Country in Mourning

If you keep up with Nigerian news, you may have already heard about the plane (an Abuja to Lagos flight) that crashed in Lagos yesterday afternoon. All the passengers on board, approximately 150 people, died and an unknown number of people on the ground died. Most of the passengers were Nigerian but it has been reported that some Chinese nationals were on that flight. I've heard that a few Nigerian staff that work for our embassy or our implementing partners were also on that flight. Details about the crash are mixed which is pretty typical for Nigerian news reporting. But it is a terrible tragedy. The president has declared 3 days of national mourning. It is pretty scary because many people fly between Lagos and Abuja all the time, whether it's for business or pleasure. Just last weekend, several of my expat friends made the Abuja-Lagos journey just to relax and enjoy a change of scenery.

In other Nigerian news, not any more uplifting, there was a bombing up north in Bauchi. A suicide bomber blew up a church on Sunday. According to BBC, 10 people were killed and around 30 were wounded. I hate to report all these tragedies, but this is what is going on in Nigeria. Tragic tragic tragic.

Aside from that, my body decided it doesn't like to be healthy anymore. So for the last month, I was fighting a head cold on and off. Sick sick at the end of April. My body decided folliculitis might be fun to experience and my one toenail ripped off. Lovely times.

Can't Believe It's The End Of May

Over the past month, I have been married at least 5 times, have had at least 1 kid, and am seriously considering getting a second husband. No, you haven't missed a large chunk of my life. I have developed a habit of creating an imaginary husband for myself when taxi drivers ask if I'm married or not. Sometimes I have a child, sometimes I don't. It really depends on how I feel that day. I think it kind of mixes up the whole taxi-ride experience, and it helps me avoid the marriage proposal that sometimes comes after a taxi driver discovers that I'm not married yet.

In other news, there's not too much to report. Now that Teresa's gone, the apartment is getting dustier by the day and no matter how many times I sweep and mop, it just doesn't seem to get any cleaner (or maybe I'm just really bad at cleaning). I have developed a new skill of making pretty good omelets. Other than that, I don't think my cooking skills have improved this year. 

It's crazy to think that I have around 100 days left in Nigeria, give or take a couple days. It's the end of May! Pretty sure I didn't believe it was the end of April last month and I probably sound redundant, but it's true- I can't believe it. This is the longest I have remained in country to date. In the past, I have left Abuja for one reason or another. But soon I'll hit the 4 month mark of consistent living in Abuja. Pretty crazy. It feels like time has flown, yet is moving slowly. A lot of the friends I have made here have left or are leaving. There seems to be a pretty high turnover rate when summer hits. Good-byes are sad, but it's awesome that I've gotten the opportunity to meet all these people. And hopefully I'll stay in touch with some of them, maybe even get to visit them wherever they end up in the world. 

Things Aren't Boring

Just when you might think things in Nigeria are a bit boring or uneventful, something new happens. Last week, we had a VIP visit from DC. That kept me super busy and also taught me that I never want to be an events coordinator when I grow up. At the beginning of the week, there were endless meetings. On Tuesday, our delegates arrived. I got to ride out to the airport to welcome them. I came to the realization that going to the airport but not being able to get on a plane makes it a little depressing. 

On Wednesday, the visitors went to meet the First Lady. I wasn't important enough to go along, which was just fine with me. However, I hung out in an armored SUV for 4 hours waiting for the meeting to be over with the desperate need to go to the bathroom. But there was no bathroom to use. That was not exactly fun. That night (after I finally was able to use a restroom), I got to go to the US Ambassador's house for the first time to help with an event. It would have been much more fun if I had gone to just enjoy myself, but I was there to work. Less fun to be had.

Thursday turned out to be an interesting day. I got to go visit the UN building that got bombed by Boko Haram in August. It's structurally damaged so the building is just empty now. I got to see the crater the car created when it exploded and the remnants of the exploded vehicle. There was a wreath-laying ceremony to commemorate those who lost their lives in the tragic bombing. It was really sad. Then we were told to go back to the embassy rather than move forward with our planned agenda because there were reports of a bombing in Abuja. So off to the embassy we went. We ended up sitting there on lock down for several hours. Turns out that ThisDay newspaper in Abuja and Kano (a city in Northern Nigeria) were bombed. I believe 7 people died. Another tragedy that Boko Haram claims responsibility for. The bombing changed much of the final events we had planned for the VIP visit, but nothing could be done about that.

