to people i saw or talked to..

salamat sa lahat who took time out to see me in my deranged state while i was home, in between worlds. it's good to have affirmed that a sane world, a world which was starting to get hazy back here, still exists, and that there is life back home, and that it's all GOOD. can't wait to be back in october!

Nigeria, the second time around

And so I finally come back, after a month that extended into three – and not a day sooner, for eight more Filipinos were abducted while I was waiting (and waiting and waiting and waiting) for my connecting flight in Amsterdam. Question – bakit mabenta ako sa mga itim at mga puti pero hindi ako pumapasa sa mga Pinoy? Masyado bang mataas standards natin?? Haha.

Poňeta the first thing na sumalubong sa akin paglabas ko sa plane ay yung amoy – sa rampa palang naamoy ko na yung baho, at ang ingay. Ang ingay ingay ng mga tao dito, lahat nalang ng bagay pinagaawayan verbally. I groaned inwardly, ang thought, bumalik nga ba ako para dito? (Pasensya na alam ko masagwa tagalog ko pero kelangan e.)

I got a warm welcome from the VSO Nigeria staff and an even warmer welcome from the other Pinoy VSOs who met me in Abuja, but the first really welcome sight didn’t come until the day I was travelling back to Calabar – women selling pears. You guys who’ve seen my slideshow know what I’m talking about. Then there was a very cheery Claire (our new deputy director) who picked me up from the bus station, and Amy who called, saying she was very glad I’m back. Amy is an ex-VSO who now works for another NGO in Calabar, and has been very supportive during my “trying times”.

As I was going over the stuff I brought, including the package my sister sent before I came home which finally arrived, I realized I will most probably have a soup diet for the next 6 months. That’s probably a good thing considering all the weight I regained from all the eating I did back home.

What I missed about Nigeria are the big wide spaces – unpeopled plains, rocky outcrops, and forests where you will not bump into anyone all day if you choose. Also, I missed the friends I made, even though most of them have already left the country. Thank God Heidi is still here! (more to come..)