Nigeria-Cameroon 2006

Yes, that's why promoting global awareness is critical...

2006-08-28T19:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks for sharing, Thomas!

Dear Mr. Wills,

Nigeria and Kenya are different countries!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060827/ap_on_re_af/kenya_obama

Obama visits notorious slum in Nigeria
By CHRISTOPHER WILLS, Associated Press Writer Sun Aug 27, 6:21 PM ET
NAIROBI, Kenya - Sen. Barack Obama visited one of the world's worst slums Sunday, where he told residents he wants everyone in America to know about their plight and promised to push the U.S. and Kenyan government to help.

About a third of Nairobi's total population, at least 700,000 people, are crammed into a single square mile in the slum of Kibera, with little access to running water and other basic services.
"I love all of you, my brothers — all of you, my sisters" Obama told a crowd in Kibera. "I want to make sure everybody in American knows Kibera. That's why we have all the news crews."
The Illinois Democrat arrived in Kenya Thursday for his first visit to his father's homeland since taking office.
On Sunday, he visited a program to start small businesses, and also stopped by an
AIDS prevention program in Kibera. The program is affiliated with the University of North Carolina and he met with students who are part of local abstinence campaigns. The group, called Carolina for Kibera, estimates one in five of the slum's population is HIV positive.
AIDS prevention has been a theme of Obama's visit. On Saturday, he and his wife, Michelle, underwent public HIV tests at a hospital in Kenyan city of Kisumu in an effort to reduce the public stigma associated with HIV testing.
"Everybody in Kibera needs the same opportunities to go to school, to start businesses, to have enough to eat, to have decent clothes," Obama said over a megaphone as hundreds of cheering people surrounded him.
The slum stands in sharp contrast to the elegant homes, luxurious hotels and impressive office buildings found elsewhere in the city. Kibera residents are mostly squatters, with no legal claim on the land.
Kenyans have claimed Obama as one of their own, even though he was mostly raised in Hawaii and did not know his Kenyan father well.
Obama's father, also named Barack, grew up herding goats and going to tin-roof schools, but he won a college scholarship in Hawaii. There, he married Obama's mother. The two soon separated, however, and Obama's father eventually returned to Kenya and worked as a government economist.
His father died in a car crash in 1982, leaving three wives, six sons and a daughter.
Earlier Sunday, Obama flew to Wajir, a rural area in northeastern Kenya near the borders with Somalia and Ethiopia. The area is at the epicenter of a severe drought that has hit the Horn of Africa region after erratic and insufficient rains during the April-June season.
Malnutrition levels in parts of the northeastern province are more than double the 15 percent level at which an emergency is declared by U.N. standards.
Obama said he inspected a project to help prevent disease among the herds of cattle, goats and camels raised by the region's Muslim herders.
He also learned about efforts to resolve conflicts among local clans, which he said is important for preventing the violence and turmoil in neighboring countries.
Obama and his family traveled Saturday to Nyangoma-Kogelo, a tiny village in the rural west where his father grew up. Obama stopped at his father's grave and also visited his 85-year-old grandmother.

Uh-oh!

2006-08-14T06:23:00.000-07:00

Just because of a few extremists, travel is difficult in Nigeria... Let me assure you, though, that most Nigerians are nice and wonderful people, glad to offer hospitality to any American visitors.

U.S. Consulate General, Lagos
Warden Message
14 August 2006

United States Consulate,
Lagos, Nigeria
Consular Section
2 Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria
Tel: 01-261-0078/1414
E-mail: lagoscons2@state.gov

The U.S. Consulate has received credible reports that several expatriates were seized from an evening venue in Port Harcourt on Sunday, August 13. This venue is believed to be popular among expatriates living in Port Harcourt. This act represents a significant escalation in the recent kidnappings that have been taking place in the Port Harcourt and Niger Delta region.

If anyone has any information regarding this incident or would like to report a missing person, please contact the U.S. Consulate in Lagos or U.S. Embassy in Abuja immediately.

The U.S. Mission to Nigeria advises all American citizens to practice extreme caution in their daily activities and to avoid travel to the region. Americans in the area should limit their travel, particularly at night, and should avoid public venues whenever possible. Americans should review their security procedures, remain vigilant to their surroundings, and report specific incidences of targeted violence to the U.S. Consulate in Lagos at 01-261-0050. You may also email the Lagos Consular Section at lagoscons2@state.gov.

Americans are encouraged to read the Department of State’s February 17, 2006 Travel Warning regarding travel to Nigeria (available online at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_928.html) and the Worldwide Caution announcement released on June 6, 2006 (available online at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1161.html).

U.S. citizens in Nigeria are strongly encouraged to register with the Department of State at https://travelregistration.state.gov. Those without Internet access may register in person at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja or the Consulate General in Lagos and obtain information there on travel and security in Nigeria.

U.S. Embassy Abuja is located at 11 Mambilla Street (off Aso Drive), Maitama District, Abuja; the telephone number is 09-523-0960.

The U.S. Consulate Lagos is located at 2 Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos; the telephone number is 01-261-1215.

For after-hours emergencies, call 011 [234] (1) 261-1414, 261-0195, 261-0078, 261-0139, or 261-6477.

Sad News

2006-08-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

Sad News from University of Buea

"I just learned of the tragic death in a car accident of
Chief Dr. John M.O. Ebanja. He sat in for the vice-Chancellor during the seminar at the University of Buea, Cameroon. He died alongside his wife and a four month old baby along the Douala-Bamenda road. May their soul rest in eternal peace and may God Bless their families."

Valentine

Thanks, Valentine, for letting us know. Our lives are so short and unpredictable... Please keep these families in your prayers...

Answer

2006-08-11T20:48:00.000-07:00

Somebody asked how to see all postings -- just scroll down to Archives and click on the month. If you are still having any problems, email me at tally_books@yahoo.com.

Remember this article?

2006-08-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

http://allafrica.com/stories/200607120223.html

Nigeria: Nigeria, US Collaborate On Distance Education

Lagos, July 11, 2006
Posted to the web July 12, 2006

Bukola Olatunji & Juliana Taiwo

The National Universities Commission (NUC) is facilitating a series of collaboration between the country's university system and that of the State of Georgia in the United States of America (USA).

To that effect, a U.S. Faculty Development Seminar delegation has arrived the country at the invitation of the NUC and has held meetings with top government officials, including the Ministers of Education and Women Affairs, legislators, and also attended a seminar on "Management of Distance Education in Nigeria Universities. They are also visiting the Universities of Abuja, Jos and Lagos, the last tomorrow, before going on to Duala later in the month.

Areas of expected collaboration include, the development of distance education, research, capacity building.

In a Digital Video Conference held at the US Consulate in Abuja, for the visitors to interact with journalists in Federal Capital and Lagos some members of the team, the Coordinator of the collaboration programme, Assistant Dean and Professor of Criminal Justice, Georgia College of Arts and Sciences, Olufunke Fontenot, who is also a Nigerian said the Georgia university system has one of the highest numbers of institutions in the US, with 35 higher institutions.

She promised, on behalf of the team to assist the country in its quest to achieve excellence in the area of distance learning, even as the team expects both individual faculty and institutional collaborations.

Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof. Peter Okebukola said no fewer than 30,000 students are undergoing different programmes in distance learning in the country. The University of Abuja topped the list with 15, 000 students, while the remaining 15, 000 were shared between the universities of Lagos and Ibadan.

"We are getting more universities to be interested in distance learning and Obafemi Awolowo University has already indicated interest", he further said.

He predicted that about 10 percent of students enrolled in the university system in the next five years, would be through the distance learning mode. At the Lagos end of the DVC, Dr. Ronke Ogunmakin of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) told the visitors that the institution has admitted two sets of students, the first 10, 000 and the second, 31, 000, bringing the total enrolment to 41.

University of Jos Papers

2006-08-02T14:03:00.000-07:00

www.unijos.edu.ng/

Hmmm... link did not work... Let's try this: www.unijos.edu.ng/Partnership/Advancements/News.htm

If these links don't work, try typing the address directly into the address bar or contact me at tally_books@yahoo.com for help.

