"Every new beginning comes with some other beginning's end"
Well, I'm back in Cleveland! Sorry for not updating my last few weeks in Nigeria, but for some reason the internet was not letting me get on to my blog. Anyways, it was a jam packed month of trying to make sure my experience in Yola was complete.
I have been home for a week and it has been so wonderful to see my family again. Coming back was definitely a lot harder than leaving home. This voyage was such an adventure, I didn't know what was waiting for me. But coming home is coming back to everything that I know. I did miss some things, but I think I could easily go without in exchange for the mystery of the unknown and charm of the 'different'.
The hardest part so far has been trying to explain what life was really like in Yola. Pictures only go so far and it just seems so second nature in my mind, so it has been frustrating to find a way to express everything I want to about the past four months. But I'm working on it and my family has been extremely patient which has meant so much to me!
The strangest thing to get used to here is the order. There are traffic lights, checkout lines, things are just not very chaotic. I think that I got used to the freedom and now it seems ridiculously obnoxious to have to sit at a red light at an empty intersection. I've definitely grown patient after living in Yola, which was reaffirmed when my flights home got all jumbled up and delayed.
I'm gearing up for Argentina and I hope that being home for a month will be a good rest before heading back out into the world! I am going to put some pictures up on some sort of online album so I will fill you all in when I have the site up and going...
28.12.08
27.11.08
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
It’ been very strange not being home this thanksgiving, mostly because the thing I’m most thankful for in the world is my family, but they are thousands of miles away. I had class this morning and then there was a special thanksgiving lunch at the cafeteria. They served what I think may have been turkey, but I’m not one hundred percent sure, with some baked potatoes and green beans. It’s just hard because Nigerians don’t really understand how important thanksgiving is, so they kind of think I’m being a bit of a baby for being homesick today. So I took a four hour nap and then went Karatu Library to read to kids. And as usual, God smacked me in the face and made me realize that I am in no position to be the least bit depressed. The kids always make me smile and just remind me that you’re never really lost as long as you know who you are and it’s never about what you have (health, family), it’s about knowing that there are blessings that are so much deeper than those! So I hope that you all had a wonderful thanksgiving and I’m thankful for each and every one of you!
p.s. Aunt Nancy, I am seriously expecting you to freeze a plate of Thanksgiving dinner for me! And please use one of those high tech Ziploc bags that prevent freezer burn. Thanks!
It’ been very strange not being home this thanksgiving, mostly because the thing I’m most thankful for in the world is my family, but they are thousands of miles away. I had class this morning and then there was a special thanksgiving lunch at the cafeteria. They served what I think may have been turkey, but I’m not one hundred percent sure, with some baked potatoes and green beans. It’s just hard because Nigerians don’t really understand how important thanksgiving is, so they kind of think I’m being a bit of a baby for being homesick today. So I took a four hour nap and then went Karatu Library to read to kids. And as usual, God smacked me in the face and made me realize that I am in no position to be the least bit depressed. The kids always make me smile and just remind me that you’re never really lost as long as you know who you are and it’s never about what you have (health, family), it’s about knowing that there are blessings that are so much deeper than those! So I hope that you all had a wonderful thanksgiving and I’m thankful for each and every one of you!
p.s. Aunt Nancy, I am seriously expecting you to freeze a plate of Thanksgiving dinner for me! And please use one of those high tech Ziploc bags that prevent freezer burn. Thanks!
23.11.08
I can hardly believe that my time here in Yola is melting away! The past few weeks have been a big turning point in my semester and I honestly feel like I am finally starting to accomplish what I came here to do.
When I first arrived, it was obviously a huge shock. I was meeting tons of new people every day, dealing with just normal differences in how life in Nigeria works versus in the US, and I was getting through my classes. It took time to get acclimated to all of this new stuff… I found myself just jumping in and making life here my new norm. The electricity would switch off and I wouldn’t stop a beat, a herd of cattle would cross the road and I would just continue the conversation. Obviously in my head I knew that this was way different than anything I’d ever experienced, but I felt that it was better to integrate rather than dwell on how strange everything was. But during the past few weeks I have come to a point where I feel very comfortable with my surroundings in so much as I can recognize the beauty of this place, but also see the system that holds it back.
I was frustrated with the fact that inside the university walls it’s fashion and drama and you step outside and it’s underfunded schools, poor living conditions, no electricity. I still haven’t gotten used to that contrast in lifestyles but most of the students here don’t see it because in reality that is just how it is here, maybe it’s wrong, but in their minds that’s just how it is.
This being said, most of the AUN students want to make a good and powerful impact on Nigeria. Whether it’s government reform or entrepreneurship, each individual has their own plan for how they can change Nigeria (and in most cases make some money in the process). I’m no pessimist… just a skeptic.
I didn’t come here to criticize this place and how it works. I wanted to see how Nigerians view their country and the world. I wanted to learn from them, see from a different angle, but most importantly incorporate those new ideas into my understandings of the world. And I just finally feel like I’ve started to reach this point!
In other news, I was officially accepted to study in Buenos Aires, Argentina at la Universidad Torcuato di Tella this coming spring! I’m very excited about it, but momentarily drained and ready for a little break.
