Happy Holidays!

Tomorrow night, I'm flying back to Wisconsin to spend the holidays with my family. I'm strangely excited to wear a winter jacket and wear holiday socks. It's been hard to get into the festive holiday spirit when it's still 90 degrees outside and sunny. However it is Harmattan season, so the evenings have cooled down quite a bit. I love the weather now. I wish it would stay this way, but I have been warned that soon the weather will turn and we will hit triple digits.

I have nothing really important to report about the last week, but here are some highlights:

• Last Friday, I had an amazing dinner with some new friends at a Lebanese restaurant. We had spinach pies, stuffed grape leaves, lamb, hummus, and other delicious goodies. The food was fantastic, probably some of the best I've had in Abuja (other than the Chinese place we go to).
• The past week has been interesting in respect to taxis. People keep telling me there is a fuel crisis in Abuja and the lines of cars waiting to get gas at gas stations are extremely long. I've had to pay more for taxis recently than I ever have in the past. However yesterday I noticed the lines at the gas station were no longer as long as they were before. No matter how many taxi drivers I talk to, no one seems to be able to explain what happened.
• Washing my sheets by hand is really rather difficult, but I gave it my best attempt.
• There is a spider that hangs out above the water heater in my bathroom. He and I have come to an understanding that as long as he stays up there, I won't attempt to kill him. But the minute he comes down, he takes his life into his own hands because I will chase him down with my shoe (which is what I did with the last spider I saw in the apartment).
• I have mosquito bites everywhere. I have no idea where I got them from, but I am so itchy. I have definitely upped my chances of developing malaria in the last few days.
• Many people are on leave at work, so the office has gotten very quiet. It's kind of nice.
• My face is healing pretty nicely and didn't end up being as bad as I imagined it would be. So I'm now ready to go home and take Christmas pictures with my family!

To all my Wisconsin readers (mainly the ones located around the Milwaukee area), I'd love to see you when I'm home!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Day I Closed a Taxi Door on My Face

I seem to be picking up stories left and right here in Abuja. And today gets to go down in the history books to prove my complete and utter clumsiness. After I was driven to work this morning, I paid, got out of the taxi, and proceeded to close the door on my face. I'm not sure how or why I did this nor do I understand how I lack the depth perception to know where my face is in relation to the car door. Regardless, I slammed the corner of the door on my face, right into the bridge of my nose and close to my eye. I am now sporting a really attractive scratch on my face and am starting to feel the bruising around my eye. Oh and I lost my contact in the process. If you know me, you know that I'm a blind bat. So today I get to work with only 1 good eye. It's going to be a long day... I'm starting to think I need to bring an extra pair of contacts to work just for times like this. I'll try to post a picture soon of the beautiful disaster we can now call my face.

It's December and I want to see snow

Life in Abuja is winding down slowly. Teresa is heading back to the States today, so I will have approximately 2 weeks by myself. Let's just hope I don't destroy the house before she comes back. The past few weekends, I've had the chance to go out and meet lots of new people in Abuja. It has helped me expand my social circle and see what else is out there. Work has been surprisingly busy. I've had a few projects thrown at me, so I've been trying to wade through a lot of new information and learn about the programs here. Abuja is growing on me. It has its days of pure frustration but I really don't mind it here. The city is pretty easy to live in. I have nothing unusually interesting to report, but for all you readers hailing from the Midwest- I'll be back in the area around Christmas! Wisconsin, you better provide me with some snow while I'm home!!!

Happy World AIDS Day

Yesterday the US Mission in Nigeria hosted a World AIDS Day Fair event, which I helped coordinate. World AIDS Day is actually today, the 1st, but the Nigerian government was having several events. In order to not clash with those events and since the ambassador had to attend some of them, we held our events yesterday. The day highlighted the importance of preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV as a way to achieve an “HIV-free” next generation and the ultimate global community goal of “getting to zero.” The official ceremony began with a welcome address from the Nigeria PEPFAR coordinator. She also gave an overview of the activities that were lined up for the day: speeches from special guests, vendor sales to benefit women with HIV/AIDS, blood donation, HIV testing and counseling, and educational sessions. Next, the director for the newly created Nigeria Centre for Disease Control within the Federal Ministry of Health spoke. He talked about the effect HIV/AIDS has had on Nigeria, the efforts Nigeria is going through to address this public health problem, and the role the US government has had in helping Nigeria in the fight against HIV/AIDS. After Professor Nasidi’s remarks, two different testimonials were given. The first one was given by an organization made up of Nigerian women who make Nigerian handmade products called Women of Hope. The proceeds of this organization go to support Nigerian women and children affected by HIV/AIDS. The second testimonial was given by an HIV-positive woman who benefitted from PMTCT and has two children who are HIV-negative. Then the US Ambassador of Nigeria gave a short speech on the work PEPFAR has done in Nigeria and how there were and will continue to be collaborative efforts between the Government of Nigeria and the US Government to fight HIV/AIDS. Upon the conclusion of the ambassador’s speech, the World AIDS Day Fair activities began. And I did some shopping. The Women of Hope organization sold different handmade quilted products, while the woman who gave her testimonial during the official ceremony sold beaded necklaces. Many people working for the USG came to donate blood and get tested for HIV. The educational sessions were provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Department of Defense (DOD) and included talks about tuberculosis, HIV prevention and general information, HIV modes of transmission, blood safety, the epidemiology of HIV in Nigeria, and why malaria matters. The day concluded around 2PM. It was a crazy day, but I’m glad I was able to participate and help coordinate things.

