Random Thoughts on Coming Back

It was the right decision to come back, but after three months of living in a sane world where real coffee can be had in any corner, I find that I have very little patience for Nigeria. I thought I had been refreshed but instead I just realized how things could be, and here I get really frustrated or annoyed at attitudes that don’t allow this country to be efficient and easy. Nigeria has turned me into my mother – I now expect the worst out of strangers. And this, I think, is a tragedy. I never realized how brand-conscious we were until a friend here, going over the stuff I had brought from home, asked me what the bag of Lay’s was. I replied, just read the packaging, but after several seconds of turning the bag over and over, I took the bag and saw it actually doesn’t say potato chips anywhere. Simply Lay’s, paprika, and it just presumes the whole world would recognize it. Have I already mentioned that a survival tactic here is to not think of this country as part of the rest of the world? It may have seemed ridiculous then, but coming back I'm really glad I brought a broom (silhig, walis tambo), which has made a great difference domestically. Other things I'm glad I thought of bringing are battery-operated MP3 speakers, sign pens, and cheez whiz. One can never bring too much cheez whiz. (They should have sponsored me instead of the cave congress.)