Clinton High School...here I come!

After applying to LOTS of schools and harassing many districts with regular phone calls and emails I ended up interviewing at Clinton High School in Clinton, IA and Downers Grove outside Chicago. I can confidently say that I am certain I am supposed to be at Clinton HS! I went to the interview as "practice" for my Downers Grove interview and ended up LOVING it!

I will be co-teaching 3 sections of Physical Science with a special education teacher and teaching 1 section of Biology. They are on a trimester schedule where they have a 5 - 70 minute periods and get a new schedule each trimester. I've never heard of anything like it before, but I'm excited to have the longer periods like I had with block scheduling in Boerne! The science department seems fun, motivated and really cares about kids which is encouraging (and I was promised that they'd try to get me some Chemistry next year...I hope!)

Clinton is a community of about 25,000 people located about 30 minutes north of the Quad-Cities along the Mississippi. It's a blue-collar community with a lot of generational poverty. Now, I know that normally isn't a big selling point, but I'm pretty excited about working in a community like that without having to be in an inner city. I know there will be plenty of challenges but it's so comforting to feel so at peace about this next transition (especially when it's SO not what I was expecting/wanting: 1 hour from home, in a smallish Iowa town, co-teaching physical science)! Thanks for all the prayers as this transition is nearly complete, logistically speaking...now I just need an apartment! :)

Endings...and waiting for new beginnings...

Being back in the US again is shocking...culture shock is real! Everything uses electricity...garage door openers, phones, escalators, automatic doors, garbage disposals...the list could on indefinitely. No wonder the US is a top consumer of natural resources!

Here are some random observations about being back in the US:
***Radio is a wonderful thing! Free music...lots of it...24/7!
***Hot showers are not in the least bit over-rated...AMAZING!
***Americans own a lot of STUFF. (I'm doing a much better job cleaning out my room in my parent's house out after living in Nigeria for a year!)
***Decorating one's environment is more highly valued than one's dress. (People in Jalingo are much more concerned about being dressed very well!)
***People wear short shorts here...out and about everywhere! How did I forget?!
***I love the entertainment opportunities...art museums, concerts, restaurants!
***People live indoors here. I miss being able to see people everywhere I go. (Granted I'm coming from a city of 150,000 to a town a 2500...that's part of the difference.)

Currently, I'm living in Wilton with my parents and still applying for a ridiculous number of high school science teaching jobs. I honestly didn't think I would have this tough of a time getting hired in the midwest. I've applied to so many places throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and Iowa and am still waiting. Yet, the God who has been with me through my childhood, college, first job in Texas, and now serving for a year in Nigeria will surely continue. He will not forsake me! I'm hanging on to Psalm 27:13-14:

"I am confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

Yeah...I'm not sure if you know this about me...I'm not good at waiting for the unknown. I am an action person. Give me a task, a goal, an idea I will work hard to make it happen, but to be still and wait is very hard! In fact, being in this position right now is MUCH SCARIER than leaving for Africa to spend a year "alone". I'm trying to be content in all situations instead of wishing away this time before getting a job (I'm not being very successful).

I'm missing my day-to-day friends in Nigeria a LOT and looking forward my new beginning whereever that may be and whenever it may begin. Right now I'm in between an amazing experience I had and being excited for the new beginning that awaits me...waiting.

Good bye, Jalingo!

I have clearly been in denial about being home. It's as if by not posting my "I'm home" post, it wouldn't be real! Obviously, not the case.

The last few weeks I had in Nigeria were filled with so many friends! I'm SO glad my roommate from Texas, Angie, came with the group of missionaries from Iowa to work at the UMCN Primary School because she was able to meet many of the people who are so important to me in Jalingo and get a sense of the life that I'm missing during this transition.

My school had a "Send Forth" (going away party/ceremony) for me where the kids sang some songs, did a skit and there were many kind words of appreciation spoken both by them and me with an awesome meal afterwards. There were multiple other occassions where people had spent hours preparing amazing food to share with us as a show of their gratitude for my time here. While I continued to try to find ways to show them how much I had appreciated them.

It was tough in the last few weeks trying to make sure to see everyone one last time. I feel so blessed to have been in such a kind, loving and accepting place for the past year. It's really hard to describe the feelings associated with leaving so many people. I like to speculate that the difficulty I found was because when you are in an intense/high stress situation with a group of people tight bonds are often formed. From my perspective, life in Nigeria was really intense, especially in the beginning, because everything was SO DIFFERENT! However, these people, taught me how to survive in my new environment. While I tried to contribute in my own way, I had to trust them for EVERYTHING! Thankfully, they were ridiculously helpful, dependable and giving of their time, resources and friendship. Hence, I left a part of me with my friends back in Jalingo and definitely brought a part of them with me back to the US.

Transitions are tough!

I'm dreading leaving Nigeria in 10 days! While it should feel like returning home it's weird to feel like I'm leaving home behind. I'm leaving a place where I have an address (even if it is "UMCN Mission Compound, next to ECWA Hospital"), a phone number, a job and friends. I'm returning to the US where I thankfully have a loving family providing me a temporary address, no phone number, no job...yet (though I'm trying to pray with the same confidence that I used when I was stuck in the bathroom earlier this year!) and so many uncertainties.

While I get a little excited when I think about the food, amenities, and National Parks that await my visit upon my return to the US none of those things really make it seem worth leaving Nigeria (not that I really have a choice now!) However, when I start to think about all my fabulous family and friends back home I get super excited to see all of you! You're the best!

Pre-Cursor to Reverse Culture Shock

As the team of missionaries from the US came, I realized that I’ve entered this strange place of existence, no longer fully American but not yet fully Nigerian. It’s a unique feeling. I think it’s a good transition to have them here and will help ease the inevitable reverse culture shock.

Here are a few observations that I’ve found myself thinking as a Nigerian:
1. Is that all the rice you’re going to eat?
(I now realize why I have to run twice as far as what I used to and trek all over creation…from eating so much!)
2. You’re walking so fast!
(For the first time, walking down to a little shop, I felt like I was being dragged along.)
3. You’re taking so many pictures!
(I know I still take a lot of pictures, but it’s definitely interesting how certain things don’t seem “photo-worthy” anymore.)
4. Americans are so free and friendly with everyone.
(Compared with meeting Nigerians, Americans that are here visiting Nigeria are so open and “free” with everyone!)

On the other hand I still have my American thoughts as well:
1. Why can’t things be better maintained? It’s like they don’t care…
(It’s not that they don’t care, it’s that maintenance isn’t as simple as it is in the US.)
2. Didn’t we say we were meeting by _________ time? Why aren’t they here?
(I’m not sure my scheduled brain will ever adapt to Nigerian time!)
3. We gave you this thing, isn’t it being used?
(Gifts and donations are so necessary, appreciated and valued. However, sometimes when something isn’t being utilized to its fullest potential, it’s not that it hasn’t been attempted. Oftentimes, there are constraints that are unimaginable.)

Just as adjusting to Nigerian life was challenging at times, I know that readjusting to American life will provide its own tests. I’m thankful that the enlarged perspective that I’ve gained and many lessons that I’ve learned make everything else worth it! :)

Frozen Moments

As my time is winding down, I'm trying to freeze certain moments in my memory so that I can recall them someday to add a little joy to my day!