Thanksgiving 2011

This year was my second year away from home for Thanksgiving. Last year, I have fond memories of eating chicken by headlamp after a regional meeting at the office in Sembabule. This year, my Thanksgiving was a little closer to an American Thanksgiving. Teresa and I started off the day by trying to bake a coffee cake in the oven at home. We finally figured out that our stove IS gas and needs to be lit. By rolling up a piece of paper and lighting it, we were able to avoid scorching any phalanges, eyebrows, hair, and limbs. After our little bake-off (which consisted of Teresa doing all the work and me watching like a small child), we went to an American colleague’s house. She works for CDC and is an official hire, so she lives on an official American compound. It’s a NICE place. She has a 3 bedroom (at least 2 bath) house. We got there to help set up for Thanksgiving and cook a little. Teresa went up to our colleague’s neighbor’s place; she baked a coffee cake and made mashed potatoes. I helped to set up the room for the Thanksgiving party and helped with the rolls. Around 4, people started arriving. We had an awesome dinner with turkey, gravy, ham, salads, dinner rolls, stuffing, and so much more. The desserts were equally as impressive: red velvet cake!!! Pumpkin pie, chocolate pecan pie, lemon torte, coffee cake, and a few more things that I can’t remember.

After we finished eating, Teresa and I went to ANOTHER Thanksgiving party at our mentor’s house. He lives in a different American compound has a big place too. I was so stuffed by the time we reached his place. I barely ate anything else. We spent the rest of the evening hanging out with our mentor, the CDC country director, his brother, the Nigeria CDC director, and a few other Americans. It was a great day!

POP goes the weasel or the power cord

Nigeria has always had serious electricity problems. I never faced too many issues until today. This morning we went through a series of power surges at our apartment. And even though my laptop was plugged into a power cord/surge protector that was plugged into a voltage regulator, I heard a loud pop. After that my power cord no longer charged my laptop. RIP power cord. I just bought you in September. Hopefully the warranty will get me a new one... Ohhhhh TIA.

Paris Photos- Part Deux

Beautiful, fog-covered Sacred Heart Cathedral



Jumping for joy in the gardens at Versailles





The Eiffel Tower!!!



Maison du Roi in the Grand Place in Brussels

 

A Parisian Vacation- Part Deux

Day 3-
Teresa's knee was acting up quite a bit so Friday morning, I went to do a little sightseeing by myself while she rested at our apartment. I first saw a fog-covered Sacre-Coeur Basilica. It is a beautiful Roman Catholic church that sits on the top of a hill and is the highest point in Paris. As I walked up to the church, I couldn't help but notice the delightful smell of urine that followed my walk up. The church was pretty empty due to the bad weather. The fog covered the tip of the church and made it hard to enjoy the view of the city. I didn't end up climb to the top of the dome, since I assumed I wouldn't be able to see much due to the weather. After munching on a croissant while soaking in the view of the church, I ran off to Les Invalides. Here I did a quick walk through of displays of ancient armor and took a peek at Napoleon's sarcophagus. After that, I wandered back toward the Opera House and back to the apartment. We had to check out of this apartment and move to Hotel Belfast today. After collecting all of our stuff, Teresa and I each bought a mille-feuille and sat in front of the Pompidou Centre to eat them. We never ended up going into the Pompidou Centre but it is kind of a giant modern eye-sore in a city filled with beautiful, older architecture. After finishing our snack, we took the Metro toward the hotel. While on the Metro, a young girl tried to rob me. Initially I had no idea what she was doing, standing so close to me when there was plenty of room on the train, and I had my hands full, so I wasn't paying too much attention. Once I realized it, I just put my hand back on my purse and stared at her. She was like, "Oh sorry." Nothing was stolen- that's the benefit of 1) having way too much stuff in my purse to begin with and 2) not having a wallet. The rest of the way to the hotel went smoothly and we checked into a room with a pretty good view of the Arc de Triomphe if you stick your head out the window. Next, we went to Musee d'Orsay and enjoyed some of Monet's, Manet's, Renoir's and Whistler's works. We got to the museum kind of late, so we were only able to spend about 2 hours in the museum before it closed. After the museum, we ate a not-so-delicious dinner at a restaurant. Then after returning to the hotel, I promptly passed out.

