I’m very excited to be saying hello to the 7th Grade Gold Team from Taft Middle School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa! I’m “Aunty Carolyn” to my students here in Nigeria (they address all their teachers either using “Aunty” or “Uncle” and their first name) and I’m from Iowa, but I’m here in Jalingo teaching science for a year. My JS3 (like 9th grade) Integrated Science students at JSS are looking forward to getting to know things about your school, Iowa and the United States.
These students live in Jalingo which is the capital of Taraba State in Nigeria. Since Jalingo is located near the equator, it’s pretty hot here most of the time. The weather now is changing from rainy season to dry season with Harmattan to be coming during November and December, which is their “winter”. This time will be cool at night and very hot, dry, windy and dusty during the day.
In science, they just got done learning about Living Things in their Environment including the five sense systems and they are now learning about chemistry, which is my personal favorite! They just learned a little chant about the 3 parts of the atom and are now practically chemistry experts! The students also take classes about Hausa, which is their native language, math, English, home economics, social studies, physical education (they love it here, too!) and art. Since they live here at school, they eat all of their meals here, play games, do chores, sing songs, and study all here on campus. They love to play football (soccer), volleyball and Badminton during games time and hang out with their friends. They don’t have any internet access at school, so communication will have to go through me, but you can email me cartercarolyn@hotmail.com if you would like to send the students in JS3 a message.
Thank you so much for your efforts to help us out with some supplies! We really appreciate it and are excited to get to know you! Please let me know if you have any specific questions you would like the students to answer.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
"I don't understand!"
Back in Boerne, when I heard “I don’t understand” it was a phrase that stirred mild disappointment that my explanation wasn’t yet adequate. Here in Jalingo, “I don’t understand” evokes feelings of excitement, hope and potential. While this may be counter-intuitive, it’s nonetheless true. One of my greatest sources of frustration with my classes has been that they would simply sit silently staring at me after I explained something and denied having any questions. However, they would then perform abysmally, by my standards, and I would be left feeling confused. They said they didn’t have any questions! I questioned my colleagues about this phenomenon thinking that it may be something to do with my accent or that they were scared of me. They assured me the same thing happens in their classes.
Hmmm…I decided that this must change! I began starting each class with the little mantra stating that “Asking questions indicates intelligence, not ignorance.” I then started providing ridiculous amounts of positive reinforcement for asking any question whatsoever. I felt like I did this to an extent in the U.S., but I took it to a whole new level here! I told them over and over again how important it was to ask questions and by golly, now in the 8th week of school they’re starting to do it!
The primary mode of teaching here is teacher lecture and so many of the students are used to sitting in their desks passively absorbing information. It is so exciting for me to see how their eyes have changed from glossy and disengaged to focused and confused! Granted, I ultimately want them to be engaged and glowing with understanding, but everything is a gradual process. Today, I was thrilled to explain how to draw the Bohr-model of a silicon-27 atom about 6 times in as many different ways as one can say the number of protons always equals the number of electrons in an atom! The next step is to help them to more accurately describe their lack of understanding, but for today hearing “I don’t understand” and “no capishe” (thank you Full House!) multiple times from a variety of students was a victory!
Hmmm…I decided that this must change! I began starting each class with the little mantra stating that “Asking questions indicates intelligence, not ignorance.” I then started providing ridiculous amounts of positive reinforcement for asking any question whatsoever. I felt like I did this to an extent in the U.S., but I took it to a whole new level here! I told them over and over again how important it was to ask questions and by golly, now in the 8th week of school they’re starting to do it!
The primary mode of teaching here is teacher lecture and so many of the students are used to sitting in their desks passively absorbing information. It is so exciting for me to see how their eyes have changed from glossy and disengaged to focused and confused! Granted, I ultimately want them to be engaged and glowing with understanding, but everything is a gradual process. Today, I was thrilled to explain how to draw the Bohr-model of a silicon-27 atom about 6 times in as many different ways as one can say the number of protons always equals the number of electrons in an atom! The next step is to help them to more accurately describe their lack of understanding, but for today hearing “I don’t understand” and “no capishe” (thank you Full House!) multiple times from a variety of students was a victory!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Importance of Education
Clearly, I believe in the importance of education. I grew up in a household where both of my parents are teachers. I became a chemistry teacher and have moved to Nigeria to teach science in hopes of creating positive change in a community. I believe that all change starts with education. Three Cups of Tea (www.threecupsoftea.com) is a book depicting the actions of one man who chose to further the cause of education for the children, particularly the girls, of Pakistan and Afghanistan by building schools in the remote areas that had previously been too isolated. Greg Mortensen believes that peace will only be achieved when communities have economic stability and that will only take place after the people of the region have received a complete and balanced education.
From my experiences here in Nigeria, I can attest to the fact that there is a significant difference between the numbers of men being educated vs the number of women being educated. I feel very blessed to have grown up in the United States with the benefit of receiving a strong education in science nonetheless. Many people here, girls specifically, haven’t had the same opportunities especially in some of the Muslim communities in the northern part of the country.
This book did an amazing job of illustrating how people of differing faiths can work together to achieve the common goal of education which will effectually be the only way that peace and progress can be achieved. If you have not read it, I highly recommend it. You will not be disappointed!
From my experiences here in Nigeria, I can attest to the fact that there is a significant difference between the numbers of men being educated vs the number of women being educated. I feel very blessed to have grown up in the United States with the benefit of receiving a strong education in science nonetheless. Many people here, girls specifically, haven’t had the same opportunities especially in some of the Muslim communities in the northern part of the country.
This book did an amazing job of illustrating how people of differing faiths can work together to achieve the common goal of education which will effectually be the only way that peace and progress can be achieved. If you have not read it, I highly recommend it. You will not be disappointed!