*Man walking down the street selling bras…and wearing one over his shirt as advertisement
*One man standing across the drainage ditch tossing crates of empty glass bottles through the air to another man who was loading them on the truck…they said they never miss
*Being watched as I peeked around a semi-truck to see on-coming traffic and decide to squeeze between the drainage ditch and the side of the truck and tip toe precariously along until I reach the other end…the on-looker celebrated with me when I made it successfully by.
*Women roasting corn over charcoal fires inside old tires along the side of the road, constantly fanning it to keep it from burning
*A mother alerting her child that baturia was passing so that the child runs out to the road to greet me
*People greeting me by name that I’ve never met before.

This all happened as I was walking home from being ridiculously frustrated with the internet. It's how I forget the frustration and remember the good stuff!

Aerobics...in Nigeria!

While there is a group of us that run early in the mornings here in Jalingo, exercise isn't a high priority for most people. However, I was recently informed of a group that meets on a handball court in the morning 3 times a week for aerobics and encouraged to come and participate, so after my friend and I did our normal morning run this morning, we proceeded to aerobics class!

Now, I've done a variety of exercise classes back in the states at UNI, and in San Antonio, but doing aerobics here in Jalingo was a whole new experience! :) First of all the typical demographic of participant was a 45 year old male in high ranking governmental positions. Then, all exercises were done to Nigerian Praise music outside with many people stopping along the dirt road to watch the spectacle (I'm not sure how much of that was normal and how much was due to my presence.) When we did floor work, we used woven mats made from palm branches, and I was defintely the ONLY person who couldn't touch my "legs" (toes) during the stretching which no one could understand.

It was an enjoyable, energizing, and thoroughly entertaining experience that I plan to do for my remaining Saturdays in Jalingo! :)

Tadpoles!

The JS3 students are being required to stay for a 2-week extension past their national exams and I was tasked with teaching them during that time. That’s right…9th grade students thinking that they’re going home for a 3 month break and being told, they’re actually staying for 2 more weeks of classes taught exclusively by me. Though I was skeptical of the possibilities of success, it hasn’t been that bad and it’s even been pretty fun at times!

I recently discovered that my school has a stream less than a quarter mile away from it…exciting! Some colleagues and I went and explored and then I decided during the topic of pollution we would take a field trip down to the stream. Thanks to my extensive experience with environmental field-based excursions during grad school I was comfortable with what data could be collected, observations made, and questions asked.

It was awesome! I had so much fun, the kids LOVED being amongst nature. They asked so many questions, collected temperature data, water samples, drew conclusions about habitats locations and observed adaptations of plants and animals. We were able to see so many tadpoles (only located in the clean, running water), leeches (in the more polluted water), figure out that the thorns on the acacia tree were to protect it from animals and the small leaves were to prevent loss of moisture. We saw the taller and greener grass in the stream bed and saw the tree-lined path.

After the adventure, the students learned about Microsoft Excel during our computer time and entered their data into a spread sheet data table. It was pretty exciting! Every once in a while in education, idealistic plans actually come together and when they do, it more than makes up for all the other times when they don’t.

Here are some pictures from the excursion as well as some others:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=77981&id=501312909&l=fcef6b6668

Computer Class

During the JS3 extension, I was told that I should teach them computer for a few hours per day. Overall, it has been a positive and beneficial experience. However, at one point the 7 different computers were going out like popcorn: as soon as power would get restored and rebooted another laptop would run out of power or a desktop would lose power from a partial connection in the power strip. Then, I realized (again) that using Microsoft Word 97, 2003, 2007 and Open Office Word without a central computer to demonstrate on isn’t ideal. Finally, there were about 6 kids per computer. Needless to say, we weren’t operating at optimum efficiency but the kids were thrilled to be on the computers and didn’t complain at all about the number of people per system, power outages or having to sit on the floor due to lack of available tables and chairs. They simply wanted to have free time at the end to play games and listen to music…just like kids in the US! :)

I Love Handball!

Before arriving in Nigeria, I was under the false impression that handball was like raquetball, but with your hand. No. Handball is like a cross between basketball and ultimate frisbee, and it's my game! I was on duty on Thursday and after the students close from classes, eat and siesta, they play games. I had the opportunity to embarrass myself on the soccer field, show my semi-competence in ping pong, enthusiastically participate in volleyball and most excitingly discover my love for the game of handball!

It's a 6 on 6 game where you can take 3 dribbles, but it's mostly all about passing and throwing the ball into a soccer-like goal. It's fast-paced and so much fun! All the fun of basketball without any of the pressure of shooting! :) It's my mission to watch a game of true players before I leave and then try to find the game when I return to the states!

(Side note: If anyone knows anyone associated with Madison Metropolitan School District, I'd love a connection!!) :)

Toilets

As I was talking with some of my friends at school today, they asked me which of the states is the "least developed" in the US. Hmmmm...I thought...they're all developed.

I tried to use the example of toilets. Now, in my house at the mission compound, the toilet is basically like a toilet back in the US (it's not recommended to flush toilet paper, but still...) However, the rest of the toilets elsewhere I've encountered in Nigeria require a bucket of water to "flush" them. Then, there are plenty to be encountered at motor parks, school, etc that consist of a hole in the ground. I explained in the US, that the "worst" toilet one experiences is a porta-potty and proceded to explain.

Now, I can't say that I'm going to miss going to the bathroom in a hole (pit toilet) with flies. I can say that I don't really think about the fact that I'm going to the bathroom in a hole with flies anymore. It's great learning about what everyone views as normal...the Nigerians and I have certainly broadened our perspectives and understanding throughout the past months! :)

Updated Pictures!

Finally, I found a cafe that would allow me to upload my Kano pictures and some that show me working...I do go to work on a daily basis (when school is in session!) As always, check out the captions to better understand what's going on. Enjoy!

Catching Fun in Kano
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=76049&id=501312909&l=c49bad7d03

May Moments
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=77981&id=501312909&l=fcef6b6668

A Time for Everything

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There is time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven.” Recently, insects have really made this idea come alive for me. As the predominant irritation has changed multiple times during my year here, so has my perspective on Nigeria.

When I first arrived, the mosquitoes assaulted me in full force. They died as the rain ceased and massive amounts of dust descended on everything which eventually began swirling into dust devils and descended as a haze. Like any living being, cockroaches desired to take refuge from these harsh conditions and felt that my house was a good location. Killing 4-5 per night was common. When the rain finally decided to return on March 30th, massive amounts of flies decided to join me in my celebration. Flies…everywhere! As the rain continued, the flies calmed down and reduced to an acceptable population. However, the mosquitoes have regained their moist breeding ground and are once again feasting on my blood.

Now, after detailing these delightful natural companions that have accompanied me in my stay in Jalingo (in addition to the epileptic power, spotty phone networks, and unreliable internet), it may be hard for people back to fully grasp how hard it is going to be for me to leave in less than two months. Jalingo has become my home and like all homes there are mix of frustrations that come with the good stuff!

I’m going to miss the children screaming with shrill delight “Baturia!!!” I’ll miss seeing the joy on people’s face when they are able to teach me something they consider simple (like tossing groundnuts on a tray to separate the nut from the thin covering or knitting) but I find difficult. I’m going to miss sleeping outside and hearing critters all around but knowing I’m protected in my mosquito tent! I’ll miss seeing the ridiculous improvements of my students in their lab skills and their amazement regarding the simplest demonstrations!