African Salad

2006-07-28T10:26:00.000-07:00

Our driver/tour guide/cook served this delicious salad on several occassions and I loved it for great taste as well as simplicity. Thanks, Sam!

Ingredients:

White Cabbage, finely shredded (or buy coleslaw mix)
Red Cabbage, finely shredded
Onions (slice into rings)
Hard-boiled eggs (slice or half, your choice)
Carrots, grated
Tomatoes, sliced
Avocado, sliced
Dressing of your choice (he used a mixture of mayo, sugar, oil, and vinegar, I think; tasted like Thousand Island dressing, maybe?)
Optional: add slices of meat and/or cheese as well

Do NOT mix ingredients -- just arrange in a nice pattern on a large plate and serve dressing separately. It looks and tastes great!

Very Cool CD

2006-07-27T16:19:00.000-07:00

One of our seminar participants was Dr. Anthony Kellman, a very gifted author and singer/songwriter. Check out his latest CD at www.cdbaby.com/akellman. You will NOT be disappointed, I promise!

Request

2006-07-27T16:16:00.000-07:00

Since I could not send postcards from Africa, I am going to create my own cards. As you are browsing through my photos, could you please suggest your favorites? You can either email me or post a comment here. Many, many thanks!

Also, if you did not request a postcard yet, it's not too late. :)

Day 23: July 25, 2006

2006-07-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

OK, last day...

Woke up at 3:30 a.m. and automatically went through a morning routine.

Left my parents' house at 4:30 a.m.

Drove to Bainbridge -- with a top down, yeah! Cool air rushing by and messing up my hair, everything smells so good, birds chirping, great music playing -- life is great even though I am sleepy...

Made it in four hours -- not bad, not bad... wasn't speeding, now -- just no traffic and so no delays. :)

Stopped by my house -- no time to unpack but wanted to see my cats. They acted like I came back from space or something! Feel bad about leaving them but somebody has to earn money for food and litter, right?

Had a quick breakfast and made a thermos of hot strong tea -- it should help me to get through the day. I am a little dizzy and have a sore throat; that guy on the flight to Atlanta did manage to spread his germs. Yuck!

Drove to work (thankfully, only five mins away).

Taught a class -- 9:40 a.m. to 11:20 a.m.

Waded through some emails, made some phone calls, and prepared for a seminar.

Taught a seminar -- 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Since we talked about netiquette, I was able to share some of my African experience with the group (nine guys, very bright and interested, all supervisors from a local company). We have three more sessions so I look forward to working with them.

Stopped by the grocery store, picked up fresh milk, juice, and Tylenol Cold Extra Strength.

Oooooh, feels great to be home! Worked a little... Played with cats... Fell asleep in my own bed (Mom changed sheets last week when they were checking on my house -- so crisp and fragrant... Thanks, Mom!)

My trip to Africa is over but I will always cherish the experience and share it with anybody who listens. Great trip, great people, great experience! :)

Day 22: July 24, 2006

2006-07-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

After sleeping in (Mom still keeps my old room intact and it's always great to be back home), I enjoyed Mom's breakfast (yum -- she is a great cook) and then worked on my brother's laptop for several hours (battery on my laptop is very low and I left all cords in my checked-in luggage).

Hugged my car -- just kidding! I did miss it since I did not get to drive it long before leaving on this trip.

Mom and I drove to the airport; arrived just in time for Frankfurt flight. No bags, though. Talked to Lufthansa customer service agent and told to wait -- late bags are sent in the last batch. OK -- as long as they are in Atlanta, I am fine. Took forever! It's too late to drive home. I am skittish after my last run-in with a deer (when I stopped but stupid animal slammed into my old car anyway) and don't like driving back roads after dark.

Mom and I went out to eat -- haven't been to IHOP in ages and enjoyed Swedish-style crepes and talking with Mom (even more than the meal). I was so glad to leave my parents' house after moving to Bainbridge and enjoy my independence; still, it's great to have them within easy driving distance. They are the best parents in the world as far as I am concerned. If I ever get married, my husband will have a wonderful mother-in-law. :)

Day 21: July 23, 2006

2006-07-26T11:21:00.000-07:00

Landed in Brussels, Belgium. Got stuck in the passport control checkpoint -- why does it take so long? Why do they need to check our passpors if we are only transit travelers? Anyway, barely made to the gate. Apparently, they were waiting for us -- no usual safety instructions so I assume flight attendants already compeleted that.

The seat next to me is empty on this flight so I have more space to stretch. It's only one hour, though.

Landed in Frankfurt, Germany. The flight is late because of a weather system over Frankfurt. We were directed to another terminal and had to run to another terminal. I was helping Jan and thought my arms will fall off after carrying three carry-on bags. But I am in a pretty good shape and exercise was fine. Poor Jan was openly crying and was in great pain. We should have gotten a wheelchair for her but there was no time and no airport employees were visible.

Another passport check point -- the policeman looked at my name and immediately asked if I spoke Russian. I said yes and he thanked me and then wished a pleasant flight -- in Russian.

Finally arrived at the gate -- another Russian-speaking guy; glanced at my passport and shook his head when he saw countries I have been to; told me to be more careful with my choices. I was already cranky after two close calls, a long flight before and another one ahead, and wanted to tell him to mind his business. Instead, I flashed a bright smile, thanked him, and took off.

I have an aisle seat on the flight to Atlanta -- ten hours ahead but I should be able to get some sleep. They guy next to me is sneezing -- yikes, I am tired and definitely don't need nasty bacteria floating around.

Landed in Atlanta. Went through customs. Arrived at the baggage claim. No bags. Were startled by announcement to see the customer service agent and were informed that our bags are still in Frankfurt. Oh, well... I will have to pick up luggage tomorrow when it arrives on the next flight. It's a major nuisance since I planned to drive to Bainbridge tomorrow morning; now I have to wait until 4:00 p.m. at least.

Mom and Dad picked me up at the airport -- and I was swallowed by hugs. :) Come on, I was gone only three weeks! They were speechless when I told them about Alain's seven-year absence.

Had a great time with my family -- went out to eat, looked through my photos, etc.

Day 20: July 22, 2006

2006-07-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

Met downstairs for breakfast. What a treat! Beautiful dining room, complete with shiny silverware, white linen, and flowers. Excellent food -- eggs, crepes, croissants, sausage, etc. We were told to fill up for lunch, too. Betty and I found a table by the window and relished the experience.

Alain attended a concert last night and bought two CDs for me. And even asked the person in charge to autograph them for me. Thank you very much, Alain! You are wonderful! I look forward to enjoying the songs. He brought his cousin, Rose, with him and we had a nice chat. Rose speaks limited English and my French is beyond limited. Betty was a great translator, though, and both of them spoke slowly in French, so I was able to understand most of the words. My very rusty French is coming back, I think; wish I took more than two classes of French. Maybe I will later -- this language always fascinated me so I would enjoy additional classes, I think. If I find time, of course... :(

Then we had a quick visit to the local market. I bought a beautiful malachite box and African dress (great presentation prop even though I doubt I will wear it -- I am not a cotton dress girl, I guess). We feel like zoo animals anytime we venture out but it's fun to observe the local culture.

Drove to Douala. Dragged our luggage into the airport and went through a check-in process. Our flight did not leave until 11:40 p.m. so we found a way to the restaurant. Instead of going through a guest entrance, we somehow ended on an employee side. It was great, though -- we were sitting almost on the tarmac, enjoying the cool breeze. We ate, chatted, etc. It was a nice way to decompress before a long, long flight, I guess.

