Februaru 9, 2010
We're home safe and sound, but after a 12.5 hour trip. The group allowed me to ride in the front the whole trip (and I had a water bottle and wash cloth to cover my face when billows of black exhaust came in the windows) so I did not get ill like on the way down. That's about the only thing that went right. The van that took us half way, picked us up by 7:30 am. We were on the road at 7:45. I'll try to make a long story short.
The wheel on the van was fixed, but it died a couple times. We flooded it out and had to be pushed off the side of the road. A horrible noise under my seat sent us off road again. One thought it was a wheel bearing, another a loose break pad.. Since we were in the middle of nowhere, we drove slowly to the "mechanics". At an intersection there was little shanty (roof only) with lots of cars sitting around, hoods up, and a few people. They said they could take us right then. Off came the wheel, and the proble was a missing bolt on the caliper. So it was replaced: Labor 500 N ($3.33) Parts 100 N ($.67) Unbelievable ! ! ! We've contacted Clement who is meeting us half way to let him know we're on the road again. There are Traffic Safety people out blocking the road every mile or so. At one stop they produced a nail board, so we knew we were in for trouble. It took about 1.5 hours of haggling - we paid 1,000 N and they took the spare tire to insure we'd return to pay more. At this point Nse got angry. He came to the van, got a piece of paper and pen and returned to their "office".(an unbrella, plastic table and chairs) He told them he wanted their number, he was getting the police and he'd be back for his tire with them. Very quickly they decided that we could have our tire back and they wanted us to know out of the goodness of their hearts they were doing this, and since they loved God and we were missionaries they would let us go for only 500 N more.
We finally made it to the meeting place where Clement had been waiting 3.5 hours for us. Switched vans and off we went. We were stopped almost immediately and told our brake lights weren't working. Clement said they were and got out to show them. They tried to find other things wrong, but finally let us go without making us pay. I decided it was us that they had it out for, not the van. We had to drive the last hour in the dark, which isn't good here, but we made it. When we arrived there was no power and the jen wasn't on. So there was much scurrying in the dark to get things lit up. I'm ready for a good night's sleep.
Monday, February 22, 2010
February 8, 2010
Well, here I am siting in the parlor at Phyllis Sortor's home in Iket (It is spelled several different ways). I just watched a rerun of the Super Bowl (the live program was on at 1:30 AM) congrats Saints, what an exciting game. This seems to me to be so unbelievable. I'm in a land that doesn't have a fax machine in the whole country, and yet I can watch the Super Bowl. The boys at Emi-woro who are boarding at the school sleep in thatched huts,don't have running water or a bathroom (as we know it) but have cell phones. Things just seem so contradictory. What an amazing place.
Phyllis' home has three proper bathroom, six bedrooms that I've seen, and a guest house that I haven't seen the inside of yet. It is a perfect place for a teqm to come and be housed. In addition there are a number of projects that can be worked from here.
We did not leave to return to Emi-woro today because the van is being worked on. That back axle needs to be firmly in place before we start back. Our driver, Nse, assures us that all will be well. He did that each time the van engine died on the way here too - and we made it. We will leave early Tuesday morning. This means that I will miss my evening class for beginners. I'm sure Bridget will ask Mohammed to cover for me. Attachments are formed and therre is an investment in the lives of the people here. There is a need to see projects to completion.......
We have scrapped the plan to drive by the Hope Academy that was taken over by Joe. We would have to drive through his village to go by the school. The pastor assures us nothing will happen and we have every right to do it. Bature is dead set against it. He says that you cannot predict the young thugs. They don't think about the consequences of their actions. If one of them recognized us on the road he could hurl a stone and at the very least damage the van. This would also stir them up and make the oppostion angrier. None of us were afraid to go, but thought that Batures' argument was valid and chose not to make that trip. Paul has some video of the school from 2008, so we will look at that to get a picture of what is there. The courts have all agreet with Phyllys and there is a "warrent" out for his arrest, but no one is interested in enforcing it apparently. The wheels of law enforcement grind slowly here and sometimes not at all.
Phyllis and Devin were gone most of the day. Phyl was to have a meeting at 12 but no one showed up (including her) until 3. Then Phyl and Devin came home an hour later and them others arrived. The meeting got under way about 5 pm. NEPA(power company) - ( also popularly known as Never Expect Power Always) was on and off today, and the jen went down and wouldn't start. Devin was getting concerned that he wouldn't be able to watch the Super Bowl.(there was another rerun at 7:30) The Nigerian way of doing things is so different from the States! ! !
Well, here I am siting in the parlor at Phyllis Sortor's home in Iket (It is spelled several different ways). I just watched a rerun of the Super Bowl (the live program was on at 1:30 AM) congrats Saints, what an exciting game. This seems to me to be so unbelievable. I'm in a land that doesn't have a fax machine in the whole country, and yet I can watch the Super Bowl. The boys at Emi-woro who are boarding at the school sleep in thatched huts,don't have running water or a bathroom (as we know it) but have cell phones. Things just seem so contradictory. What an amazing place.