After talking with my brother (who was never a huge advocate of me coming to Nigeria), I have realized that I really enjoy and appreciate living in Jalingo, a pedestrian society, because of all the acquaintances and friendships that it has enabled me to make. He has encouraged me that I think I can move to a community in the states that has many of these qualities. While that is hopeful, I am really going to miss my Nigerian friends a LOT! I’ve taken consolation during my move to college, Texas and now to Nigeria in the fact that I can keep in touch with most people via the internet. One of the hardest things for me to face in my closing weeks is that I’ll likely not be able to keep in touch with many of these dear people that I’ve come to love. While I hope that I’ve left a positive impression of Americans in people’s lives, I KNOW that their friendships, like many back home, have changed my life forever.

Just as there was a season for each disturbance, there was a season to say hello to Nigeria, get to know the people and places and foods here, and develop a love for them. Now, it is the season of wrapping up projects, saying good-bye and praying for a job and my new season of life back in the states. Someday, I hope to be back certainly for a visit and who knows what else, but for now I will enjoy the end of my “Nigerian season” and know that just as God has kept me here, He’ll be with me in the next season also!

Chinese, really?!

As I was walking down the road one day, I heard some boys greeting me with "me-how!" repeatedly. I knew it wasn't English and I was pretty confident that it wasn't Hausa, so I decided to go ask them what language it was! At first they giggled and then they told me it was Chinese because "aren't you from China?" they asked. It cracked me up! They explained that it's Chinese for Hello. I asked them if they wanted to learn Hello in Spanish. They were pretty excited about that, so I taught them Hola. They dutifully repeated it over and over again. When I passed by a few hours later they greeted me by shouting "Hola!" :)

Then, a few days later someone else yelled at me "Hey, China!" later that same day someone rode by on a bike yelling "Italiano!" So funny! :) I'm entertained, but can't be too critical because just as people here think all white people look the same and can't easily distinguish between the different ethincities, I'm always intrigued by the way that they can tell a Nigerian from a Liberian by look.

I once read somewhere that people are much better at distinguishing characteristics among people of their common race and have found that to be totally true. When I first arrived I had a really hard time telling people apart, but I've improved significantly after making a lot of mistakes. I guess I'll cut them a little slack for thinking I'm Chinese! :)

Final Kano Observations

1. I had electricity all day everyday with only 10 minute outtages a few times per day...(only because there's some important person living in the neighborhood)...the rest of Kano has normal Nigerian electricity.

2. I found an some Obama comic books in a bookstore and was interested to see that it looked at the life of Obama's father prior to coming to the US as well as Obama's childhood...it was really pretty interesting!

3. I loved riding in the little motorized tricycles around the city...safer than a motorcycle...less safe than a taxi. The purpose is so that the Muslim women can go places that a motorcycle would take them while being "hidden". (I definitely opened the little curtains completely so I could take everything in!) :)

4. Seeing ancient city walls gives a new meaning to the walls of the city falling down after being marched around 7 times in the Bible!

5. Kano internet=terrible! For a huge and relatively developed city, Jalingo's internet was better!

6. All compounds have high walls around them to maintain privacy (and prevent adequate ventilation!)

7. The reason why the northern part of Nigeria is primarily Muslim is because when the British invaded, the north already had an established government and struck a deal with them to rule indirectly and allowed them to keep their religion and culture. However, in the south, it was less developed, so the British came in and exercised direct rule while strongly influencing their culture and religion converting many to Christianity. (History can be interesting when it explains some present realities!) :)

All in all, my trip to Kano was a success! There will be pictures once the internet decides to open facebook. School starts on Monday! I'm excited to get back! :)

Kano, Kano

My friend from school, Laitu, has graciously offered to let me tag along to her trip to Kano to visit her sister over our spring break (which lasts 4 weeks). Kano city is the capital of Kano state and is considered to be the largest city in Nigeria and one of the largest cities in Africa. It is located in the northern part of the country where the population is predominantly Mulsim. Though I’ve only been here for one day, I’ve already made some interesting observations.

Our 550 km/343mile journey from Jalingo to Kano took us 10 hours despite relatively good roads for the second half of the trip due to some bad fuel that we received causing us to go along at a snail’s pace for a few hours. I was kind of surprised when we stopped to get better fuel around 3:30 that everyone piled out of the vehicle and began their washing ritual prior to going to the nearby mosque. All of the passengers except for my friend and I were Muslim and observing their afternoon prayers.

When we arrived at the motor park, we had to take a taxi to get to her sister’s house. Though they still pack the taxis with four people in back and two in the passenger’s seat up front, here they try to prevent women and men from sitting next to each other. In fact, later, there were two women in the back and a woman up front, the woman moved to the back, so that the man would be isolated up front. Then we stopped to pick up another man and he shared the front seat instead of doing the common thing elsewhere which is to make 4 in back before making 2 in front. Interesting!

Finally, we arrived and there was electricity…NEPA! It went off around 6:30pm, but then came back on 10 minutes later…and stayed on until morning! Then it went off for about 15 minutes and came back on. This is by far the most constant power I’ve had since coming to Nigeria. I’ve been here almost 24 hours and had power for over 23 of them. Wow!!! We’ll see if it lasts! I’m sure there will be further adventures, experiences and stories before the week is over and I’m excited!

Multicultural Education...for real!

When I was at UNI and at OLLU, I had to take a Multicultural Education course. It was always compulsory to define culture. Frequently, we think of culture primarily relating to the food, dance, music and traditions within a particular people group. However, over the past few days, I’ve realized (again) that culture, which is instilled during one’s upbringing, permeates everything that we do.

After Aunty Kema’s birthday in the compound, there was a lot of trash on the ground. Since this doesn’t seem to affect people in Jalingo in the same way that it bothers me, I decided to take some initiative to have it picked up while having happy childhood memories at the same time! When I was a child visiting my Grandma and Grandpa Carter, they had an apple tree that would drop apples prematurely and result in apples scattered all over the yard. Grandma would pay my brother and I 1 penny per apple. We were excited!

Arthur and his friend LaToy are 4-5 years old and I tasked them with picking up trash and for every 10 pieces, they would get 1 naira. Since the smallest denomination that exists in circulation is 5 naira, I was probably underpaying, but they were excited to be earning money and I was excited that the trash was being collect. It was a win-win situation that I’m fairly certain had never been employed in Jalingo before but instead was a product of my American culture.

Later in the day, I decided that we needed a field trip down to the river which isn’t far from the compound, but I’d never been to that part of the shore. On the way, they had fun jumping in and out of the drainage ditch. We identified trash, talked about mango pits being seeds, looked at how seed pods from the tree drop into the ditch and dry out. We named the letters on signs, counted steps, and looked at the clouds in the sky. When we arrived at the river bed, we saw the how it was completely dry and how they bore down to pump water.

After the fun excursion, I started thinking about how I had never seen any adults go on little “outings” with kids around town. This was something that had not occurred to me either prior or during the fun but in hindsight found interesting. Believe me, there will be more field trips before I leave!

Happy Easter!

As a Christian, Easter is pretty much the most important day of the year! If Jesus didn’t really get crucified, die and rise from the dead that kind of ruins our entire premise for salvation. Needless to say, as far-fetched as it sometimes seems, I believe it and appreciate commemorating the process! This year my Holy Week celebration was more diverse than most.