Day 4-
VERSAILLES!!! Saturday, we ventured off to the royal chateau. It was just as magnificent as I imagined. We saw the Hall of Mirrors, the hidden door in the Queen's chambers that Marie Antoinette escaped out of when the mob stormed Versailles, and the chapel. Then we ventured into the gardens. They are so big and we were so tired that we kind of skimped on walking all the gardens. We did see the Apollo and Neptune fountains and the Grand Canal. Unfortunately, the Grand Eaux (fountain show) is only performed during certain months of the year and November is not one of those months, so we didn't get to see the fountains in their full glory. Regardless, Versailles is amazing. I cannot imagine what it was like to be royalty back then, not that I can imagine being royalty now either. Hopefully I'll be able to go back and visit Versailles someday when plants are greener and the statues in the gardens aren't covered. After Versailles, we returned to Paris and got to see the Eiffel Tower up close and personal. The long to go to the top was super long, so we decided to opt out of that wait. Then we walked back toward our hotel and got to see all sides of the Arc de Triomphe. After a brief rest at the hotel, we went back to our old neighborhood in Marais and just wandered. We had the best chicken shwarma in the Jewish neighborhood for dinner and crepes for dessert. It was a packed day!!

Day 5-
On Sunday, we took the Thalys train to Brussels. It was a bit colder in Brussels than Paris, and my Nigeria wardrobe did not prepare me for a serious chill, so I was a little cold all day. We first found the Grand Place, where the Town Hall and Maison du Rois are. Then we went to see the Manneken Pis (aka the little naked peeing boy fountain). It was a lot smaller and a lot less impressive than I thought it would be. We did a lot of walking around and saw: Notre Dame de la Chapelle, Grand Sablon Square, Petit Sablon Garden, Palais de Justice, Place Royale Square, Palais Royal, and St Michael and St Gudula Cathedral. Then we did a little shopping at Galeries St. Hubert, the oldest covered mall in Europe. Overall, Brussels was nice but a little too cold. We didn't plan out this part of the trip extremely well, so we did a lot of wandering. I did, however, get to enjoy some frites and a Belgium waffle, which were delicious. I spotted quite a few Belgium chocolatier stores: Leonidas, Neuhaus, and Cote d'Or. So much chocolate! After our brief day visit in Brussels, we took the train back to Paris to prepare for our journey home the next day.

Good-bye Paris!!! We flew back to Abuja via Amsterdam on Monday. Paris was amazing; I had such a good time!!!

Paris Photos- Part Un



See? Shiny tip. I didn't realize Teresa had taken a picture until after I got back to Nigeria and looked at all the photos.




Maxim's!!! I found it.



A Parisian Vacation- Part Un

Nigeria is pretty much divided 50/50 when it comes to religion (maybe a little more leaning toward Islam than Christianity). And Eid al-Adha was celebrated on November 6th this year. As a result, the 2 days after Eid were public holidays in Nigeria. Then since we work for the US government, we also celebrate US holidays and Friday, November 11th, was Veteran's Day. As a result, the country director made the decision to close the office on Wednesday and Thursday too. This allowed for employees to travel back home and take some extra time to relax (especially nice since people have been pulling extremely long hours to finish off important projects and reports). As for Teresa and myself, we realized that we wouldn't have much to do for a week, so we decided a vacation was an order. After lots of brainstorms on places to go, searches on Google, and talking with family/friends, we decided to go to PARIS! So we worked the weekend of Eid (working on Saturday and Sunday was not especially thrilling but putting in the extra hours helped catch up on work) and on Monday. Then on Monday night, we got on a plane and flew off to Europe.

We arrived in Paris around noon and made our way to the first place we stayed. This trip we split up our stay: 3 nights in a rented apartment in the 3rd arrondissement and 3 nights in a hotel right by the Arc de Triomphe. The apartment was wonderful. Small but the perfect size for the 2 of us. I would defnitely stay there again if I went back to Paris. After we got our key to the apartment, we settled in and decided to go wander the city. During our exploration we saw the Place de la Bastille, which is just a big roundabout, the Colonne de Julliet, the Seine, the outside of the Louvre, and the Paris Opera House. It was a lot of walking, but it was great to just see the city.

Full Day #1:
On Wednesday, we had a packed day. In the morning, we spent quality time in the Louvre. There's so much to see there! We only made it through 2 parts of the museum (it's split in 3) and essentially whizzed by everything we thought was important. In the end, I bet we missed a few important pieces of art (but I guess that just gives me a reason to go back again). After the Louvre, we sat at the edge of the Tuileries Garden and ate lunch. I had a delicious quiche and Orangina. Then off we went on a walk along the Seine and then over to La Sainte-Chapelle. It was beautiful inside! Currently they are working on restoring some of the stained glass, so some of the glass was a bit dusty. We tried to interpret the different glass panes because they are all supposed to tell stories from the Bible, but honestly we should have brought binoculars or I simply need better eyesight. They were a bit difficult to decipher. Regardless, it was breathtaking. After Sainte-Chapelle, it was onto Notre Dame, which was also breathtaking. We managed to climb the towers… all 422 spiraling steps (I got a bit dizzy) to enjoy the awesome view of the city. Then from Notre Dame, we journeyed into the Latin Quarter and found the Pantheon to say hello to Victor Hugo and Marie Curie. After that whirlwind, we wandered back across the river and to our neighborhood in Marais. I enjoyed a wonderful dinner of confit de canard and a sugar crepe for dessert. It was a crazy first day. My feet hurt so bad by the time we sat down for dinner, but it was worth it!!!