Living Sacrificially = Sharing Grandma’s Cookies
Romans 12:1 says that we are to “offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is our spiritual act of worship”. This was part of the introduction to my devotional book for the month of September. I had read this verse many times, but I was taken by the commentary that accompanied it stating that we are called to be a living sacrifice makes this decree much more difficult to heed. If we were called to be a dead sacrifice, we could make a one-time decision to sacrifice our lives and it would be done! Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, we are called to be a LIVING sacrifice! That means, as we are squirming on the altar, we have to make repeated decisions whether we want to stay on the altar by living and loving sacrificially or jump off.
I read this nearly two months ago and have thought back to it many times during my stay here. Living and loving sacrificially is as much about the little daily decisions as it is about the big ones. While leaving the US to go to Nigeria doesn’t initially seem to be on the same level as giving away some of Grandma’s chocolate chip cookies, I’m pretty sure the latter felt more sacrificial! The point is that each of us has innumerable times each day when we can choose to live and love sacrificially in worship to God or we can choose live according to selfish motives. (These can produce much more personally favorable results ephemerally, which is likely why, evolutionarily speaking, we would be inclined to yield to them….the science part of me can’t just be turned off!) However, in the end, choosing to live and love sacrificially not only pleases God eternally, but it also serves to edify those around us in the present!
I write this not because I have everything figured out, because I don’t, but because living sacrificially on a moment to moment basis is something that has presented itself to me many times throughout my stay here starting with the devotional and coming up in a variety of church services and Bible Studies. It must be important…God knows to be persistent with me!
I read this nearly two months ago and have thought back to it many times during my stay here. Living and loving sacrificially is as much about the little daily decisions as it is about the big ones. While leaving the US to go to Nigeria doesn’t initially seem to be on the same level as giving away some of Grandma’s chocolate chip cookies, I’m pretty sure the latter felt more sacrificial! The point is that each of us has innumerable times each day when we can choose to live and love sacrificially in worship to God or we can choose live according to selfish motives. (These can produce much more personally favorable results ephemerally, which is likely why, evolutionarily speaking, we would be inclined to yield to them….the science part of me can’t just be turned off!) However, in the end, choosing to live and love sacrificially not only pleases God eternally, but it also serves to edify those around us in the present!
I write this not because I have everything figured out, because I don’t, but because living sacrificially on a moment to moment basis is something that has presented itself to me many times throughout my stay here starting with the devotional and coming up in a variety of church services and Bible Studies. It must be important…God knows to be persistent with me!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Flame Test Lab Fizzles Out
Today I was so excited that I had remembered to bring my old Coke cans from home to use as flame-resistant receptacles for the flame test lab. Then, I used my hand pocket knife (that I’m pretty sure I couldn’t live without) to cut in half so I could use them as bowls that wouldn’t crack or melt. I then realized that I didn’t have any matches, so I went to the little hut outside the school grounds (I’m going to have to take a picture of this place because it seriously looks like it has nothing, but it’s come through for me multiple times now!) and purchased 6 packages for 30 cents. Then, I found some chemicals that would work to give some pretty flame colors and found the big bottle of ethanol. I thought for sure that I’d conquered all the challenges and was ready for the lab to be successful because I’d done this same lab nearly 10 times! Never underestimate the challenges in doing lab in Nigeria! J
I described the procedure, since I now balk at the idea of a lab handout, for making a 50% water 50% ethanol solution in the bottom of the can and adding their salt. They were then instructed to light the solution on fire and record the flame color. The kids did all of this and went to light it on fire (I was cringing and dying on the inside that they were going to be doing this without goggles on.) but it didn’t light. Now, I was certain that I’d used a 50/50 mixture last year when I demonstrated this method in AP Chemistry because we needed the water to help dissolve the salt, but I thought that maybe the water was causing the problem, so I had them start over and use all ethanol and their salt. Ethanol, the chemical that has “Highly Flammable” warnings on its label, extinguished the match as if it were being placed into water. Ethanol, the volatile chemical that is used as a fuel additive because of its combustion properties, didn’t even spark once in the consumption of nearly 3 entire boxes of matches. We probably could have stopped trying before consuming so many matches, but I was so incredulous that ethanol wasn’t producing a flame that I allowed attempts to continue past the prudent stopping point.
Grrrr…I was frustrated and dejected. I went to complain to Dajah and verify with another chemist that ethanol is in fact flammable, and this was crazy! After he chucked at my distress and disbelief and assured me that ethanol is combustible in air and told me (Iowa girl) that it’s used as a fuel additive, he told me that it must not be ethanol that I was using. I emphatically told him that I checked the bottle multiple times and it was ethanol! He then explained to me that there are many corrupt business people who simply put clear liquids in bottles and place fraudulent labels on them in order to sell them for money. Oh my goodness! He said that in the 3 years that he’d been the chemistry teacher he’d never used the ethanol to know that it was bad. After evaluating the lid that didn’t actually form any semblance of a seal, I became further convinced that it wasn’t ethanol since it had been around for 3 years and hadn’t completely evaporated in an essentially open container.
So, we started to discuss alternatives for the practicals on Friday. I asked him if one could buy vodka here (as it is an excellent source of ethanol). He had never heard of vodka and his pronunciation made me giggle. It was quite the turn of events to have me trying to explain a type of alcohol to someone! We left school with him promising to buy some gin and me in search of rubbing alcohol at a pharmacy (drug store). I definitely checked in no less than 8 different stores looking for rubbing alcohol using as many names and descriptors as possible to no avail. I think maybe 3 of them really knew what rubbing alcohol was but I visually search all 8 of these small 8’x 8’ stores and there was no alcohol to be found, but this one woman did show me this juice that may have been alcoholic, but it was imported from France and I know even less French than I do Hausa, so I gave up uncertain of what it was but certain that it wasn’t rubbing alcohol. I hoped that Daja would do better with the gin!