Then lucky for me, I proceeded to get violently ill Thursday night. That was unpleasant on so many levels. I did experience having a fever for the first time in a really long time. I'm happy to report that it wasn't malaria, but knocked me out all weekend. Not cool.

And if you don't follow Nigerian news, Boko Haram attacked a university in Kano (bomb and guns) on Sunday morning. Then they also attacked a church in the north-eastern city of Maduiguri on Sunday. Nigeria is not exactly the most stable or safe country as of late, however I don't really feel that afraid for myself. Oh and don't forget, on Monday, a bomb blast hit a police convoy in Eastern Nigeria that killed 11 (according to reports).

Yesterday was May Day aka Worker's Day and we were given the day off here in Abuja. That was a nice little break since I didn't get to do much over the weekend. On top of the relaxation though, there was a bomb threat in my neighborhood by a grocery store I sometimes go to... so that wasn't exactly the most comforting thing to hear. I used to say TIA a lot (this is Africa), but more and more, we use TIN (this is Nigeria). There are things that happen in Nigeria that I don't think we can generalize to the rest of the continent. If nothing else, my time in Nigeria has definitely been... interesting.

Work and stuff

Part of my responsibilities at the office include holding a public health lecture every other Tuesday. It's a short (supposed to be half an hour but always lasts an hour with questions) presentation on a health topic. Yesterday's was on sickle cell anemia. Interesting things I learned from my lecture:

• Approximately 25% of Nigeria's adult population is a carrier of the sickle cell gene
• Approximately 150,000 children are born every year with sickle cell anemia
• There is a belief that if you live with sickle cell anemia beyond 39 years, you will lead a normal life and not have sickle cell anemia anymore (obviously this is untrue).

Lectures and meetings are interesting in Nigeria. I don't think I've ever gone to a meeting where when the presenter/speaker asks if there are any questions, no questions are asked. The Nigerian staff here will always ask questions. Even if they know the answer to their question, they will still ask. I know this because staff have come up to me after meetings and told me. They want to provide "open discussion". Also sometimes the questions take 3 minutes to ask. People have a very round-about... beating around the bush way of asking questions where they talk for a long time before actually asking the question. In other words, meetings in Nigeria never end on time and can last for... well forever. Sometimes it's a bit painful to sit through. 

My other work recently has centered around a lot of administrative work- creating a comprehensive new employee packet for new hires and standard operating procedures for the office. Nothing too thrilling there.

In other news, Teresa is officially gone and I am all by my lonesome. I have this giant apartment and can't really do anything with the space. I'm debating turning my hallway into a slip-and-slide. Could be extremely messy, but also very fun. I don't think I'll become as crazy here as I did in Sembabule because there are still tons of people to interact and socialize with. I have been a bit of a hermit the last few days and have been watching GCB, the new ABC show. Trashy but hilarious.

It's pretty unbelievable that it's coming to the end of April... It just seems like yesterday I was coming back to Abuja from Christmas with my family. Some days the time seems to pass unbelievably slowly, but I am starting to think ahead to what's next. Move back to the States? Find another job somewhere else? Try to pursue my dream of working for a while in Southeast Asia? Find a job in a place where electricity is consistent and internet doesn't depend on some magical being? Who knows where life will take me next...

Rains Down in Africa (Nigeria version)

The rainy season is upon us! It's actually a nice reprieve from the humidity and heat we've been having lately. When it rains, it pours here. The sky gets dark pretty quickly, winds pick up, and the clouds just dump. It's pretty intense. I kind of love it.

Easter was pretty quiet for me. I've been fighting a cold since last Friday, so I've essentially been a giant blob for the most part. I have managed to finish the last 3 books of the Harry Potter series and all of the Hunger Games trilogy. Now I wish I was in the US so I could watch the movie!

I like to try to make friends with my taxis drivers and have a couple who I can call regularly to help me out. The guy who usually takes me to work is Silas. He has a daughter named Jennifer and lives on the outskirts of the city. He knows all the shortcuts throughout Abuja and is just all-together awesome because he never honks unless out of necessity and is always super helpful. He had another child who died of cholera not too long ago. It's so easy to forget that cholera is still a problem throughout the world. Even here in Abuja where I live a pretty Western-like, comfortable life, there are still people who are affected by this preventable disease.