Day 2:

The next day, we ventured back to the Louvre and said hello to Mona Lisa. She is way smaller than I had thought she would be. It was almost anticlimactic after seeing all these giant, a lot bigger than me paintings. After our second trip through the Louvre (there were a lot more people there this day), we walked through the Tuileries Garden. I bet it’s a lot more beautiful in the spring and summer, but the trees were pretty naked and most plants were dead, so it wasn’t the most mind-blowing walk. After the walk, we went to the Musee de l’Orangerie (forgive me if I end up spelling anything completely wrong, my French is nonexistent). Here we had the delight of viewing Monet’s water lily paintings. AMAZING! I love Monet and it was great to see the art up close and personal (though I continue to wonder if the real stuff is on display or just really good fakes). After visiting with the impressionists, we checked out the Place de la Concorde and the giant obelisk- it has a very shiny gold tip. From there, we took the Metro to the St Germain neighborhood and did a little window shopping on our way to the Luxembourg Garden. Along the way, Teresa’s knee started acting up, so we sat in the garden for a while. No, I promise I did not do a Tanya Harding and send someone to beat her. It just started to hurt, so we decided to take things a little slower. The day before we had been tourists on speed; it wasn’t hard to take it down a notch. After the garden, we visited a few chocolate stores. I will always have my knowledge of chocolate and wonderful experiences from Gourmet Boutique, so chocolate stores have a certain appeal. I was advised to check out Pierre Herme and Patrick Roger, which we did. Very nice, very expensive chocolate! After that, we continued our chocolate tour back over by Place de la Concorde and visited Maxim’s and Michel Cluizel. Once we were all chocolated out, we had a late lunch back at our temporary home. Our evening was spent shopping and wandering around our neighborhood. We managed to squeeze in visits to the Le Palais de The and Kusmi stores (2 tea companies I’m familiar with thanks to GB). It was topped off with a delicious honey and nut crepe. I love Paris!

More to come...

It's November!

It turns out that I eat a lot of Indian food here. We sometimes even get delivery to the office from a local restaurant. It comes complete with naan, rice, and a samosa. However, I'll confess Haandi's in Kampala still has a very special place in my heart, especially with all those desperate boda boda rides trying to get there before they closed.

It was a long week of work. But now it's Friday, so that means I can lay in my bed and watch the next episode of Grey's Anatomy that Teresa so kindly downloaded for me.

A few observations I have made:

• All drivers here honk excessively. If you're driving down the road and you pass another car, HONK. If you're turning left, HONK. If you're turning right, HONK HONK. If you think the driver in front of you is driving too slow, HONK HONK. If you are stuck in a traffic jam, HONK HONK HONK. If you're driving down the road and there are a few cars in front and behind you, HONK HONK HONK. So... my conclusion is if you drive here, you need to drive with one hand on the wheel for steering and one hand permanently honking your horn. There are some mornings I'll get into a taxi and the taxi driver drives happily along, HONK HONK HONKITY HONK HONK. And I am just not the brightest ray of sunshine afterward. There IS humor to be found when your overzealous driver's honking horn sounds like a dying goat.
• So far my favorite taxi rides have been in the jankiest cars. Not saying ALL my favorite taxi rides ever will be in janky vehicles... just the ones I've been in so far. I think it gives the taxi ride more character... 
• Listening to sheep baa during your meeting for an hour just makes things a little more interesting. And I have come to the conclusion that sheep make more of a meeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhh sound rather than a baaaaaaa sound which is what I learned when I sang "baa baa black sheep". Then when your roommate walks into your room an hour after you get home from the meeting and asks you- "Do you still hear a sheep?", you know that sheep really made a lasting impression (There are sheep all over Abuja right now because of the Eid al-Adha holiday coming up).
• Packages from home can really cheer you up after you've had a bad day. Thanks Mom and Dad!!! 

 And that is all I have for you at the moment. Happy Friday!

