Day 15 - 21

Day 15 (Thursday 17^th Feb)

President Goodluck Jonathan was still in town today, I was woken up loads of sirens escorting him at 6.30am. I was to meet Joseph who looks after Gidan Bege at 10 – 10.30 so set off on my first solo Nigerian drive at 9.40, plenty of time. What I wasn’t expecting was a protest which shut all the roads close to Gidan Bege. The police and military were directing all the traffic in the other direction. I ended up at Terminus (a no go area when protests are on) and called Ricky in an ‘I’m lost’ panic (some of you are used to these from me in England!) He managed to direct me, but I kept getting diverted and when I got to the main road it had been closed by the police because Goodluck Jonathan was to drive past. This left me stuck on the other side of the road to where I live. Ricky sent Joseph to come and rescue me on a machine (they can go anywhere). I drove him back to my compound when we were able to get through and had a meeting there. He is a lovely and really passionate man, it’s going to be great working with him. He loves Mission Africa, and those that have worked there in the past. I feel I have a lot to live up to! He is really excited to have me working with him, I will be the only Baturi (white person) working there. After the meeting I went to Ricky and Angie’s and we got Suya and Fried Irish from Hillcrest.

In the afternoon Ricky and I went to get my driving licence. We went to the bank and were greeted as Mr Ricky and Mr Neil, they remembered us! We got our receipts which had been ready on Monday (we were told yesterday they didn’t have any). We then when to the government office to get the licence. The man who we needed to see was on lunch so we waited ages, we were first in the queue and when a Nigerian man tried to push in front I was impressed with my Nigerian style block which stopped him! The man we saw did my paperwork and gave me a form saying I had a learner permit. Ricky and I laughed at each other when he got the L plates out. I protested and said “I have licence from England, I am very good driver”. He said, you need to go and see the examiner. So we went to another office where the examiner was. He said I had a provisional licence, I showed him my UK licence and said I wanted a full one. He said I had to give him a N1000 (£4, about four days wages for them) ‘processing fee’. I said I had already paid for my licence but he was insistent and would give my paperwork pack. I gave him the money and he wrote on my paperwork that I had passed and had a full test. I’m really annoyed that I think I accidentally bribed him, especially as we’re trying to stamp out the way they try and bribe Baturis, but I was pretty trapped. Ricky and Angie took Luka with them when they went back the next day, but the man was on strike. I would have quite liked to go on a Nigerian driving test for the crack (can’t spell it in Irish).

After passing my driving test I got some minerals. I should explain that fizzy drinks here are called minerals, they have a coke factory in Nigeria so it is REALLY cheap. What makes it cheaper is you reuse your bottles, a bit like the milkman. You buy them in crates, and then take your empties back and swap them. The Fanta is amazing, it’s bright orange and tastes different because it has the illegal ingredient also found in the noodles here. It’s so nice, I think I’m addicted :S

I spent the evening watching a couple of films with Ricky and Angie, the second one finished at 10, which is the same time the compounds lock down. We all assumed that me leaving a couple of minutes after 10 would be fine, but the guards shouted at me! It was 10.02, I was very apologetic! The guards on my compound were fine thankfully.

Day 16 (Friday 18^th Feb)

Today was my first day of actually doing some proper work. I went to Gyero with Anne-Karin. I sat in one of the younger classes, they are primary age. I watched the teacher and marked a maths and a spelling test they did. I had a blonde moment and marked the maths tests out of 100 rather than 70, so had to quickly change them before the teacher noticed. I don’t think they’d trust me teaching them maths if I can’t add up to 100! After the spelling test the teacher asked if I wanted to take the next lesson because he needed to go and speak to someone. So I was handed a book with sentences in it and left to teach the difference between proper and common nouns. Luckily something I learnt all those years ago in school stuck and I managed to remember the difference myself! The sentences were very American so I changed “Zak is from a city called Massachusetts in the United States of America” to “Patience is from a village called Gyero in Nigeria”. It made a lot more sense to them! I was left in charge of the bell which meant I had to remember and ring it when it was break time and end of school etc. I always wanted to ring the bell when I was at school so I was happy to fulfil a childhood ambition! I took my camera, and took pictures at break time. Hopefully I will remember to include a couple when I post this online, if not sorry!

After Gyero I went to Lynsey’s and we attempted to make a tomato pasta thing with random ingredients we could find in her student like house. It was ok until Ruth decided she wanted to try some and jumped in it and then started pecking at it. In the evening we didn’t go to the Fretheims, but instead went to a film evening with people who work for Wycliffe. It was an Indian film based on one of the old wars between the British and Indians. I’m pretty dense when it comes to films that make you think, and this was made worse by the fact I didn’t have my glasses so couldn’t read the subtitles so didn’t understand what was happening.