Then we went through security again and walked to the gate. Had an interesting experience on the way there, though. As we were walking (three girls), a nicely dressed young woman approached us and invited to a business lounge. When we told her that we did not travel business class, she insisted she was being nice to us and wanted to make our experience enjoyable, so we followed. Inside, there were plush seats and nice decorations. Very nervous, we sat by the door and she asked us if we wanted anything to drink. I asked if she had any Coke. Her reply? No, just Sprite and whisky. O-K! I then asked for juice and was stunned by her reply: 5,000 CFA ($10)! When I said no way, she offered drinks for all three of us for 5,000 CFA. That was the final straw and I told the girls we better get out; the whole setup was fishy and who knows what was going on in there. I did notice a lone guy sitting in the room and was not sure what to think. We all agreed that it was not safe to stay there and left, the "hostess" pleading for us to stay. No way! I hope she just wanted to make some money on drinks and don't want to think about other possible plots.

Anyway, we made it safely through another passport control and down the empty corridors to our gate where several other members of our group were waiting. On the way, I bought a cute ebony figurine -- elephant-businessman. I saw a similar one at the market but this one was a much better deal.

After another several hours of waiting (and the waiting area smelled like bathroom -- yuck), we finally boarded. Our flight was late because the incoming flight from Kinshasa (correct spelling?) arrived late. Oh, well -- glad to be on the way.

I am sandwiched in between two rather bulky passengers so doubt I will get any sleep. A long night ahead -- a seven-hour flight. Out comes my i-pod -- hopefully, music will make the flight more enduring. Hooray -- new CDs are awesome, even though most songs are in French. What a wonderful praise music!

Day 19: July 21, 2006

2006-07-26T10:36:00.000-07:00

Left earlier than originally anticipated -- before 7:00 a.m. Wow! Going down a misty mountain was fascinating -- I claimed a seat by the window and kept snapping pics.

Arrived in Bafousam (correct spelling?) around 9:00 a.m. and met Alain's family and church friends. I kept thinking how I would feel if my brother came home after a seven-year absence. What a joy for his family! He is spending two weeks with them and I am sure they will cherish every moment. We attended a brief church service and I had to wipe my eyes on several occassions since this church and service were so similar to the ones in Ukraine, my former home county.

After sharing refreshments, we exchanged gifts and left for Yaounde. Yaounde is a very modern-looking city with wide streets, beautiful buildings, and amazing landscaping. Our hotel is almost new and offers new furniture and still-shining facilities. Although beds are too low, they are soft and, even more important, very clean. The bathroom is standard but, to our weary eyes, simply wonderful! Betty ran out, yelling: "Hey, look at this bathroom!" Wow -- clean, comfortable, offers clean fluffy towels and plenty of hot water, etc.

Betty won a "lottery" -- Alain's family presented us with several wood houses and she picked a winning slip of paper. However, being a nice roommate she is, she gave it to me. Thank you, my wonderful roomie!

After a quick clean-up, we met downstairs and drove to a restaurant. It looks it was converted from a private house. US Embassy is hosting the reception for us -- beautiful fragrant flowers, linen-covered tables, freshly grilled food, etc. And it's not raining... And I didn't see any flying insects... What an amazing evening!

We had a great time mingling with our guests, too. I love parties and small talk so it was very interesting to meet new people. One lady did shock me -- or I shocked her? Debatable... After exchanging names/positions, she asked me if I had any kids. I said no. She looked startled and asked why. My reply was: "I am single." Then she asked me if I planned on having any kids. Of course, I told her that I would need to find a husband of my dreams first and I am not in a big hurry. She probably thought I was crazy -- still not married, no kids, and not in a rush to get both. :)

Since we are leaving tomorrow, this evening was a perfect closure to our trip, I think. We were again treated to African hospitality and warmth.

Day 18: July 20, 2006

2006-07-26T10:34:00.000-07:00

Met for breakfast at 8:30 a.m. No jam today – they apparently ran out. Oh, well, fresh baguettes with butter and hot fragrant tea can do wonders, too. At this point, we are Africa-seasoned travelers and rarely complain.

Next, we visited the king’s palace (well, looks like a hut compound, not what most of us would consider a palace). The museum curator was very knowledgeable and passionate about the objects in his charge; he gave an excellent running commentary. Then we were given a private tour of the compound and met several princes; one was an university student; others were cute little boys running around just like any other boys their age would, shyly peeking at us. One, apparently braver than others, gave me a fruit. How generous! And that wide smile!  I gave him a big hug and one of the pens I had in my purse; you had to see that smile grow even wider; will post the pic. Later, I saw him proudly showing my “gift” to his brothers. On a side note here, the king has 33 wives and the museum curator had no idea how many kids. Don’t remember if I mentioned it yesterday, the other king has eight wives. It’s not a standard in Cameroon anymore, though; most men have only one wife. Polygamy is legal and accepted, though.

Then we attended a traditional court hearing – the person in charge described the system, introduced us to council members, and answered questions. Apparently, traditional court is a first place for people to present their complaints – unless the crime is very serious (like murder or suicide, for example). If it’s a minor problem and the family (man, his wife, and kids) can’t resolve it themselves, they go to compound level (man, other wives, and kids); if there is no compound (if man has only one wife) or probably can’t be resolved within a compound, the people go to the leader over several compounds; the process continues until the complaint reaches the regional king. By the way, everything is carefully documented at the king’s level. In fact, women bring food and a ream of paper – for the record-keeping. Men bring money and a ream of paper. Interesting, huh?

If the problem cannot be resolved at this level, it’s forwarded to government judiciary system but officials still work with the local authorities. If a serious crime is committed, both the king’s staff and police arrive at the scene and closely work together during the investigation.

There is an interesting system of punishment. For example, if you steal one goat, you will be required to pay back with nine goats. If somebody spreads a rumor, a special bag is hung on the door for everybody to see; if the person is innocent, he will pass it to another suspect; the process continues until the culprit is caught and punished; the punishment varies and decided by the king’s court.

Our next stop was shopping for more arts and crafts. I wish we could go to the real market but I guess we would cause a riot since we attract so much attention. Alas, we were limited to this little shop but I did find some interesting things – will post pics later.

The next item on our busy list – lunch. Another adventure – instead of 45 minutes, it took two hours because of extremely slow service. It was very good, though; I love Cameroonian food. Here is a recipe for you: (1) shred: white cabbage, red cabbage, carrots; (2) slice tomatoes, boiled eggs, avocado, and onions; (3) arrange all items in a circular matter on the plate; (4) sprinkle with your favorite dressing – they usually serve a mixture of mayo, vinegar, oil, and sugar. Very tasty!

Because of the delay, we were late for the afternoon session. It was very interesting, though; three great papers about the state of educational system in Cameroon; great discussion and interaction with colleagues; this is the first time I was able to form some definite plans for cooperation; they are very interested in my distance learning experience and would like to work with them on designing a certification program for their professors. How cool! I would love doing that!

The dinner was delicious – I was good, though, and just sampled the food; could not refuse because our hosts were so kind and generous; they prepared quite a feast – two salads, three kinds of meat, fried plantain (quite a staple here), and fried potatoes (English-style chips); dessert is always a fruit bowl – very healthy and fresh fruit is delicious. It was a great evening! But it was a long, long day… Tomorrow, we have to be downstairs at 6:30 a.m. for a trip to Younde so good night, y’all! Can you tell I am getting homesick? :)

Day 17: July 19, 2006

2006-07-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

Woke up at 4:00 a.m. – the local Muslims were called to prayer, I guess; the guy kept going on and on. He woke me up again about an hour later. Fell asleep again… only to be awakened by a rooster. No wonder I am so tired today. The horrible shower experience did not help, either; I don’t like showers and hate this particular contraption.

After a breakfast of baguettes, butter, homemade jam (yummy!), and tea/coffee, we went to the local governor’s office complex where we were received by his staff since he was away. Then we drove to Foumban for a visit to the Sultan of Foumban Palace. The museum tour was interesting – I will post more thoughts and descriptions later. A group of the local musicians performed two songs for us, using local instruments. After a quick lunch, we drove back to Bamenda. It was another long roundtrip; my back and behind were aching so I kept twisting around. It also started raining again – I fell asleep for about ten minutes but rudely awakened by several huge drops falling on my cheek; could not sleep after that so talked to people behind me.

Helped to wrap some gifts for tomorrow; totally exhausted now; the mattress is thin and I can count every plank with my poor body, I think. Oh, well – will try to get some much-needed rest. Good night!