Classes have been going really well. Would you believe that I have a university scheduled final exam on a SUNDAY??? And they call this an ‘American’ university! These next few weeks are going to be full of final research papers and presentations. But I came to the realization last night that I would rather get a B in a class and hang out with people and see what’s left to see versus sitting inside and getting an A. But, hopefully it’s not an ‘or’ situation.
I had the opportunity to do some pretty fun stuff last weekend. I went to the market alone for the first time! I went to a nearby farm to go horseback riding. I ate masa (a pancake like bread that is delicious). I rode an achaba (a motorcycle taxi). So funny thing, I told my roommate that I had never had malaria and she couldn’t believe it. Malaria here is the equivalent to the flu essentially because people here can afford to get meds. It is only scary if you get it and aren’t near a place to buy medicine or if you cannot afford medicine. Thankfully, I haven’t been sick at all since I arrived here.
I hear there’s snow back in the good old midwest… If it makes you feel any better, it’s in the 90s here. Ha ha ha.
A Word of Advice: Flipflops from the market will break at the most inconvenient times. Better to resist the temptation of buying them in the first place.
When I first arrived, it was obviously a huge shock. I was meeting tons of new people every day, dealing with just normal differences in how life in Nigeria works versus in the US, and I was getting through my classes. It took time to get acclimated to all of this new stuff… I found myself just jumping in and making life here my new norm. The electricity would switch off and I wouldn’t stop a beat, a herd of cattle would cross the road and I would just continue the conversation. Obviously in my head I knew that this was way different than anything I’d ever experienced, but I felt that it was better to integrate rather than dwell on how strange everything was. But during the past few weeks I have come to a point where I feel very comfortable with my surroundings in so much as I can recognize the beauty of this place, but also see the system that holds it back.
I was frustrated with the fact that inside the university walls it’s fashion and drama and you step outside and it’s underfunded schools, poor living conditions, no electricity. I still haven’t gotten used to that contrast in lifestyles but most of the students here don’t see it because in reality that is just how it is here, maybe it’s wrong, but in their minds that’s just how it is.
This being said, most of the AUN students want to make a good and powerful impact on Nigeria. Whether it’s government reform or entrepreneurship, each individual has their own plan for how they can change Nigeria (and in most cases make some money in the process). I’m no pessimist… just a skeptic.
I didn’t come here to criticize this place and how it works. I wanted to see how Nigerians view their country and the world. I wanted to learn from them, see from a different angle, but most importantly incorporate those new ideas into my understandings of the world. And I just finally feel like I’ve started to reach this point!
In other news, I was officially accepted to study in Buenos Aires, Argentina at la Universidad Torcuato di Tella this coming spring! I’m very excited about it, but momentarily drained and ready for a little break.
Classes have been going really well. Would you believe that I have a university scheduled final exam on a SUNDAY??? And they call this an ‘American’ university! These next few weeks are going to be full of final research papers and presentations. But I came to the realization last night that I would rather get a B in a class and hang out with people and see what’s left to see versus sitting inside and getting an A. But, hopefully it’s not an ‘or’ situation.
I had the opportunity to do some pretty fun stuff last weekend. I went to the market alone for the first time! I went to a nearby farm to go horseback riding. I ate masa (a pancake like bread that is delicious). I rode an achaba (a motorcycle taxi). So funny thing, I told my roommate that I had never had malaria and she couldn’t believe it. Malaria here is the equivalent to the flu essentially because people here can afford to get meds. It is only scary if you get it and aren’t near a place to buy medicine or if you cannot afford medicine. Thankfully, I haven’t been sick at all since I arrived here.
I hear there’s snow back in the good old midwest… If it makes you feel any better, it’s in the 90s here. Ha ha ha.
A Word of Advice: Flipflops from the market will break at the most inconvenient times. Better to resist the temptation of buying them in the first place.
3.11.08
If I Hear...
I feel like I should apologize for not updating more often, but ironically enough I sort of feel like I’m just a normal college student at a normal university (which is a good thing, but it’s kind of crazy considering I’m in rural Nigeria).
So since we last talked life has been good. School is just there. I finished midterms (but I only had two) and they both went well. I am starting to enjoy class more, now that I know people and their views. It’s very cool that my observations about the society here are exactly what we discuss in many of my classes (African politics and literature). Here’s an example. So today in my literature class we’re talking about a novel called “The Beggars Strike” and at one point the main character tells his wife of 24 years that he’s marrying another woman the next day. And she stays with him! Now, to me this is insane. My logic was that the original wife should threaten divorce in order to prevent her husband from marrying another woman (divorce is a huge deal here). But, culturally a divorce is worse for a woman than a man. So he could care less if she divorces him, but she essentially needs him. So after class I’m talking with some friends about this, and they say that’s honestly how it is here. Women have some rights to fight for!