At work, I've been working on standard operating procedures for the office and developing materials for new employee orientations. Pretty dry stuff, so nothing too spectacular to report there.

My counterpart is leaving me- Teresa's heading back to the US on Monday. So it'll just be me left here. Anyone want to visit Nigeria??

Chop My Money!

The title of this post is the title of the song that has been stuck in my head for approximately 2 days. I've heard this song all over the place in Abuja- in taxis on their radios, at the market blaring from stereos, in restaurants/bars... just about everywhere. For the longest time, I could have sworn the chorus went something like this: "Chuck my money, chuck my money, chuck my money cuz I don't care cuz I get plenty." Turns out they say "CHOP my money." The difference between chuck and chop? Not sure. And I have yet to figure out the true meaning of this song, but it's really catchy. If you're curious and want a little taste, look it up on Youtube (Chop My Money by P-Square, it's not the one with Akon). It's just a little taste of Naija music.

As for life in Abuja, I don't have anything super special to report. It's getting warmer and warmer here; the humidity has sky-rocketed. So air conditioning is heaven-sent. Problem is the electricity supply isn't the most consistent. Our apartment complex hasn't always been running the generator when the electricity stops, so sometimes our apartment becomes a stifling oven of heat. Trying to sleep in this heat is rather difficult, to say the least. It doesn't happen too often though, so I guess I shouldn't be complaining too much. At least I HAVE a/c.

Work is work. It was pretty quiet at the end of March because most of the higher level people were in Atlanta for the annual Global AIDS Conference. I've been working on finalizing the office's standard operating procedures and this week I've been pulled in to help plan a visit from a high profile person in the HIV/AIDS world. It's going to be a lot of work to plan, but hopefully everything will get worked out before the visit.

IT'S MANGO SEASON!!! And they are delicious. Here in Abuja, I've found different sized mangoes- small, medium, large. My assessment goes something like Goldilocks and the 3 Bears:

• Small = fibery but good. Good snack size, but not ideal.
• Medium = These are green in color. They're okay. Too fibery for me. And not quite the right taste.
• Large = Delicious! I like that it's not an overpowering mango flavor. Not very fibery. Perfect! 

In other news, I started playing Ultimate Frisbee here. And it's so fun! I'm terrible at catching... and throwing the frisbee. However, it's definitely something fun to do and I've met a few new people I hadn't met before, which is always nice. The expat community is small in Abuja, but there are still a decent number of people here (diplomats, people in the NGO realm, teachers, military personnel, etc). 

Slacking a bit, but here's an update

Hello! I apologize for slacking on updating this blog. I could try giving you several excuses, but in the end, I have just been neglectful. I know it's been over a month since I last wrote. I promise to start being better about writing. What has happened in my life lately...

• Teresa and I flew back to the US on February 9th for some SAS training in Atlanta. I was able to spend a weekend back home with family before starting the class, so that was pretty nice. We spent a little over 2 weeks in the US. I brushed up on all my biostatistics and SAS skills. I ate lots of delicious food and indulged in some Lean Pockets and pizza... turns out I really just enjoy processed frozen foods. Then we arrived back in Abuja on the 27th. 
• Jet lag is incredibly hard to get over. I seem to have more of a problem with it coming back to Nigeria. The fact that I had a whole row of 4 seats on the Frankfurt-Abuja leg of the flight probably didn't help. I slept the whole way down, but it was daytime in Abuja. So by the time I got back into the city, I was wide awake. It took me almost a week to actually be back on a normal-feeling sleep schedule. 
• The first full week of March was a busy time at the office. We had a visit from some Atlanta consultants to help the office develop a business continuity plan aka if something terrible happens, how do we keep things running plan. At the same time, we had a 2 day visit from Dr. Tom Frieden, the Director of CDC. Very important man, very important visit. He's much shorter than I thought he'd be. I don't know why I thought he'd be super tall, but he's not. I think the feeling is equivalent to seeing the Mona Lisa. Very important, hear about it all the time- much smaller than you thought it would be. I think the visit went well... I'm not important enough to actually know what's going on.
• Other work things... not much to report. Doing a few things here and there, but no main project to report about. 
• I've started playing Ultimate Frisbee and have come to realize what a fun game it is! It gives me something else to do and I've met quite a few new people through playing. I also like to believe it helps me stay in shape, however I think I'm counteracting any calories I'm burning by eating way too many cookies and lots of candy. 
• I'm slowly trying to think about my next steps after my contract ends here in Nigeria. I have to look for a new job! I may apply for a second year with the fellowship, but would like to try to be placed elsewhere. Africa has been great, but I think I want to try Southeast Asia. Also because then I'll be closer to family. And I think it'd be an awesome new adventure.

