didn't get there until 2:10 ...the exact time he gets out of school!!! (The last time he was left at school because he missed the bus, he was in the front office crying so hard he couldn't talk!)  All I could think was he would be standing there wondering where I was and I couldn't get a hold of anyone at the school.  The MTN service on my phone wasn't working and there are like about 50 different numbers to try to call the front office and almost none of them work!  I tried to call his teacher's cell phone when I finally had service...but there was no answer. To say I was in a  bit of a panic was an understatement.  I texted Fatai and told him to have the car running and ready and we needed to get to the school fast fast!!!!  To my amazement as I jumped off the boat and ran down the dock, he was ready and waiting!!!! ( a small miracle)  I told him we needed to go fast and he just smiled and said "Yes, Madame!"  and we just drove at a crawl.  I said we need to GO FAST!!!!!, and he said "Okay Madame!"  and picked up speed by half a kilometer an hour.  We got to Ozumba Mbadiwe and crossed the street to dead lock traffic trying to get into the school.  I said, "I can't wait..... meet me at the school." and I got out of the car and ran down the road.  There were okadas weaving in between me and the piles of gravel ( and I wondered what on earth are they going to do with that gravel??? Will they really fix this terrible dirt road??" but there was no time for that, I have to get to the school.) It was hot, and I haven't run in about a year...so I was about to die when I got through the front gate of the school, I searched everywhere for Jeremy and when I finally found him I expected to see a cry or some sort of scared look on his face, but he was fine and his teacher was waiting with him.  He just said, "Mom, where have you been, let's go!!!! I want to play!"  I felt like fainting right there in the courtyard at the school, but I didn't.....I just thought to myself....this place is so crazy!!!

Or yesterday, when I was in the car and Fatai asked me about my grinder which was in the trash. I said "Grinder?" He said , "Yes, madame, your grinder...it was in the trash...is there something wrong with it?" I said, " Oh you mean our blender?  Yes.....the motor is fried...it doesn't work." He said, " Oh." Then, yesterday afternoon I was taking a bag out of the back of the car and I saw our blender in the trunk.....he went and took it out of the trash.  I know I shouldn't feel upset about it...it was my trash...but there is something very strange about seeing something you know you put in the trash can showing back up again...in front of you.  It has happened a few times to me with a cleaning lady in our building...she has worn a pair of ratty old slippers I threw away because they were falling apart ....I wouldn't give them to anyone....

And, this morning, I ran out of milk in the kitchen fridge, so I went to the hall way and got another box of milk from that fridge.  It struck me...how many people in the U.S. have a fridge in the hallway???

It is just so hard to explain things to my family and friends back home.  Things are just so different here.  Phones don't work, thrown away things turn up, things are in weird places, there's lots of extra help, but sometimes " too many cooks in the kitchen" can make things even more complicated...

The only thing I can tell my friends or anyone who asks what it's like to live here is ...it's just different here.:)

Under the African Sun

Today was Worker's Day in Nigeria, and as such it was a NAtional holiday.   It is equivalent to Labor Day in the U.S.  We took advantage of this gorgeous day off and went out to the
 beach...

Happiness came with us this time:)

getting ready to leave:)

 I am always amazed at the ride out to the beach...we passed the huge shipyard in Apapa and then it's like you enter a land so quiet and so far back from all the noise and wahala of Lagos that you almost can't believe it. Watching hte sand dredgers and the fishermen continue to do what their ancestors before them have done for hundreds of years is truly awesome.:)  I am almost as amazed as the first time we ever went out to the beach almost three years ago..

Today, Happiness made sure to point out to me the Cassava plant.  This plant is a staple in many Nigerian's diets.  It is harvested by cutting the root and roasting it over fire to dry it out.  Then, the stems (depending on how big the plant is) can be planted again in the soil and will grow a  new plant.  The dried cassava is known as gari.  Gari can be boiled and made into a type of paste (for lack of a better word) and it is eaten with soup.  I am amazed it can grow in this very sandy soil.

large cassava plant



Walking through the village, we saw the mother hen and her chicks...the eggs don't get any fresher than this!!!:)

The rest of the afternoon, we had a great time with our friends!!