Alright, so I’ll fill you in on what I’ve learned about ‘tribes’. Now, first of all ‘tribe’ is formally considered derogatory but I have heard Nigerians ask other Nigerians what tribe they are from. The term tribe comes across as ‘primitive’ when really there are European ‘tribes’ but we call them ethnicities. There are three main ethnicities here in Nigeria: Ibo, Hausa, and Yoruba. There are lots of others, but for simplicity sake well leave it at that. Yola is in the north and the north is mainly Hausa and Muslim. Each ethnicity has its own language (with many different dialects) and traditional practices. From what I’ve heard, you can’t necessarily distinguish ethnicity by physical appearance, but some ethnicities tend to be more fair than others. There is a lot of pride in ethnicities, but not too much tension between them (unless talking about politics). Some of my friends have said that they’re parents want them to marry in their ethnicity, because the woman is taken in to her husband’s family. Everyone here is from a ‘village’, where grandmothers and some distant relatives live. Most people go to their village for Christmas or a visit every couple of years. The tensions are political. Leaders here get into power and give preference to their people and neglect the rest of the country. So for example the state that the president is from has better roads ect (and most presidents have been from the north) so the east and the south gets the shaft. It’s a difficult cycle to break so this has sort of pitted the groups against themselves in some cases. But people here at AUN have a lot of pride in their ethnicity. There’s some nice tshirts ‘Ibo Boy’! haha
There has been a running joke with my friends… “You People”. It started when I got to talking to this Yola guy at the mai shayi (tea shack). He told me that “you people all look alike” and I was like wow that’s the most racist thing anyone has ever said to me. But his English was pretty bad so I let it slide. But then I told my friends, they were like saying ‘you people’ is not offensive but we determined that saying all white people look alike is racist. Nigerians use ‘you people’ when talking about ethnicities. So then I told my friends that white people look really different from each other and I showed them pictures of my friends and they were like ‘wow you people all look alike’ and we just died laughing! So ironically enough in my African lit class a few days later my professor told me, “You people read fast. You start reading at a very young age” and I almost walked out of class. But later in his speech he said ‘Americans’ so once again I let it slide. But wow. It’s fun to joke around with my close friends about race, but because we all know that we look funny together and that we could care less about color. One of my friends is really dark and so people call him black boy, so now he calls me white girl. It’s funny because my friends and I can joke about race. They always talk about staining me. Or if I take a fanta over a coke they’ll say I’m watching my color!
Some Nigerianisms:
-IF I HEAR (shows shock)
-boning (serious look/attitude with someone)
-as in (just what you say)
-meat is tough
-if something is mediocre it’s ‘just there’
-beef with someone(same as in the US)
-malo (still trying to define this one)
-vexed (anger)
-dyou get? (do you understand/get it)
-abeg (this is my favorite, you use it to beg people to get your way)
-instead of cutting in line, you ‘chance’ the line
So since we last talked life has been good. School is just there. I finished midterms (but I only had two) and they both went well. I am starting to enjoy class more, now that I know people and their views. It’s very cool that my observations about the society here are exactly what we discuss in many of my classes (African politics and literature). Here’s an example. So today in my literature class we’re talking about a novel called “The Beggars Strike” and at one point the main character tells his wife of 24 years that he’s marrying another woman the next day. And she stays with him! Now, to me this is insane. My logic was that the original wife should threaten divorce in order to prevent her husband from marrying another woman (divorce is a huge deal here). But, culturally a divorce is worse for a woman than a man. So he could care less if she divorces him, but she essentially needs him. So after class I’m talking with some friends about this, and they say that’s honestly how it is here. Women have some rights to fight for!
Alright, so I’ll fill you in on what I’ve learned about ‘tribes’. Now, first of all ‘tribe’ is formally considered derogatory but I have heard Nigerians ask other Nigerians what tribe they are from. The term tribe comes across as ‘primitive’ when really there are European ‘tribes’ but we call them ethnicities. There are three main ethnicities here in Nigeria: Ibo, Hausa, and Yoruba. There are lots of others, but for simplicity sake well leave it at that. Yola is in the north and the north is mainly Hausa and Muslim. Each ethnicity has its own language (with many different dialects) and traditional practices. From what I’ve heard, you can’t necessarily distinguish ethnicity by physical appearance, but some ethnicities tend to be more fair than others. There is a lot of pride in ethnicities, but not too much tension between them (unless talking about politics). Some of my friends have said that they’re parents want them to marry in their ethnicity, because the woman is taken in to her husband’s family. Everyone here is from a ‘village’, where grandmothers and some distant relatives live. Most people go to their village for Christmas or a visit every couple of years. The tensions are political. Leaders here get into power and give preference to their people and neglect the rest of the country. So for example the state that the president is from has better roads ect (and most presidents have been from the north) so the east and the south gets the shaft. It’s a difficult cycle to break so this has sort of pitted the groups against themselves in some cases. But people here at AUN have a lot of pride in their ethnicity. There’s some nice tshirts ‘Ibo Boy’! haha
There has been a running joke with my friends… “You People”. It started when I got to talking to this Yola guy at the mai shayi (tea shack). He told me that “you people all look alike” and I was like wow that’s the most racist thing anyone has ever said to me. But his English was pretty bad so I let it slide. But then I told my friends, they were like saying ‘you people’ is not offensive but we determined that saying all white people look alike is racist. Nigerians use ‘you people’ when talking about ethnicities. So then I told my friends that white people look really different from each other and I showed them pictures of my friends and they were like ‘wow you people all look alike’ and we just died laughing! So ironically enough in my African lit class a few days later my professor told me, “You people read fast. You start reading at a very young age” and I almost walked out of class. But later in his speech he said ‘Americans’ so once again I let it slide. But wow. It’s fun to joke around with my close friends about race, but because we all know that we look funny together and that we could care less about color. One of my friends is really dark and so people call him black boy, so now he calls me white girl. It’s funny because my friends and I can joke about race. They always talk about staining me. Or if I take a fanta over a coke they’ll say I’m watching my color!