Unfortunately, the store was closed, so no gin. After more thought, I decided that we could maybe dip sticks (that they created by pounding branches with rocks) into kerosene, coat them with the salts and then light them on fire. So, with 1 film canister of kerosene we were able to get fire! Alas, the chemicals that I thought would be good really all produced orange flames except for the copper sulfate which was my redeeming blue flame. They were definitely not convinced that this lab is the “best lab ever!” but can’t fault me for lack of effort!
I described the procedure, since I now balk at the idea of a lab handout, for making a 50% water 50% ethanol solution in the bottom of the can and adding their salt. They were then instructed to light the solution on fire and record the flame color. The kids did all of this and went to light it on fire (I was cringing and dying on the inside that they were going to be doing this without goggles on.) but it didn’t light. Now, I was certain that I’d used a 50/50 mixture last year when I demonstrated this method in AP Chemistry because we needed the water to help dissolve the salt, but I thought that maybe the water was causing the problem, so I had them start over and use all ethanol and their salt. Ethanol, the chemical that has “Highly Flammable” warnings on its label, extinguished the match as if it were being placed into water. Ethanol, the volatile chemical that is used as a fuel additive because of its combustion properties, didn’t even spark once in the consumption of nearly 3 entire boxes of matches. We probably could have stopped trying before consuming so many matches, but I was so incredulous that ethanol wasn’t producing a flame that I allowed attempts to continue past the prudent stopping point.
Grrrr…I was frustrated and dejected. I went to complain to Dajah and verify with another chemist that ethanol is in fact flammable, and this was crazy! After he chucked at my distress and disbelief and assured me that ethanol is combustible in air and told me (Iowa girl) that it’s used as a fuel additive, he told me that it must not be ethanol that I was using. I emphatically told him that I checked the bottle multiple times and it was ethanol! He then explained to me that there are many corrupt business people who simply put clear liquids in bottles and place fraudulent labels on them in order to sell them for money. Oh my goodness! He said that in the 3 years that he’d been the chemistry teacher he’d never used the ethanol to know that it was bad. After evaluating the lid that didn’t actually form any semblance of a seal, I became further convinced that it wasn’t ethanol since it had been around for 3 years and hadn’t completely evaporated in an essentially open container.
So, we started to discuss alternatives for the practicals on Friday. I asked him if one could buy vodka here (as it is an excellent source of ethanol). He had never heard of vodka and his pronunciation made me giggle. It was quite the turn of events to have me trying to explain a type of alcohol to someone! We left school with him promising to buy some gin and me in search of rubbing alcohol at a pharmacy (drug store). I definitely checked in no less than 8 different stores looking for rubbing alcohol using as many names and descriptors as possible to no avail. I think maybe 3 of them really knew what rubbing alcohol was but I visually search all 8 of these small 8’x 8’ stores and there was no alcohol to be found, but this one woman did show me this juice that may have been alcoholic, but it was imported from France and I know even less French than I do Hausa, so I gave up uncertain of what it was but certain that it wasn’t rubbing alcohol. I hoped that Daja would do better with the gin!
Unfortunately, the store was closed, so no gin. After more thought, I decided that we could maybe dip sticks (that they created by pounding branches with rocks) into kerosene, coat them with the salts and then light them on fire. So, with 1 film canister of kerosene we were able to get fire! Alas, the chemicals that I thought would be good really all produced orange flames except for the copper sulfate which was my redeeming blue flame. They were definitely not convinced that this lab is the “best lab ever!” but can’t fault me for lack of effort!
I love "restaurants"!
I was excited that I didn’t have to cook on Thursday because I had leftovers from the night before. Now, I had used too much groundnut paswte to prepare this sour leaf soup, so it wasn’t good, but it was edible. I thought that I would “spice it up a bit” by adding some tuna! Now, I had forgotten from last week when I ate a can of tuna that these cans require can openers. I don’t have a can opener, so I had to use my multi-function tool to hack-saw into the can. We can be thankful that I still have all my fingers! I really need to invest in a can opener! Now the dinner that was edible the previous night, after sitting for a day was even worse (even with the tuna!) I ate enough to provide me adequate nourishment (don’t worry Mom!) but it was pretty gross. Thankfully, since my one portable light broke a few days ago, I couldn’t see how awful it looked in the pan before I ate it. When NEPA, which was finally fixed this week, came on as an unexpected surprise around 9, I went back to my kitchen with light for the first time in about a month. I was disgusted by the greasy concoction remaining in the pan. It looked horrible!! I quickly disposed of the remains and said a prayer of thanks that I had eaten it before seeing it!
As a result of this recent cooking disaster, I decided to call my friend Laura and ask her to come over on Saturday to help me cook tuwo masara and some soup. She listed off some ingredients to buy and said she’d be over. In the meantime, I was a little reluctant to try again without some guidance, but a girl has to eat so I decided to go to the little “restaurant” right outside my compound where the women who helped me shell my moi moi beans prepare all the food. When I first came to Nigeria, I had been warned about the dangers of eating “street food”, which is why it has taken me 5 weeks here “alone” and multiple botched dinners before I decided to try it. I rationalized it with the fact that I’ve eaten food prepared at JSS, which can’t be anymore sanitary than this restaurant, had my food partially prepared by these cooks with their utensils, and have had my food ground at the community grinder which is anything but clean, and I have thankfully stayed healthy. I figured I would give it a shot.
Oh my goodness! It was delightful! Many people laughed at me for going and I still need to consult Laura as to whether it’s because I’m a bature eating Nigerian food (which they all find intriguing) or whether it’s because I’m a woman who is eating prepared food (which is practically unheard of), but I don’t care! The food was delicious! The women were so excited to have me there. There were two other men at the table with me that provided excellent conversation and one of them who left before I was through even paid for my dinner (which I was oblivious to probably because the transaction took place in Hausa)! I asked how much the meal costs for future reference and they told me 100N…yeah…that the equivalent of like $.85! Now, I know I need to learn how to cook, and I will continue to press on but this is an exciting development in my culinary world!