Nigeria Pidgin Lesson of the Day:
Wahala = problem/trouble

Weeeeee BEST CHINESE FOOD

Imagine a really full, satisfied, happy four year old. Squeals, rolls around on the floor, clapping, giggling. Yes, that would be me. Pretty much had a winning weekend here in Abuja. We kicked off Friday with the best meal I've had in Abuja yet. A woman I met at yoga brought Teresa and me to an undisclosed, pseudo-restaurant. It's an impressive place, but not open to the public. You definitely have to know someone to get lunch or dinner: my friend from yoga knows the manager of the restaurant- Uncle B. Wow... pretty much got our socks blown off. Potstickers, chow mein, short ribs, fresh homegrown Chinese veggies, CHICKEN FEET, & SQUAB. It was like I died and went to heaven. This meal was probably the first time I've been totally satisfied and full since I've gotten to Abuja (not saying I don't like Nigerian food or subsisting on crackers, but there's something to be said about eating the foods that you are most familiar with and associate with home). After a faaaaaantastic meal (and not having to pay because everyone is way too nice), Teresa and I went to our first US Marine party. The US Marines have a house here where they used to throw parties every other Friday night, or so, for the US embassy people and pretty much the whole expat community. However after the UN bombing, security was heightened, curfews were enforced, and the parties were cancelled. When Teresa and I first got here, all we heard about were these parties- great place to go, relax, meet people in a secure environment, etc. This Friday, they held their first party since the bombing. It was good to meet new people. The music was a bit loud, so it was hard to actually get to know anyone as you're screaming into their ear. But it was fun. We even spotted our mentor that evening. And don't worry, the Marines were true gentlemen. After kicking everyone out (cuz the party ended at midnight due to curfew still being enforced for the Embassy employees), they drove Teresa and me home in their armored SUV to ensure that we didn't get into any trouble on our way home.

Saturday was our weekly run to Wuse Market with the guy from the Taiwanese Trade Mission (same guy as last week). He's so nice to be willing to drive us to the market and accompany us as we attempt to haggle our way around. We managed to buy a Sam's Club sized amount of toilet paper, so hopefully we'll be set for a while on the TP front. We also got some more fabric to make curtains for our bathrooms. We didn't have curtains before, and I'm pretty sure our neighbors from the penthouse could see into our bathroom... Not exactly ideal. At the market, young boys try to follow us around with empty wheelbarrows. They want to wheel your stuff around for you while you shop for money. As a true Midwesterner, I think I can do it myself and can never bring myself to actually hire someone. I know it'd be nice to help them since they want to earn some money, but the independent, I-can-carry-this-myself, I-could-use-the-workout mindset takes precedent. So imagine me, lugging my Sam's Club, almost as big as me thing of toilet paper around. Probably should have gotten someone to take a picture... I'm still trying to figure out if I can become truly African (because I saw this in Uganda also) and carry stuff on my head. I've only gotten as far as walking 5 feet with a notebook on my head. I think I have a ways to go before I can carry a giant thing of toilet paper on my head.

This morning, Uncle B invited Teresa and me to breakfast at the Hilton Hotel. Pretty upscale eating. We had pastries, fruit, and slices of salmon, duck breast, roast beef, prosciutto, and cheese. Very delicious. Afterward, Uncle B brought us back to his place at the hotel. We hung out, took a nap, and watched some TV, while Uncle B did some work. After Uncle B drove us home, we just spent the afternoon relaxing. I read a bunch of stuff for work and played on the internet. It turns out 5GB of data is actually a lot more than I thought it was, so I have quite a bit of data for internet left before the month comes to a close and I have to buy more internet. Tonight, Teresa and I went back to eat at the restaurant. Potstickers and tofu. Nom nom nom. My belly is so happy. Uncle B also gave us 40 frozen dumplings to take home and make on our own. He's been so kind and willing to help us out. My stomach is forever grateful to him.

Nigerian Language Lesson:
Oyibo (which originated from Igbo which is pronounced Ee-bo, not Ig-bo) = the Nigerian version of Mzungu = White Person

Pictures of the Pad

My Room!!

Our borrowed living room furniture. It's plushy.

Dining room with our not-totally-flat table and the nook to look into the kitchen

Bathroom!

My awesome Princess Jasmine flip flops

Entering Week Three in Abuja

On Thursday, we had a visit from the Deputy Executive Director for the Global Health Initiative (GHI) at the Department of State. She was here to launch the GHI program in Nigeria. The GHI is trying to improve the efficacy and impact of US international health programs abroad. In Nigeria, GHI is positioned to work with the government of Nigeria, the Nigerian private sector, US health assistance programs, and other development partners and donors the US works with. GHI will increase access to quality health information, counseling, and services. It will work to enable Nigerians to participate more effectively in health decision-making (including reducing maternal, neonatal, and child mortality and morbidity, decreasing unintended pregnancies, and reducing incidence of communicable diseases (HIV, TB, malaria)). So while the Deputy Executive Director was visiting Nigeria, she was being introduced to all the programs in the country. We went along for her site visits at 2 district hospitals in Abuja- Maitama District Hospital and Asokoro District Hospital. It was really interesting to see the district hospitals. They were very crowded, but looked very similar to hospitals I have seen in Uganda.

After work on Friday, Teresa and I went to find the Taiwanese Consulate. Teresa's mom had a contact who had a contact who had a contact... you get the picture, who introduced us to some of the people working at the consulate, so we decided to pop by to say hello. It was really nice to meet with them and chat in Mandarin. I've come to the realization that I may have come to Nigeria, but my Chinese is actually going to improve.