Some Nigerianisms:
-IF I HEAR (shows shock)
-boning (serious look/attitude with someone)
-as in (just what you say)
-meat is tough
-if something is mediocre it’s ‘just there’
-beef with someone(same as in the US)
-malo (still trying to define this one)
-vexed (anger)
-dyou get? (do you understand/get it)
-abeg (this is my favorite, you use it to beg people to get your way)
-instead of cutting in line, you ‘chance’ the line
18.10.08
Halfway
The US Presidential Election 2008 hits Nigeria!
On Thursday evening I was asked to participate as a debater in a Mock presidential debate on campus. I don't think I'm going to tell you whose side I was on, but let's just say it was a lively fun time! There were lights and cameras and a full house (with tough questions of course). As you may guess, most students here are pro-Obama (in Abuja there were even billboards for Obama). For the most part they like Obama because of his foreign policy and let's face it, because he's black. But there are a few devout McCain supporters. It's just kind of funny that the newscasters aren't joking when they say that the entire world is watching this election.
On Friday afternoon, the US ambassador to Nigeria came to visit AUN for the first time. She was very warmly greeted and the cafeteria was decorated and many students and community members came to hear her speak. She (her name is Robin Sanders by the way) spoke on democracy and transparent elections more specifically. I saw today that Foreign Policy said that Nigeria's 2007 presidential election was on of the worst. Anyway, it was a big step forward for the ambassador to visit AUN, and it meant a lot to the university and the community.
Here's some interesting facts about my life here:
-We drink water from baggies (plastic bags that you have to bite off a corner to drink out of)
-cookies are called biscuits (unless they're chocolate, then they're cookies)
-I'm a Chelsea fan
-A friend lent me his guitar!
-The air conditioner in my room is broken
-We have satellite in the common room so the other night I watched One Tree Hill!
-Nigerian music is AMAZING!
-Indomie is the Nigerian version of Raman Noodles (sp?) and we eat it all the time!
-laundry is done by hand
-I ate liver before I knew it was liver
-there is a coffeeshop on campus that doesn't sell coffee... so wrong
Anyway, everything is going really well and according to the calender this weekend is my halfway point! I honestly cannot believe it... (except for the midterms!)
-
On Thursday evening I was asked to participate as a debater in a Mock presidential debate on campus. I don't think I'm going to tell you whose side I was on, but let's just say it was a lively fun time! There were lights and cameras and a full house (with tough questions of course). As you may guess, most students here are pro-Obama (in Abuja there were even billboards for Obama). For the most part they like Obama because of his foreign policy and let's face it, because he's black. But there are a few devout McCain supporters. It's just kind of funny that the newscasters aren't joking when they say that the entire world is watching this election.
On Friday afternoon, the US ambassador to Nigeria came to visit AUN for the first time. She was very warmly greeted and the cafeteria was decorated and many students and community members came to hear her speak. She (her name is Robin Sanders by the way) spoke on democracy and transparent elections more specifically. I saw today that Foreign Policy said that Nigeria's 2007 presidential election was on of the worst. Anyway, it was a big step forward for the ambassador to visit AUN, and it meant a lot to the university and the community.
Here's some interesting facts about my life here:
-We drink water from baggies (plastic bags that you have to bite off a corner to drink out of)
-cookies are called biscuits (unless they're chocolate, then they're cookies)
-I'm a Chelsea fan
-A friend lent me his guitar!
-The air conditioner in my room is broken
-We have satellite in the common room so the other night I watched One Tree Hill!
-Nigerian music is AMAZING!
-Indomie is the Nigerian version of Raman Noodles (sp?) and we eat it all the time!
-laundry is done by hand
-I ate liver before I knew it was liver
-there is a coffeeshop on campus that doesn't sell coffee... so wrong
Anyway, everything is going really well and according to the calender this weekend is my halfway point! I honestly cannot believe it... (except for the midterms!)
-
5.10.08
Playing Hard
So much has happened in the last couple of weeks! We had Sallah break (a celebration of the end of Ramadan) and Independence Day. For break I ventured with a few friends to Jos, a lovely city in the north.