The kids love the water, but the water here at this beach is so rough. it's surprising to me how strong the waves are when they come up around our ankles.  They can actually sweep you off your feet in ankle deep water.

 Something else I have learned since moving to Lagos is that the African sun is UNFORGIVING.  Sun block on our skin is a must and I am not too shy to wear a wide brimmed hat.  I didn't realize until moving here that you can actually stay in the sun for just 10 minutes and get a major burn if you aren't careful....



The children from the village came out to play with the kids, and Elizabeth loved acting like the teacher telling them all what to do. I didn';t even realize until I downloaded the pictures from today that I got this pic of her just before she tripped and fell.  She was fine, but she learned not to run so fast!:)

There was even a great breeze to fly kites!!!:)

quick family shot

And, then before we knew it, five hours had passed and it was time to pack up again and head back.  The kids said goodbye to their friends from the village and we boarded the boat.:)

We passed by sand dredgers

and small villages building new boats...

and small fishing communities

And, you know it's been a good day when your baby girl passes out on the window seat at 6 p.m.:)  It was such a great day out at the beach.  I know sometimes I don't always write about the beautiful things there are to see in Lagos, but I have to say that the beach for our family is definitely one of the highlights of living here.

There's Something about Kisses

Today, some members from Ishahayi Beach School Foundation headed back out to the beach school, but this time it wasn't business as usual...

There were heavy boxes of mysterious things to be hauled...

There were mysterious red noses found on all the children...

And I do mean ALL the children!!!

Who would have known that there was clown in our midst?  Kisses the clown came for a visit out to the beach school for their Christmas party today.  The children were thrilled.  We did have to talk to Lady Salami at our last school visit about bringing a clown for the party to make sure it wouldn't scare the kids, and she even prepared the children by talking about what a circus clown was.:)

Once again, the children there flashed their beautiful smiles and sang a rendition of Feliz Navidad which I never ever thought I would hear in small Yoruba fishing village in Lagos, Nigeria! What a small world we live in!!:)

It was a truly great experience seeing the children enjoy Kisses the clown and have fun and laugh.  Many of the children saw her immediately and started to laugh, but they had no word to say what she was.  So, today, the learning which took place was that of laughing and learning about what a clown can do for your spirits.:)

And when we were leaving, there was a random boat pulling up with church people getting off of it.    This is so Nigeria...you never know what to expect.:)

Simple

Today members from the Ishahayi beach School Foundation headed back out to the beach.  It's always very surreal for me when we get there.  I always notice how quiet it is.  There are no horns honking or loud generators running.  Just the sound of the ocean off in the distance, and people living life simply.:)  Here are a few pictures from our trip out today...

 Lady Salami had expressed interest to us that she would like to teach some of the older girls in the school how to sew for them to learn a trade...

 So, sewing machines were donated along with lots and lots of beautiful Nigerian fabric.:)

I love to see the little ones in their classes

yes, that is a security guard who came with us....and a gun

Because of the bombings which have happened in the Northern part of the country, we were told we needed to bring security guards with us for added protection.  But, I can't help but wonder if we are drawing more attention to ourselves...

New water pump for the bore hole

Little girls enjoying some water:)

I love to visit the kids:)

very interested in the sewing machine

recess

helping mom with laundry

Mom washing clothes

Then, we headed out to Ikaare...another fishing village out by Ishahayi beach...

 This school was built by the Salvation army in 1944., and it was falling apart...

 And a new one was built with help from the Government, our foundation and other groups donating money...

 Moms in this village also take turns providing lunch to the students...this little one was with his mom while she was giving lunch to the students:)

Goat walking around the school

 There were tons of boats being repaired and made in this village...

This man is filing holes with fibers

Gotta love that there's no dock here...we walked the plank..

It was great to get out today and go to Ishahayi Beach and all the children and teachers there, but there is so much more need here.  I am so happy to be part of the foundation which can help children's education.  I have always believed and still do believe that every child can learn.  It's as simple as that.