I attended Maundy Thursday Service with a friend from work at the Catholic Cathedral. This was very “high church” including many bowing rituals, spreading incense with a series of three shakes of a small cauldron in many directions, the bishop washing the feet (actually only the right foot…I feel this would lead to unbalanced cleanliness) of various congregants, singing without dancing (the first time I’d experienced this in Nigeria) and significant kneeling on a hard tile floor. The church was beautiful in its simplistic design with extremely high ceiling, long uniform screened openings as windows. I also really valued the meaningful liturgy. Certain phrases that everyone there had clearly recited hundreds of times were so beautiful, profound and powerful, I had to really consider whether I was willing to make the commitments that came along with them.

For Good Friday, I attended United Methodist Church at Mayo Gwoi in my neighborhood, which I consider my “home” church. Now, this service analyzed the seven words that Jesus said from the cross. I don’t remember being through a service like this before and I’m not sure I can say that I’ve been through it still because the entire service was conducted in the common language of Hausa. The appeal of this church is that I know many of its members because they all live in my neighborhood and conduct business there. Also, the order of service is comforting because a United Methodist Church in Nigeria has the same basic worship service as a United Methodist Church in Iowa (with longer prayers and more special music).

Finally, for Easter Sunday, I went to Life and Destiny Church, a Pentecostal church, with a friend. It resembles in the environment and worship style of the big non-denominational churches in the US. This church had hundreds of people in it, with lots of very enthusiastic singing and dancing and praising of the Lord for 3.5 hours. I really enjoyed the sermon and learned a lot from the scripture that was used as it was non-traditional references the resurrection. However, everyone felt very anonymous as there wasn’t a feeling of community because people were coming here from all over the city. Also, everything was so spontaneous and emotion driven that there was little time for quiet reflection.

These three experiences summarize my year of church service attendance thus far in Nigeria. I’ve been opportune to attend many different churches as guests of different friends and acquaintances and in the process experience the different modes of worship of the various Christian denominations (all with a Nigerian flair). I think my understanding of these experiences has been deepened through reading “A Generous Orthodoxy” by Brian Mc Laren, which examines the practices of the different denominations and shows that we can worship, commune with and understand Jesus Christ in a more complete way through the diverse methodologies.

There is a really unifying feeling in knowing that all over the city of Jalingo, country of Nigeria and all over the world people are rejoicing in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. While there may be many ways of expressing that joy, thanksgiving and adoration, the sentiment remains the same, Jesus died, but now He is risen! Praise God!

Informal Islamic Lessons

Growing up in Iowa and then living in Texas, I’ve had very little first-hand experience living in an area that has a substantial Islamic community. While Jalingo is predominantly Christian, there is a definite Muslim presence and I have had the opportunity to learn a lot from random observations as well as from a few of my Muslim friends.

Yesterday, I was walking home from the internet and wanted to get a pure water to replace some of my fluids however, when I approached the shop, I realized that it was closed. Never mind, that I knew the shop owner was a Muslim and I had walked by numerous mosques prior to reaching the shop where I had observed people praying their final prayer of the day during sundown, I am still not programmed to think about the day in terms of the 5 Islamic prayer times. However, it’s very common to find shops closed, fruit stands vacated and wheelbarrows abandoned while they stop everything to pray.

While I have to admit it can be slightly inconvenient when I want to buy oranges, it is helpful to hear the call to prayer at 5:00am every morning as it encourages me to get out of bed to run (and pray!) I figure if thousands of people in Jalingo can get out of bed and go to their mosque to pray, I should be able to get out of bed to have my own devotional time with God as I run on the dark and quiet streets.

After living here for about 6 months, it randomly dawned on me that I only see men praying at the mosques! Wait a minute, where are the women?!? I discovered that women are required to pray in their homes so as not to distract the men or cause them to sin. This is the same rationale that is the basis for the women wearing the long veil-like head coverings. Yet, the men are allowed to have four wives. While I respect their faith and ways of seeking to honor it, I question why the men can’t simply control themselves to allow the women to live more freely. Why must the women make all the sacrifices? I think my new mission is to befriend a female Muslim as my only first-hand sources of information now are men and a copy of the Koran that was given to me. I am confident that I will be able to get a better understanding from a woman!

Mosquito TENT Superiority

Back in February my friend, Anne, came from the US for meeting in conjunction with the Rural Health project in Zing and she brought with her the most amazing mosquito “net” and left it here for me to use until her return. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to adequately explain the wonderfulness, excellence, perfection that is contained in this mosquito tent, but I’ll try!

When I was a small child, I received a bed tent one exciting Christmas. Then, there was no particular function for a bed tent other than novelty and adventure, but now there is utility. It started out as a barrier in my room between me and the ever-present cockroaches. I could hear them scurrying across the floor and roll over in my bed with confidence knowing that I was safe….AND it didn’t present the same tangling as the previous net.
Now, the new bed net allows me to relocate! For the past month, it has been ridiculously hot (110 degrees F+) therefore the closest thing I can get to air conditioning or fans at night is to sleep outside! I have suggested before that living in Jalingo can be compared to camping, but this development has made it even more real. Each night I drag my mattress and mosquito tent outside and enjoy a much more enjoyable sleep than anything that could ever be achieved inside my house!

I must admit that I actually really enjoy sleeping outside and was recently considering if it would be considered socially acceptable to continue this practice when I return to the US during the summer. (This transition back home could be tough!) Last night as I was trying to fall asleep I was simply taking in everything around me and feeling blessed: the moon is almost full and high in the sky, the stars were shining brightly while there were clouds and lightning closer to the horizon. There were bats flying above me from tree to tree making a high pitched squeaking noise. There were cats mating at a far corner of the compound. (I was convincing myself that my mosquito tent would provide a protective barrier against cats too!) The dogs all over town were sending messages back and forth in true Lady and the Tramp style. Crickets were chirping, and frogs were croaking.

While it’s true that none of these things are really unique to living in Nigeria, sleeping among them every night without the hum of air conditioners, refrigerators, computers or fans and actually taking the time to stop and really experience them, for me is unique to living in Nigeria!

My Birthday

I've never had a huge birthday party before. I've always had really nice birthdays from when I was little and had friends sitting on the floor in the living room eating hot dogs to a fabulous little surprise party when I was in high school and some excellent dinners during college and in Texas, but Nigeria puts birthdays on a whole new level.

My friend Helen was the brains behind the entire operation and she helped me plan for, shop for, and organized the preparation in the kitchen. I simply took orders, chopped onions, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and watermelon while everyone else put the ingredients together into yummy rice, cabbage salad, and fruit salad!

I was overwhelmed by how many of my friends came by, showed their love, support and friendship. I was pretty nervous about not really knowing what to do, what I was responsible for, what tasks should be assigned, but my friends were awesome and guided me through the whole program. Different people got music and speakers, chairs, decorated the table, brought over plates, silverware, contributed pop, fixed light sockets....so many things!

In true Nigerian fashion there were many prayers, a mini-sermon, and of course dancing! It was a WONDERFUL day and I feel so blessed to have had such a fabulous group of people supporting me here in addition to all the amazing wishes and greetings that I received from my friends and family back home. Thanks to everyone for helping make my 27th birthday one to remember!