This weekend, Teresa and I tackled some more housekeeping activities. Friday night was spent attempting to nail fabric to the walls for curtains. It turns out I didn't buy enough fabric at Utako Market, so we only had enough fabric to cover the window that allows people in the hallway to look into our apartment and each of our bedrooms. We will have to get more soon. The curtains in our rooms did not go up as easily as we expected. The windows are surrounded with concrete, so sometimes our nails did not feel like going into the wall. Quite a few nails flew across the room as we were trying to nail things up, but in the end, we have 3 windows covered with bright blue fabric (pictures are forthcoming... if I can ever get my camera to work again).

On Saturday morning, we went to Wuse Market with a guy we met at the Taiwanese Consulate. He drove us, which was really nice. Wuse Market is like Utako Market, but closer to us and even bigger. It's quite the experience to walk along rows and rows of buildings that are very close together while people grab at you and yell to try to get your attention. People also hiss here to get your attention, which I find a little off-putting. It's definitely a cultural thing, but we don't hiss at people in the US or in Chinese culture. So it takes some getting used to, I'm still adjusting to it. Teresa and I ended up finding a large pan, a drying rack for dishes, and 2 basins to do laundry in. She bought a drying rack for our laundry, a plastic table (to use as a desk) and a plastic chair, while I bought 2 pairs of sandals. Guess you can see where each of our priorities lie. Hehehe.

Then on Saturday evening, we ended up going to meet one of the Nigerian doctors we met last week at the part. He works in the Emergency Department at the National Hospital in Abuja, so we were able to go hang out with him a little. We talked a lot about healthcare in Nigeria and his work in the ER. We also took a little tour of the hospital. It was not as crowded as Maitama or Asokoro District Hospitals nor was it as crowded as Mulgao Hospital in Uganda. So it was very interesting to see.

The only other interesting thing to report is that I met the US Ambassador to Nigeria yesterday morning. We had a meeting with him and the Deputy Chief of Mission. Rather formal and intimidating, since these are incredibly important people at the embassy and in the country. It was a good meeting though and just nice to be formally introduced to the ambassador.

I've almost hit the 3 week mark here in Nigeria!!!

The Day I Got Locked in the Bathroom

Before I share the story referenced in the title, here's an update on life in Abuja. On Saturday night, Teresa and I went to a friend's party. We met a lot of new people and spent time relaxing by a pool. Sunday was a lazy day, but we did end up going to Trivia Night at another friend's house. We had been invited last week and thought it was fun. This week, my team won again! Different team members, but we still won. Maybe I'm a good luck charm. I'm not very good at trivia, so it can't be my contributions that actually help my team win. We did not have to work on Monday because it was Columbus Day in the US. Since we work for an American goverment agency, we get to celebrate US holidays, even in Nigeria. One of our colleagues took us to find some furniture outside of the city. Furniture is extremely expensive here. I think more so than the US, so it's been challenging to furnish our apartment. We picked out a not-totally-flat dining room table and 4 chairs. At least we have something in our living room now! I found a Bikram yoga class here in Abuja- tried it on Saturday and then went again Monday night. I love it! I hope to keep going while I'm here.

Tuesday was our first day of work. These next few weeks will just be orientation and time to get to know the office. It will be good to become more familiar with how CDC works and what projects/programs are going on in Nigeria. It will be different from working in a small NGO that received PEPFAR (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) money from an intermediary. This money came from USAID originally through a big umbrella grant. Here at CDC, they work more with implementing partners. It's more of an immediate funneling of funds directly to programs. I have a lot to learn!

Now to my story:
Yesterday, I was at work and needed to go to the bathroom. I proceeded to go, etc. Once I flushed, I tried to leave the bathroom stall and realized I could not get the lock to unlock the door. The bathroom stall is not so much a stall but more like a small closet. There is no opening under the door to crawl under to get out. So I realized I was locked into my tiny bathroom stall. Twisted the lock. Nothing budged. Banged on the door. Nothing budged. Threw my shoulder against the door. Nothing budged. Tried yelling "help" and "hello?". No one heard me. More fidgeting with the lock. Nothing. (It brought back memories of when I was little: in the Pizza Hut in Taiwan for my birthday meal and somehow locked myself in the bathroom there.) So yesterday- for like 5 minutes, I am stuck trying to figure out a way to get out of the bathroom. Finally, I somehow turn the lock the right way and the door came unlocked. FREEDOM! In the end, I was not stuck in the bathroom for too long, but it was not my best experience. I told Teresa that next time she needs to come check on me if I've been gone in the bathroom for more than 10 minutes. Evn though I'm not claustrophobic, the idea of being stuck in a small room with a toilet is not exactly my favorite idea of a good time (although, if you do get stuck in a small room, a toilet is probably one of the better options for a companion). Pretty exciting work day, don't you think?

