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!