As a result of this recent cooking disaster, I decided to call my friend Laura and ask her to come over on Saturday to help me cook tuwo masara and some soup. She listed off some ingredients to buy and said she’d be over. In the meantime, I was a little reluctant to try again without some guidance, but a girl has to eat so I decided to go to the little “restaurant” right outside my compound where the women who helped me shell my moi moi beans prepare all the food. When I first came to Nigeria, I had been warned about the dangers of eating “street food”, which is why it has taken me 5 weeks here “alone” and multiple botched dinners before I decided to try it. I rationalized it with the fact that I’ve eaten food prepared at JSS, which can’t be anymore sanitary than this restaurant, had my food partially prepared by these cooks with their utensils, and have had my food ground at the community grinder which is anything but clean, and I have thankfully stayed healthy. I figured I would give it a shot.
Oh my goodness! It was delightful! Many people laughed at me for going and I still need to consult Laura as to whether it’s because I’m a bature eating Nigerian food (which they all find intriguing) or whether it’s because I’m a woman who is eating prepared food (which is practically unheard of), but I don’t care! The food was delicious! The women were so excited to have me there. There were two other men at the table with me that provided excellent conversation and one of them who left before I was through even paid for my dinner (which I was oblivious to probably because the transaction took place in Hausa)! I asked how much the meal costs for future reference and they told me 100N…yeah…that the equivalent of like $.85! Now, I know I need to learn how to cook, and I will continue to press on but this is an exciting development in my culinary world!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Cultural Differences
There are many social rules and many of them aren’t given any thought…when you’re in your own culture! However, it requires a lot of thought, attention and effort when you’re in a new culture. I vividly remember in high school telling a foreign exchange student from Germany that it wasn’t socially acceptable to wear the same clothes two days in a row here in the US. She thought this was so strange and said that people do it all the time in Germany. I remember saying, that’s fine, but you’re in the US and people will think you’re weird if you do that here. That conversation has flashed through my mind so many times in the two months since I’ve been here in Nigeria.
A few social norms that I’ve had to adapt to:
1) When wrapping your wrapper (pronounced “wrappa”) the open side MUST be on the left…I asked why? I like it better on the right…they laughed hysterically and said if I was a woman, I MUST have the open side on the left…okay.
2) When entering a church for any reason a woman must have her head covered and wear a skirt…I asked why? I was told, “Haven’t you ever read that verse in the Bible?”…yeah…I’m trying to build up my scarf collection and still don’t really enjoy that…I wore capris the other day because I had worn them to school (where a student gave me a note with Deuteronomy 22:5 in it…check it out!)…and I survived.
3) You shouldn’t wear a shirt that isn’t the same pattern as your wrapper when you go to church. It’s considered too casual.
4) You don’t invite people over…they stop by to visit and you’re expected to go visit people “greet them” in return. I feel that I’m at a disadvantage considering I know where very few people live and everyone knows where I live!
5) There are no neutral places to meet people at. It is always at someone’s home.
6) Nigerians ALL (and I know that I am using ALL because it applies) comment on people’s weight/size. I have been told by innumerable people that I’m getting fatter or that I was fat in previous pictures. (I’m fully convinced this is because when I first started teaching at JSS I was gaunt. I am now “normal”) I have not gotten used to this. People often ask me to then assess other people’s weight. I have explained many times that I just can’t do this…it’s too weird.
7) When someone invites you to do something, they have to pay. Even in a group of friends. I don’t think this is fair because I still feel like I’m at the mercy of going where people invite me to go because I don’t know enough to initiate but I feel guilty that it means I never pay!
8) You’re not supposed to do laundry on Sunday, but it is acceptable to have a conversation with guys while doing laundry…underwear! They didn’t seem to think it was strange at all.
9) When you’re walking along and see someone you know, you’re supposed to stop and have a full conversation with them. Saying hello and walking past isn’t acceptable. This is fine except when everyone feels like they know you!
10) When riding a motorcycle (which I try to do as infrequently as possible), you don’t hold onto the driver…even though it seems as though it would be the most stable thing to do. I, instead, grip onto the rack behind me and say a prayer.
This is really just the beginning. There are so many “rules” and each one learned has involved a situation or multiple in which I have felt quite awkward! It takes extra energy and effort to simply not make a fool of myself or at least minimize the frequency! However, I feel that I will be much more mindful and seek out people to help once back in the United States as I have been grateful for many kind and patient teachers here.
I uploaded some new pictures...some are a part of old albums and some are in a new one...here are the links:
Mountain Climbing!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=37892&l=661e1&id=501312909
Cooking and Home Repairs
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=35042&l=d4f33&id=501312909
Colorful Columns Density Lab
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=35471&l=4f4c3&id=501312909
A few social norms that I’ve had to adapt to:
1) When wrapping your wrapper (pronounced “wrappa”) the open side MUST be on the left…I asked why? I like it better on the right…they laughed hysterically and said if I was a woman, I MUST have the open side on the left…okay.
2) When entering a church for any reason a woman must have her head covered and wear a skirt…I asked why? I was told, “Haven’t you ever read that verse in the Bible?”…yeah…I’m trying to build up my scarf collection and still don’t really enjoy that…I wore capris the other day because I had worn them to school (where a student gave me a note with Deuteronomy 22:5 in it…check it out!)…and I survived.
3) You shouldn’t wear a shirt that isn’t the same pattern as your wrapper when you go to church. It’s considered too casual.