Day 17 (Saturday 19^th Feb)

Today is a day which should have loads of writing, but I can’t put it in to words and you kinda had to be there so it will be shortish. Lyndsey and I decided to get a ‘taxi’ in to town because being a Saturday it would be impossible to park. Taxis here are a little different from home. You flag down a taxi which can be either a minibus or a car. The one we got there was a minibus, they are all falling apart and driven by mad crazy people. Here is a picture of the taxi we got there:

This is it when it was empty, there were 10 people in it at one point, it is designed for 7 so was a bit of a squash, very hot, and interestingly fragrant! Think incontinent person who hasn’t washed for a week, in a sauna. Times that by twenty years since the taxi was new and last clean, and you’re starting to get the picture!

The reason for our crazy Saturday adventure was that we both really wanted to buy cloth to get a Nigerian outfit made. We battled through the market, I still can’t get used to the interesting smells of things I don’t want to imagine. We spent a lot of time using our Hausa phrases for “I don’t need one” and “wow that’s expensive”. We went to the cloth shops and Lynsey was impressed with my bartering skills. My favourite is “Tell me how much you paid for it”, and “I don’t want your Baturi price, I want your Nigerian price”. I bought two different pieces of cloth, I was amazed at how cheap. They are 6 yards of hand printed cotton and I paid £4 for one, and £7.50 for the other. The Muslim man in the cloth shop asked if I needed a tailor and so he got one for me. He measured me and then told me it would be N3500 to make my outfit (£15). I told him that he was giving me a crazy price and that I know the wage for a skilled worker (N500 a day approx). The cloth man argued with him and told me not to try and rip me off, they shouted at each other for a while, and in the end we settled on N1500 which is £6 on the basis I will bring him more work if I like what he does. I am very excited about seeing my outfit which will take about a week to make. The men here generally wear plain cloth so me being me decided the best thing to do is fit in, and I went for a colourful cloth.

After getting cloth we went to a cafe (run by Lebanese) to get a meat pie and icecream. Yum yum, it’s almost like being at home except the best and expensive food here we would turn our noses up to at home.

We got a taxi home which was a normal car. There were four of us in the back and three in the front. I was glad I wasn’t the poor man who had to sit on the gear stick, ouch! The taxi cost us N40 each, that’s 17p.

I spent the evening chilling out on my own reading, getting my thoughts together, and watching a Joel Virgo preach.

Day 18 (Sunday 20^th Feb)

Lynsey picked me up at 8.45 to get to church for 9am. When we arrived there seemed to be a lot more people than last week. We realised that we were an hour late and the service always starts at 8am, last week wasn’t a one off. We crept in the back, and to our surprise we weren’t the last to arrive, a few arrived after us. We were in time to hear the sermon, but we couldn’t hear or understand anything because we were at the back and it was echoey. I think it was on grace and 1 Peter 4. I am still wondering about where I should go to church, it’s all so different to at home, and I really want to feel settled somewhere. Afterwards we prayed with the youth fellowship which was cool, we all held hands in a very African manor. I’m getting used to the idea that men hold hands with men, but men and women never hold hands unless they are praying in a group.

After church Lynsey and I hung out and wondered what to do. Niffer came home later and Lynsey and I went to get a takeaway for the three of us. We went to a different restaurant (I can’t remember the name). It is REALLY expensive on our budget, but it was a special treat. It was like being on holiday somewhere like asia, a total escape from Nigeria for a moment. I had pizza which I probably wouldn’t have eaten had I been in the UK, but nothing would stop me here! I got a phone call from mum and dad which was really lovely. It was the first people from home I’ve spoken to since arriving.

Day 19 (Monday 21^st Feb)

This morning was attempt two at driving to Gidan Bege (GB) after the first attempt ended in disaster. I arrived on time, without having an accident which was a bonus. This is where I will be spending the majority of my time (4 days a week). I met with Joseph who runs Gidan Bege, and he introduced me to the aunties and uncles again. I was taken to the classroom and introduced to the boys, they all stood up in a very cute way and greeted me with “Good morning Uncle, may God bless you”. The teacher asked me to take the lesson, I asked if I could watch him teach for a while to understand his style, but he basically said no, teach what you want and how you want. I was freaked out for a moment, but didn’t really have a choice so I got on with it. The teacher had already disappeared. They had been having a lesson on bible stories, so I tried to find out what they know. I worked out that they know a lot about some of the Old Testament stories, but have pretty much no idea about Jesus or the Gospel. I went back to basics and gave them a passionate Gospel story which I’m going to keep drumming in to them. I tied it in with English and as I was writing on the black board I got them to repeat letters and recognise words. After break time I moved on to English and went over phonics with them. I noticed a huge void between the stronger and weaker boys. I am determined to get alongside those who are really struggling, one of them couldn’t even recognise the alphabet where others are starting to spell out words. After the lesson some of the boys thanked me individually for really helping and want me to always teach them. I must have done something right. I think I scared one of them with my visual demonstration of what “mad” means, but he seemed to enjoy the lesson. Lessons finish at 12.15 and then they have lunch. It is Nigerian and very very basic. They eat it in the room they also sleep in (they live in a room with old bunk beds, and really dirty mattresses). I am determined to make a difference to Gidan Bege before I leave, it’s so sad the conditions they live in. After lunch I hung out with the boys and the an uncle called Joseph (another one). It was good to start bonding with the boys, I think it’s going to take a while to form genuine relationships with them and build trust. I had a great conversation with Uncle Joseph about what the Holy Spirit has done in his life, and the way He still works.