This Little Piggy Went To Market

Just like the title suggests, I went to the market today and it was a successful trip . Teresa and I went to Utako Market (sounds like u + taco which made me just crave tacos, even though I rarely eat Mexican food) with a couple friends today. We meant to go to Jabi Market, where there are lots of Nigerian crafts and things, but as we tried to get out there, we hit a major traffic jam. So we turned around and headed to Utako Market instead. Think of rows and rows of rooms with all sorts of things in them, like household items, electronics, etc. Pretty tight quarters, but kind of makes me feel at home. And so it was time to pull out my haggling skills. I confess, I’m a little rusty since last year and will never be quit as skillful as my dad, but I like to think I can hold my own. Teresa and I made off with:

• 3 good quality cylindrical metal garbage cans (plus a mug because the lady wouldn’t give us a lower price but offered us a “dash” instead. A dash essentially means a little something extra, a tip, a gift, etc. Taxi drivers often ask for a dash when you are paying them your fare.)
• 6 glasses
• A giant bag of tangerines
• Cutting board
• 10 yards of blue cloth to make curtains with
• A dozen spoons
• A dozen forks
• 6 butter knives
• 6 stoneware plates
• Some Tupperware
• A vegetable peeler
• Probably the best “look at me” broom ever- blue with leopard print spots on the handle
• Hangers
• A bag of beans
• A blue toilet brush

I also bought these “Jasmine” style flip flops from a cart with a mountain of flip flops on it. These flip flops are compensation for the black ones I lost on the flight to Nigeria. They are turquoise and bejeweled. They are awesome and were under $4. Probably the best purchase of the day for me.

So as you can see, successful trip!!! So the house has a few more things in it now. And we had our first cooking experience with our gas stove tonight. I made a fried egg for each of us. See? I'm becoming domesticated while I'm here. Our Nigerian coworkers have told us that a year in Nigeria is not enough and maybe we'll stay forever after we marry a Nigerian. If that is going to happen, I think I need to learn to cook more than fried eggs...

New Home

I write from my new home in Abuja. We moved in on Wednesday a pretty big but unfurnished apartment on the 3 floor (well 4th if you use American standards) of a building complex. It even comes with a small pool and a tiny gym. It's nice and spacious. However, right now it's very empty. I have a wardrobe for my clothes, aka a small, not built in closet, and I have a foam mattress on the floor to sleep on. That's about it. Unfortunately, Teresa and I have been finding that furniture in Abuja is even more expensive than furniture in the US. So I think it'll be a slow process of getting furniture or the place may stay fairly sparse. (If you know anyone in Abuja who is selling furniture or moving away and getting rid of furniture, let me know. Or if you're willing to send me an entire Ikea store's worth of stuff, I'd be grateful also.) Currently our kitchen has cockroaches, so I've been on a killing spree. They are actually not very big, so not scary nor do they crunch too much when you step on them with your shoe. I'm well on my way to being a professional bug killer again.

As for work, we went in on Tuesday and Friday. But my mentor is not in the country yet, so I haven't had much to do. Monday is Columbus Day in the US and we, as a government agency, don't have to work! While I'm here, I think we will be celebrating Nigerian AND US holidays, which is pretty nice.

I wish I had more to say, but things have been pretty uneventful. I have finished like 9 books already. Having a Kindle is awesome, but I'm not as frugal with my reading habits as last year. So I've just been devouring books. That may become a problem when I run out of books on my Kindle to read and cannot download any.

Happy Independence Day, Nigeria!

On October 1, 1960, Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom. Happy Independence Day! Actually in Abuja, it's technically the 2nd. However it is still the 1st in the US, so I think it still counts.

Hello from Abuja! I arrived late on Wednesday night and was met at the airport by someone who works at the CDC and the driver. Teresa and I were picked up by an armored SUV, bullet proof glass and everything. Security measures have been heightened since the UN bombing, so any time US Embassy personnel (the CDC person who picked us up) leave the city center, they are required to go in armored vehicles with an armed escort. So along with our armored SUV, we were also followed by another armored SUV with a man with a gun in it. Pretty intense for a very peaceful 30-45 minute drive into the city of Abuja. I did not get much sleep on the plane rides here, so I slept pretty well my first night. It felt great to be horizontal again after 20-some hours of travel. Our flights here were pretty smooth. The only hitch was that our actual flight from Amsterdam to Abuja was delayed by an hour. When Teresa and I were standing in line to go through security again in Amsterdam (which by the way, I don't understand why they do it this way in Amsterdam, but that's neither here nor there), people kept asking us if we were sure we were going to Abuja. "Yes, I am going to Abuja. I'm sure I'm in the right line. I know where I'm going. Yes, I want to get on this flight. My ticket says I am going there." Was not sure why people kept asking.

I am currently staying in a hotel room with Teresa. Our apartment is not ready for us yet, so we will be here until next Wednesday. Not much to report about the hotel... just a hotel room with a giant bed for 2 small Asian girls to sleep in. Nothing too fantastic or interesting.

We have not done much work-wise. On Thursday we went to the CDC office but other than that, we have not seen much of the office. I think we'll start working on Tuesday. I got to go into the US Embassy for the first time Thursday, which was interesting. I have never been inside an embassy. Pretty strict security rules. They wouldn't even let me bring my pack of gum with me that was in my purse. We went to the embassy to get some money exchanged. So rather than having to find a For Ex, we were able to get Nigerian Naira at the embassy.