4) You don’t invite people over…they stop by to visit and you’re expected to go visit people “greet them” in return. I feel that I’m at a disadvantage considering I know where very few people live and everyone knows where I live!
5) There are no neutral places to meet people at. It is always at someone’s home.
6) Nigerians ALL (and I know that I am using ALL because it applies) comment on people’s weight/size. I have been told by innumerable people that I’m getting fatter or that I was fat in previous pictures. (I’m fully convinced this is because when I first started teaching at JSS I was gaunt. I am now “normal”) I have not gotten used to this. People often ask me to then assess other people’s weight. I have explained many times that I just can’t do this…it’s too weird.
7) When someone invites you to do something, they have to pay. Even in a group of friends. I don’t think this is fair because I still feel like I’m at the mercy of going where people invite me to go because I don’t know enough to initiate but I feel guilty that it means I never pay!
8) You’re not supposed to do laundry on Sunday, but it is acceptable to have a conversation with guys while doing laundry…underwear! They didn’t seem to think it was strange at all.
9) When you’re walking along and see someone you know, you’re supposed to stop and have a full conversation with them. Saying hello and walking past isn’t acceptable. This is fine except when everyone feels like they know you!
10) When riding a motorcycle (which I try to do as infrequently as possible), you don’t hold onto the driver…even though it seems as though it would be the most stable thing to do. I, instead, grip onto the rack behind me and say a prayer.
This is really just the beginning. There are so many “rules” and each one learned has involved a situation or multiple in which I have felt quite awkward! It takes extra energy and effort to simply not make a fool of myself or at least minimize the frequency! However, I feel that I will be much more mindful and seek out people to help once back in the United States as I have been grateful for many kind and patient teachers here.
I uploaded some new pictures...some are a part of old albums and some are in a new one...here are the links:
Mountain Climbing!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=37892&l=661e1&id=501312909
Cooking and Home Repairs
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=35042&l=d4f33&id=501312909
Colorful Columns Density Lab
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=35471&l=4f4c3&id=501312909
Saturday, October 11, 2008
I GOT MAIL!!!
After mailing my ballot, I introduced myself and told them that I was hoping to be receiving some packages. They said I could leave my phone number and they’d contact me if they saw anything…5 minutes after I left they called me saying I should return as they’d found some packages!!!!
AHHH!!! YAY!!! I received my first letters from Mom and my friend Laura in Botswana which was so exciting and encouraging…and now I received an excellent package from my parents (so hopefully my printer will be able to be used now!), chocolate chip cookies (all in one piece and miraculously fresh) from my Grandma and a super-fun care package from Laura and Meredith!!!! The post office people were so happy that I was so excited!! I told them that the Jalingo Post Office is the BEST EVER! When I told them that I had been concerned that packages wouldn’t arrive and that stuff might be stolen, they said, “We have a very good and efficient mail system!” I said I would now boast as much! They promised to call me as soon as anything else arrives for me…I’m confident now that any package that gets even close to Jalingo will make it to me! :) They are fabulous!!!
I'm making a list of requests now that I know they just might make it! :)
AHHH!!! YAY!!! I received my first letters from Mom and my friend Laura in Botswana which was so exciting and encouraging…and now I received an excellent package from my parents (so hopefully my printer will be able to be used now!), chocolate chip cookies (all in one piece and miraculously fresh) from my Grandma and a super-fun care package from Laura and Meredith!!!! The post office people were so happy that I was so excited!! I told them that the Jalingo Post Office is the BEST EVER! When I told them that I had been concerned that packages wouldn’t arrive and that stuff might be stolen, they said, “We have a very good and efficient mail system!” I said I would now boast as much! They promised to call me as soon as anything else arrives for me…I’m confident now that any package that gets even close to Jalingo will make it to me! :) They are fabulous!!!
I'm making a list of requests now that I know they just might make it! :)
Voting in America!
Democracy is a beautiful thing. Free and open elections are a blessing. I have been a strong advocate for participating in elections big and small ever since getting interested in politics during my government class in high school, but I think voting in this election has been the most challenging and rewarding voting experience yet! It started by having to switch my residency from Texas to Iowa only to move to Nigeria. I had to convince the Muscatine County Auditor that I couldn’t receive mail (which I didn’t think I could at the time!) and she needed to email me my ballot.
When I thankfully received it via email, I saved it to my flash drive only to find out the file had been corrupted, so I had to do it again. When I found a USB cord to hook up my printer to my computer, it didn’t work. So, I went across the road to print it at a “computer service center” since my internet café was not working for a few days. Unfortunately, after he started up his generator, booted his computer we realized that he didn’t have Adobe Acrobat Reader so I couldn’t open all the documents. I tried to explain to him the beauty of pdf files and promised him I would try to copy the program onto my jump drive (which he’d never seen before…at a “computer service center”…I was a little confused by this, but I guess that people normally just type what they want there and then print it…so much for the idea of saving!) and bring it to him so he could have it on his computer. He was interested in this and therefore changed the price to print from the completely outrageous “white person price” of about $1.50 per page to a more reasonable $.50 per page. Later, I printed the remaining 6 pages at my internet café for a “special person price” of about $.15 per page!
Since I was ridiculously excited about having my ballot, I showed it to many people…at the internet café…around my compound…at school…really anyone I came in contact with! They were all intrigued that I was able to vote in an American election even though I was residing in Nigeria. Then, they were all amazed to see the names John McCain and Barak Obama that they’d all heard about on the news on my ballot!! I then was able to get into some interesting discussions with people at school about how elections in Nigeria are completely rigged and so people become disenfranchised and don’t want to participate in the process. I encouraged them to come up with a way to change this problem…but that’s a topic for another day…
After asking around, I discovered the location of the post office and was able to take a taxi (which I’m now quite adept at hailing myself!) there. I was delighted to discover no line and some extremely welcoming employees eager to assist me! I was able to purchase envelopes there and they even provided me with glue to affix the necessary documents the outside. I put it in the “International” slot and said a prayer that it would make it to the USA and that my vote would be counted!!! (Make sure you all vote!!!)
