Shopping Anyone?

Last weekend we got our first taste of a Nigerian market! As Nigerian Culture Day is coming up and we've been told that everyone MUST have a Nigerian outfit made, a large group of us teachers planned an outing to a huge fabric market to shop for supplies. We stuck out like a sore thumb! But is was fascinating and fun! It's very crowded and hot, and diesel generators are running all over the place, so the smells of the diesel, mixed with the body odor, and maybe a little urine (I may have stepped into a puddle of urine coming from a small child peeing on the sidewalk - watch the attached video!). It's much like being at a large market in Europe, except you can't blend into the crowd. I enjoyed perusing through the hundreds of stalls looking at all the beautiful fabric. I eventually purchased a piece, not for making an outfit out of, but to have pillow covers, placemats, and napkins made from. Britte' was ready to leave after an hour or so, but for someone who loves shopping at places like Ross, it was like searching for treasure! Can't wait to go back!

"Don't scratch the car or I'll beat you!"

These were the words that the driver said to a little beggar girl who was plastering herself to our window. We'd been invited over to another teacher's house for dinner. This teacher is a local hire and her husband is an important dude at one of the local oil companies here in Lagos. To begin, when the car arrived, we were introduced to the driver, but there was another guy in the front passenger seat. So, I asked him if he was a friend of the driver and he quickly stated that he was a private police officer, hired as security protection for our teacher friend and her husband. It was only then that I realized he was sitting with some sort of automatic rifle pointed down between his feet, while keeping his finger on the trigger! I didn't (and still don't) know if I felt safer or more insecure at this realization. Never the less, we were safely whisked away to her beautiful home where we enjoyed a lovely dinner. Later on, her driver took us to the grocery store and on the way you often see children and adults begging on corners, in front of stores, or walking up and down the narrow space between moving vehicles on many main roads. This little Muslim girl saw us (two white women) and immediately came up to our window and began fake crying and begging for money. We 're getting used to this as it happens pretty often. Unfortunately, our driver was unable to ignore, and he rolled his window down part way and told the little girl to get off the car or he'd beat her! We were a little shocked and felt a little chastised ourselves, not knowing if it was OK to talk in the back seat - it sort of felt like we were little girls in the backseat of our father's car and he'd just told us to shut-up:(

All Is Well

I've received several e-mails and Facebook messages in the past few hours asking about our status after the recent bombing in Nigeria. To put your minds at ease (Moms:)) we are perfectly fine. The bomb occurred in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria, which is several hours to the north - we've not ventured there yet (nor are there any plans to do so). I don't think we are at any risk, as our superintendent didn't even feel the need to mention this incidence to the staff yesterday during our full day of training. We happened to hear about it in passing from another teacher who'd been on-line yesterday morning. The US Embassy also didn't send any security officers to debrief us, as I would expect if there was rumor of a bombing to occur in Lagos. Really, it feels just like being in the US when a bombing happens in another country. Life continues without much interruption. Sad, but true.  This morning, we slept-in and are now enjoying a sunny, Saturday morning. The only absence this morning is the constant blaring of horns from the highway behind our apartment - this is because today is "Environmental Saturday" which occurs on the last Saturday of each month. It is a law that nobody is out on the roads/sidewalks from 7:30am - 10:30am. Our principal and his wife actually got arrested two years ago for going out on a jog during this sacred time (not having been briefed of its' existence). They got out of a 100 day jail sentence by paying the judge the equivalent of $75! Anyhow, we are safe and may even go out after 10:30 to see the beach or go to the local mall to see a movie! Happy day! Missing you all!

What in the world?...

Guess what? Sometime last night, the water just ran out! No, a pipe didn't break...the water actually ran out! There apparently is a tub of water that sits up on the roof and when it's out, you're out! Don't know when we'll get more. So, no shower this morning, and deoderant doesn't cover the stink. Gotta walk over to the school to shower or take a pee until it's fixed.

This is Day # 17. I wonder how often this will happen.

On a positive note...
This week I've been giving my 3rd graders little mini activities to gauge their math skills and I'm relatively blown away! My kiddos created a bar graph, labeled the scale, wrote 5 detailed sentences about the data, can tell time pretty well on an analog clock, can add and subtract multi-digit #s without regrouping, and some even know their multiplication facts up to 10 x 10! I asked them to work in groups of four to complete a Venn Diagram, and they did, without arguing, and everyone participated. I asked them to write a 5 sentence paragraph about an important event in their lives, and many of them wrote a page or more, with capitals, periods, pretty good grammar, etc. I'm wondering where to even begin with them. This should be fun!

The Things They Didn't Tell Us...

Disclaimer #1: These are in no particular order, just random thoughts this evening.