Phyllis' home has three proper bathroom, six bedrooms that I've seen, and a guest house that I haven't seen the inside of yet. It is a perfect place for a teqm to come and be housed. In addition there are a number of projects that can be worked from here.
We did not leave to return to Emi-woro today because the van is being worked on. That back axle needs to be firmly in place before we start back. Our driver, Nse, assures us that all will be well. He did that each time the van engine died on the way here too - and we made it. We will leave early Tuesday morning. This means that I will miss my evening class for beginners. I'm sure Bridget will ask Mohammed to cover for me. Attachments are formed and therre is an investment in the lives of the people here. There is a need to see projects to completion.......
We have scrapped the plan to drive by the Hope Academy that was taken over by Joe. We would have to drive through his village to go by the school. The pastor assures us nothing will happen and we have every right to do it. Bature is dead set against it. He says that you cannot predict the young thugs. They don't think about the consequences of their actions. If one of them recognized us on the road he could hurl a stone and at the very least damage the van. This would also stir them up and make the oppostion angrier. None of us were afraid to go, but thought that Batures' argument was valid and chose not to make that trip. Paul has some video of the school from 2008, so we will look at that to get a picture of what is there. The courts have all agreet with Phyllys and there is a "warrent" out for his arrest, but no one is interested in enforcing it apparently. The wheels of law enforcement grind slowly here and sometimes not at all.
Phyllis and Devin were gone most of the day. Phyl was to have a meeting at 12 but no one showed up (including her) until 3. Then Phyl and Devin came home an hour later and them others arrived. The meeting got under way about 5 pm. NEPA(power company) - ( also popularly known as Never Expect Power Always) was on and off today, and the jen went down and wouldn't start. Devin was getting concerned that he wouldn't be able to watch the Super Bowl.(there was another rerun at 7:30) The Nigerian way of doing things is so different from the States! ! !
Saturday, February 20, 2010
January 18, 2010
Saturday was market day. Bridget Meyers shops for the school children, the work team of 6 that is here until the 28th, her family of 4 and Paul Frazier and me. Because their funding is strictly budgeted they must be certain of the costs of everything and what line item it will be drawn from.
Our cook, Bassey, (pronounced Bossy) goes with her to shop. Otherwise she would not be able to get the best price. We are the only white faces seen in the town. Pat, from the work team, and I went with her. Only the pictures will tell you what that experience was like. The odors of market ranged from wonderful spice smells - to the opposite. Christmas dinner - we were told- was cow's head. (you know like turkey and ham??) We were hoping to see one in the market but were too late. They had already been sold.
At one point Pat and I struck out on our own to look at fabric. The colors are brilliant and beautiful. We tried to strike a bargain with two of the shop keepers, but were not successful. They wanted 2,000 Naira for 6 yards of fabric, and we had been told to only pay 1,000. Later we took another young man that had come with us, but the shopkeeper wouldn't come down lower than 1,700. So we went into a shop that we had not tried to bargain in and he was able to get us a price of 1,400 for the six yards. That would be just under $10 for 6 yds. of 45" wide fabric.
We purchased live cat fish for fish and chips this week. Later that day Pat went to get water from the freezer and one of the packages moved. To quote her, "I nearly jumped out of my skin". We had seen them kill the fish earlier and assumed that they had done that to ours - not!
The market took 5 hours. We were very hot and sweaty, but Bridget wasn't done yet. Her husband Devin took us and a truck load of groceries home and returned for her. He made three tips to town this day. (Last week it was four) So we're getting better.
Sunday everyone was dressed to the nines. They are always dressed in beautiful colors, even the men, but Sunday is special. All of the children sit together in the front on the right side of the church (clinic), and there is a man and woman whose main job is to make sure that they behave. Helena had a stick in her hand and if a child misbehaved, she tapped them with the stick.
Today - Monday-I will spend time in each of the classrooms that I haven't visited yet. On Friday I was able to visit 5 rooms. There are a total of 13. I've been asked by the head teacher to evaluate each class and then meet with the teachers and give them suggestions that will help them move forward in their instruction. At 4 pm I will meet with the adults that want to improve their reading and writing.
Okay that's it for now. I'll load this on Paul's juno outboc and when he can connect he'll send it to Pat Fowler, who will type it into the blog. Thanks Pat. I owe ya'.
THIS WAS PUT IN LATE, ON FEB 20TH. SORRY FOR THE MIX UP CAROL'S FAULT.
Saturday was market day. Bridget Meyers shops for the school children, the work team of 6 that is here until the 28th, her family of 4 and Paul Frazier and me. Because their funding is strictly budgeted they must be certain of the costs of everything and what line item it will be drawn from.
Our cook, Bassey, (pronounced Bossy) goes with her to shop. Otherwise she would not be able to get the best price. We are the only white faces seen in the town. Pat, from the work team, and I went with her. Only the pictures will tell you what that experience was like. The odors of market ranged from wonderful spice smells - to the opposite. Christmas dinner - we were told- was cow's head. (you know like turkey and ham??) We were hoping to see one in the market but were too late. They had already been sold.