Check out the pictures as they are able to convey a little more of the experience especially with the captions! :)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=70699&id=501312909&l=e1cd35633d

RAIN!!

We have been in "dry" season since basically October. Now, I lived in San Antonio for 4 years and it's pretty dry there, but there was still the occasional rainfall intermingled throughout the many sunny days all year long. Here, they were joking when they said DRY! Not a single drop of rain from October until March 29th. Even then, it was simply a sprinkling.

Today, however, we got rain! I had been promising everyone that when it finally rained I was going to go outside and play in it wherever I was. I happened to be at home with a friend who refused to join in the fun and even my little 4-year old neighbor refused to play, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! It had been around 110 degrees for multiple days...so HOT! Despite 3 showers per day, I was sweating constantly...and that cold water from earlier in my stay is now just nice and toasty! :) Hence I LOVED twirling around in the pouring rain and cool breeze!!! Even the mud is delightful after all the dust! Yay for changes in seasons! :)

Trekking yields community

I know I've mentioned trekking before, but it has become a part of my identity here. I'm no longer "the bature"...I'm "the bature who treks everywhere". I meet complete strangers on the street and they ask me why I trek everywhere. In fact, someone today asked me if I was scared to take taxis. I said that I do take them, but I prefer to trek. First of all, it's good exercise. In addition to running in the morning, I'm able to walk about 3 miles after school too which allows me to eat all the yummy Nigerian food!

More importantly, it has allowed me to meet and connect with MANY people in Jalingo. If I were taking taxis and bikes all over town, I would have missed hundreds of conversations and have many fewer friends. People here are so open and friendly and are very interested in engaging in conversation and trekking, an aberrant behavior here, is a perfect conversation starter. I love it!

Going to the market or electronics shop is not like visiting HEB or Best Buy where the employees are there one day and gone the next, but these shops are the peoples livelihoods and LIVES! They are always there and ALWAYS ready to chat! Sometimes I'll decide to stop in for a pure water at a store that I've passed day after day and invariably they'll ask me where I'm going and why I always trek and a new friend is made!

I'd like to live somewhere that is conducive to trekking. Everything and everyone seems so much more connected that way...much more of a community!

Skin Color

Again...the topic is perspective, but this time it's in relationship to skin color. My entire life I've fought against being really white. When I was younger (and I still fight the urge as an adult) I used to purposefully try to be out in the sun without sunscreen. Now this did and still does mean trying to evade my mother and her endless warnings about the perils of skin cancer, which I'm fully aware of and find myself preaching to others. My motivation was of course to become tan, or have darker skin. While everyone was tanning prior to prom, I was being told there is no way I would ever be allowed to do that. (I'm now extremely thankful for that and regularly teach my students about the dangers of tanning beds.) The point of all this is, white Americans have a strong desire to be tan, or darker than they are naturally made to be.

I don't know why I never realized the obsession that black Africans have with being lighter. They do everything to stay out of the sun and avoid anything that might cause them to be darker. They also buy creams and lotions to bleach their skin in order to make it lighter. It cracked me up! My Nigerian friends were aghast that people in the US try to be darker! :)

I think we need to all simply embrace the color that God has made us instead of trying to modify His creation! :)

Lesson in Humility

I was pretty nervous before coming here about how the other science teachers would perceive and respond to some girl from the US coming and trying to implement all her American teaching techniques and labs. I worked really hard to keep my suggestions to a minimum in the beginning and simply teach my own classes according to my student-centered, hands-on way. I have been so blessed with wonderful colleagues at the school and specifically the four teachers within the science department. Of the four, only one has had any appreciable training within the field of education and none of them had done any practicals (hands-on lab activities) either in their secondary science education or during their higher education. They had simply been taught everything on a theoretical level. Needless to say, practicals were not being done because it is difficult to improvise with materials and do activities that you have never experienced yourself.

I was pleasantly surprised and excited when they were really interested in doing and learning how to implement many of the activities. Specifically, the teacher who teaches Integrated Science was very interested when she saw the JS3 students doing an acid-base activity using basic household materials such as various fruit, soap, baking soda, bleach, etc to test the pH values with a pH meter (Thank You OLLU Grant!), blue and red litmus paper. I told her I’d be happy to write up what I did and give it to her. She said, “No, I want to DO it!” So, we got out the materials that we’d just used in class for her to try. She was enamored by the pH meter because she had only read about such devices before, but never actually seen one and when it gave her a numerical value for pH, she was delighted. Then, when we got to the pH paper, she was telling me the definitions about how red litmus paper turns blue in a base, but she had never actually taken a slip of the paper and dipped it into a solution and SEEN it change! She was giddy with excitement!

When we were done, she was SO incredibly grateful for showing her the new practical and looking forward to implementing it! There was not an ounce of pride or irritation that I was showing her something that she didn’t know. I feel that oftentimes in the US, I am reluctant to appear ignorant about certain things want to prove my abilities…especially to other science teachers. However, by feigning understanding or boasting about what I do know, I am only limiting what I can learn from others around me. I was humbled by my friend’s unassuming and willing attitude and hope that I am able to emulate that mindset as I join a new staff back in Madison, WI…(hopefully…we can all be praying that Madison Metropolitan School District wants to hire me as a chemistry teacher!)

Misconceptions about the U.S.-Addition!

I know that prior to coming here, I had many misconceptions about how life here in Nigeria, specifically Jalingo and they are being correct daily. However, I wasn't aware just how absurd some of the misconceptions were about the U.S. Here are a few that I have found amusing:

1. White people from the US can't sing and clap at the same time.
(Now, while I agree that my sense of rhythm is significantly inferior to that of the Nigerians around me, I CAN clap and sing simultaneously!)

2. Walking down the street in the US, you are likely to get shot.
(I try to convince them that the movies are not real life. While there are murders that take place, if you are mindful, you will be safe!)

3. When you turn 18 years old, the government provides you your own home and a salary.
(Yeah right! I laughed pretty hard at that one!!)

4. There are no poor people in America.
(They are shocked to hear that there are hungry, homeless and jobless people in the US.)

5. People lose power in the US, just not as often as in Nigeria.
(They can't fathom electricity 24/7!)

I'm sure there are others that I'm forgetting, but there are high-profile people that are propagating these crazy myths because everyone tells me the same things. They don't believe me that I'm not living in a government-provided home...We all have a lot to learn about our neighbors across the ocean!

6. People in the US commonly participate in contract marriages. They claim that here it's legal and acceptable for people to agree to only be married for a certain number of years.
(Now I recognize that divorce is exceedingly common in the US which is a shame, but I tried to explain that people here don't PLAN to only be married for a short time...it just happens. They were surprised!)

Picture Update...though this the same link as previously, there are more pictures added to "February Fun"...despite the fact that it's March. Sometimes the process is a little slow!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=61701&id=501312909&l=f8c53ad007

Faith in Nigerians!

I left my flash drive at the internet cafe. I was pretty sure I was never going to see it again. Every time a Nigerian sees my flash, they are enamored by it despite the fact that I have seen exact replicas here in Jalingo. However, to my delight and surprise, when I walked into the cafe 4 days later, it was had been collected and kept for me!!! YAY! While the Nigerian government may be one of most corrupt entities in existence, there are many wonderful and honest Nigerians with integrity!