1. Excessive mold
2. Everything smells (see #1)
3. The power goes out everyday.
4. All the insects jump!
5. No water pressure.
6. Washing machines suck!
7. Groceries cost an arm and a leg...
8. All the groceries are expired (and yet...see #7). (e.g. Honey Bunches of Oats=$25)
9. Stewards aren't all they're cracked up to be:)
10. No one is ever on time.
11. Even with all this money, technology still brings daily headaches.
12. You can't get sour cream.
13. Must carry a purse full of Naiyra just to buy a round of margaritas at the local "Mexican" restaurant.
14. Although everyone speaks English, you still can't understand.
15. So much miscommunication or lack thereof.
16. Classroom size: tiny!
17. Caps on class size are not a guarantee!
18. Must disinfect...well everything!
19. You never quite feel clean enough.
20. Although this list could be twice as long, we don't want to sound like complainers, so no #20! Ha! Ha!

Disclaimer #2: Sorry, but the power has gone out 3 times in the last few hours, we're working 12 hours a day, and still don't feel like we have a handle on anything. We just needed to vent. Won't happen again!

Picture Child for Starving Teachers of Nigeria

The other night, our downstairs neighbor walked into our dining room while Britte' & I were munching on some divine chicken nuggets and very large bowls of mac n' cheese.  Her immediate reaction was to laugh hysterically and call Britte' the picture child for starving teachers of Nigeria! Apparently, she was scarfing down the mac n' cheese like it was going to be taken away from her! I promise, I DO feed her!  Unfortunately, we are still just trying to get by at this point and haven't figured out exactly which types of foods we can and cannot get, let alone which ones can we afford (a head of lettuce in the grocery store was $15.00!). But, all will be well soon enough... we have just hired a stewardess (that's a cook/housekeeper). During the interview with her, I had an out of body experience in which I felt like we were a scene straight from the book called "The Help" - I just finished reading it. So weird to be a white woman, hiring a black woman to do the chores we don't want to do. And there is a definite class distinction here. The Nigerian folks refer to themselves as "the workers" and they will not even eat at your flat even if they are there all day long, unless they have your direct permission to do so. Many of them also bring a uniform to wear while they are working, and then change back into their street clothes at the end of the day. Our cook's name is Janet and she seems very sweet. She doesn't speak really clear English, nor does she cook much American/westernized food, so we have to provide her with recipes of what we want her to make. Last night she made chicken enchiladas (with everything except the sour cream, which you can't get here). They were pretty good! Thursday she'll be back to fry us up some plantains and make Nigerian beans (at least that's what I think she said, so I'll get back to you on how that goes).

Well, yesterday was the first day of school and we survived! I honestly wasn't even tired at the end of the day. School starts rather early for elementary (7:25am), and there's no planning period before school, so the kiddos are coming into your room at 7:25! We did several getting to know you activities until 10:00 and then my IA (that's my Instructional Assistant) whisked them away to PE for 45 mins., and then immediately to Computers for another 45 mins. That was followed by a 30 min. lunch/recess period. When the students returned I had 2 more hours to entertain them with classroom expectations and little projects, and then it was time to go. The parents were very welcoming and gracious! Before school even began, one parent stepped into the class to give me and my IA a "sweet treat" as a sign that we'll have a sweet year ahead of us - the treat was a large bag of assorted cookies, shortbreads, gingerbreads, and a bottle of Italian wine! Wowzer! Britte' didn't get anything:( But I shared!

I'm sorry, I know I haven't written much in awhile, but the last week or so has been kind of crazy! I promise to get some pics up soon with a few more stories of life in Nigeria!
                                                                                               ~Toodles!

Scratch that! Just uploaded a bunch of photos of our flat and my classroom, but they are under the entry entitled "And the Adventure Begins...". Check them out. There might even be more to come tonight!

Washing Machine Goes Buck-wild!

Anyone ever try to wash their clothes in a foreign country? I swear it wasn't this hard in Europe. But here we are trying our handy-dandy washer/dryer combo for the first time. First of all, it's in the kitchen, which may be perfectly normal, but not for most Americans. We were smart in that we only placed one towel and a nightgown in the contraption to test it out. After really looking it over, and of course there's no user's manual, we thought it'd be no problem. We push the start button and realize we've chosen a mode that will take 3-4 hours, so we cancel the load and try it again, and again, and again...nothing really helps bring that number down. So, we go ahead and start the machine and let it do it's thing, hoping for the best! Much later that evening, we arrived at our flat to find that our washing machine had danced it's way into the middle of the kitchen, wrenched the water hose out of the wall, and drained water all over the floor under the refrigerator and such.  Apparently, during the spin-cycle, our machine goes buck-wild! We eventually got all the water mopped up, and set the washer back in it's place, but sadly, can't get the stupid machine to work properly. So, today, on our only day of rest, we are currently spending a few hours at another teacher's flat washing and drying our very dirty clothes! This one incident describes our first week here in Lagos quite aptly!

FOOD

We were under the impression that American food would be hard to come by in a third world country, but Britte' & I have been to numerous shops in the past few days, checking out the selection and prices of those items and have been impressed at the large number of westernized products available: Hershey's syrup, Comet, Clearasil, Raisin Bran, etc. The list goes on and on! That being said, most of our self-provided meals have been Top Ramen - it's like being in college all over again! Last night we actually baked a cake (Betty Crocker in a box) after finding out that we were expected to bring something to share with the staff for our first day at the beach! Although a little put out seeing as we barely can fend for ourselves yet, we managed to whip up the cake mix in a pot that Britte' fortunately brought with her, and bake it in our new oven (only after making a guess at how many degrees Celsius is 325 F).  Britte' just about had a stroke when I used regular tap water to mix the cake! We had quite a laugh, but now that it's been frosted, she's excited to eat something comforting:)

And the Adventure Begins...