My friend Luke, who studied at AU last semester, invited Rosa (another exchange student) and I to go with a few of his friends from Friday to Tuesday. We hopped in a classic hatchback and hit the road. It was a crazy ride, but let’s just say that I got to experience Nigeria firsthand. The country is absolutely gorgeous, very unique mountains and picturesque villages along the way. Some people really do live in the bush! The roads were insane, some places would be very smooth and then all of a sudden it’s like there is no road. And the potholes! Yikes… The ride was an adventure in and of itself. Jos was very nice and much cooler than Yola. I didn’t sweat for four days (it was great)! We stayed at the Cinderella Hotel which was perfect for what we needed and had a leisurely time seeing the city and visiting with the families of our friends. It was great to have some down time and to get off campus and out of Yola. The journey back on Tuesday was less eventful but fun because of the Sallah celebrations we got to see in each town we drove through.
Wednesday was Nigeria’s Independence Day! I woke up to the sound of drums outside my dorm and went to check it out. There were students on horses and men playing drums and flute things. It was really crazy and fun. I took some videos and pictures but unfortunately they take forever to upload using our internet. You will have to wait until I’m back in the States to see them. For dinner, the student government threw a cultural event where everyone wears their traditional wear. They played music and called out each state and students from that state would do traditional dances. It was great to see all my friends all dressed up and we had a good time. And of course there were more drums and lots and lots of dancing.
Last night was SHUFFLE Awards, which was a concert featuring Naeto C hosted by an organization here on campus. It was really nice and I even got a picture with Mr. C himself (Yes…Boss). It was bomb! Today a wonderful woman named Grace, who works invite a bunch of students over to her flat for lunch, the food was out of this world (and super spicy!). The meal started with white rice and a spicy beef red sauce. There was pepper soup (very typical) but it’s spicy even for the Nigerians so I’ll still working my way up to trying it (so American I know). Then there was a fish soup and oh yams! The yams here are huge, like the size of my forearm and they just cut them up and boil them (they taste like potato). Then some delicious watermelon. It was an afternoon of good food and good company! So many people here have been so unbelievably welcoming and generous. It has really encouraged me and I’m starting to see how differently American culture treats generosity and self sacrifice.
Over lunch today we had a very interesting conversation regarding marriage. In most ethnicities here in Nigeria there are ‘bride prices’. Essentially a man pays a woman’s family an amount of money set by her family for her hand in marriage. In my mind the problem with this arrangement is that it creates a mentality of ownership instead of a relationship. Many Nigerians marry several women (a Muslim tradition) but cheating on your wife here is very normal and expected. This is very disgusting to me, and as much as I oppose the cultural norm, it is just a norm (and we have plenty of those in the US). I am starting to better understand female-male relationships on campus. I would describe it as ‘high school’, but like I said, it’s just another aspect of life that’s different here (but as you can guess I’m not a fan)!
Wow… It’s a lot, but I hope you enjoy…
My friend Luke, who studied at AU last semester, invited Rosa (another exchange student) and I to go with a few of his friends from Friday to Tuesday. We hopped in a classic hatchback and hit the road. It was a crazy ride, but let’s just say that I got to experience Nigeria firsthand. The country is absolutely gorgeous, very unique mountains and picturesque villages along the way. Some people really do live in the bush! The roads were insane, some places would be very smooth and then all of a sudden it’s like there is no road. And the potholes! Yikes… The ride was an adventure in and of itself. Jos was very nice and much cooler than Yola. I didn’t sweat for four days (it was great)! We stayed at the Cinderella Hotel which was perfect for what we needed and had a leisurely time seeing the city and visiting with the families of our friends. It was great to have some down time and to get off campus and out of Yola. The journey back on Tuesday was less eventful but fun because of the Sallah celebrations we got to see in each town we drove through.
Wednesday was Nigeria’s Independence Day! I woke up to the sound of drums outside my dorm and went to check it out. There were students on horses and men playing drums and flute things. It was really crazy and fun. I took some videos and pictures but unfortunately they take forever to upload using our internet. You will have to wait until I’m back in the States to see them. For dinner, the student government threw a cultural event where everyone wears their traditional wear. They played music and called out each state and students from that state would do traditional dances. It was great to see all my friends all dressed up and we had a good time. And of course there were more drums and lots and lots of dancing.
Last night was SHUFFLE Awards, which was a concert featuring Naeto C hosted by an organization here on campus. It was really nice and I even got a picture with Mr. C himself (Yes…Boss). It was bomb! Today a wonderful woman named Grace, who works invite a bunch of students over to her flat for lunch, the food was out of this world (and super spicy!). The meal started with white rice and a spicy beef red sauce. There was pepper soup (very typical) but it’s spicy even for the Nigerians so I’ll still working my way up to trying it (so American I know). Then there was a fish soup and oh yams! The yams here are huge, like the size of my forearm and they just cut them up and boil them (they taste like potato). Then some delicious watermelon. It was an afternoon of good food and good company! So many people here have been so unbelievably welcoming and generous. It has really encouraged me and I’m starting to see how differently American culture treats generosity and self sacrifice.
