It's been an interesting return to Lagos this week. We have been living amidst a national labor strike while locals protest against their government which lifted a subsidy on gasoline on January 1st. The price of gas has more than doubled per liter due to the subsidy lifting. As a result, we've been under an unspoken "no movement" week and schools and businesses have been closed. It's been hard to find out what's going on. We don't have the local news to watch, and the protests haven't been within eyesight of our flat complex or the school compound. We try to check all the internet news sites for updates, ask the local guards at the front gate for any info they can provide, and wait to hear from our superintendent who is getting somewhat regular updates from the US consulate in Lagos. So, for those of you who are worried, we've been completely safe up to this point.:) The latest rumor is that the strike is on hold for the weekend so that protesters can get out to resupply and rest up for next week. Apparently, the strike will resume on Monday morning in full force. So, the hope is that today, we'll be able to get out and do some grocery shopping. We just spoke to the water delivery guy and it sounds hopeful that he'll be by this morning to deliver some much needed water for us.
Fortunately, we don't have to make up any of the missed school days as we had several reserve days saved up (sort of like built-in snow days in the US) and the board of our school approved counting days that teachers submit assignments on-line for students/parents to access at home. I've heard from a handful of my student's families this week, so have been able to catch up a little with them, but am looking forward to seeing my little 3rd graders soon. Of course, I'm not complaining that I got an extra week off after an already long winter vacation! We fill our days with extra sleep, working out, swimming in the pool, checking our e-mail frequently, catching up on missed t.v episodes, etc. Britte' and I finally got a key to the school's workout room and shed some calories this week! A lot of staff members are organizing get-togethers and sporting events. And we don't have our stewards this week (due to the strike), so we are living normal lives, cooking and cleaning for ourselves. We are actually starting to feel like normal people again! I miss the cooking, not so much the cleaning:)
Keep praying for our safety and the situation here in Nigeria. More updates to come in the near future.
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