first week

TANYA in NIGERIA


Day 1 in Nigeria, 16 October 2005, Sunday

Abuja, or some parts anyway, is like a cross between Subic and Quiapo.  Nice, diplomatic structures but a lot of small stalls of fake what-have-yous.  It’s a very new town, so roads are well-paved and wide, buildings are new, and everything is laid out well and organized. But if you look closer, especially at the restrooms, you notice they don’t really know how to put a building or a house together.  This goes for even posh places.  The designs are very nice, the materials are ok, if not very good, but the workmanship really is crude.  And Nigerians don’t know anything about maintainance.  And what’s up with the locks? You need a key for locking anything from the outside AND from the inside.  In many ways, Abuja was a “fake” city, filled only with diplomats and government officials.  They say it’s not a representation of Nigeria at all.  In some ways, maybe, but in many other ways not, as I was to find out later.

I arrived very early Sunday, about 530 am, about the same time I left Ortigas the other day, only it’s been 24 hours + 7 hours of traveling transatlantic from Manila to Singapore to London (Heathrow) to Abuja.  I was too sleepy but I forced my eyes open to see the mountain ranges below; if I got my bearings right it was either the Ghats or Kathmandu I was looking at.  It was just immensely wide land, mostly brown from the altitude we were at.  Beautiful.  I’ve never quite seen anything that vast!  When the clouds covered my view, I spent my time stuck to the tube watching The Simpsons and Joey.  This could most likely be the last time I get to watch these shows for the next two years!  While about to board British Air, I started noticing a few “whites”, and then started to spot a familiar thing they were all carrying – crash helmets! I asked one of them if they were volunteers, and it turned out they had all already identified each other by way of helmets.

There were 12 of us VSO volunteers billeted in one of the “top 100 hotels in Nigeria”, the Crystal Palace. No, this had nothing to do with crystals. I thought to myself, unless there are just 99 other hotels in Nigeria, I’m in trouble.  It’s like one of our cheap inns but with exorbitant prices.  That’s the thing here in Abuja, everything is SO expensive.  My basic commodities include Pringles (which i found to my pleasant shock in one supermarket), at 450 Naira, and coke in can, 120 Naira.  It’s roughly 2.4 Naira to a Peso.  The supermarket here isn’t really a supermarket, it’s big but contains very little, maybe Carol’s 20 years ago, or 1/6th of what Eunilane has, or… the blue store in Calayan! But with a lot more imported, very expensive products.  Now the market is another story.  It’s supposed to compare to our wet markets, but really, I can’t begin to describe how they are similar.

Day 2 in abuja, 17 oct. 2005

Today we went to our respective embassies.  Of course it was the Philippine embassy which had the most welcoming reception.  Everyone was friendly, accommodating, and Bisaya.  I met the ambassador himself, and got myself registered and ready to vote in 2007.

Visiting the VSO office and getting our British Council membership card – for the first time I felt oh yes, by the way, you ARE employed by a British organization.

Had our first meal outside the hotel – we went to a chophouse (translate: carinderia) and had pounded yam, one of the staples, which I didn’t like, and beef stew, which was way too hot. That’s the thing I didn’t know, all their food here is hot. Hot, hot, hot.

If you think drivers in the Philippines are crazy, here they don’t know the first thing about driving.  At least traffic lights are respected, and they’re strict about the seatbelt law (only in Abuja), but that’s about it.  You can hear the car engines grunt and screech their protests together with the white people.

One morning Janita, a Brit who reminds me so much of Gen Broad, and who’s already volunteered in Ethiopia before this, asked us who had been putting strange small “gifts” by the doorways.  It was chalk wrapped in silver paper, she said, and she said it was really thoughtful (she was a teacher) but was wondering at the strangeness of the delivery.  Something clicked in my head, and I asked (I wasn’t in their row of rooms) if she was sure it was chalk, remembering those chalks we have for cockroaches.  Well, that solved the big mystery quickly.

We met Dave, Marebec, Kevin and Mercy, who are serving volunteers all in Abuja, meaning they’ve been here a while and have been asked to help out in our in-country training.  Dave is Irish, he works on something on IT, has been here 3 months and is already very good with the Nigerian accent and expressions, and of course with the price haggling.  Marebec is Filipina who’s been here seven months, she works in the Nigerian radio, something to do with human rights.  she’s from CDO, and I can see she’s been well-immersed here.  She and Dave were the ones who took real good care of us during the training, coordinating everything and very supportive of us, since they are the ones who could relate to us best.  Kevin is also in IT, I think.  All we know is he’s got free internet access and has a lot of time in his hands that’s why all of us have read or communicated with him already through the volunteer message boards before coming over.  Ask anything, and Kevin will surely get back to you in no time.  Mercy is another Filipina, now that’s one with a horror story to tell.  Her placement didn’t go very well.  One time she arrived home after a weekend trip only to find her house had been demolished!  Some country, huh!

Okay, this is the part where I lose my handbag with everything in it – cellphone, cash, cards, flashdisk, among other things - except my passport, thank God!  Welcome to Nigeria alright. Well, I figure it can’t get worse after this.  And instead of talking about that, I’d rather talk about my first fascination, this blue and orange reptile that’s everywhere, even in city streets.  I just stop every time I see one, it hasn’t failed to amaze me yet.  When I’ve settled I’ll take on the project of finding out what species it is, exactly, unless someone out there can tell me and save me the trouble?


Last night in Abuja, 19 October 2005

Last night the British High Commissioner invited us to dinner at his very posh, very well-guarded house.  He invited out employers as well, and several other British people, and this Irish guy I was talking to who didn’t know how he got into the guest list.  We had a loverly time, and savored each morsel of food and dessert, and every drop of wine.  I had too much, in preparation for the next two years I wouldn’t encounter wine such as that again.