I left GB REALLY tired and exhausted, I am finding it really draining here. It takes a lot on concentration to understand the Nigerians when they speak English, and when the speak Hausa I’m trying to listen and begin to understand what they are saying. The heat doesn’t help, and it’s go go go pretty much all the time! I came home and am spending the evening chilling, writing my blog etc, and having a bit of Neil time.

Day 20 (Tuesday 22^nd Feb)

Day 2 of Gidan Bege. When I arrived I was thrown straight in to teaching. I took the weaker (newer) class initially for phonics, then the stronger class for phonics, and finished with the weaker class for reading. When school had finished one of the missionaries came to speak. He thought it was going to be for the teachers only, but it was for the children as well so he had to abandon his plan and blag it which I thought he did impressively well. At the end the Nigerian leader asked one of the aunties to come and pray for 20 minutes (I’m dreading this being done to me!) Next it was time for lunch, the boys offered me lunch so I accepted the beans and rice and sat on the floor with them. They wanted me to go and sit with the teachers but I insisted I wanted to sit on the floor with them and they really appreciated it. One of them swept a bit of floor for me to sit on which was really cute. The rice wasn’t gritty which was good (it often can be), but did have a slightly odd flavour. I tried to ignore that the spoon I was given had previously been used by who knows. Most of the boys eat with their hands, when I tried I ended up with rice everywhere so the spoon was appreciated. The beans were a bit like big baked beans without the tomato, slightly odd tasting. Luckily I was really hungry and the boys appreciate it if you don’t finish the massive bowl and leave it for them.

I spent the evening with Ricky and Angie who had invited me over for dinner. We had Irish stew made by their new cook, and cake with custard for pudding. It was the first meal that actually tasted like food at home (Angie’s mum’s recipe) and was so good. After dinner Lynsey came over and we all watched a film (can’t remember name) based on a real life plot to assassinate Hitler. It was really good.

When I got home my bachelor pad had been cleaned which was a bit of a relief, it was starting to resemble studentville.

Day 21 (Wednesday 23^rd Feb)

I can’t believe I’ve been here three weeks, in some ways it feels like I’ve been here forever, Southampton feels a million miles away, in other ways like I’ve just left.

Today is the day that is going to become my relief day from the chaos of Gidan Bege. It was Gyero day. I got a lift from Heather who works for SIM and looks after the teachers at Cornerstone Kids (the school at Gyero). I think I’ve already mentioned it, but this is the first year of the school at Gyero, it is still very new and exciting. It’s amazing what has been created, and a world away from the government school the children attended previously. At Gyero my role is to help with one of the younger classes. It is great because the teacher and I learn loads from each other. The teacher came though City Ministries and was originally a street kid himself, it’s amazing to see such a success story. He’s incredibly passionate about his faith and the children. I took the lessons on phonics, spelling, subtraction, and shapes. I left the lesson on parts on the body to him. I’m gutted that I only thought half way through that I I should have taught them head, shoulders, knees and toes. I will try and remember to do it next week, even if it’s just to help recap what they learnt today. After school I watched him do the ‘naughty children’ talk. All the naughty children from the school have to go and see a teacher and explain what they did wrong. It’s quite cute. Two of them were children I literally pulled apart as they tried to kill each other at break time, some of them haven’t fully lost their street kid ways of dealing with their problems, but considering the background many of them have had I find it incredible how good they are. I would honestly say they are better than the children I went to school with, and they don’t appear to be disciplined as much as we were.

I then went in to a staff meeting with the teachers and Heather. It was really interesting to hear the teachers feedback on the children who have come up from Gidan Bege. I’m starting to see where I can try and make some kind of a difference, and where the challenges lay.

I got home and fell asleep for a couple of hours, I’m SOOOOO tired and exhausted! I have a day off tomorrow to plan, prepare, and rest a little. Alarm has been switched off and I can’t wait!!

Day 9 - 14

Day 9 (Friday 11^th February)

I had a lay in today which I REALLY needed, and was picked up by Ricky at 12.  I bought Ricky, Angie and Luka Suya (the kebab resembling meat) and Fried Irish (the Nigerian name for chips) to say thank you for all their feeding and babysitting me.  While Ricky and I were waiting we had some Dough Dough which is a fried dough balls type thing, they cost 10 Naira for 6 which works out at 4p.  Bargain!  After lunch we were meant to be going to get driving licences but Luka said the offices shut at lunch time on Friday so we’ll try next week.  I went to a shop owned by Lebonese Muslims,  they are the only other baturis other than the missionaries.  The shop is a little more like a corner shop at home, and a little less like Poundland. 

