Bike Tour Across The Lagos Bridge

18 miles down by 10:00 on a Saturday- not to shabby. Since today is environmental day, Lagos closes down the streets for a quick clean which means no cars are allowed on the road. Well, most cars aren't anyway. So the Nigerian Field Society decided to take this opportunity to bike across the Lagos bridge which gives a very cool view of different parts of VI and the beginning of the mainland. So at 5:30 sharp we headed out to meet at Shells camp to begin our adventure.

At 7:00 am right when the sun was starting to rise we headed out to check out all the sights in Lagos. The pictures summarize it better than I can. 

One picture that I didn't take was the first dead body I've seen here. I must admit it was pretty shocking, it was if the person was road kill- but I'm guessing his death didn't have to do with a car. Here if there is a dead body on the road you just leave it alone. Nobody report it or tries to clean it up because the police will a) pin it on you or b) make you pay the funeral costs. It a reminder of the harsh realities of Nigeria. 


K-mac

Things That Go Bump In The Night

I am about 4 months into my assignment in Nigeria and out of all my exploring I never made it across the street to the Lekki Conservation Center. Truthfully this camp always has so much going on weekend that by Sunday I am either a) booked or b) beat. So when Bob invited me to tag along with him and a few colleagues on a night tour I couldn’t pass the opportunity up.  

So Tuesday night we set out our adventure at 7 pm at night. Covered from head to toe in clothes and sweat, skin burning from the overdose of insect repellent location and flashlight in hand we looked like we were about to head into the jungle.  Oh wait, we were.

It was dusk when we started to wander around. The first sighting was the peacocks since they were front and center waiting for someone to feed them. We then heard some monkeys wrestling in the trees. In our futile attempt to follow them, we found ourselves immersed in the woods.

The path was a rickety but stable wooden bridge that brought us all around the forest. The wetlands under us were amazing.  Darkness made the forest eerie, yet peaceful.  With just our flashlight we could catch glimpses of eyes and that’s when we broke out the heavy duty lights for a better look and some great photos.  It’s amazing what your other 4 senses can do when you take away sight. Although I admit, I loved using them to end up seeing the wildlife. Throughout our journey we spotted 5 crocodiles, saw some monkeys in the trees, a bunch of millipedes and spiders, and a frog to name a few.  But as you know, a picture is worth a thousand words

Peacocks were swarming us for food

One of the many spiders we encountered

Walking through the jungle at night

Awesome bat photo

Tortuous 

Millipede 

One of five crocodiles 

Group photos

Cheers-Kate

Best of Luck Andy

With a night out at Bottles, a Fat boy run, pub night and Beer Club bbq this week has certainly flown by. Why all the events you ask? Well, I guess you can call this last week the week of Andy. Andy is moving to Iraq as of today, and so we spent our time completing the bucket list of things to do while in Lagos. And Andy is just the first of the turnover coming up for the Lekki camp. Around this time of year many people are moved to different locations throughout the world, so we sadly bid them farewell as they move onto their next role. So it's the start of many goodbyes. Fortunately, it's a small world and even smaller expat community so our paths will cross again. 

But it does bring up the point that this place, despite it's frustrating flaws, will be tough to leave. The community is beyond anything I have experienced since I started work, and it's nothing that can easily be found in the states when you move to a new location. So while people are always ready to leave here there is still a sadness of the great friends that are left behind in the process. 

So cheers to Andy for a great time in Lagos, and best of luck on your new assignment.

K-mac

Expat Wife Prayer

Found this humorous prayer hanging up in a residents house here in Nigeria. Should give you some insight to the life of an expat wife:

Heavenly Father, look down on us your humble obedient expat wives who are doomed to travel this earth following our loved ones through their working lives to lands unknown. We beseech you, oh Lord, to see that our plane is not hijacked or doesn't crash, our luggage is not lost or pillaged and our overweight baggage goes unnoticed.

Give us this day divine guidance in our selection of houses, maids and drivers. We pray that the telephone works, the roof does not leak, the power cuts are few and the rats and cockroaches even fewer.

Lord, please lead us to good, inexpensive restaurants where wine is included in the meal and the food does not cause dysentery. Have mercy upon us Lord if it be the latter, make us fleet of foot, to make the loo in time, and strong of knee in case we have to squat. Also give us the wisdom to tip correctly in currencies we do not understand.

Make the natives love us Lord for who we are and not for what we can contribute to their worldly goods. Grant us the strength to smile at our maids, even though our most treasured dress resembles a rag or they take bleach to clean our well-admired Persian rug.

Give us divine patience when we explain for the hundredth time the way we want things done and Lord if we ever lose our patience and thump them, have mercy on us for our flesh is weak.

Dear God, protect us from so-called "bargains" we don't need and can't afford. Lead us not into temptation for we know not what we do.

Almighty Father, keep our husbands from looking at foreign women and comparing them to us. Save them from making fools of themselves in nightclubs. Above all, please do not forgive their trespasses for they know exactly what they do.

And when our expat years are over Lord, grant us the favor of finding someone who will look at our photographs and listen to our stories, so our lives as expat wives will not have been in vain.

Amen

Back in Action

Happy 2014 everyone! What a whirlwind this year has been already. I made my way back from my few weeks home Sunday, January 5th and it's been non stop ever since. 

By the time I was back in my house Sunday night it was time for bed. Jet lag soon ensued and Kelsie and I found myself up and doing the Insanity videos at 5 am in the morning. What could have been a one day fluke is now part of our daily routine. I'm hoping to see results in a couple weeks, so we'll see. 

Monday night ended up being an impromptu dinner party with Andy, Nick and Kelsie as an informal catch up session. Next thing you know we have another one to make Kelsie's famous galumpkis on Wednesday. Thursday we managed to make it off camp for Thai food and a small celebration for Andy's final days on camp before he heads off to his next assignment in Iraq. By Friday we were beat, but we still made it to the Fatboy run and watched the Hobbit afterwards.

There was no rest for the weary, Saturday we were up bright and early for a trip to the grocery store. Andy had a big going away party at the Managing Director's house, so we promised to make bruschetta. Once we got back and cooked up a storm, we played a little tennis and headed off to the party. Kelsie and I called it an earlish night, because Sunday a group of 15 of us had plans for the beach.

The beach lived up to all expectations. We brought everything humanly possible for a good time, and a lot of food, booze, cards and throwing around a football was a perfect way to pass the day. Swimming is limited because rip tides are awful here, so it's better to avoid. 

The day ended with the car catching on fire on the way back, and us being stranded on the side of the road getting a ride back in the police car. What can I say, that's a pretty standard Sunday in Nigeria- nothing ever goes exactly as planned ;)

By the next Monday I was dragging from all the activities. I mustered up just enough energy to go to the camp's music quiz night. Thankfully we had today off (Muslim holiday- The Prophet Muhammed's birthday). So a lazy day of reading, lounging by the pool and doing nothing has finally given me the break I needed to rejuvenate and fully adjust to being back in Lagos. 

Lata Sk8a- Kate