Over lunch today we had a very interesting conversation regarding marriage. In most ethnicities here in Nigeria there are ‘bride prices’. Essentially a man pays a woman’s family an amount of money set by her family for her hand in marriage. In my mind the problem with this arrangement is that it creates a mentality of ownership instead of a relationship. Many Nigerians marry several women (a Muslim tradition) but cheating on your wife here is very normal and expected. This is very disgusting to me, and as much as I oppose the cultural norm, it is just a norm (and we have plenty of those in the US). I am starting to better understand female-male relationships on campus. I would describe it as ‘high school’, but like I said, it’s just another aspect of life that’s different here (but as you can guess I’m not a fan)!
Wow… It’s a lot, but I hope you enjoy…
18.9.08
My Address
Here it is:
Samantha Boss
C/O David Kosoko
ABTI-American University of Nigeria
PNB 2250
Yola, Adamawa State
Nigeria
We'll see if it actually works!
Samantha Boss
C/O David Kosoko
ABTI-American University of Nigeria
PNB 2250
Yola, Adamawa State
Nigeria
We'll see if it actually works!
How You De?
How Far!
So yesterday was my one month anniversary of being in Nigeria! It's hard to believe that I'm already one fourth done... Things here have been going really well. I've settled into a routine and I'm getting used to the mountains and heat and people.
Last night was one of the best nights I've had so far. It was one of my really good friend's birthday's and so we threw him a great party/get together. On your birthday here in Nigeria people beat you up (I'm not kidding they hit you) and pour water on you! We ordered a cake, which was like heaven considering people here don't really eat sweets at all. And we just hung out and it was just quality time with an amazing group of people!
Classes are still going well. Some of my politics classes have been a bit of a struggle because mostly what we discuss is colonialism and the long term affects on African society, culture and government. It is just difficult for me to relate to the Nigerian students who have grown up in a country where almost all of the problems can be blamed on the imperial past. I find it interesting to hear them talk, there is so much frustration here. There aren't any easy answers, and each problem seems to go in circles. It is so different than the attitude in the States where we feel like every problem in our society and government can eventually be solved by the right policy. Globalization and capitalism are the two big topics here. Coming from the US, I looked at globalization as a relatively good thing and here it's the complete opposite. The students here have seen how globalization has slighted their economy and impacted their ability to compete on an international scale.
Okay, so here's an unexpected trend. Everyone has just about the same taste. The girls all wear a lot of jewelry and dress very western, but sort of flashy western. And the music is driving me insane!!!!! Seriously everyone here listens to only Nigerian and US R&B, I swear if I hear Chris Brown one more time I might start a fight. I just die because in DC listening to anything mainstream is looked down upon and people there like to be quirky and unique where people just try to meet the status quo.
I'm learning about the levels of 'black'. I have a friend here whose nickname is 'Midnight'... I thought it was so funny because to me he looks the same black as everyone else here, but oh no, was I corrected. There's black, dark brown, brown, chocolate, light, and fair. I find it interesting that there are legitimately that many distinctions in skin color and I can't help but feel like it's again another remnant of colonialism. But, hey my label is pretty easy. White. haha. And for those of you wondering if I'm getting tan, I honestly don't know because I have no one to compare myself with.
For now, that's it... I should have my address later today for those who have been asking (and I'll post it here). I hope that you all are doing well!
So yesterday was my one month anniversary of being in Nigeria! It's hard to believe that I'm already one fourth done... Things here have been going really well. I've settled into a routine and I'm getting used to the mountains and heat and people.
Last night was one of the best nights I've had so far. It was one of my really good friend's birthday's and so we threw him a great party/get together. On your birthday here in Nigeria people beat you up (I'm not kidding they hit you) and pour water on you! We ordered a cake, which was like heaven considering people here don't really eat sweets at all. And we just hung out and it was just quality time with an amazing group of people!
Classes are still going well. Some of my politics classes have been a bit of a struggle because mostly what we discuss is colonialism and the long term affects on African society, culture and government. It is just difficult for me to relate to the Nigerian students who have grown up in a country where almost all of the problems can be blamed on the imperial past. I find it interesting to hear them talk, there is so much frustration here. There aren't any easy answers, and each problem seems to go in circles. It is so different than the attitude in the States where we feel like every problem in our society and government can eventually be solved by the right policy. Globalization and capitalism are the two big topics here. Coming from the US, I looked at globalization as a relatively good thing and here it's the complete opposite. The students here have seen how globalization has slighted their economy and impacted their ability to compete on an international scale.
Okay, so here's an unexpected trend. Everyone has just about the same taste. The girls all wear a lot of jewelry and dress very western, but sort of flashy western. And the music is driving me insane!!!!! Seriously everyone here listens to only Nigerian and US R&B, I swear if I hear Chris Brown one more time I might start a fight. I just die because in DC listening to anything mainstream is looked down upon and people there like to be quirky and unique where people just try to meet the status quo.
I'm learning about the levels of 'black'. I have a friend here whose nickname is 'Midnight'... I thought it was so funny because to me he looks the same black as everyone else here, but oh no, was I corrected. There's black, dark brown, brown, chocolate, light, and fair. I find it interesting that there are legitimately that many distinctions in skin color and I can't help but feel like it's again another remnant of colonialism. But, hey my label is pretty easy. White. haha. And for those of you wondering if I'm getting tan, I honestly don't know because I have no one to compare myself with.