In the evening I went to ‘Friday at the Fretheims’ for the weekly gathering of City Ministries people.  It was good to meet some more people.  After we went back to Lynsey (the girl looking after short term for Mission Africa), and Niffer’s (Another Northern Irish girl working for Wycliffe) house to chat and play games.  We played mafia which was a great way to practice lying to each other, deceiving, and thinking up ways to kill someone.  I was pretty good which I don’t think is meant to be a good thing!  We all had to head home before 10 because thats when the compounds lock down.  It is really weird getting in to the routine of early nights.

Day 10 (Saturday 12^th February)

Today was a very chilled out day.  I was meant to be babysitting Noah so Angie and Ricky could go to a romantic valentines Chinese lunch at Hillcrest (the US run missionary school), but Angie wasn’t feeling well so I didn’t.  We spent the afternoon watching football, and went to a Lebanese run restaurant/takeaway called Kingsbite for a takeaway.  The prices are expensive for here, similar to UK price which is expensive for us trying to live on a Nigeria budget.  It was lovely though!

Day 11 (Sunday 13^th February)

I was picked up by Lynsey at 7.45am for 8am church service.  We took her mission car which barely coped with the off road driving to get there.  When we arrived the church was empty even though we were late, but it was packed after a while, nobody seems to arrive on time here.  We got very confused by the offerings, there were 3, the middle one was for a ladies 50^th birthday, it was bizarre!  She got out of her seat with her husband and they walked up to the front singing (very out of tune), she was joined by her family, and then by all her friends (half the congregation were up the front).  It was like the Von Trap family (or however you spell it).  We tried to not get the giggles, but it was hard.  The worship was quite good, there was even a Hillsong song amongst the  Hausa songs.  The serman was really good and was on Mathew 28 (The great commission).  The pastor was really passionate and direct, he was asking questions like “If you died today and faced God, what would you say to him?”, and “How many people have you brought to Christ”.  After the service (which went on for a while), we chatted an prayed with the Youth Fellowship, and went to one of their ‘houses’.  It was a very small room with a mattress on the floor, a little burner in the corner, and a bucket of brown water from which we were offered a drink (we politely declined).  When we got back I had Indo Mie for lunch ( I will talk a lot about it, it’s Nigeria’s version of Super Noodles, only comes in chicken flavour, and like the Fanta here contains an ingredient illegal in all but 3 countries).  It’s like your five a day here, everyone lives on it.  After lunch we played with Ruth for a few hours and chatted.  I don’t think I’ve mentioned Ruth yet, Ruth is a baby chick.  Abi (a short term Mission Africa girl who’s in UK for 3 weeks but heading back out soon to join us) thought it was a sensible to adopt this chick from the wild at Gyero.  So it now lives in a box, and is being looked after by Lynsey and Niffer while she’s in the UK.  Ruth thinks she’s a dog, and follows you everywhere round the house, and will climb and sit on your knee, lap, or shoulder.  It’s quite cute, they’re in the process of working out what to do with her as she grows bigger.  That evening Lynsey and I joined some of the teachers from Hillcrest school for a meal at Kingsbite.

Day 12 (Monday 14^th February)

I walked to Anne-Karin’s compound for a 9am meeting with her and Lynsey.  We chatted about what I’ll be doing etc so it’s starting to come together.  I’ve got another meeting tomorrow morning so that should make things clearer still.  When we finished Lynsey’s car wouldn’t start, so we called Ricky (he’s in charge of missionary cars) and he arrived with Luka.  Luka fixed it the Nigerian way by disconnecting the battery, pouring loads of water over the electrics, and then hitting a few things with the spanner.  It seemed to work because the car started straight away. 

Ricky, Luka, and I went to the government offices to get driving licences, and queued for ages.  We  were given an invoice and told to go to the bank, Py IT, and bring the receipt back so they could issue a driving licence.  We went to the bank which was guarded by men with guns, and a door capsule type system.  You press a button, a door swings open, the revolves and lets you out the other side one person at a time.  When we go to the front of the ‘queue’ in the bank we were told they had no receipts and to come back in two days on Wednesday by a very rude lady.  I resisted shouting at her, but wasn’t in the mood.  We tried another bank and were told the same thing, and then again in a third bank.  I’m very confused how banks can run out of receipts, do they not order more when they are running low?  Apparently not in Nigeria!  So we will be going back on Wednesday to try and get a receipt so we can go back to the government place to get driving licenses.  They are closed tomorrow because it’s a Muslim public holiday.

I spent the rest of the afternoon chilling out with Ricky, Angie and Noah.

Day 13 (Tuesday 15^th February)

Today is hard to write about because I am keen to get the balance of reality, without hiding the facts or alarming anyone.  I’ll start with the boring stuff...