Slowing Down

Living in Jalingo has been trying to teach me to slow down since I arrived. Many of the strategies it has attempted haven’t been my mechanisms of choice i.e. slow internet, random power outages, waiting 15 minutes for a taxi before remembering why I trek everywhere. However, today I recognize the value of taking 3 hours to complete a task that could have been accomplished in 20 minutes. Whereas back home, I’m certain I never considered that to be a valuable skill. Now, accomplishing a 3 hour task in 20 minutes that was frequently a goal and occasionally attained.

Today, I was able to appreciate the value in slowing down long enough to:
-eat oranges with the magazine salesman and find out that he is getting his masters in Agricultural Science;
-sit down and have a 15 minute conversation with a woman who sits alone at a mattress shop all day;
-learn a few new Hausa phrases from the guy who tried to fix my phone, was willing to lend me a charger in a crunch;
-reduce my “solider-like” pace so that I could walk with a group of little Muslim girls who were thrilled to “shake me”;
-express my gratitude that my pocket-sized supermarket had finally stocked Diet Coke and let them know low-fat milk would be a good next step;
-heed a “tsssst” from across the way to explain why I don’t want to print my digital pictures from a standard printer while holding the smiliest Nigerian baby I had ever seen;
-sit down outside the restaurant by my house to listen to the little girls’ song and memory verse from school today.

Now, while I recognize that having more than 10 stops and conversations doesn’t necessarily sound like slowing down, for me it is. I wasn’t in a hurry. I was able to sit and linger in conversation with people without checking my watch. As I sit here, I wonder if this scenario is possible in the US. I know that I can purposefully free up my schedule, but would there be the same opportunities for impromptu, leisurely conversation or is everyone such a slave to pre-determined activities that even if I did make a conscious effort to make myself available would there be anyone around to interact with? I used to associate slowing down with being lazy, unproductive, and lonely, but I am beginning to see it in a new light.

Ice as a Delicacy!

Ice...it's something that most people in the US have in their freezer right now...(unless someone forgot to refill the ice tray)! However, here in Jalingo, with extremely limited electricity, cold water is a treat. Ice is a mere figment of one's imagination. Therefore, when I wanted to do a practical where the students plot a heating curve by starting with ice water and taking the temperature every 30 seconds until it's boiling. I knew that finding "ice blocks", as they're called here, would be challenging so I was grateful when a friend of mine offered to take his car and get them for me the morning of the lab.

What I hadn't fully anticipated was that the students went CRAZY when they saw ice. They were basically heartbroken when they had to place the ice in the water and purposefully melt it. Then, they kept coming up saying they needed a few more pieces of ice because it wasn't quite cold enough...yeah...really they were eating it!

At the end of the day, I had one block left and I took it to the staff room where it was quickly parceled off. As I was laughing to myself about the fact that everyone was so excited about ice, I realized that I hadn't had any ice since August and I was pretty excited about it too! :)

Journey to Gembu!

Since arriving in Jalingo, I’ve been told about Gembu. It is located in Taraba State on the Mambila Plateau, which I vividly remember seeing on a map as I was reading the World Book Encyclopedia article in the Wilton Public Library before leaving. Needless to say, after listening to countless people rave about it for months I was both excited yet slightly doubtful that it was as wonderful as people were claiming. Regardless, I was eager to finally see it for myself!

I went with two friends from school, Asper and Helen and a driver. We left Friday morning and spent most of the morning driving to the base of the plateau. We stopped to have lunch at this little “restaurant”. I have eaten at enough of these “dives” to know that even though the look dilapidated, austere, and a little scary I have never been disappointed with the food! It’s also entertaining to hear from my friends the incredulous comments of the other customers in the restaurant that I’m not only eating there, but I’m eating tuwo and soup with my hand!

After lunch, we proceeded along the meandering road up to the top of the plateau. The change in elevation provided the most delightful reprieve from oppressively hot and sticky weather! Soon, we were surrounded by rolling mountains, towering eucalyptus trees, roaming cattle sans herdsman (up here, the cattle are smarter and can find their way home each night!) and a delightfully cool breeze!

We visited the Highland Tea fields and factory. This whole new experience is detailed in the pictures and captions. Then, we went to the Mambila Baptist Hospital which is locally and aptly known as the “Bush Hospital” because it’s most definitely located in the bush. While we were there, we were invited to participate in the going away party, known here as a Send Forth, for one of their doctors. It was nice to get to share in the celebration and have a mini-worship service!

My friend Ezekiel is from Gembu, so although he was unable to come along, he connected us with his brother. He walked us around town and took us to their parents’ home which was fun. The language barrier was a bit of a challenge, but we were able to manage. A few times it was pretty funny because I would say something in English, then Helen would translate my American English into Nigerian English pronunciation, then his brother would translate that to Hausa so that his parents could understand. This system isn’t exactly conducive to long, in-depth conversation, but it worked!

Sunday morning, Ezekiel’s brother led us on an excursion to a “near-by” village that can only be reached via motorcycles. The experience is what I would term indescribable, but I’ll try!  These so-called roads were actually more like uneven, rocky paths that wound up and down, around mountains, through valleys, next to small farming plots. As I was gripping onto the back of the seat of my motorcycle with one hand, I was holding my camera with the other hand trying to somehow capture the passing women trekking the 12km to Gembu, banana and pear (avocado) trees, and the majestically green and pristine beauty that was surrounding me on all sides.

Then, we reached the Donga River. It can only be crossed by canoe, so we each boarded a canoe with our motorcycle, driver and poler. Yep, I felt like I was riding in a gondola in Venice, except it was better because we were able to buy fresh bananas from a man sharing our canoe and gaze at mountains along the way! We made it to the village safely, met the village chief, toured their water distribution system, see a school, church and eat some delicious and ginormous avocados before returning back to Gembu and heading back to Jalingo.

I felt so incredibly blessed to have experienced this excursion. People here in rural Nigeria never travel for pleasure, only when the trip is absolutely necessary. Therefore, when I returned, I realized that many of the people who had told me about Gembu had never actually been there themselves! It was a wonderful opportunity to see, feel, smell, and taste the delights of this luscious place created by God!

Here's the link for pictures!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=63882&id=501312909&l=97991

Pictures!

I just visited Gembu this past week and had a terrific time. I finally understand why Taraba State's slogan is "Nature's Gift to the Nation"...it was beautiful, green, cool, forested with eucalyptus trees, mountainous...pretty much amazing! I LOVED it! There will be pictures from the excursion soon.

Here are some links to pictures from the last few months (finally facebook and blogspot are working at the same internet cafe...it's a miracle)!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=54508&id=501312909&l=a0fa7
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=61701&id=501312909&l=f8c53

Black-eyed Peas, Dates and Spam

There have been some other missionaries from the US here recently which has provided some people to be able to provide a little American perspective on things which I had lacked for about 5 months. Here is one conversation:
Missionary: "How do you like the black-eyed peas?"
Me: "Ewww...black-eye peas?! I haven't seen anything like that here!"
Missionary: "So you don't eat the beans here?"
Me: "Of course I eat the beans...they're delicious especially mixed with the rice!"
Missionary: "They're black-eyed peas."
Me: "Who knew?!"

A similar situation happened with "palm nuts". I really enjoy them because they're one of the few really sweet foods here. I was nervous to eat them at first because they aren't peeled first, they're just eaten. Clearly, I've become a little daring! I bought them for the people from Nebraska who were here visiting because they're so good! As I was sharing them, they told me, these are dates. Really?! I didn't think I liked dates, but I love these little guys.