To be very honest, I don't have too much to report. It's starting to get warmer and warmer here. The rainy season is coming, I've heard. So we'll see what Abuja is like then. Mango season has arrived, so I've been trying to enjoy that as much as possible. However, we have learned that mango juice definitely stains clothing. That's all I have for now, but I swear to write more and do so more often. Sorry for the neglect!

Happy Year of the Dragon!

To recap the past month:

The strike ended after a week and things pretty much went back to normal. Fuel prices went up a little bit and has made riding taxis a little more expensive, but not anything staggering. Now I just have to haggle with the taxi drivers a little more. That's nothing too special.

One day, Teresa and I took a very fun cab ride in the morning to work. It turns out he had no idea where he was going so we drove all around the Wuse and Maitama neighborhoods. One might have guessed that we were being kidnapped, but don't worry. We weren't. He just was a little clueless. And I'm not even sure he was a taxi driver since he went down a one-way ramp to get onto the highway. Then we proceeded to drive in the wrong direction on this highway. It was both comical and terrifying. He then couldn't find a way to get onto a ramp to get us OFF the highway. To put it mildly, I did not keep his number to call him again for his services.

Chinese New Year in Nigeria was great! We went to a gathering for the Taiwan Trade Commission. (Taiwan does not have an embassy since it's not recognized as an independent country here.) They had HOT POT, nian gao and tang yuan! It was delicious. We pretty much ate ourselves into a food coma. An amazing way to ring in the Year of the Dragon. I never expected to eat so much good food in Nigeria! I wish I could have celebrated with my family (Dad, I'm still waiting for my red envelope) but it was nice to have other Chinese people and new friends to celebrate it with.

Other than that, I don't have anything extremely exciting to report. The weather is getting hotter and hotter, which means I keep the a/c on a lot more and turn it down. I'm going to miss Harmattan weather with its cool nights. For those readers who don't know, I'll be heading to Atlanta for 2 weeks of statistical analysis software training this month. Exciting! Just a little something to break up the time I have left in Nigeria.

Starting 2012 off with Some Excitement

Greetings! I am back in Nigeria and made it back into the country just in time to be part of history. If you haven’t read the news yet, Nigeria is currently having a National Strike in protest against the fuel subsidy removal. We are just about wrapping up Day 4 of the strike. What does that mean? You should probably Google it because my explanation will be limited, totally inadequate, and probably convoluted. You could try http://tmaettig.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/strike/ for an explanation from someone who understands what is going on much better than I do. 

As for me, it means life in Nigeria is just a little more challenging. There are barely any taxis operating, so I’ve had trouble getting to work every day. There’s a complicated explanation but what it comes down to is- work cannot transport me to and from the office. So that makes life a little difficult. Teresa and I have been getting rides from different people, which is extremely kind of them to help us out. We were finally able to buy a little produce, milk and eggs today, so our house now has something beyond crackers and ramen to sustain us. For the most part, I can say I don’t feel unsafe. Maybe this is naïve of me to think, but I haven’t felt at all threatened. The streets are quieter (thus making it hard to get around and meaning I’m essentially under house arrest when I’m not at work), but other than that, I haven’t seen very much with my own eyes. That might also be due to the fact that I’ve been at a training while at work during the day, so I’m not sitting in front of a computer getting news updates on what is going on around Nigeria. I know the strike has affected flights coming in and out of Nigeria. I guess if people aren’t working at the airport, you can’t exactly have normal air traffic. Essentially all domestic flights have been cancelled and very limited international flights have been able to make it in and out of the country. It’s probably a blessing I arrived last week before all this chaos started.

To add to all the fun, the country (or at least certain areas) is under a state of emergency after all of the Boko Haram business since the Christmas bombing. Well.. Life is never dull. TIA! Nigeria is an incredibly interesting place to learn about. I’ve learned a lot in the last few days. No wahala for the most part, but please keep us and everyone here in Nigeria in your thoughts and prayers. Hope for the best!

And as always: It’s not a hardship, it’s an adventure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Special shout out to my traveling chicken in Belize!)

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!

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!!!

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?