So, we've been in our flat for 3 nights and we've got a long list of everything that breaks, falls apart, leaks, or just plain doesn't work - it's becoming quite extensive! *Think "Money Pit", the movie from the eighties with Shelley Long and Tom Hanks!! My favorite was when at 10pm, the door knob to my bedroom broke from the outside, locking me out! Our neighbor, and my 3rd grade colleague, was able to help and get it open without too much stress. Britte' and I have learned rather quickly to laugh at all the funny, weird things that happen or at what people here do and say. The people getting us through these first few days can be rather frustrating - one of them has a tendency to get annoyed with us and laugh at our "stupid" questions (don't we all teach that there's no such thing as a dumb question?) and another acts as if we are the most affluent and privileged people on the planet, tipping everyone for everything, and throwing money around like it's confetti. You never quite know what to expect! We got one of the leadership to take us to a sort of "secret" market for phones in Lagos - we were given the impression that it was an open market where upon seeing a white person, we'd be flocked with salesman trying to pawn-off their crap for exorbitant prices. When we got there, we were sent in with our leader's driver (also making us a little nervous), but were soon in a one room store with only a few handfuls of people, no one even really caring that we were white, and all the phones displayed with prices. Britte' didn't get the pink one that she wanted, but it's all good - we now have phones (although no minutes, because you have to buy the phone, sim card, and minutes all separately, and they need your passport info, pics of you, and your fingerprints-sheesh!).

We also got into our classrooms today! They smell a little...well, gross, to be honest - it's all the mildew:( But they do have normal desks, tables, chairs, etc. We have Smartboards, document cameras, MOUNTED projectors (that's for the McCarver folks), and thankfully AC! We had a mini intro to what  to expect this morning, receiving our class lists (I have 23 kiddos/ Britte' has 16), curriculum guides, etc. And (McCarver folks, you'll love this...) we are required to post learning targets as well as maintain a swift page throughout the year! Not too bad! For those of you who remember Pagia from 2nd grade a few years back, she's here, teaching 2nd grade for the 5th year, she's married to a Nigerian, and has a 7 month old baby girl and another on the way!

There's a huge social aspect of international school life that one has to get used to. We went out with a large group last night to a "fancy" restaurant. It was expensive, but at least we could eat everything on the menu and not really worry about getting sick. There was even a live band singing their renditions of Louis Armstrong's greatest hits! Fun! Tonight we've been invited to the Marine House for games or something, tomorrow we are having a glass of wine with some of the single ladies at one of the admin's houses, and on Sunday I'll be heading to the school's beach hut for some fun in the sun, a BBQ, and some shopping at the local market.

Britte' and I have decided we couldn't have done this alone...it's only been a week, but we may have had a break-down if we didn't have each other!

Oh, and Bill, no one's put a machine gun in our face...yet...but, yes, we've seen quite a few of them!

I know this is a day early, but congrats to Kyle & Sara on their upcoming nuptials!

Welcome to Nigeria!

We've made it! All went well with our travel to Lagos. We got all of our luggage and there weren't any major delays. We made it to our new home last night (Tuesday) around 6:30pm where we were greeted by several staff members and fed a spaghetti dinner. Many of you already know that the high school campus and new staff apartments did not get finished as planned, so we've been given a flat across the street from the elementary campus. This is great for the reason that that we won't have to commute each morning and afternoon, but on the flip side, we're not in a completely secure location and have been told to lock up our valuables in the school safe:( Also, as we were informed last night, these apartments have not been lived in in the last 2 years and were totally trashed until last week! They've furnished the 4 bedroom flat with beautiful couches, dining set, coffee & end tables, queen sized beds with new mattress, a large rug and dressers. That being said, everything is covered in a light coating of dust and grime, and it smells a little funky, too! This morning, I took a shower, but we don't have shower curtain rods, and it's a hand-held shower, making the experience quite the endeavor! The water sort of just trickles out or as Britte` described in my favorite quote of the day, "it's like someone peeing on you!"

Today, we got to take our first trip to the mall! There was a KFC, Nike, Converse, Fossil stores and many other places to get normal westernized items. We spent 30,000 nira today on dishes, glasses, silverware, a few cooking materials, pillows, door mat, and a few cleaning supplies - that's the equivalent of $200! Everything here is a bit more costly than in the states, but we'll make do.

The weather is pretty tolerable at this point. It gets pretty muggy, but hasn't been much more than 80 degrees temp.-wise. Last night there was even a little lightning storm, which after more than 35 hours of no sleep, I slept right on through!

Well, now we're off to a pool-side BBQ with the rest of the newbies! Ta-ta for now!