Friday was my first fat boy run. Yes, it's called the fat boy run because no matter who you are you show up and do your best to run as far as you can. At 5:30 a bus and security leaves camp and heads to the beach to start the adventure. Some troopers actually run to the beach, but I thought I'd take the bus to see what I was getting myself into. The trip to the beach goes through back, barely paved roads that cut through one of the many market places around Lekki. I guess not that long ago a devastating storm hit destroying most of the villages around the beach. After a week on camp it's easy to forget where you are, and this was a brutal reminder of why Nigeria is a third world country.
Upon arriving at the beach, we grab our spot at the typical table and meet Precious, our trainer. What I thought would be a nice run was no joke. Five miles of sandy beach and Precious kicking my butt, it felt like I haven't ran in years. The beach is not the typical Cali beach I was use to. The sand was white and crisp, but covered with all sorts of trash. Despite that, the beauty of where we were was hard to miss. The smell of the Atlantic and the sun setting was a little piece of perfection. Huts lined the beach hidden amongst the palm trees. Locals were out and about, playing soccer and enjoying the sunset, waving as we ran by. Precious is a staple in the community, making our entry into their land a welcomed one. After 40 minutes of panting and struggling, I had a 40 of Heineken calling my name. Beer is incredibly cheap- about 500 nira which is about 3 US dollars. The bar we go to is a simple one, just a few plastic chairs and a family providing us beer and making suya. Oh suya. Yes, it's amazing! It's an extremely spicy meat, either chicken or beef. For once, the beef beat the chicken 10 to 1. As the sun set we made a bonfire, enjoying stories from all sorts of backgrounds. It gives me a whole different perspective on how people view the world.
We head back at 8, and I ended up crashing a small wine and cheese party with a few people. I actually met someone from Urbana, IL! The conversation flows freely, no pay grade or seniority interfering with the fun which is unlike anything I experienced at Corp. Everyone is friends, everyone knows everything and the best part is nobody cares. For the first time in my career here I feel a sense of freedom, liberation from the ever present watchful eyes. Not that anyone does anything bad, it's just people here except people as they are. Which makes sense, because most people coming here are pretty open minded. And it's wonderful.
After a few bottles of wine and my ultra low tolerance, I head back to my house but ended up getting a few beer at the neighbors and watching the most hilarious British TV show till 3 am.
I was dragging the morning, but got up to have another neighbor take me to a South African grocery store I hadn't been to yet. It was nice to get to know another face around camp. After that Nick and I took off and spent the entire afternoon at a place called Troy's, an expat hangout where they have hookah. After hours of staring at the water we finally made it back to the mall to grab some KFC and check out the movie theatre, which is going to be Tuesdays adventure. After a lot of strange food, KFC never tasted so good.
Like I said, it's surreal. As I go from place to place, all you see is the poverty. Here there is those with money and those without. I don't know how to explain it, no documentary or article could describe it. And as much as I see it I don't think it's even actually hit me what's really happening around me. As much as I would like to, I won't be posting pictures of any of this because it seems unfair to put their life on display in such a manner. I will, however, share what I can.
It's starting to hit me how truly blessed I am to have this opportunity. And since it's my last day at the ripe old age of 24, I have a sneaking suspicion that 25 is going to be one hell of a year that I'm never going to regret.
Until next time- Kate.
And you thought you wouldn't consume a lot of alcohol while you were there ;) That beach run sounds amazing.
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