It has just been four days, but I guess there’s a band that instantly forms amongst VSO volunteers that does not need a lot of time to glue.  We all gave each other hugs and kisses and were very eager to see everyone during the HIV/AIDS workshop next month, IF it happens.  It was at dinner that I heard the term from Tammie when we were talking about Dave and Marebec – the VSO Dating Service, and actually, she’s right, I mean, well, do you know a VSO who HASN’T hooked up?

Day 5 in Nigeria, the great travel from Abuja to Calabar, 20 October, 2005, Thursday

I thought 12 hours of road trip was going to be fun, I used to go Manila-Sta. Ana without a second thought to the long hours, but the trip to Calabar, while educational, was something else completely.  There were two road accidents along the way, which delayed us for more than an hour, we had a stopover at the town of Veryaggressivewomen, arrived at the volunteers house (called the White House where Nicky, CERCOPAN’s deputy director; Zena, the founder; and other volunteers from the camp stay), met Sandra who was here on a break from Rhoko, and the very smelly dogs Simba and Popsie.

Day 1 in calabar, 21 october Friday

Mercy, who spoils all of the white house guests, made me breakfast and took me to the office, which was, to my pleasant surprise, just off the next street from the highway, a nice short walk from the White House. I met Zena, our very own version of Jane Goodall, and two other volunteers, Toby the German vet (who arrived in August), and his girlfriend Anja who will be doing media and fundraising.  She arrived two weeks ago and has been pretty busy being a mom to the sick babies who just arrived at the rescue center.  I also met Jorn, another German guy (that’s right, the German invasion right here in CERCOPAN) who’s on his way out after a year and 9 months here in Calabar setting up the botanical garden, where CERCOPAN is supposed to transfer.  I also met Matina, the education assistant, who gave me a quick tour of the enclosements, Etan, the admin guy, Eme who’s the one who spoils everyone at the office, Saddam and Sable (also very smelly), killer and that other cat, Okom the infant putty-nosed guenon, and more than 80 other guenons and mangabeys.

That night Zena took us volunteers down to Bristow Helicopters, at the naval base right by the river. They recently had a new rule – no women can get in after 6, and they have to be out by 10.  Good thing we made it just in time – at 5 to 6.  Nice, very secure place with a private mini bar plastered all over with very lewd but otherwise entertaining posters, photos, clippings, what-have-yous.  These are friends of Zena’s, and she gets to get inside anytime she likes as her husband works for Bristow.  There were 3 nice guys, Dave especially, who bartended and got us all quite drunk, except Zena, who left early.  Good thing Jorn had his own car and was sober enough to drive me home (I wouldn’t have found my way back to the White House!), although Dave offered us rooms each.  Toby was too far gone so he and Anja stayed. It was a fun night, and the cheese was definitely worth it.  Two very highly-priced commodities in Calabar, I was told, are cheese and chocolates.

Day 2 in Calabar, 22 October Saturday

I witnessed my first primate autopsy today.  We were all sad that Okom didn’t make it, the poor baby.  Toby had to check vital organs and take samples to determine what she died of.

I also met another volunteer based up at Rhoko camp, Jan.  Nicky had been talking about these Israeli tourists from Abuja brought up to the camp, who got back today late in the afternoon. I thought Jan was one of them, so when Jerry, our senior education officer, introduced me I casually asked how he found Rhoko. Later I realized who he was, and also found out, with some embarrassment, that he has been building my house for me in the village!  Later we talked about Iko Esai a bit, and it scared me, in a way, because I didn’t realize everyone in the village, all 4,000 of them, are eagerly waiting for their VSO volunteer and are probably expecting so many things of me.  I just hope I don’t fail them.

23 October, Sunday – ONE WEEK!

Jorn gave me the tour of the town, just so I don’t lose my way and I know the basic places I should be able to get to on my own – the internet café, the bars, and the shopping areas.  We also went to the museum, we didn’t go inside (for another time) but it was nice outside with a view of the river.  There’s a stadium with an Olympic-sized pool, which is free.  We went to Pandrillus, this other NGO working with drill monkeys. I met chimps and drills at the Drill Ranch.  We also went to AquaVista, a resort by the riverbank.  There was nothing really special about it except that it was about the only place in Calabar where it’s nice and quiet and you can read a book in peace.

I can’t believe I’ve been in Nigeria a week already!  I celebrated with my first local beer, Star.  All food here comes in huge servings, even their beer.

Now Jorn is here from Iroko Foundation from the UK, and he coordinates a project in which CERCOPAN and the Forest Ministry work together, the Botanical Gardens, which is supposed to be CERCOPAN’s new home.  Joern has laid out the whole place and has started constructing some parts, and I can really see where it was supposed to go, but the governor apparently changed his mind and wants to put in his own contractors and now, worse than nothing is being done, they’re even tearing down what Jorn had started.  I can understand his frustration, something I would probably encounter myself many times in this journey.  I talked to him a lot about the Philippines, and sure, we have similar problems and issues and frustrations,  but I guess it took me only a week here to really, really appreciate how the Philippines has progressed despite it all, and all the little steps that at least get taken.

Only my third day in Calabar and already I had gotten a machine to take me down to the bar where Nicky and Jan were, as they were gone when I got home and had left only a note for Zena to follow them at the Bush Bar, which isn’t really a bar, just a tiangge at the side of the road where you can order fresh fish a few steps away and have it cooked and brought to the Bush Bar.  It’s rather like Sarah’s but with only four tables.