Day 16: July 18, 2006

2006-07-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

This morning we visited CDC (Cameroonian Development Corporation) and then took a tour of Delmonte banana production site. Wow! I will never eat another banana without remembering this tour – my pics will paint the picture better than words, I think.

Then we drove to Bamenda, high in the mountains. We left around 1:30 p.m. and did not get there until after 9:00 p.m. The view was incredible – mountains peaks, tropical vegetation, colorful markets, lots of potholes, people everywhere; again, check out my pics. Because of high elevations and scary twists in the road, the bus could not go fast. Then it started raining… then the fog rolled in. Fascinating but scary ride; exhausting, too. The local university people were waiting for us, with a hot meal – wow, how nice is that???

We checked into the hotel: Mondial Hotel. The first shock: six long flights of stairs, carrying heavy suitcases. What a workout! No AC – and the room is soooo hot and stuffy. At least my sheets were clean; Betty’s had a stain but she did not want to call and ask for another. OK, shock three – no bathtub; I hate showers! To make matters worse, this shower does not have walls, just a flimsy curtain; the enclosed space is tiny and the water goes everywhere.

We opened the window and the room cooled down to a comfortable level, so we could fall asleep. So tired we don’t care if any bugs are crawling around – at least we don’t see any. I did get several bites and hope my malaria pill works.

Day 15: July 17, 2006

2006-07-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

Today was a very boring day – for me, at least… We visited University of Buea and listened to two presentations which were interesting in a way but did not interest me personally. The ensuing discussion was rather dull for me, too, so it was not a good day. They took us to dinner at Lady L in Limbe; the meal was very good but there were too many chopped onions in the salad and it left a very unpleasant aftertaste; yuck!

Nothing else to share, I am afraid; going to bed early again – even longer day tomorrow.

Day 14: July 16, 2006

2006-07-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

Still raining… buckets… streams… huge puddles… you get the picture… Some of us wanted to go to church this morning but there are no churches within easy traveling distance. We also planned to visit Zoo and Botanical Garden but the rain spoiled that arrangement, of course. We felt claustrophobic in our rooms and so sat in the covered pavilion on the beach and chatted until lunch. Then we had lunch with a local family, hosted by mother and sisters of one of our very own Cameroonians. What a wonderful opportunity to not only visit the local home but also enjoy a delicious meal. The history of this family is so rich and interesting… there were so many cool things lining the walls… many, many thanks for your hospitality!!!

Then three of us climbed the lava formation!!! The rain finally stopped for a couple of hours and the climb was not bad at all. The view…. well, indescribable! Huge boulders, tropical vegetation, and the ocean spreading on the horizon. I took lots of pictures but they cannot reflect my mental picture. I will never forget that view. Going down we had to hold hands, just in case, but it was not bad at all; I could do it on my own w/out any problems.

Oh, forgot to mention… This lava formation was actually created about six years ago, in 2000 (or so one local told me). It would have been cool to hike higher up and actually touch the warm rock. Unfortunately, it started raining hard while we were still at the top so we had to go back.

After a light dinner, we went to bed early, anticipating a very busy day tomorrow.

Day 13: July 15, 2006

2006-07-26T10:27:00.000-07:00

OK, morning again – July 15, 2006. When I opened my eyes again (see posting below), Betty walked out of the bathroom and called out: “Oh, we better go down for breakfast – it’s after 10:00 a.m.!” So we walked to the main building after a quick clean-up. And had a wonderful meal of fresh crusty baguettes (butter, jam, and chocolate spread were available), wonderful croissants, fresh fruit (oooooh, that pineapple was so sweet), and tea (coffee, instant – of course, was available, too). And I lost some weight in Nigeria – for this breakfast, I guess. 

After breakfast, I put on a shirt with spaghetti straps and shorts, hoping to get some tan. No luck – too hazy, heavy clouds hiding the sun. It was warm and humid though, with a wonderful ocean breeze. A small group of us climbed down to the beach – you have to climb over small lava rocks, just several feet down, no big deal. The beach is amazing – black volcanic sand, soft and smooth, not staining your skin at all. The water was warm and it was so nice to walk down the beach, with waves gently lapping over our feet. Then it started raining again… We ran to one of the enclosed pavilions and chatted (you know the girl talk, right?) until the rain stopped. The ocean air and walking on the beach induced our appetite and we decided to get lunch; it was after 3:00 p.m., too, so we are not that bad, really.  I had Nickey Mousse non-alcoholic tropical drink (tasted like tangy Coke float) and ham and cheese sandwich served in a crusty baguette. Very, very good! Other girls had open-faced grilled ham and cheese sandwiches with fries; judging from their content expressions and comments they made good choices, too.

I returned to the room, got my laptop, and went to the lobby, intending to use the promised wireless network; no luck, unfortunately. I was able to log in once using the cable connection but was kicked out almost immediately. So I came back to the room and decided to write the entries now – to be posted when connection is available again.

We are going to another local restaurant tonight and it should be fun. Tomorrow, we are going to church, visiting the botanical garden, and then enjoying lunch prepared by the local family (both of our own Cameroonians have arranged for meals with their families – how generous, thanks Valentine and Alain!). If we have time, some of us will go to lava rocks at the foot of the mountain. It would be so cool! I am not sure if I will be able to do any climbing (this girl does not risk her neck, no way!) but pictures will be great.

Anyway, off to the group dinner! Au revoir!

The dinner took a long time to arrive but it was delicious. The restaurant is located on the ocean – I took two steps away from our table and was able to look down at the waves, swelling and crashing under the pier on which the dining room is built. The sound of the waves and salty air are… well, indescribable… I had Tomatoes and Tuna Salad for appetizer and Steak Roquefort and Roasted Plantain for the main course; Betty had a similar salad (added corn and carrots to hers – healthy, huh?), rice, and grilled shrimp. My meal cost 8,200 francs -- $16.40; unbelievable! Oh, forgot to mention – there was live music, too. Very, very nice! Most participants opted for the dinner so we had a great time.

Now we are back and the pillow is calling my name.  Bon nuit, mes amies! See? I will be able to read and understand Cameroonian restaurant menus soon!

Day 12: July 14, 2006

2006-07-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

Today was a very busy day… We met downstairs at 8:30 a.m., checked out, piled our luggage and bodies into a mini-bus, and took off to the airport. There was some construction (surprise, surprise in Abuja where it never ends) and we had to travel over a dirt road with more potholes than surface for about 10-15 minutes; we survived, though – tough group, huh?

Leaving the country was quite an adventure… Several of us arrived at the counter early while everybody else was still sorting out luggage and dragging it into the building. I usually travel lightly so I had one bag to check in and two carry-ons (one small rolling bag with necessary items that would get me through in case the other bag got lost and one “purse” – conference-type canvas bag with my real purse, laptop, bottle of water, and a book). According to the airport scales, I was actually under the limit – yeah to meticulous packing! Several other people, though, spent over an hour arguing with airport officials who considered our flight regional, thus regional limits, instead of international since we were flying to Cameroon.

Finally, everybody went through and we boarded. After a rather uneventful flight (Virgin Nigeria Airlines), we landed in Port-Harcourt, Nigeria. Luckily, our bags were checked in all the way to Douala so we didn’t have to pick up checked in luggage. Instead, we proceeded to customs. Our immunization cards were scrutinized and then we had to fill out custom forms and get a stamp in our passports.

Next step – x-ray machines… I placed my bags on the conveyor belt and turned to walk through the gate when the security guy called me back, leaned towards me, and said: “I really like you, may I have your phone number?” Needless to say, I was shocked; quickly regaining my composure, I smiled and said: “Thank you but we are here on a professional trip.” Then I turned around and went through the gate, just in time to pick up my luggage that was just rolling out. He did the same thing to another girl in our group so I guess it was a norm for him. What a way to leave the country! Oh well, another proof that Nigerians are very nice and open?  I did not feel threatened, more like amused.