At one point Pat and I struck out on our own to look at fabric. The colors are brilliant and beautiful. We tried to strike a bargain with two of the shop keepers, but were not successful. They wanted 2,000 Naira for 6 yards of fabric, and we had been told to only pay 1,000. Later we took another young man that had come with us, but the shopkeeper wouldn't come down lower than 1,700. So we went into a shop that we had not tried to bargain in and he was able to get us a price of 1,400 for the six yards. That would be just under $10 for 6 yds. of 45" wide fabric.
We purchased live cat fish for fish and chips this week. Later that day Pat went to get water from the freezer and one of the packages moved. To quote her, "I nearly jumped out of my skin". We had seen them kill the fish earlier and assumed that they had done that to ours - not!
The market took 5 hours. We were very hot and sweaty, but Bridget wasn't done yet. Her husband Devin took us and a truck load of groceries home and returned for her. He made three tips to town this day. (Last week it was four) So we're getting better.
Sunday everyone was dressed to the nines. They are always dressed in beautiful colors, even the men, but Sunday is special. All of the children sit together in the front on the right side of the church (clinic), and there is a man and woman whose main job is to make sure that they behave. Helena had a stick in her hand and if a child misbehaved, she tapped them with the stick.
Today - Monday-I will spend time in each of the classrooms that I haven't visited yet. On Friday I was able to visit 5 rooms. There are a total of 13. I've been asked by the head teacher to evaluate each class and then meet with the teachers and give them suggestions that will help them move forward in their instruction. At 4 pm I will meet with the adults that want to improve their reading and writing.
Okay that's it for now. I'll load this on Paul's juno outboc and when he can connect he'll send it to Pat Fowler, who will type it into the blog. Thanks Pat. I owe ya'.
THIS WAS PUT IN LATE, ON FEB 20TH. SORRY FOR THE MIX UP CAROL'S FAULT.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Good Morning All!
Im safe and sound at home - getting ready to go back to work tomorrow.
What an amazing experience! As we prepared to leave Emi-woro, I found it difficult to keep my composure. My last meeting with the teachers was pretty tough for them, and yet they all thanked me for the information and suggestions I had given them. They needed to be reminded that they needed to be at work on time. They had signed a contract and when Phyllis was away they played loose with that, and yet continued to sign in at 7:59. It was particularly hard to say goodbye to Solitu. I wanted to bring him home with me and get him proper medical attention.
Our trip home was interesting. We loaded everything into the extended cab pickup and drove the three hours to Abuja. Clement and Devin came in with us and all our luggage. Somehow my back pack had gotten gasoline on it and it really smelled bad. I had to remove everything and wipe off my laptop. I can still smell it now, so must have gotten some inside. Any how we were dropped off at 3 pm even though our flight was due to leave at 11:25 pm. Devin and Clement had to get back to Emi-woro before dark.
Long story short, we were in airports or on planes for 30 hours. It was a 5 hour flight from Abuja to Dakar, Senegal. Here we loaded on to near full capacity. They some people started leaving the plane. First a guy, then a whole family. Soon we were told that the grounds crew was off-loading all luggage. This had not happened in the 20 years the captain had piloted for Delta. There was some explaination about overweight with gas requirements - a long and confusing explaination. Of course most people were upset, but had no choice. My own take on this was that the people that got off couldn't identify all their luggage and for safety reasons ALL luggage was removed.
I just got the luggage at 3:56 this morning.
I think I might have left out some of the happenings between the last blog and this one, so will review and post more if that is the case.
Thanks for your support and prayers.
Carol
Im safe and sound at home - getting ready to go back to work tomorrow.
What an amazing experience! As we prepared to leave Emi-woro, I found it difficult to keep my composure. My last meeting with the teachers was pretty tough for them, and yet they all thanked me for the information and suggestions I had given them. They needed to be reminded that they needed to be at work on time. They had signed a contract and when Phyllis was away they played loose with that, and yet continued to sign in at 7:59. It was particularly hard to say goodbye to Solitu. I wanted to bring him home with me and get him proper medical attention.
Our trip home was interesting. We loaded everything into the extended cab pickup and drove the three hours to Abuja. Clement and Devin came in with us and all our luggage. Somehow my back pack had gotten gasoline on it and it really smelled bad. I had to remove everything and wipe off my laptop. I can still smell it now, so must have gotten some inside. Any how we were dropped off at 3 pm even though our flight was due to leave at 11:25 pm. Devin and Clement had to get back to Emi-woro before dark.
Long story short, we were in airports or on planes for 30 hours. It was a 5 hour flight from Abuja to Dakar, Senegal. Here we loaded on to near full capacity. They some people started leaving the plane. First a guy, then a whole family. Soon we were told that the grounds crew was off-loading all luggage. This had not happened in the 20 years the captain had piloted for Delta. There was some explaination about overweight with gas requirements - a long and confusing explaination. Of course most people were upset, but had no choice. My own take on this was that the people that got off couldn't identify all their luggage and for safety reasons ALL luggage was removed.
I just got the luggage at 3:56 this morning.
I think I might have left out some of the happenings between the last blog and this one, so will review and post more if that is the case.
Thanks for your support and prayers.
Carol
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