When I thankfully received it via email, I saved it to my flash drive only to find out the file had been corrupted, so I had to do it again. When I found a USB cord to hook up my printer to my computer, it didn’t work. So, I went across the road to print it at a “computer service center” since my internet café was not working for a few days. Unfortunately, after he started up his generator, booted his computer we realized that he didn’t have Adobe Acrobat Reader so I couldn’t open all the documents. I tried to explain to him the beauty of pdf files and promised him I would try to copy the program onto my jump drive (which he’d never seen before…at a “computer service center”…I was a little confused by this, but I guess that people normally just type what they want there and then print it…so much for the idea of saving!) and bring it to him so he could have it on his computer. He was interested in this and therefore changed the price to print from the completely outrageous “white person price” of about $1.50 per page to a more reasonable $.50 per page. Later, I printed the remaining 6 pages at my internet café for a “special person price” of about $.15 per page!
Since I was ridiculously excited about having my ballot, I showed it to many people…at the internet café…around my compound…at school…really anyone I came in contact with! They were all intrigued that I was able to vote in an American election even though I was residing in Nigeria. Then, they were all amazed to see the names John McCain and Barak Obama that they’d all heard about on the news on my ballot!! I then was able to get into some interesting discussions with people at school about how elections in Nigeria are completely rigged and so people become disenfranchised and don’t want to participate in the process. I encouraged them to come up with a way to change this problem…but that’s a topic for another day…
After asking around, I discovered the location of the post office and was able to take a taxi (which I’m now quite adept at hailing myself!) there. I was delighted to discover no line and some extremely welcoming employees eager to assist me! I was able to purchase envelopes there and they even provided me with glue to affix the necessary documents the outside. I put it in the “International” slot and said a prayer that it would make it to the USA and that my vote would be counted!!! (Make sure you all vote!!!)
Monday, October 6, 2008
Call me Chef Carter!
After this weekend, I'm pretty sure I can now add the word Chef in front of my name! I successfully finished baking and shelling and grinding my groundnuts into groundnut paste or Peanut Butter! I was nothing less than estactic when it came out of the grinder as future pictures will prove! After adding a little salt, sugar and some groundnut oil (which I learned will not be necessary next time when I cook them a few at a time like I'm supposed to) to make it less crumbly it was done! It was pretty darn good and my next attempt will only be better! :)
The peanut butter simply gave me confidence to try moi moi solo. I decided to trek down to the grocery store to pick up some american food and then hit a mini-market to get the final ingredients for the moi moi. This turned out to be quite the jaunt as many people stopped to greet me, I was able to stop and price a water tank for a future project, and I was able to scope out a picture printing place and let him know that I would not be paying $2.50 to print one 4x6 picture! :)
Having gathered all the necessary ingredients and confident I remembered how Laura had made it, I realized that I had not taken an active role in shelling the beans. I knew that she had soaked them and the shells just seemed to come off for her...clearly that was not the case for me! After attempting to shell them one-by-one and concluding that there must be a more efficient way, I went outside my compound where there are women who have a little restaurant and are always cooking food. I'd never officially met them, but we were definitely on a waving and "Sannu (hello)" basis, so I took my bowl of beans and a quizzical expression to them to request help. Now I speak limited Hausa and they spoke limited English, but they understood my problem and showed me exactly how to grind them in a giant morter and pestal then to put them in a bowl of water...the shells most definitely floated to the top (thank you density...this will definitely be an example I use in class later this month!) and in mere minutes, they were all expertly shelled! I figured out how to say "Thank you for helping me!" and promised I'd bring them some of my product.
I was a little disppointed to find out that the man at the market had given me dried pepper instead of dried crayfish, but I pressed onward! Then as I was filling the bags as Laura had done, I'd somehow purchased faulty baggies...yeah...every other one leaked out the bottom. That's okay...I was able to double bag! :) I wasn't sure how long to cook them, so I just kind of guessed when they looked done. I was more than a little nervous, but decided to go share my food, which had been a community endeavor, with those who had helped! The women who had helped me shell the beans were excited to try it, and I was excited to have new friends and kitchen mentors right ouside! Since the guards are always there to help me out, I decided I'd partake under the tree with them. They were very appreciative and complimentary of my first attempt! Now, there were defintely some chunks of spice that hadn't been well-distributed and a couple of the bags were kind of runny, but it wasn't bad! Even more importantly, I made a lot of great connections with people while making it which made it taste even better!! :)
The peanut butter simply gave me confidence to try moi moi solo. I decided to trek down to the grocery store to pick up some american food and then hit a mini-market to get the final ingredients for the moi moi. This turned out to be quite the jaunt as many people stopped to greet me, I was able to stop and price a water tank for a future project, and I was able to scope out a picture printing place and let him know that I would not be paying $2.50 to print one 4x6 picture! :)
Having gathered all the necessary ingredients and confident I remembered how Laura had made it, I realized that I had not taken an active role in shelling the beans. I knew that she had soaked them and the shells just seemed to come off for her...clearly that was not the case for me! After attempting to shell them one-by-one and concluding that there must be a more efficient way, I went outside my compound where there are women who have a little restaurant and are always cooking food. I'd never officially met them, but we were definitely on a waving and "Sannu (hello)" basis, so I took my bowl of beans and a quizzical expression to them to request help. Now I speak limited Hausa and they spoke limited English, but they understood my problem and showed me exactly how to grind them in a giant morter and pestal then to put them in a bowl of water...the shells most definitely floated to the top (thank you density...this will definitely be an example I use in class later this month!) and in mere minutes, they were all expertly shelled! I figured out how to say "Thank you for helping me!" and promised I'd bring them some of my product.