I went with Lynsey to a compound called Pharmacy which is quite near the centre of Jos for a meeting with Dee who looks after the discipleship in the City Ministries centres.  On the way we passed a car which had caught on fire, there were loads of men crowded round it trying to put it out with earth which was SO dangerous because it was well alight.  At the meeting we chatted about the opportunities for me, and some of the specifics of what I’ll be doing, I seem to be having lots of meetings, I’m going to a teacher training one (hopefully) tomorrow.  On the way back to my compound I got a couple of texts 1^st saying there was unconfirmed and then confirmed trouble in the centre of Jos, and in a surrounding area.  A policeman had been killed by one side but we didn’t know (and still don’t know) the details.  We were 100% safe in our compound and we carried on with our day.  In the evening Lynsey and I went to Hillcrest to hang out with some of the teachers.  They told us that Fiona (the physio short termer who’s just arrived), and Katie (the other short term person who’s just arrive from New Zealand) were both caught up in it somehow and had seen a number of dead bodies.  I am thankful that Ricky was on the ball and kept us away because I know at least one of the Missions had no security warning sent to them.  When Niffer arrived she told us that she too had been caught up in it trying to take her boyfriend home.  She drove past the body of a man who had just been killed and was told to put both her hands in the air by the military while she drove past.  The sad thing (other that people are tonight without their dad/son/friend) is that she had to drive back past (it was the only way home) and the body had been burnt completely and they were raking away the ashes to leave no evidence of his existence. 

The drive home from Hillcrest was eerie, there were no cars on the road, and my compound was fully locked down when I arrived.  Hopefully everything will be back to normal tomorrow (apart from for those who have lost those they love).  I knew I would hear about people dying before I came here, but I’m trying to not be flippant about those who lose their life, I think it’s easy to distance yourself especially for those missionaries who have been here for years.  We are safe, but many people here aren’t.  I pray for a peaceful day tomorrow.   

Day 14 (Wednesday 16^th February)

Today was a peaceful day, and there was no sign of the trouble yesterday.  We received word that Goodluck Jonathan was arriving in the afternoon, and Jos went security mad.  There were armed police and the military every few hundred metres down the main roads.  I went to Gidan Bege for a meeting which was basically teacher training for the Nigerians.  Lynsey and I exchanged a few looks and sniggers at the American style of teaching and presentation. 

After we spent the evening at Lynsey and Niffer’s and had curry which was lush, and runny angel delight (it doesn’t set here because we only have powdered milk).  Ruth appears to be poorly, we’re worried she is going to die, hopefully not of some deadly disease she caught in the wild and has passed on to us!!!  I’m driving home tonight so I can drive on my own to Gidan Bege tomorrow for the first time.  Anyone who knows me knows I have zero sense of direction so I will probably get lost!

Settling In

Don’t worry, I won’t keep this daily diary thing up for long, but at the moment loads is happening each day so it helps me break it down.

Day 5 (Monday 7^th Feb)

I was picked up a lady called Anne-Karin who is from Denmark and looks after the short term side of City Ministries for SIM.  She took me to the Gidan Bege.  This is the first stage of the ministry where the boys go straight from the street.  They stay here for six months, and then choose whether they want to go to Gyero, of back to the streets.  There are eight boys living at Gidan Bege at the moment.  One of them is really (terminally) ill with a condition I don’t really understand, but it generally only affects Africans and is called something like stickle cell and affects either red or white blood cells (I’m rubbish at medical stuff).  He was really unwell and in lots of pain, it was really sad to see him so upset.

I met the ‘Aunties and Uncles’ (the people who look after the children), and watched the boys having an English lesson.

Ricky picked me up from Gidan Bege and we went printer shopping in the computer street.  It’s not like going to PC World, you have about 6 small shops/shacks next to each other all selling the same stuff which is piled up outside and inside their shack.  You ask them for the price, they give you the Baturi (white man) price, then you ask for the best price, then you do the same at all the shacks until you get the best price.  In the last shack the daughters of the owner offered Ricky free Hausa lessons at their house but he politely said he didn’t think his wife would be impressed.  I’m gradually picking up some words and phrases, and have learnt that as long as you string a few of them together randomly the Nigerians are very impressed.

In the evening I played Wii Sports with Ricky and Angie, I was rubbish but it was good fun.

Day 6 (Tuesday 8^th Feb)

I was picked up by Anne-Karin again and taken to Gyero (The rural village, school, and care centre on the video at the bottom of my blog).  I sat in a maths class and helped one of the boys with the answers which resulted in him having ‘very good’ written in his book meaning he loved me!  I had a chat with the Nigerian teacher called Chris who had an England shirt on which won my approval.  After the lesson it was their break time, I got on really well with them, and they kept calling me uncle which I still find cute and need to get used to.  I got chatting to one of the boys who they think has learning disabilities, he taught me some Hausa words.