My parents sent me spam in a care package. Now, I have been truly enjoying the packets of tuna, loving the vacuum packed salmon and found the canned chicken pleasantly delightful especially when seasoned with Rudy's seasoning, but I was skeptical about spam! However, there was a recipe suggestion on the tin to make an egg mc muffin concoction, so I decided to give it a shot! It was surprisingly decent! I had never eaten spam before, but I feel that it was an acceptable sausage substitute...and it's produced in Austin, MN, so I felt a little closer to home this morning. :)

Progress

Oftentimes, progress seems slow. However, it’s kind of exciting when you can see marked difference! I had the opportunity to travel with some missionaries who have been here from Nebraska out to the villages of Bagarmi and Garbabi, which are two places that I visited on my initial tour o’ Nigeria when I first arrived.

Last Sunday we traveled to the small village of Bagarmi to attend worship because one of the churches in Nebraska has a partnership with it. When I had gone there in August, we had celebrated the well that had been installed and this time the church had been upgraded from a dirt floor to a cement floor! It was also fun to recognize some familiar faces.

Then on Tuesday, we went back to the Bible training school in Garbabi. There, we had identified the place where a borehole well was to be drilled. The students were all having to haul water from a river multiple kilometers away where the illness, River Blindness, runs rampant. This time, it was so exciting to be able to see the joy that the students are all receiving from having a hand pump well making clean water much more accessible to everyone! It was also neat that many of the people remembered me from back in August!

While many people may have the opportunity to come and do short-term work, there are really some great blessings that can only come with being somewhere for an extended period of time. These simple projects have all come to fruition over the past 6 months that I've been here. It’s pretty sweet to partake in the celebrations!!

‘Barrow Pusher

I remember the days when I could turn on a faucet and drink the water. Now, I must buy bottled, rather sachet, water. One can purchase a large bag containing 20 mini-bags for under a dollar which is really a lot cheaper than buying bottled water and just as safe as long as I buy the right brands. However, it’s kind of amazing how fast I can go through a bag. I was getting tired of running out of water at inopportune times, so I decided to ask my friend, who cooks outside my house, if I could borrow her wheelbarrow to get multiple bags at one time from the store down the street. She graciously agreed, so I started off.

I didn’t really think about the image this would create. I just knew that I needed lots of water and the wheelbarrow seemed the most expedient way to do it. However, as soon as I started out down the road and saw the look on the peoples’ face I knew that I was doing was counter-cultural. Upon further reflection, I realized that only the lowest level of society pushes wheel barrows. Everyone who saw me or passed me couldn’t help but laugh.

There’s a really strong culture of hierarchy here and the idea that any white person, who is highly revered within society, would push a wheelbarrow is crazy! I successfully got the water and successfully entertained everyone that I encountered. Good times!

Carolyn Carter: Trend-Setter

Yeah…who ever thought that would be a phrase uttered or even considered by anyone!?!? Alas, it has been brought to my attention that I have unknowingly started a new trend amongst the running community of Jalingo. Because of the necessity to run at freakishly early times (when it is still pitch dark without street lights), I have been carrying a little flashlight with me. Since I can pull the “I’m a foreigner” card here, I wasn’t too concerned by the fact that I had never seen another runner carrying a light. I simply wanted to avoid breaking an ankle (I’ve heard from fellow friends living in Africa that it’s not fun!) by falling into a pothole and provide a way for vehicles to avoid hitting me. However, I was recently alerted by my friend that if I look around other people are now carrying flashlights when they run in the morning. He’s right! Wow…I don’t think I’ve ever started a trend before, but I’m glad that my initial one promotes safety first! :)

Can we try this?!

I like to think that I'm not easily manipulated...especially by students. However, I've discovered a weak spot. When students are inquisitive and propose scientific investigations, I'll do most anything to try to accommodate their curiosities. When I first came, I had to beg students to ask questions, but they have definitely come around! I was so excited last week when one of my JS3 Integrated Science Students came up to me after a class of talking about acids and bases. We had tested different fruits and household materials with a pH probe (thank you OLLU grant!), and litmus paper, and it had gotten him thinking. He came up and asked me,

"Is urine acidic or basic?"
"What do you think?"
"I don't know...can I test it with litmus paper?"
"Why don't you come up with a hypothesis first, then I'll get you some pieces for you to test with. Report back with some data for me!"

He hypothesized basic...wrong hypothesis, but that's okay! When he tested it with red and blue litmus paper...just to be sure...he concluded urine is most definitely acidic. So fun!!!

Then, some SS3 boys who were way too cool to talk to me for the first term have now decided that they're interested in "practicalizing" things. They were looking through the Children's Encyclopedia in the library and found an experiment...the age-old baking soda and vinegar volcano! They had written out the entire procedure, and come to me asking if they could try it during their free period. Of course, I enthusiastically indulged them! They created an excellent volcano out of dirt and proceeded to perform the most measured and accurate baking soda and vinegar volcano I've ever seen.

It was GREAT! They were really excited...well...as excited as 18 year old cool guys get! They must have enjoyed it because today they came back and we attempted to create a copper/zinc battery. That one was a little more complex and a little less successful, but I love the fact that they're interested and trying things! (I did put the kabosh on them wanting to use mercury. I told them it's illegal in US school, I won't subject myself to it.) Yay for science experiments!!!

Mosquito Nets

When I first came to Nigeria, I was appalled by the fact that some people didn’t sleep with mosquito nets! My thought process went something to the effect of “Really?! This is such a simple and inexpensive way to prevent malaria and you’re willing to be so reckless with your life?!” I just didn’t understand.

5 months later…

I now understand. I detest my mosquito net. Every night I have a mental argument in my head that goes something like this:
“I really don’t want to use that mosquito net.”
“Carolyn Carter, this mosquito net will protect you from mosquitoes…and malaria!”
“But, you’re taking an anti-malarial drug…you’re protected!”
“Do you really want to take a chance of contracting a disease which has lifelong lasting effects?”
“There aren’t even any mosquitoes in the room!”
“What would your mother say?!”
“She’s not here…you can make your own choices…besides aren’t you sick of getting twisted in it?!”
“Suck it up, Carolyn…use the net”

The “good voice” has won out every night. However, I must admit that I had decided one night that I would do my devotion without being covered by it with full intentions of having a net-free night, but I got a mosquito bite and took that as a sign that I should keep with the UMC and NBA slogan “Nothing but nets!”

A Day in My Jalingo Life

I went to school from 7:10-2:30, came home ate some lunch and then decided to trek about 2 miles to the hospital supply shop to buy a few chemicals that we needed. Now, I could take a cab for about 20 cents, but I enjoy the exercise and opportunity to meet, greet and chat with people along the way.

Here is a prime example: there is this one location where I always see men selling rat poison along the side of the road and found it quite amusing that they “advertise” by holding up a bundle of dead rats hanging from a string! Every time I see them I laugh to myself. Today, at the prompting of a friend, I decided to ask them how long they had been using those particular rats. Well, these guys were really excited to talk with me despite the fact that I assured them I didn’t need any rat poison (but I’ll now know where to go if I do). They told me that the rats that they used are dried and preserved to be used for this purpose. (Therefore, I feel that those same rat have been being used for quite some time…they looked a little aged!) They then continued to ask me where I work, how long I’ve been here, and share the fact that in secondary school they studied arts and not science. In short, I have two more friends in Jalingo, but the day was not over!