I don't have too much to report. Our hotel is kind of on the outskirts of town, so we haven't gone into the city too much. Abuja is definitely different than Kampala.

• The roads are nicer, there seems to be less traffic (that remains to be determined), and there are no boda bodas. I guess boda bodas (or whatever they call motorcycle taxis here) are banned inside Abuja. This makes traveling a little more inconvenient because you have to hunt down a taxi. The official taxis are green, while there are also unmarked taxis you can take. Same policy as Kampala for taxi riding tho- haggling the price of the taxi ride.
• It's hotter here. Right now we're on the tail end of one of the rainy seasons, so it's rather humid and warm. Next up will be the dry season, which I have been told by expats here is like scorched earth, deathly hot. That should be joyously fun. The great thing about Ssembabule was definitely the weather. Warm during the day, cool at night. It was rather perfect. 
• There is no chapati here. I'm going to have to find some new substitute for chapati. Or just figure out how to make my own. Or make a special trip back to Uganda for chapati. And rolexes. I cannot tell you how much I crave a good quality rolex. 

Those are my only comparisons as of right now. I haven't seen very much, nor have I experienced too much of the city. Jet lag and lack of transportation kind of hampers my movement. But have no fear, I'm moving to my new place on Wednesday. Whether or not I have a bed to sleep in Wednesday night remains to be seen. But I'll be able to explore much more after Wednesday.

The last few nights, Teresa and I have been meeting different people who live in Abuja. It's been really nice to meet new people and to get their perspectives on the city and the country. I'll keep those observations to include as commentary when I form opinions of my own. I have to confess that I know absolutely no Yoruba, Hausa, or Igbo. Every time I jump in a cab, all I want to do is speak Luganda. WRONG language. I'm going to have to work on that.

Oh, to help clarify, Teresa is my fellow fellow (yes that's what we say) and is doing the same fellowship as I am, except different programs. She's in Epidemiology while I am doing Program Management. She is also Chinese and hails from LA. We'll forgive her for her West Coast tendencies for now. And for probably one of the only times ever (other times are when I stand next to 2 out of 3 sisters), I am taller. Hehehe. 

Anyway, I'm here. I'm safe. And I'm happy. This may sound like a stereotype but I walked outside on Thursday night, took a deep breath, and sighed, "Mmmmm smells like Africa." It smells wonderful. I'm excited about my new adventure. It's just beginning!

PS Mosquito bites = 1, Bouts of malaria = 0.

And I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane...

This is it! I'm flying out today. Just like the song, all my bags are packed and I think I'm pretty ready to go. My dad is the miracle worker of packing. I initially sat with everything I was going to bring and thought I needed approximately 7 bags. He managed to squeeze everything I am bringing into 2 large luggages, 1 carry-on, and my backpack. I am extremely impressed. The actual work I will be doing is still an unknown, but I bet I'll be finding out in a few days. I'm just excited to get there! The next time I'll be writing will probably be from Abuja!!

Countdown- 14 days before leaving

The countdown begins! I just finished Day 1 of orientation in Atlanta. Long day, lots of words and papers to go through. Working for the government involves a lot more paperwork and keeping track of things than simply being a lowly intern who is volunteering. Paper trails are important. There are 21 of us. If any of you get the ASPH Friday email, you will see me this week in the email. We took a group shot for the newbie fellows. It's great having all public health people together. AND awesome to meet people and see where everyone has worked and will be working. It's pretty awesome.

I am officially excited for my move now. Before it was pretty surreal and just not sinking in, now it's so much more of a reality. I'm moving to Nigeria! And this time, I'm getting paid for my work. Woot woot! I love international work, but I also just graduated so I'm poor. So this fellowship is both an amazing opportunity and a chance to go back to Africa while not going bankrupt. Tomorrow is another day of training!

The Challenges of Moving

Moving can be stressful, regardless of where you are moving to. However, I am realizing that moving overseas is a whole new ball game. My fellowship does not have housing set up for me, so I am currently doing the search for apartments. So if anyone out there has information about apartments in Abuja, I'm all ears. Plus furnishing the apartment... I'll be needing help on that front too.

The other issue is cleaning all my stuff that is here in the States. Since I have not stayed in the same place for longer than a year at a time since I graduated from high school, it's challenging to know where 1) all my stuff is and 2) finding a place to put everything all together. I have come to realize that I own an obnoxious amount of books. Someday I hope to have floor to ceiling bookshelves to store them in.

Other than that, there are always the stresses of moving abroad. But that's nothing super new. I have orientation in Atlanta for 10 days before I leave for Nigeria, so that will be interesting and hopefully very helpful. And finally, my official departure date is September 27!

Next Adventure = Nigeria

This September I will be moving to Abuja, Nigeria, for one year. It's a really awesome opportunity for me; I will be a fellow at CDC-Nigeria, doing global program management. I've never been to Nigeria before, so this is a completely new adventure. I'm excited to once again return to the African continent!! There's so much to do before I leave, but I know time will fly and before I know it, I will be in the Eastern Hemisphere again.