The waiting area was so hot and humid, my shirt was soaked – then I remembered my little battery-operated fan picked up several years ago at the conference. Talking about simple pleasures! The guy at the check-in counter did not show up until a few minutes before boarding and started recording info in our passports; took him forever and he was actually chastised by a manager who kept yelling him that the flight is delayed because of our group. Finally, we boarded and, after another rather uneventful flight, landed in Douala, Cameroon. Oh, one thing – our choice of snacks was peanuts (suspiciously gray but good according to people who tried them) and potato chips (Ingredients, as printed on the package: Potatoes, Edible Oil, Salt). Edible Oil??? Are you sure???

In Cameroon, we went through the security again and got entry stamps in our passports. Then, we exchanged some money – the currency is CFA (Franc) and exchange rate is 500 CFA to $1, so I got a whole wad of money ($100 = 50,000 CFA).

After picking up our luggage (yeah, it made it – unscathed, too!!!), we went out and waited about an hour for the owner of our hotel in Limbe to send her bus. Needless to say, everybody stared at us – we look like millionaires to them. There were several teenagers eyeing us and edging closer, most likely looking for a way to snatch something. There are two Cameroonians in our group and both warned us to be on guard.

Nigeria was warm but Cameroon is only 14 degrees above the equator so humidity was almost unbearable; here comes my little fan again! Finally, the bus arrived and we left for the hotel.

I sat behind one of the guys who came back to Cameroon after seven years – imagine leaving your family and not being able to visit for such a long time! He was pointing out familiar sights and chatting with the driver in French; I understood only some words and wished I had taken more French courses. The landscape is breathtaking – mountains shrouded in mist, colorful market, muddy roads with huge potholes, banana groves, palm grove, rubber tree plantations, lots of people swarming all over the place, etc. Exotic is a mild word for describing the scene that unfolded before us.

We had to cross a temporary bridge and drive through the jungle because the main bridge was washed out last year. It was beautiful but I would not go there after dark – too dangerous; it was fine in daylight, though. There was a deep gorge foaming with whitewater on both sides and palm trees swaying all over us. Wow – and yikes!

As we were getting closer, it was getting dark; we saw oil installations looking fairylike for miles because of many twinkling lights. Our hotel is an old French villa and it’s run by a French couple. There are about ten cottages (guessing here), with maybe ten units in each (another guesstimate). The rooms are small but adequate and very clean; a sigh of relief there. The owners must have made special accommodations for our group because the room (at least our room, don’t know about others) contains two beds: double and single. There is also a writing desk – that’s it for furnishings. The bathroom is large, though; the water is hot and plentiful; the commode flushes just fine; the towels are clean; aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! 

After everybody stored their luggage, we walked to the restaurant, located almost at the beach; the view was incredible – palms, flowers, a small creek flowing directly from the mountain, and the ocean, white caps clearly visible from our table; the terrace is open so the cool breeze was very nice and, oh, so refreshing – ocean air cannot be compared to anything else. The water served at dinner came directly from the mountain and was wonderfully refreshing. We had a three-course French dinner – red cabbage marinated salad and freshly-baked crusty French bread, roasted potatoes and fish, and sugar crepes. I liked everything except the crepes – they were too thick for my taste, my own recipe is much better. The dinner cost 7,500 francs (an equivalent of $15) – not bad for a French restaurant with in such a picturesque setting and excellent (for the most part) food and service.

Then it started raining, and raining, and raining… There was no way we could walk to our cabins so the management sent a van for us. How nice! After a short ride around the corner, we stumbled into our rooms and aimed straight for the pillows – I was asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow and woke up only once during the night.

Day 11: July 13, 2006

2006-07-13T13:26:00.000-07:00

This morning, we experienced another case of "Nigerian flexibility." Although we were supposed to visit a sit-in session of Plateau State House of Assembly, there were not enough members to hold a session so it was canceled. So we drove to Abuja, about three hours; the trip was rather uneventful (thankfully!). However, our bus driver was a police officer so it helped with road blockades as well as our general safety; not that we encountered any threats -- the roads are pretty good and blockades are just for slowing down vehicles, so no big deal for us. We did see one pretty bad accident -- the first one, actually. People drive like maniacs here -- passing constantly, often getting back into their lanes barely in time. Also, there is constant honkings. It seems like drivers drive by noise rather than vision.

Let me backtrack for a moment... Yesterday, we had an interesting conversation with one official. We were talking about how our perceptions about Nigeria changed once we were able to interact with people rather than relying on newspaper accounts and asked him how what he thought about our observations. He said it was a "relief" -- he was afraid that we would not be able to overcome deeply ingraned stereotypes. It's such a great feeling to be an ambassador of your nation. I look forward to sharing my observations with friends and colleagues. While Nigeria is not a place for lone travelers (still too many dangers and tourism industry is in its infancy), it's certainly not populated by savages as press often portrays. As in all nations, people are the most precious resource and they are simply wonderful -- I can't repeat this observation enough.

After checking in into the hotel, we had a quick lunch/dinner and now I am trying to check email and post my observations. My patience with this connection is almost over so until tomorrow, I guess. We are flying to Douala, Cameroon, via Port-Harcourt. It looks like we will have some free time since meetings don't resume until Monday, so I look forward to this weekend.

Day 10: July 12, 2006

2006-07-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

After the breakfast fiasco yesterday, our group leader arranged for a buffet breakfast at our hotel. It was great -- toast (oooh, what a simple but delightful thing when you are in Africa), fried potatoes, omelet, tea/coffee, butter, jam, etc. It was like taking a quick trip home! :) Can you tell we are homesick?

We spent an entire day at NIPSS (National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies), the "think tank" of Nigeria. What an honor to be welcomed by this elite group of officials! We were greeted by NIPSS Director-General and were able to ask/answer questions. Next, we participated in the seminar -- important issues, interesting discussion, etc. It was great to interact with our colleagues who are responsible for the future of Nigeria. Wow! I may be able to work with them on a distance learning program -- will see, I guess; they did request my information so who knows? It would be great and will probably result in a paper or two. Cool!

Our final event for the day was a cocktail party at NIPSS, hosted by Director-General, Ven. Prof. Akin Akindoyeni and his wife. Great food, wonderful conversations, awesome evening! These people have excellent plans but government corruption is so difficult to overcome and everything takes time. We hope to be able to contribute our modest efforts to the future of this nation and prosperity of its people.

Day 9: July 11, 2006

2006-07-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

Another busy day today... We ordered room service breakfast again but called it in earlier; apparently, it was a good idea because many people (who heard about our little "luxury" and decided to try it, too) did not get their orders on time and had to get something from a little diner, Mr. Biggs. It's a chain fast food restaurant serving meat pies, rice, etc.

Our first stop was the National Museum. I am sure it was fun for people interested in artifacts but rather boring for me. There were some nice paintings, though -- vibrant colors, interesting scenes, etc. While there, we did a little shopping in the arts and crafts section set up as a village. I bought a beautiful wood collage that will look great in my office. And I found magnets! Yeah! Still no look on postcards, though. I promised so many people to send a postcard but it looks like I will have to break that promise. Sorry! :(

We came back to the hotel, changed into more appropriate clothing (no jeans, no pants for women, etc.) and went to the king's palace. Yes, that's right! The local king agreed to receive us for a courtesy visit at his palace: The Palace of Gbong Gwom Jos. Can you say it fast??? Come on, you can do it! :)

After the usual formalities, we had a wonderful Q&A session; the king is such a nice and humble man, even though he was the highest ranking police officer in the region before assuming the current post. Of course, local kings don't have the real power and can't really influence policymaking. Still, they are an important part of the culture and often serve as peacemakers. They do receive financial support from the government but it's limited to expenses incurred for keeping the office.