When I arrived at the chemical store, I kind of wanted it to be a fast transaction (I’ll never learn…) so that I could make it home to watch the inauguration that I thought was at 4pm. However, I was given a seat and served a Maltonic as we figured out what chemicals he had and which ones he’d have to order (because it’s Jalingo, and of course few things are actually in stock). Then, I explained to him that his costs were exorbitantly high and I am trying to help the children of Nigeria, therefore he should work with me. We continued to go back and forth and in the process he brought me a meat pie. By the time we had agreed on prices for the materials he had and what he was ordering, we had exchanged phone numbers he had promised to come greet me and we were new friends. I had also resigned that I would mark this inauguration by conducting business the way it was described in the book Three Cups of Tea (read it!).

I walked back home with my purchases and stopped by the Bishop’s house to see if there was some residual coverage of the inauguration and was delighted to find that it was just starting at 5:30! I watched the historic event with rapt attention and feelings of excitement and hope (and a little jealousy of the 4-5 friends that I know where amongst the throngs of people present in the cold). Then, just as Obama was walking up to take his oath of office, NEPA went off. That’s right...I had to laugh…there were about 8 of us watching, they had forced me to stand up to honor the president-elect…just as he reached the front, we lost power. We ran to turn on the generator, and it was turned on just in time for us to see them now presenting the 44th President of the United States of America! Funny! However, I was thankful that I got to see the rest of the program and his heartening speech. I am encouraged that he called the American people to action, sacrifice, and steadfastness in the face of the many challenges. I hope and pray that this new administration will lead in an innovative, just and honorable way.

To finish the night, I returned to my house to kill 4 cockroaches, a spider the size of a 50 cent piece and type up some emails to send the next day. All-in-all, it was a typical day for me in Jalingo filled with new friendships, lessons learned, and unexpected joys accompanied by a few hiccups along the way.

New Hair-do

I got my hair platted. For all of you who have no idea what this means (which would have included me prior to moving to Jalingo) it means to braid your hair in tiny little braids and mostly applies to Africans and African-Americans….and now to me!  Everyone had been bugging me to try it basically since I arrived, and I decided that January was the time!

It was a LONG 7.5 hour process, which thankfully didn’t really hurt as had been predicted by my Nigerian friends. I was pretty self-conscious about how I looked when I first got done despite the fact that I knew my friend had done a great job! I think I would still be very self-conscious in Iowa, but the Nigerian-me has embraced it and enjoys it! 

When I was told that I couldn’t wash my hair for the duration of the style that concerned me. I’m the girl who goes crazy if she doesn’t wash it everyday and now I’m being told to wait a few weeks! AHHHH!! Let me tell you that I had it done on Saturday, got used to it on Sunday and Monday it started to itch and Tuesday I thought I was going to tear my hair out…it was bad! However, I made it through and it’s now Friday and not bothering me at all. In fact, I sometimes forget that it’s been a week since the last wash. (Sidenote: showers really aren’t any faster because one has to be much more careful about not getting it wet and in the absence of a shower cap, I have resorted to a plastic bag…it works!)

When you check out the pictures, read the comments as it explains how the process worked.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=54508&l=a0fa7&id=501312909

Pictures!

Here is the link to some Abuja pictures and some more Jos pictures...good times!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=52075&l=2c8cc&id=501312909
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=52479&l=50ab9&id=501312909

I got my hair platted...braided...and there will be pictures when the internet decides to cooperate! :) Pretty exciting!

Helmets

When I arrived in Jalingo, I did not see a single person on a motorcycle wearing a helmet. When I traveled to Jos, I saw a couple. When I traveled to Abuja, I saw a few. Then, on New Year’s Eve, I saw a commercial on TV, while watching the news, saying that as of January 1, 2009 all motorcyclists must wear a helmet or they would be fined. I was skeptical that anything would change. However on January 1, I was SHOCKED! In Abuja, about 60% of them were wearing helmets and in Jos about 50% of the hundreds, possibly thousands, of motorcyclists were wearing them. Now, these helmets are not all your standard-issued safety-approved helmets, but it’s a start. Some were legitimate helmets, others were construction-style hard hats, but my favorite ones had been created from calabassa. That’s right, a helmet made from the thin outer covering of a gourd! Hilarious! Upon returning to Jalingo, I may have seen one helmet in the last week I’ve been home. Jalingo is definitely a little behind when it comes to implementing new policies, so maybe it will catch on by the end of the year! :)

New Year's in Abuja!

After a challenging Christmas, New Year’s was EXCELLENT! One would think after discovering that birthday parties, weddings, and choir concerts all are really church services, I shouldn’t have been surprised to figure out that New Year’s celebrations here are also church services, but I was! I was also a little skeptical. However, as with everything here, I just went with the flow and was pleasantly surprised!

I welcomed in 2009 at Living Faith Church in Nyanya. This church was by far the hugest church that I’ve been to in Nigeria. It had quite a few similarities to the church I attended in San Antonio. One similarity that I was really excited about was seeing the words to the worship songs projected on a screen! It makes it so much easier to learn songs when one can see printed words…especially when some of the songs are in different tribal languages!

After some spirited worship, we were led in a time of prayer and reflection about the previous year. I found myself remembering back to some points throughout the past year where I was really struggling: trying to survive grad school classes, feeling completely inadequate teaching AP Chemistry, wondering if I was ever going to get everything ready to go to Nigeria, freaking out the first night of being here in Jalingo. I was completely overwhelmed by how faithful God had been to me throughout all of these situations.

We heard a great sermon and then right before midnight we all (probably a couple thousand people) all lit candles and welcomed in the New Year! It was so powerful! The next 10 minutes or so were spent in prayer regarding the upcoming year. It’s such a different approach than is typically taken in the US, but it was really meaningful. Now, it has been a family tradition to go to the church around New Year’s Eve and do a mini-version of this, thanking God for the past year and praying for the upcoming year. My brother and I have almost always loathed and complained about this wondering why we can’t be like “normal families”. Granted, candle light with thousands of other people in a corporate worship experience is a little more dramatic, but this experience has enabled me to appreciate this “weird family thing” in a new way. It only took 26 years.

Waiting with Confidence

In Abuja, Laitu and I stayed in the “mother-in-law” apartment. I went to the bathroom to bath and was closing the door. I guess I didn’t realize that the door had never closed completely the four previous days that I’d stayed there. On this day, I was trying to get it closed and it latched. As soon as it happened, I knew I was in trouble. It definitely wouldn’t open, so I decided to take my bucket shower and wait. I tried yelling out the window. I tried knocking on the door hoping that people outside would hear me. No one did. I had no watch, no phone, no clothes, but I did have confidence.

I knew that eventually, Laitu would come in the apartment to bathe. I didn’t know how long it would take, but I knew that she would come and I was confident that we would be able to get me out! While I was sitting, waiting for her to come in, I had some time to think (because after you’re clean there’s not a lot else to do) and realized that this is the type of confidence that I should have when approaching God in prayer.

She did come. I’m not sure how long it took, but it was a while. A spoon rescued me and it was the start of a new day with a new lesson!