I was a little disppointed to find out that the man at the market had given me dried pepper instead of dried crayfish, but I pressed onward! Then as I was filling the bags as Laura had done, I'd somehow purchased faulty baggies...yeah...every other one leaked out the bottom. That's okay...I was able to double bag! :) I wasn't sure how long to cook them, so I just kind of guessed when they looked done. I was more than a little nervous, but decided to go share my food, which had been a community endeavor, with those who had helped! The women who had helped me shell the beans were excited to try it, and I was excited to have new friends and kitchen mentors right ouside! Since the guards are always there to help me out, I decided I'd partake under the tree with them. They were very appreciative and complimentary of my first attempt! Now, there were defintely some chunks of spice that hadn't been well-distributed and a couple of the bags were kind of runny, but it wasn't bad! Even more importantly, I made a lot of great connections with people while making it which made it taste even better!! :)
Friday, October 3, 2008
Other Weekend Happenings
I tried to buy wheat when I was at the market with Laura (I still haven’t ventured there alone yet…it’s way too daunting!) and was asked repeatedly, “What’s wheat?” We tried to explain that it’s used to make bread and that it’s a grain like rice, but all they could do was show us white flour. My goal is to make whole wheat bread, but it’s taking some time. I did successfully find yeast!
My baked ground nuts turned out amazing! They are by far my best “cooking” product to this point. I’m in the process of making peanut butter. Thankfully, the bishop’s son who lives in the house next door came over and helped me take the peelings off the baked ground nuts (which I definitely burned, but it’ll be okay) because it was taking me way too long. Tomorrow I plan to take them to the grinder and supposedly I’ll have excellent peanut butter! We’ll see…I think if I add a little sugar and salt it could be really good based on what I tasted of a friend’s, but the verdict is still out.
I was able to go running for the first time here in Nigeria over the weekend with my friend Helen! It was so exciting!!! I had missed running so much! We went at 6am because it seems that’s the only time people around here exercise and I was amazed that the entirety of Jalingo was already well into their day at this time. I had been worried to run alone this early thinking that it would be too desolate, not the case at all. I saw other runners who were very friendly (as all runners are!) and felt just as safe as I do walking around alone during the day. No sooner did I run one morning as I am now wondering if there are any races…probably not here in Jalingo, but maybe in Abuja. I think it could be so much fun to “compete” internationally! I need to get back into shape, but I’m now hopeful at the possibilities. J
My baked ground nuts turned out amazing! They are by far my best “cooking” product to this point. I’m in the process of making peanut butter. Thankfully, the bishop’s son who lives in the house next door came over and helped me take the peelings off the baked ground nuts (which I definitely burned, but it’ll be okay) because it was taking me way too long. Tomorrow I plan to take them to the grinder and supposedly I’ll have excellent peanut butter! We’ll see…I think if I add a little sugar and salt it could be really good based on what I tasted of a friend’s, but the verdict is still out.
I was able to go running for the first time here in Nigeria over the weekend with my friend Helen! It was so exciting!!! I had missed running so much! We went at 6am because it seems that’s the only time people around here exercise and I was amazed that the entirety of Jalingo was already well into their day at this time. I had been worried to run alone this early thinking that it would be too desolate, not the case at all. I saw other runners who were very friendly (as all runners are!) and felt just as safe as I do walking around alone during the day. No sooner did I run one morning as I am now wondering if there are any races…probably not here in Jalingo, but maybe in Abuja. I think it could be so much fun to “compete” internationally! I need to get back into shape, but I’m now hopeful at the possibilities. J
Nigerian Independence Day
Besides Christmas and Spring Break, 5-day weekends don’t happen in the US. I’ve decided that I like them! Monday and Tuesday were off because of Sallah, the end of Ramadan. This is a perk of living in an area with a significant Muslim population despite teaching at a Christian school! Then, Wednesday was Nigerian Independence Day. They didn’t gain their independence from Britain until 1960, so they’re a fairly young country! As part of the Independence Day celebration, Her Excellency (the wife of the governor) hosted an event to celebrate the rich cultural heritage within the state of Taraba in which students from the surrounding schools were asked to represent a particular tribe from the area and perform that tribe’s dance in appropriate garb. Students from JSS were asked to participate, so I was able to go and observe!
I was intrigued by how distinct the particular tribes were. As a couple of my co-workers were taking me around to view the different tribes, they could tell which tribe they were just by looking at their costumes. There are over 60 different tribes, each with their own dialect, traditions, and sub-culture within Taraba state. As I was watching the dozen or so different dances I was thinking about how neat it is that they have this special connection with this particular group of people. All of the people here can tell you what tribe they’re from. Then, when they run into someone, they can somehow tell if a person is from their particular tribe even if they’ve never met and they begin to speak in that specific dialect.
At the end of the performances, Her Excellency gave an address to the students and gathered audience about the importance of preserving cultural heritage. Dress is very important to Nigerians and she stressed if they leave the country they should dress in their Nigerian attire with pride. She also stated that though Nigeria has some challenges with poverty, they should be thankful that they have peace because many nations that are better off economically are at war. I thought that was an interesting statement almost implying that the two are mutually exclusive. Taraba is considered the poorest and most undeveloped state in Nigeria. Trying to move the country forward developmentally speaking while preserving its cultural heritage is an ongoing challenge everywhere and it is even more pronounced here amidst the rich traditions and stark amenities.