Our next activity was shopping for a number of specially-requested items. Our liaison for University of Jos, John, is wonderful; honestly, I don't know how he puts up with our crazy schedule and constant demands. Both handles on my large bag broke (those were steel plates so go figure how baggage handlers managed to break them -- are they training for a weight lifting contest or something?). The pullout handle still worked so I could roll it but lifting was cumbersome, so I really needed to get another bag. John talked to his contacts and found out the best place to buy bags; after looking for several minutes and bargaining for a good price, I found a nice (I hope!) bag. Of course, who knows? Last bag looked fine, too. The new one is Japanese and, hopefully, will last longer in the hands of above-mentioned baggage handlers.

Other people wanted to buy traditional musical instruments, CDs and DVDs, African hats, a carved walking stick, etc. I think we found all of those items. Exhausted, we returned to the hotel to get ready for the evening program.

The program included African dances as well as a play written and performed by students at the University of Jos. It was fabulous -- funny and insightful. Great evening! How nice of them to schedule a special performance just for us! And actors were so talented! Will post pics later -- this connection is ridiculously slow.

Day 8: July 10, 2006

2006-07-10T15:34:00.000-07:00

The City Lodge Hotel offers a room service – wow! Having encountered “typical African flexibility,” we place orders at 7:30 a.m. and finished our getting-ready procedures (with two women in a room, they take time, believe me). Forty-five minutes later, our food has arrived. I ordered freshly baked roll, fried eggs, and coffee. Betty had scrambled eggs, chips (fried potatoes), and tea. Everything was fresh and tasty and we had a nice breakfast. Oh, there is no what some may call “real” coffee here; it’s instant but I don’t care; it tastes fine to me.

We met other members of the group at 9:00 a.m. and encountered more “flexibility” when the bus did not arrive on time. We did leave around 9:45 a.m. and arrived on time for our courtesy call on the Vice Chancellor of University of Jos, Prof. Sonni Tyoden. It’s routine now – filing into a meeting room, introducing ourselves, and listening to an official. Dr. Tyoden was very nice and offered to help in any way he can to make our visit enjoyable.

Then we paid a courtesy call on the Speaker of Plateau State House of Assembly, Honorable Simon Lalong. Again, we were given a warm welcome and then posed for a group picture.

Our next activity for the day was to drive back to the hotel and check in the members of our group who stayed in the other hotel; we wanted to stay together and City Lodge had enough rooms beginning today. After that, we had a nice lunch on the same verandah. I had chips and broiled fish with some kind of sauce; again, it was excellent. The food in Nigeria is not distinct in most cases – other cultures offer similar dishes; but it’s most dishes are very tasty. I tried goat meat and it’s actually not that bad. Do I hear a lot of eeeeews?! Shame on you!  Anyway, most dishes are not that adventurous and would satisfy even the most demanding people, I think.

After lunch, we returned to the University of Jos and attended a seminar. Imagine our surprise when we drove up and saw a crowd of people outside the auditorium. Imagine our shock when we walked in and discovered that auditorium was packed to capacity (at least 1,000 people, I think) and we were seated on a stage!!! We were treated like royalty, really.

Apparently, our visit even made Nigerian TV!!! I did not see the clip but other members of the group did. Also, there was an article about our group – I saw it myself. How cool is that?!

The seminar featured our introductions, two speakers, answer/question session, and then some time for interaction with students and faculty members. When most people left and we were ready to drive to our next destination, reception given by the Vice Chancellor in our honor, it started raining, quickly becoming a downpour. It’s a rainy season now so it was no big surprise, I should add. We waited until it eased a bit and then ran to the bus, trying to keep umbrellas over our heads. After a scare yesterday, everybody kept reminding each other to be careful since the ground was slick. It was actually funny, in a way.

The reception was held in a beautiful setting – Council Guest House – which boasts nice decorations, comfortable overstuffed chairs and sofas, etc. Very nice! The food was absolutely fantastic – and there was a lot of it! It was a great dinner when we expected just some finger foods for a reception. It was also great to be able to interact with faculty members and learn about their areas of interest as well share our own. Great evening!

Now, we are back and ready to get some rest. I am typing this entry in Word and will try to copy and paste it tonight; if not, I will do it tomorrow morning.

A quick preview (yes, just for you): tomorrow we will visit National Museum and Zoo, then do some shopping. After lunch, we are going to the Palace of Gbong Gwom Jos!!! Finally, we will attend a performance at the Jos Open Air Theatre. More fun coming up!

Day 7: July 9, 2006

2006-07-10T15:32:00.000-07:00

Left Abuja around 9:30 a.m. this morning and drove to a city of Jos, about three hours away, located on a plateau and surrounded by low mountains. I have to admit that I don’t know the name of this chain of mountains. Anybody knows?

We had our first “wrinkle” in the program – the bus stopped halfway between Abuja and Jos to provide an opportunity for “bush business” to those who drank too much liquid. Having grown up in Ukraine where there are no public facilities off most highways, I had no interest in this “cool” experience and kept my water intake low on purpose, therefore I stayed on the bus with several other people.

To our shock, an older lady stepped off the bus and slid on the muddy slope, twisting her ankle!!! She landed on a side of the road, in great pain, and complained of great pain and inability to move her foot. Imagine our scare – we are between two cities, in a country where medical facilities are very limited anyway, with a possible leg fracture. To add to the mess, let me tell you that we were using a mini-bus, already filled to capacity with our American rather chubby bodies (well, there are skinny people in our group but most of us do admit to at least some extra weight) and luggage (at least two bags per person – there are fifteen people; do the math). As a result, every jump seat was taken and we felt rather like sardines in a can. When this lady had her unfortunate accident, we had to lay her down on three seats so there were five of us squeezed into four tiny seats in a back.

It was great, though, that nobody (absolutely nobody) complained. The lady kept apologizing but all of us felt like it could have happened to anybody and offered all support we could. Being squeezed into a seat is one thing; suffering great pain for more than one hour is totally another thing. She did take some pain killers but I don’t know how she survived the rest of the trip without screaming. What a brave lady!

Anyway, we were accompanied by NUC (National Universities Commission) people from Abuja so they called ahead and arranged for an immediate visit to the emergency room. University of Jos, our host institution operates a teaching hospital so were already waiting for our patient and provided excellent medical care and even provided sufficient medications. Wow!

On a side note here, it’s amazing how generous these people are when they have so little. Are there rascals in Nigeria who are ready to rob you if you give them even a slightest opportunity? Absolutely! Do most Nigerians belong to this category? Absolutely NOT! Hospitality to our group is incredible and meeting these people face-to-face and communicating with them totally changed my perception of this country. Does it mean we changed our behavior and now behave carelessly? Of course, not! It would be foolish. However, we do appreciate these people and their hard work to improve the standards of living. They are making many mistakes but who doesn’t?

OK, back to the story… Our accident victim did NOT have a broken leg; instead, she had a sprain (only a minor one, in fact). She had a surgery several years ago and that’s why she was in so much pain. She did not have to stay overnight in a hospital but did stay in her hotel room, of course. We are leaving on Thursday and she should be much better by then.

Because of all this commotion, we canceled our scheduled trip to National Museum and decided to just check in and have a quiet afternoon. Huh-huh, another “wrinkle”! Our program leader had a contract with City Lodge hotel in Jos. However, due to “typical African flexibility,” some guests did not check out and there were only three rooms available instead of eight needed for our group (the quote is from our group leader, by the way; she is Nigerian by birth). Three teams of two were selected to stay and the rest of the group found accommodations in the other hotel, across the street. So the six of us had a leisurely late lunch (or dinner?) on a very comfortable verandah (sporting a crystal chandelier, by the way), enjoying a cool breeze and rather “picturesque” view of neighborhood rusty roofline. Only in Africa, right? I had jollof rice (it’s similar to jambalaya) and chicken stew. It was very tasty!

Then we discovered that our hotel has a gym! Well, it has only one treadmill (does not move past 3.5 mph), an exercise bike, a stepping machine, and some weights. Still, I was glad to work out some of the calories on the treadmill. It was very hot and stuffy inside, though, and I only lasted for 30 minutes.