After Gyero Ricky made me Nutella on toast which was amazing.  After lunch it was time for my Nigerian driving lesson with Luka (Mission Africa driver).  He was mean to take me on the quiet roads, but Ricky told him to show me where my ministries are so we ended up on the main roads.  It was pretty crazy, but I managed to use my horn a fair bit, and didn’t crash.  Everyone laughed at me because Luka said that I need another lesson which coming from a Nigerian means they think I’m pretty bad.  I think I’m going to go out with Ricky next time because he can relate to the differences between UK and Nigerian driving (I was surprised to hear that they have cars in Northern Ireland, but apparently they do). 

Day 7 (Wednesday 9^th Feb)

Today we went to Kagoro which is the rural place I will probably be heading to for four weeks when the girls arrive.  Its and hour and a half from Jos, on the way Luka decided he wanted to go to a rural market we passed.  The others stayed in the car and I headed in with him.  It was crazy busy, packed and felt like real rural Africa.  I was the only Baturi, and got stared at quite a lot, and heard a few ‘Baturi’ comments, and welcome white mans.    

In Nigeria you get very used to passing abandoned crashed cars by the side of the road, and often wonder how they ever ended up like that.  We passed a car which was barely recognisable and were told by the other Nigerian with us Macage that his three neighbours had been in the car and all died.  They were three young men.  It really brought it home to us that the greatest danger we face here is the driving and roads.  If something happens there are no emergency services to call, you have to rely on someone getting you to hospital.

When we got to Kagoro I got to see where I will probably be staying for four weeks.  The place is tiny, the accommodation VERY basic, ie shack with a bunk bed.  The toilets are a tin shack outside, with doors that don’t really shut and no flush (you pour a bucket of water down.  The showers are the same with a bucket.  It will be good to experience some real rural living though.  We went to a Fulani (an unreached people group) village where Mission Africa is working close by.  The pictures below are all from the village, the long building is the school built by Mission Africa and SIM.  It was hard to communicate because the Fulani spoke no English, so we tried a bit of Hausa.  Angie (who is pregnant) nearly fainted in the heat while we were there and Lynsey and I caught her.  The chief’s son got a fruit we had never seen before from a tree and handed it to me.  I bit in to it without thinking that it hadn’t been sterilised (you have to sterilise all raw fruit & veg with baby steriliser or it makes you ill).  It was disgusting, and I’m still alive after eating it which is all good.  Because Kagoro isn’t on the plateau like Jos it is much hotter.

Here are a few pictures to get a taste, I need to find a better way to upload pictures because its a nightmare!

When we got home I was given some proper Nigerian food called red stew.  It was pretty nice, it’s made with tomato and meat, and is quite spicy, nothing like anything we have at home. 

Day 8 (Thursday 10^th Feb)

I felt absolutely exhausted today, I haven’t rested since arriving and it’s really started catching up with me.  Ricky picked me up and we travelled in to the centre of Jos to look for some cloth to make Nigerian outfits.  We couldn’t work out which material is for men and which for woman.  We gave up after a while and decided we need to take a Nigerian / Female with us. 

After lunch I met with Lynsey to discuss what I’ll be doing in Jos.  I am meeting with Anne-Karin on Monday, but it looks like I will be working mainly at Gidan Bege helping the boys with reading, homework, their teaching, and discipleship.  I will then (probably) go to Kagoru with the girls when they arrive for four weeks, then to Agugu which is where the other short term people are for a couple of weeks.  I will have zero internet during this time.

First few days

 
I’m Here!


After the months of planning and fundraising I’m finally here in Jos. Mum and Dad took me to the airport which was lovely, and then Niki (my sister) surprised me while I was dropping my bags off. She’d got the tube across London to come and say bye. My flight was at 10.15pm on Wednesday which is a horrible time to fly. The flight is only six hours which means you don’t get a chance to sleep on the plane by the time you’ve been given the life jacket routine that’s been heard hundreds of times before, then there’s the drinks, then the duty free, then BA’s idea of a meal. I wasn’t impressed with their idea of a beef roast, it was really disgusting. Then they turn the lights off, but I was sat in front of the flight attendants (or whatever they like to be called these days) who spent the whole time discussing why they couldn’t figure out something on their computer, and how bad the hotel was going to be in Abuja (where I flew to). I found it hard hearing them moan about the hotel when I know it’s going to be far better than where a lot of the Nigerians would be living.

My flight arrived in Abuja (the capital, no it’s not Lagos) at 5.30am local time (4.30am UK). I was really tired and grumpy, but managed to smile at the immigration man (who didn’t reciprocate). I got a bit of an interrogation from the Muslim official (you can tell by dress) about exactly what I was going to be doing and how long I would be in Nigeria, but before he finished the (I assume) Christian official smiled and said you’re all done and waived me through. When I got to the baggage reclaim there were no trolleys for my 69kg luggage and I had to wait for an enthusiastic porter to put my bags on a trolley and walk with me through customs who also interrogated me about the contents of my bags and my occupation. Smiling didn’t work with him either, but I was though. My next hurdle was a man who wanted proof that my bags belonged to me and I hadn’t stolen them. I had no idea what I had done with my bag receipts from Heathrow and couldn’t find them, but he eventually agreed that they were mine based on the fact my passport had the same name as the bag labels. I was met by Luka (a Mission Africa driver) who was holding a sign. My Porter and him had a haggle about how much the porter should be paid for carry my stuff and then we were off.