Here is a link to some pictures from the event:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=36276&l=45e17&id=501312909
I was intrigued by how distinct the particular tribes were. As a couple of my co-workers were taking me around to view the different tribes, they could tell which tribe they were just by looking at their costumes. There are over 60 different tribes, each with their own dialect, traditions, and sub-culture within Taraba state. As I was watching the dozen or so different dances I was thinking about how neat it is that they have this special connection with this particular group of people. All of the people here can tell you what tribe they’re from. Then, when they run into someone, they can somehow tell if a person is from their particular tribe even if they’ve never met and they begin to speak in that specific dialect.
At the end of the performances, Her Excellency gave an address to the students and gathered audience about the importance of preserving cultural heritage. Dress is very important to Nigerians and she stressed if they leave the country they should dress in their Nigerian attire with pride. She also stated that though Nigeria has some challenges with poverty, they should be thankful that they have peace because many nations that are better off economically are at war. I thought that was an interesting statement almost implying that the two are mutually exclusive. Taraba is considered the poorest and most undeveloped state in Nigeria. Trying to move the country forward developmentally speaking while preserving its cultural heritage is an ongoing challenge everywhere and it is even more pronounced here amidst the rich traditions and stark amenities.
Here is a link to some pictures from the event:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=36276&l=45e17&id=501312909
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Comedy of Cooking Conundrums
There were leftover greens (soup) from the day before, so I had told Mrs. Thomas that I could simply make some more semovita (starchy rice substitute that is kind of like cream of wheat) and eat that for dinner. My friend Helen asked me if I’d made semovita before. I asked her, “Really, how hard can it be? Add some of the powder from the bag to some water and heat it.” She just smiled.
I’ve now mastered the “off” position and the “on” position on the gas tank, so the gas was on when I tried to light the burner. One would think that Nigerian matches are the same as American matches…and they are the same with one minor difference…Nigerian matches don’t LIGHT! I’ve done some mini-scientific studies trying to isolate the faulty variable. Is it the fact that the wooden part breaks as I try to strike it along the box? Is it the tip that just maybe doesn’t have enough of the activated phosphorus coating? Is it the striking surface of the box that doesn’t activate the tip? My conclusion: all of these are contributing variables to exhausting half a box of matches every time I have to light a burner.
Since I was heating the greens and making semovita, I had to go through the match ordeal not once, but twice! I thought I had been successful when I realized that I hadn’t made enough semovita (but it was, may I add, a perfect consistency!) So, I innocently thought, I’ll just make the same amount again. Ha! I had to light the burner again because by trying to conserve fuel I had turned off the burner prematurely. Once I finally got the burner re-lit, I added more semovita and more water.
By this time, it was getting pretty dark, so I went outside to turn on the generator. As I tried to turn it on, it wouldn’t start. I confidently went over to the gas can (which I had checked earlier that afternoon) to add more fuel. It clearly wasn’t enough because it still wouldn’t start. No problem, I thought, I’ll just go buy more fuel right outside the compound. As the man was measuring out 3 gallons, (yep…Nigeria measures everything in metrics including fuel, except when you buy fuel from men on the street…then it’s in gallons…go figure!) I realized that I had left the semovita cooking on the stove…whoops!
When I returned, I hurried into the kitchen to check the status of my second portion of semovita. It was most definitely burnt, not that I could see this, but I used my sense of smell to detect this outcome. I grabbed my handy lantern, turned off the burner then went back outside to fill the generator with fuel. Once I came back inside and washed the gasoline from my hands, I realized that I had failed to cover my initial portion of semovita which had becoming quite cold by this point in the process.
Needless to say, my independent cooking endeavors are not overly successful, yet. However, I’m still going to try to bake my groundnuts tonight, and I looked up bread recipes on the internet as I found out from Mrs. Thomas this morning that I had initially misunderstood her and I can use gas to fuel the oven! I’m sure there will be more adventures!
I’ve now mastered the “off” position and the “on” position on the gas tank, so the gas was on when I tried to light the burner. One would think that Nigerian matches are the same as American matches…and they are the same with one minor difference…Nigerian matches don’t LIGHT! I’ve done some mini-scientific studies trying to isolate the faulty variable. Is it the fact that the wooden part breaks as I try to strike it along the box? Is it the tip that just maybe doesn’t have enough of the activated phosphorus coating? Is it the striking surface of the box that doesn’t activate the tip? My conclusion: all of these are contributing variables to exhausting half a box of matches every time I have to light a burner.
Since I was heating the greens and making semovita, I had to go through the match ordeal not once, but twice! I thought I had been successful when I realized that I hadn’t made enough semovita (but it was, may I add, a perfect consistency!) So, I innocently thought, I’ll just make the same amount again. Ha! I had to light the burner again because by trying to conserve fuel I had turned off the burner prematurely. Once I finally got the burner re-lit, I added more semovita and more water.
By this time, it was getting pretty dark, so I went outside to turn on the generator. As I tried to turn it on, it wouldn’t start. I confidently went over to the gas can (which I had checked earlier that afternoon) to add more fuel. It clearly wasn’t enough because it still wouldn’t start. No problem, I thought, I’ll just go buy more fuel right outside the compound. As the man was measuring out 3 gallons, (yep…Nigeria measures everything in metrics including fuel, except when you buy fuel from men on the street…then it’s in gallons…go figure!) I realized that I had left the semovita cooking on the stove…whoops!
When I returned, I hurried into the kitchen to check the status of my second portion of semovita. It was most definitely burnt, not that I could see this, but I used my sense of smell to detect this outcome. I grabbed my handy lantern, turned off the burner then went back outside to fill the generator with fuel. Once I came back inside and washed the gasoline from my hands, I realized that I had failed to cover my initial portion of semovita which had becoming quite cold by this point in the process.
Needless to say, my independent cooking endeavors are not overly successful, yet. However, I’m still going to try to bake my groundnuts tonight, and I looked up bread recipes on the internet as I found out from Mrs. Thomas this morning that I had initially misunderstood her and I can use gas to fuel the oven! I’m sure there will be more adventures!
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