Oh, this hotel does not have elevators so we have to take stairs to the second floor where our room is (it’s really a third floor since the first floor is a ground floor – therefore, you have to take two flights of stairs to be on a first floor and additional two to arrive at the second floor). So we are doing a lot of climbing, four flights at a time. The stairs are marble and beautiful, though. Our room is nicely decorated with matching furniture. It does have a refrigerator and DVD player. The bathroom is fine. And what a nice surprise – we have lots of hot water!!! Do I sound crazy? Maybe… but we had only a limited amount of lukewarm water in Abuja for a whole week so small things like hot bath is a big deal. That’s why we went to Africa – to see things from a different perspective; and, hey, we are doing it even though we are griping about things that push us beyond our levels of comfort. The room is clean, the sheets are clean and crisp (Remember my complaint? If not, read my previous postings.). My only complaint is towels – they are rather dingy-looking but I have a beach towel so I used it and will use again if necessary since it’s dry now.

Oooh, almost forgot: our hotel has free Internet connection in every room. In Africa, huh? Of course, it did not work tonight, but we will try again tomorrow. There is also a business center downstairs and it costs only 150 naira (about $1) for one hour of Internet use.

I guess that’s it for tonight, folks. We are safe, most of us are in great health, the lady described above is recovering, lots of great things are planned for this week, so we are having a super time in Nigeria!

Day 6: July 8, 2006

2006-07-08T16:45:00.000-07:00

Breakfast at the local cafe.

Abuja City tour -- lots of pics and I can't wait to share. Oh how I wish this connection was faster. It's amazing to see beautiful buildings mixed with houses that are falling apart, dirt roads and modern highways (well, kind of modern), Western-style clothing and flowing African robes, men and women carrying all kinds of stuff on their heads, etc.

Alex, this one is for you! :)

Visited an art gallery -- bought an amazing original watercolor that would cost quite a lot back home, especially after it's framed.

Stopped for lunch at another local cafe (um, the one we visited on Day 3 -- see previous post).

Visited two supermarkets -- don't ask me why two, one would have been plenty for me; I didn't buy anything -- and wasn't tempted, I should add.

Tomorrow we are leaving early to Jos -- about a three-hour drive. Hopefully, we will have Internet access; if not, until Thursday (we are coming back on Thursday). Have a great weekend!

Day 5: July 7, 2006

2006-07-08T16:41:00.000-07:00

Today we visited two universities. More later -- I am tired and it's late.

Day 4: July 6, 2006

2006-07-08T16:16:00.000-07:00

After another rather exotic breakfast (see previous posting), we drove to the US Embassy for a security briefing and press conference. It was funny to walk on the American soil and breath Nigerian air! :) The security at the compound is very high -- our bags/purses were searched and all potentially hazardous/dangerous items removed and stored to be picked up on the way back. I had to remove lipstick, cell phone, camera, hand sanitizer, mirror, and several other items. Also, we went through two metal detectors AND were checked by a hand scanner. Finally, we had to surround our passports and receive guest tags; next, we were escorted to the conference room and went through a security briefing -- told what to do and what not to do in order to stay alive and happy in Nigeria. According to the officer in charge, Nigeria is not THAT dangerous as long as you stay away from potentially dangerous situations and locations.

Next, we attended a press conference during which we were introduced to other embassy personnel, discussed our mission in Nigeria, and answered questions posed by the local reporters. I will try to write more later because many interesting issues were raised.

We had a delicious lunch at one of the best restaurants in the city.

Our next destination was a clothing market. What an experience! Imagine a flea market but with stalls no bigger than an average closet, crammed with stuff and people; imagine sellers running around and begging you to look at their merchandise; imagine fabric and clothing in a myriad of colors and styles. What a chaos! Having being scared the evening before, we stayed close to our Nigerian guides but did have fun bargaining (we had a price range so knew what was good and was not). I bought two beautiful embroidered dresses for a very reasonable price.

The culmination of the day was a reception at Dr. Rudolph Stewart's (embassy PR Director -- will tell more later) house. Beautiful setting! Wonderful food! Great people!

More pics coming up soon!

Day 3: July 5, 2006

2006-07-06T17:06:00.000-07:00

Our breakfast choices (buffet style) were rather interesting -- how about rice, beef stew, and yams for breakfast? :) There were also scrambled eggs, potatoes (but boiled -- not what we Americans are used to), oatmeal, rolls, etc. No "real" coffee, folks; just instant coffee and tea. We don't really care -- instant coffee is fine for me and Betty drinks hot tea anyway; orange juice is also available.

Today is going to be busy, very busy. We are all dressed professionally and ready to meet a number of Nigerian dignitaries. The first stop is NUC (National Universities Commission) where we are introduced to the Executive Director and NUC Board. Yeah, there is a gated entrance and access is allowed only after the guard decides we are safe. Although the building and the grounds look fine, it appears that they were neglected for quite some time -- peeling paint, patches of grass, crooked additions, etc. Inside, more evidence of neglect. Why? Plenty of staff zooming around...

The boardroom is impressive, though -- dark boardroom-style tables, comfortable leather chairs, etc. The occupants are even more impressive -- in sharp business suits and flowing robes. Protocol is strictly followed -- Executive Director did not start speaking until he was introduced by his aide (?), everybody stood up when the board member came in, the choice of words is very formal (Esteemed guests, etc. -- introduction took about five minutes), etc. All speakers are very eloquent -- I am impressed.

Moved to the conference hall -- huge, filled with tables and chairs, and lined with computer desks around the perimeter. We were seated in a middle, with all eyes upon us -- faculty members, students, reporters, etc. Several speakers talked about the future of Nigerian higher education system, particularly in the area of distance learning. It appears that education is a very important issue and there are serious plans in place that would significantly increase both quality and quantity. The emphasis is especially on quality -- they just conducted one of the first quality checks to determine if programs are viable and reliable (sounds like PAR, dear colleagues?). The new Minister of Education is very determined to improve the quality and erase the image of "corrupt" Nigeria. Oh, yeah -- it's a formidable task; but their plans appear to be sound. There was a lot of bragging, too; I guess it's something all governmental agencies do, so it's a global issue. Oh, yeah -- I was asked to explain how distance learning is utilized at our institution. And I did -- you know that I can talk forever and at any time if necessary, don't you? Yours truly did fine. ;)

After a delicious lunch (baked pastries filled with chicken and beef and tea/coffee/water), we were able to mingle with faculty members, NUC staff, and other seminar attendees and make new friends. We were supposed to meet with a Senate President and Speaker of the House at noon but the meeting was canceled (not in session or something like that). So we excitedly marched to computers (remember, they are lining the conference room?), hoping to check email, send updates, etc. The connection was horrible!!! It took over five minutes to just get to the login screen. I finally gave up and wandered around until I met a staff member who had some questions for me about the distance learning. According to her, connection problems we have experienced are nothing compared to other areas of Nigeria; only hotels and expensive cybercafes (we did not see any yet, though) offer faster connection -- NOT fast, about dial-up speed. It's impossible to implement our distance learning techniques w/out having appropriate infrastructure in place. They have only recently started using audio and video materials; therefore, most of the instructional materials are limited to text.

Later this afternoon, we paid a "courtesy visit" to the Minister of Culture and Tourism (rather, his assistant). The procedure was almost comical -- everybody crammed into a tiny conference room, with a huge table and office chairs (bottoms still covered in plastic -- rather dusty now), portraits of Nigerian President and the Minister, boxes of stuff (who knows what), a stack of broken chairs, dusty window shades, etc. Very shabby, I have to admit. It was very hot and stuffy, too. We were assigned seats, leaving the head of the table (with portraits hanging over it) open. After about ten minutes of aides running in and out and whispering, we learned that the minister had to leave for the important meeting and we would be received by Deputy Minister. Ten more minutes... more whispering and checking the door... all aides spring to their feet, motioning for us to do the same.... the official walks in, with a proud posture and slow deliberate gait, wearing a beautiful embroidered robe. Wow! He sits down w/out saying a word or making eye contact with anyone. On of the aides introduces him and informs him why we came to the ministry. We introduce ourselves -- he looks at each person and nods his head in acknowledgment. Finally, he talks about the goals and accomplishments of his ministry. Pompous protocol? Yes. Yet, it's so interesting -- please don't think I am using word "pompous" in a negative way. Maybe I should call it regal? Anyway, once he warmed up to his topic, he was very nice and even assigned one of his people to give us a free city tour on Saturday. I will tell you more about the tour later but let me mention here that we also got free Abuja City booklets and DVDs. I guess "courtesy calls" pay off.