For now, that's it... I should have my address later today for those who have been asking (and I'll post it here). I hope that you all are doing well!
11.9.08
How Far (aka ‘Hi’ in Nigerian pidgeon)!
So I am just about to complete my second official week of classes. This experience has been so amazing so far! Every day I feel like I’m learning in and out of the classroom. The classes aren’t that different from what I’m used to at American University, there are normal lectures and seminars. Thankfully I haven’t had a difficult time understanding any of my professors (I have two Nigerians, one Indian, one Kenyan and a Canadian). They are all males surprisingly! Sometimes I struggle to understand other students because of their accents and their inflections, but I’m getting better. ). I’m taking
1.) African Politics
2.) Advance Topics in International Relations
3.) African Literature
4.) Comparative Religions: Islam and Christianity
5.) Introductions to Film Studies
The hardest part for me so far has been the social life. There’s not a lot to do in Yola and you need a car to be able to get around in the evenings so a lot of students get into trouble out of boredom. There aren’t really drug or drinking laws here, so students occupy their time in some very destructive ways. It’s discouraging to see because it’s much more prevalent here than back at AU. There are some things going on on campus, just not a whole lot.
Students here have really embraced me, and unfortunately it’s difficult to return the love when I can’t remember half of their names. But I’m working on it. Two girls, Joy and Asabe, have taken me under their wing and I love spending time with them laughing and just hanging out talking. We’re all just college students, you know? So we’re not that different. But then sometimes I realize that we are quite different.
Last weekend I ventured to the market in nearby town, Jimeta. The university provides a bus on Fridays at 3 pm which is really nice. So I went with Joy and we walked around. She bought sheets for her bed and we got hair clips. It was insane, cars, motorcycles, kids staring at me as they sucked on sugar cane, meat covered in flies, colorful fabrics, and soooo many people! It was major sensory overload, and I loved it! All of the students here HATE the market, they die laughing when I tell them how much I liked it. Just goes to show how immune we get when we’re used to something. I went back on Saturday with another friend and bought flipflops, a new purse, milk, bananas, cereal, and fabric for a dress that is being made for me at the tailor (they use push petal sewing machines!). It was a fun morning, but it was so exhausting bargaining and being out in the hot sun.
The food here has been alright. Every meal is potatoes or rice with chicken or beef and cabbage or some veggie. Then there’s fruit, oranges (which are greenish yellow here, but still taste like oranges)or watermelon (which is really seedy). There’s a snack bar that has donuts which are to die for, I don’t know if you’ll believe me but they’re better than Krispy Kremes (but it could be I haven’t tasted anything sweet in like three weeks so my taste buds are a little dull). I also had ice cream on the way back from the market at a legit restaurant called “Tasty Menu”, it was not normal but it was delicious!
All in all things are going well, obviously there are good and bad days and I’m still adjusting, but I honestly do love it here! The internet has been a trial, considering it doesn’t really work! But thankfully we only lose electricity about twice a day for like five minutes (we’re on a generator), so that’s good. I’ll leave you with a funny story:
So I’m on the bus heading to town on Friday. I greet the student next to me and then like ten minutes later she looks at me and then looks at my arm and asks me what’s wrong with me. I look down and she’s pointing at the beauty marks on my arm! I laugh and tell her it’s normal… in my mind I’m thinking wow I’m such a freak here! Haha
1.) African Politics
2.) Advance Topics in International Relations
3.) African Literature
4.) Comparative Religions: Islam and Christianity
5.) Introductions to Film Studies
The hardest part for me so far has been the social life. There’s not a lot to do in Yola and you need a car to be able to get around in the evenings so a lot of students get into trouble out of boredom. There aren’t really drug or drinking laws here, so students occupy their time in some very destructive ways. It’s discouraging to see because it’s much more prevalent here than back at AU. There are some things going on on campus, just not a whole lot.
Students here have really embraced me, and unfortunately it’s difficult to return the love when I can’t remember half of their names. But I’m working on it. Two girls, Joy and Asabe, have taken me under their wing and I love spending time with them laughing and just hanging out talking. We’re all just college students, you know? So we’re not that different. But then sometimes I realize that we are quite different.
Last weekend I ventured to the market in nearby town, Jimeta. The university provides a bus on Fridays at 3 pm which is really nice. So I went with Joy and we walked around. She bought sheets for her bed and we got hair clips. It was insane, cars, motorcycles, kids staring at me as they sucked on sugar cane, meat covered in flies, colorful fabrics, and soooo many people! It was major sensory overload, and I loved it! All of the students here HATE the market, they die laughing when I tell them how much I liked it. Just goes to show how immune we get when we’re used to something. I went back on Saturday with another friend and bought flipflops, a new purse, milk, bananas, cereal, and fabric for a dress that is being made for me at the tailor (they use push petal sewing machines!). It was a fun morning, but it was so exhausting bargaining and being out in the hot sun.