I knew that African driving is different to UK driving, but I don’t think I was fully prepared for it! I can relate well to the style of driving in that ‘he who dares, wins’. Even on a duel carriageway it is perfectly acceptable to cross over to the other direction and drive the wrong way if your side of the carriageway isn’t moving. Motorbikes (called machines by the locals) will drive on either side of the road, and as long as you beep, you’re free to pull out in front of anyone at any time. Speed limits are defined by the speed of the car in front, and the number of pot holes. You can overtake if a car is coming towards you, as long as you flash your lights and beep so they know you’re there. They will then drive a bit closer to the edge so you can fit between them racing towards you, and the car on your side. Anyway no need to alarm you Mum, so I won’t talk about the dangerous and scary bits of driving!

The drive to Jos took five hours, I have no idea how it took this long because everyone has said it takes three and a half hours, but I arrived at last. I was met by a Northern Ireland couple called Ricky and Angie, and their little boy Noah. They were incredibly welcoming and sorted me out with some food and a Nigerian SIM card. My phone number to phone and text is +2348136835300 you can replace the + with 00 from a landline or mobile if you can’t work out how to do a + (mum). My UK number doesn’t work so please don’t text it!

Ricky took me for lunch at the house of the Freitheims, a US missionary couple who run City Ministries (where I’m based) on behalf of SIM. We had a variation of spaghetti bolognaise which was amazing because I don’t think I’d have been up for local food the way I was feeling on no sleep. I got to meet some of the other missionaries who are working in the area there as well.

After lunch Ricky took me to the compound where I am staying. My compound has about 12 houses on it, I’m staying in my own little bachelor pad which is so much nicer than I expected. I have a little lounge, kitchen, bathroom, and in my bedroom I have a double bed, 2 bunk beds, and a cot. I’ll be here probably for the next month until the girls are all here. The current plan I think is that we’ll go to a rural area for a while, but that could change. As lovely as where I’m staying is, electricity is very much a luxury, we have more time of no electricity than electricity which is provided by a combination of the main supply and a generator. When there’s no power it’s pitch black and I had no idea where my torch was the 1st time this happened. The biggest challenge with a torch is going for a wee because you have to try and aim two things at the same time which isn’t easy being a guy!

DAY 2 (Friday 4th Feb)

I changed my phone to the wrong time and ended up waking up an hour earlier than I needed to, but wasn’t too tired from sleeping loads the night before. I think Ricky thought I’m a stupid Englishman when I told him. It’s ok though because there are so many things about the Irish to laugh at that than they can laugh at us. I got some of my money changed by a Muslim man ‘behind a curtain’, probably an illegal money changer but he gave me a very good rate. I had my first shopping experience which was in a ‘mini-mart’ rather than the market. Ricky said its a good way to learn what prices should be even though it’s a bit more than the market. I was surprised at the amount of western food available, but it’s very expensive. After that I went to the first place where I’ll be working called Transition House (TH for short). This is where the older boys stay before hopefully integrating back in to society. They are about 14-18. I played football with them and Ricky which involved me trying to look cool playing in trousers and flip flops until one of them ‘accidentally’ took himself and me out. I got up and was like ‘no worries, it didn’t hurt’ thinking ‘I’m gunna feel this in the morning’. I have a bruised side now.

For lunch we went to the Missionary school where the missionary and rich Nigerian Kids go called Hillcrest to get some lunch. We had amazing food which reminded me of something that can be obtained from a kebab shop at about 2am (or so I’ve heard). It was amazing chip like things and suya (meat which I was told is dog, but it wasn’t, I’m not gullible).

Next we went to Luka, the Mission Africa driver’s house that he is building. It meant going in to a really Nigerian area which has been a flashpoint between Muslims and Christians but is pretty safe now because the Muslims have been kicked out by the ‘Christians’ because they caused the trouble. It was eye opening to see where they live, but a great experience. The house is going to cost about £6000 to build which is a huge amount of money based on the amount they earn. I find it hard seeing how wealthy even as missionaries we are compared to the locals.

In the evening Ricky and I went to the Freitheims for their weekly gathering for all the City Ministries missionaries. Because it was the first Friday of the month they invite everyone from SIM which is the missionary organisation they work for and who runs City Ministries and others. It was very American and they introduced me to everyone and also a short termer from London who is working for them and has also just arrived called Fiona. She is English (that makes 3 English people in Jos), also 26, and a physio from London, but trained in Southampton, and went to City Life another charismatic church so we had lots in common.

This was a jam packed day, don’t worry I will start summarising days soon, but so much new stuff to write about. Sorry if you’re getting bored but please keep reading, got to be much better than working for those of you reading this rather than doing work!