Next, we drove to another ministry to pay a courtesy call to the Honorable Minister of Women Affairs. A climb to the third floor, whispering between aides, seating arrangement -- no directions needed this time, a beautiful woman in a flowing dress and gorgeous scarf walks in and walks regally to her place (we are on our feet, of course), smiles, and asks us to sit. After a formal presentation by an aide and our introductions, Hon. Minister talks about women's rights in Nigeria and what is being done to help them, especially young women who seek higher education and children (seems like it's her pet project). She is so passionate and truly wants to help women and children; unless she is a very good actress, sincerity is evident in her eyes, hand gestures, and tone of the voice.

Everybody wanted to take a picture with her! :)

After spending an entire day on my feet (high heels, no less!!!), meeting lots of people, climbing stairs, walking from building to building, it was soooooo nice to finally get back "home" (well, you know what I mean -- "home" for the next few days). My sheets were clean and crisp, our room was sparkling clean, and complimentary water and soda (yeah, Coca-Cola Light) waited for us in the fridge. Pretty nice, huh? We are told repeatedly, though, that Abuja is a "model" city and we "haven't seen Africa yet."

So we decided to be a little adventurous and walk to the local place to eat. We asked the front desk staff to recommend a place serving the local food and were given directions to several establishments within an easy walking distance. There were four people in our group -- two women (both white) and two guys (one white and one black). Needless to say, we stuck out like a sore thumb, attracting a lot of looks, some smiles. After making our way to the first place, we found out it had a very limited menu (meat pies, rice, and chicken; none of these dishes looked like a good dinner); so we decided to walk to the other place. Alas, the second place was not much better and we decided to return to the hotel. While we were still inside the cafe, one of the guys (who grew up in Cameroon) said he was kind of nervous about the surroundings, so I paid close attention to people around us as we were going back. When we passed a group of street sellers, I noticed two guys leaving the group and following us. The Cameroonian member of our group saw it, too, and moved to the back of our little procession. Don't ask me why but I turned around and looked directly at the two guys behind us. I don't know what made them stop, realization that the black guy saw them (most likely) or my notice of their behavior, but they turned around. What a sigh of relief! We stopped at the shopping plaza (lots of people around so it looked safe) for several minutes to get some postcards (unfortunately, there were none) and headed straight to the hotel.

Still hungry (for food, NOT for more adventure, believe me!!!), we ate at the buffet-style hotel restaurant. The food is rather heavy, usually spicy, some dishes are not really my taste, but overall is pretty good.

Oh, and we exchanged some money today. The currency is naira and the exchange rate is approximately 127 naira for $1. I exchanged $100 so my total in naira came up to 12,700!!! I feel rich -- yeah, sure!

Day 2: July 4, 2006

2006-07-06T16:13:00.000-07:00

7:20 a.m. (1:00 a.m. your time!!!) Landed in Frankfurt, Germany. Our next flight, (Abuja, Nigeria) does not leave until 10:35 a.m. so there is some time to wander around the airport.

The gate for our flight is still closed so there is no place to sit and it's hot. There are no interesting shops around. I did buy my magnet (I collect magnets). Boring...

9:00 a.m. The gate is open! Yeah!

Waiting for a flight to Abuja

10:45 a.m. We are on the way to Abuja, Nigeria!!! Eight more hours of flying -- yeah (NOT)!

4:00 p.m. Landed in Port-Harcourt, Nigeria. It's one of the most dangerous cities in Nigeria (if not Africa). Many people left the plane but mostly guys (either oil workers or the locals). The plane is almost empty -- imagine! It's a huge plane, designed for at least 200 people and there are only about 40 of us, I think.

6:00 p.m. Finally in Abuja, Nigeria!!!

Airport

Our first view

Tired but excited! Our local coordinators were waiting for us and quickly loaded luggage (all of it arrived, too); now we are driving to the city -- approximately one-hour drive. Absorbing the scenery -- motorbikes everywhere, roads are OK but far from perfect, crooked trees, red soil (imagine that!), old-model cars (zooming around and honking constantly, nobody seems to maintain lanes).

Abuja -- capital of Nigeria -- was a jungle 25 years ago; today, there are six satellite communities and these are forming the infrastructure of the new city. All the roads are new (but not in a good condition by our standards), there are no stop signs and only a few traffic lights. Many buildings are not finished and we were told that people move in and finish building later (like adding doors, windows, amenities, etc.). It's the pride of Nigeria -- Abuja is what they want visitors to see; apparently, the rest of the country is still far behind. If the capital is so bad, how about other areas??? I guess we will find out...

We are here -- Denis Hotel! A rather plain building, guarded gates (yikes!)... What a clash of modern and traditional -- some people are wearing Western-style clothing while others are dressed in flowing (beautiful!, often embroidered robes; yes, men and women; will share pics later. There are imposing fences around all buildings. Some buildings are falling apart, some are under construction, and some are breathtaking. What a contrast!

Have you ever seen three or four people on one bike? Apparently, motorbikes are used as taxis here. I am rather adventurous but this "taxi" is totally out of question.

We are here -- Denis Hotel; a rather plain building, with guarded gates (Yikes!). The manager (in a flowing African outfit) ran out to meet us and assist with luggage. His staff did not even allow us to touch the luggage -- it seems like their feelings would have been hurt if we did not allow this demonstration of hospitality.

We are in our room -- rather large and looks clean. Our hotel is advertised as "Luxury Collections" -- according to the flyer in our room -- and it is fairly comfortable. However, we had to figure out a few things. For example, there is an individual water heater in every room. Tonight, we ended up taking cold showers (really cooling if not refreshing -- hey, after traveling for over 22 hours we are not too picky!!!) before we figured out how to turn the heater on. We do have an air conditioner (works great -- had to turn it down because it was too cold), a TV, a fairly nice computer (imagine that, in Africa!!!) and a free Internet connection in our room (even though the connection is very, very slow). I had to request another set of sheets, though -- the ones I had were washed but still had stains. When comes to sleeping arrangements, I will NOT compromise so I called the front desk and they brought a fresh (and definitely clean) set. They were fast, too!

I am tired but, surprisingly, not exhausted. Go figure! I am frustrated though -- this Internet connection is soooooooooooo slow; took me almost five minutes to just log in. More tomorrow!

Happy 4th, everybody! While you are still celebrating, it's 10:00 p.m. here in Abuja, Nigeria.

Day 1: July 3, 2006

2006-07-06T15:54:00.000-07:00

9:00 a.m. Packing and repacking my suitcase and two carry-ons, making sure I am not taking any unnecessary items but not forgetting anything either.

1:00 p.m. Arrived at the airport, received a boarding pass, checked in one bag, and found several other team members. Waiting for other people. Surprisingly, there are no huge crowds (well, excessively huge crowds).

2:00 p.m. Everybody is here. Went through security and arrived at the gate. Our flight does not board until 4:00 p.m. but the waiting area is full. I am so glad I called Lufthansa several days ago and confirmed my flight -- they overbooked this flight and two people in our group don't have an assigned seat yet. Yikes!

Waiting for a flight to Frankfurt, Germany

4:10 p.m. OK, I am sitting inside the plane (aisle seat -- yeah!). Will try to switch with a guy who sits next to me and get Betty (my colleague and roommate on this trip) to sit with me since this guy is already driving me nuts with constant silly chattering and questions.

5:00 p.m. Yeah, Betty is here! I gave up the aisle seat but it's no big deal since we know each other and asking her to stand up if I have to leave my seat is not problem. OK, over seven hours of flying are ahead of us... Sleeping, reading, listening to music... Eating... Stretching legs... Visiting the bathroom... Sleeping again... Well, you get the picture! :)