The food here has been alright. Every meal is potatoes or rice with chicken or beef and cabbage or some veggie. Then there’s fruit, oranges (which are greenish yellow here, but still taste like oranges)or watermelon (which is really seedy). There’s a snack bar that has donuts which are to die for, I don’t know if you’ll believe me but they’re better than Krispy Kremes (but it could be I haven’t tasted anything sweet in like three weeks so my taste buds are a little dull). I also had ice cream on the way back from the market at a legit restaurant called “Tasty Menu”, it was not normal but it was delicious!
All in all things are going well, obviously there are good and bad days and I’m still adjusting, but I honestly do love it here! The internet has been a trial, considering it doesn’t really work! But thankfully we only lose electricity about twice a day for like five minutes (we’re on a generator), so that’s good. I’ll leave you with a funny story:
So I’m on the bus heading to town on Friday. I greet the student next to me and then like ten minutes later she looks at me and then looks at my arm and asks me what’s wrong with me. I look down and she’s pointing at the beauty marks on my arm! I laugh and tell her it’s normal… in my mind I’m thinking wow I’m such a freak here! Haha
28.8.08
Final Destination: Yola
So I finally made it to Yola (a small city on the east side of Nigeria near Cameroon)! I got off the plane and what do I see? A man carry six dead chickens in his hands... Welcome to Yola! It's a very rural setting, but friendly people and beautiful landskape. The roads/paths aren't too bad and the dirt is vibrant red. The university is very nice. All of the buildings are brand new, each is open air with courtyards inside. I live on North Campus which is about a ten minute walk but the main campus area. My room is sufficient... Everyone I've met here is really nice but I'm struggling with names (they're definintely not American names) and because I meet so many people everyday. It's going to take time to get adjusted, but already I'm starting to feel comfortable.
Some more things I've learned:
-Everyone here holds hands, girls with girls and sometimes guys with guys, more to come
girls don't shake guys right hands
-patience is a way of life
-everyone says "are you serious?" after every story in the amazing nigerian accent
-football is played on dirt
-shuttle buses stop for everyone unlike in dc where you will be running and the driver will see you but he'll still drive away
-everything comes with rice or potatos
Some more things I've learned:
-Everyone here holds hands, girls with girls and sometimes guys with guys, more to come
girls don't shake guys right hands
-patience is a way of life
-everyone says "are you serious?" after every story in the amazing nigerian accent
-football is played on dirt
-shuttle buses stop for everyone unlike in dc where you will be running and the driver will see you but he'll still drive away
-everything comes with rice or potatos
24.8.08
Abuja
I have finally arrived in Abuja, Nigeria and it has been an unbelievable few days in the city. Originally our group of four was supposed to head out to Yola on Thursday, but our flight was delayed until Sunday which was cancelled, so we don't know when we will be able to leave, but soon I'm sure. This delay, while unexpected, has been unexpectedly wonderful. Humans are beautiful beings, and we each have the ability to share in that innate beauty. I have met some incredible Nigerians here through friends of friends of friends, and they have taken such good care of us. It just proves to me that everything is going to better than okay here in Nigeria.
When I first grasped that I was really here, all I wanted was to go home. But once I got to see the city and how new every street, every face, every opinion is, I felt more at home. I came to Nigeria with some definite ideas about how life here would be. Most of them were incorrect, but some of them held true. While all of the infrastructure has been better than what I expected, there are frequent power outages enough so that at night the new street lights were unlit and new buildings are built using wooden scaling shells. There are a lot of poor people which I was expecting (80% of the country). But really it isn't the 'Africa' that comes to mind, even though we know better. Now, I am in the capital city, and I've only been here for a few days so I don't pretend to be an expert however here are some random things I've noticed:
-lizards
-Nigerians are statistically the happiest people on the planet
-driving laws are nonexistent
-Nigerian accents can be difficult to understand, but sound like calming music
-rice and meat is a solid meal
-there are no american chains of any sort here
-any car can be a taxi
-wuse market is better than beachwood mall!
-native wear is not looked down upon
-tribal, regional and religious identity is important
-the pop comes in glass bottles
-soccer is important, properly so!
When I first grasped that I was really here, all I wanted was to go home. But once I got to see the city and how new every street, every face, every opinion is, I felt more at home. I came to Nigeria with some definite ideas about how life here would be. Most of them were incorrect, but some of them held true. While all of the infrastructure has been better than what I expected, there are frequent power outages enough so that at night the new street lights were unlit and new buildings are built using wooden scaling shells. There are a lot of poor people which I was expecting (80% of the country). But really it isn't the 'Africa' that comes to mind, even though we know better. Now, I am in the capital city, and I've only been here for a few days so I don't pretend to be an expert however here are some random things I've noticed:
-lizards
-Nigerians are statistically the happiest people on the planet
-driving laws are nonexistent
-Nigerian accents can be difficult to understand, but sound like calming music
-rice and meat is a solid meal
-there are no american chains of any sort here
-any car can be a taxi
-wuse market is better than beachwood mall!
-native wear is not looked down upon
-tribal, regional and religious identity is important
-the pop comes in glass bottles
-soccer is important, properly so!
20.8.08
the big departure
so... I'm getting on a plane today (well I guess three) and I'm flying to Nigeria. how crazy is that????
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