Day 3 (Saturday 5th Feb)

Less to write about today... I was picked up by Ricky again. We picked up Fiona because she wanted to see Gyero which is where we were headed. Gyero is a village which takes about 45 minutes to get to from Jos due to the road rather than the distance. It is on the video at the bottom of my blog (as is Peter Freitheim who I spoke of earlier). Gyero is the stage before Transition House for the boys, and is where all the girls go. The boys and girls are kept very separate to prevent relationships forming mainly. We got to meet the pastor, the kids, and the ‘aunties and uncles’ who look after them. I was introduced as Uncle Neil which I still try not to laugh at and find a bit weird. At least it’s getting me ready for when my sister has kids (if she ever finds herself a decent enough man).

It was great to see the kids, but I’m still really unsure as to where I’m going to fit in. Everywhere is so crazy! After cheese on toast for lunch (cheese is a real luxury, I’m being spoilt by Ricky and Angie) Ricky, Noah and I went to TH to see the boys. We played a bit more football, but with Noah so it was gentle based on the fact that he’s one. He did nearly get knocked out at one point, but he didn’t seem to mind, he’s obsessed with football like his daddy. We watched some premiership football and 5 nations rugby while the power was on at Ricky’s. I need to not get used to this luxury because its very different in the rural places I’ll be going to.

Day 4 (Sunday 6th Feb)

Ricky and Angie picked me up for church at 9.10 when the 2nd church service of the morning starts at 9, but we weren’t really late, they run on Africa time here. The churches are all really busy, and they are everywhere. Everyone who isn’t a Muslim is a ‘Christian’ and goes to church, the biggest problem is nominal Christianity. The church appeared to have Anglican routes, the preaching was ok by Nigerian standards and was on intercession. The pews (which were outside) were designed to stop you falling asleep. I’m going to try and find somewhere a bit livelier I think next week. The pastor was really passionate and I had to stop myself giggling every time he said Jeeeeesusssssss! We were the only white people there, but nobody spoke to us which is unusual for Nigerian culture, and very different to church at home where you can’t get away with not being welcomed by loads of people. Being away from my home church has helped me realise how much I love KCC. Anyway I waffle...

I went back to Ricky and Angie’s for the afternoon. We listened to some worship music from home, and had an interesting discussion on Christian stuff including denominations, spiritual gifts, infant/adult baptism, Calvinism.

Lynsay Bell arrived today who is the new short term looker after person and will be sorting out what I’m doing etc. She’s another Northern Irish person, but considering that is really lovely. I already know her from my orientation. She was pretty tired having done the same flight as me from Heathrow, so will be great to catch up properly tomorrow.

And Finally...

As I said I’m sorry this entry is so long, they won’t normally be but so much has been packed in to my first few days. I don’t have any pictures yet, I’m trying to settle in a bit before I start pointing my camera at people and things! Any Christian friends looking to receive my prayer letter and not on the list (ie not received my first email), please let me know your email address: pray4neil@live.co.uk

Security wise there is definitely tension here, but Jos is so much safer than many people think, and we are pretty safe as non Nigerians. The Mission take our safety very seriously, and the chance of us being in the wrong place at the wrong time is very remote. There were security screening people with metal detectors at the church. When the elections are on the plan is probably to still move to another part of Nigeria because there is no point in us being locked in the compound when the expected trouble happens. Please be aware that things are often inaccurate even on the BBC. On a cheery note please send texts / emails / facebook messages to say hi!

The time has come

For those of you that haven't figured / heard, in a few hours, 10.15pm to be precise I will be getting on a plane at Terminal 5 to Abuja, and then on to Jos. It's all come round really quickly, and I still feel that I must have forgotten something. I realised half an hour ago that have 4 lots of shower gel and no shampoo rather than 1 of each, but it all adds interest. I have remembered my passport, ticket, insurance, and anti-malerials which I think are the only crucial things.

I weighed my bags just now and they are 69.15kg which is pretty impressive considering I chucked everything in in a random flurry and my luggage allowance is 69kg. I'm hoping the nice person on BA check in lets me off the 150g otherwise I'll be rooting through my bag to find something to put in my hand luggage. My individual bags are spot on 23kg each which is the max, I think God must have packed my bags for me because it was a complete guess, and as I said I just chucked everything in.

There has been a fair amount of unrest in Jos recently, and it's been a bit up in the air as to whether I can go there, but it's full steam ahead, and that's where I will be tomorrow. There is talk of doing some stuff in the rural areas in a couple of weeks which I'd love to do. I will be going out on my own because I'm currently the only one with a visa. I'm expecting to be joined by Lynsey on Saturday who is going to Jos for the next 2 years plus to look after the short term missionaries. The other 2 girls Bethan and Ali are going to join me when they get visas over the next couple of weeks.

I don't really have any more to say at the moment, but I'll update this when I'm settled in as soon as I can. If you want to be notified by email when I update my blog please subscribe on the left hand side with your email address.