Thru My Eyes...

Time blurb

2010-08-25T06:11:00.002+01:00

Wow, time is beginning to really fly by and I realize that is what makes me sad. I want this time in my life to slow down, I don't feel like I am getting older, but I am, I want the world to be on pause for just a bit so I can get all I need to get together (IF...that is ever possible) but I feel that everywhere I look, everyone I see...I see time just rushing by and all I want to do is grab it and hold it and slow it down. I look at my nieces and nephews and want to just stop time, I don't want them to grow up so fast...maybe because it makes me feel really old, but also because I miss them as little kids sometimes. I don't see my friends or the other "grown ups" around me growing old, but I feel it sometimes when I see how quickly time is passing...and especially when I feel like I still don't have all the answers....I think I just always have more questions.

I have been through some pretty rough patches in my life...things that I won't even share with anyone until I reveal them later in life in my memoirs, but for now, those are the things that have made me more resilient, or possibly just more numb...but then I still know how to cry, and to laugh and so I think maybe I am just more resilient...depends on the day really. But at the end of the day, I have to always try to thank God for his blessings because there are many things I should be grateful for and in these times, I want to try to be the best I can be and let all the little things go (as easy as it sounds its always very difficult still)

I have always feared one thing most of all, and that was to lose the people I loved most in my life. So what do you do when you have to lose? What do others do when they lose? I have lost people not perhaps through death and therefore I should be thankful, but I have lost people in my life that I have loved and put my trust into and my heart into their hands. I have lost friends and lovers and sometimes as time changes and people change, I feel like I have lost family too. I want to stop losing, and sometimes the solution that comes to my mind is to stop loving so deeply...is that even possible for me? unfortunately not...so here I come back to the time issue...and where time goes by so fast, it goes slowly when you miss people in your life...and too fast when you want it to slow down.

Time...what a concept, I don't really know what I have been blabbing about, I just know that I wish time was more on my side sometimes...that good things would come to me faster, and that bad things would heal faster and that time would slow down so I can keep up and not grow too old and feel I have accomplished nothing...

Time...

THE NEW ME

2009-12-20T01:06:00.010Z

Again...I have been a slacker...well not really a slacker in other areas of my life, but blogging. I have been quite busy in the last few months and I think most of it was that I was more mentally busy than physically busy (if that makes any sense at all).

There have been a few changes in my life and though like anyone faced with changes, I feel nervous, excited, overwhelmed, terrified, unsure, happy and so on. I will no longer be

teaching...instead I am going to follow in the footsteps of my father...and his family and be an entrepreneur. I thought for a long time that I wasn't cut out to have my own business or do

all that good stuff...but the more life goes on and the older I get, I realize that I have to follow my passion and my heart and start my own photography business. So that is exactly what I am going to do come January 2010...its a new year...a BIG year and I can only hope and pray that I will be blessed in my new adventures.

I am scared...and want to run away from this crazy idea sometimes, but I have decided that I should start listening to those around me who believe in me and who have been pushing me to do my photography for a long time. If no one has ever told me I suck at photography...and instead tells me I am very talented...I should be fine right?! (hopefully!! hehe)

So hopefully these next few months I will be able to get on my feet. I know it will be a scary and tough process as it is new and different and just starting, but I am confident that I am really supposed to do this...and God has told me recently "OK Rachel...you have put this off long enough...time to really use your gifts!" so I better listen right?! RIGHT!!!

My sister in-law Missy sent me a marvelous quote when I was worrying about this whole idea of starting my own business...and I am using this as my encouragement and motivation...

Marianne Williamson quote:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unco

nsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

so come 2010...a new and updated version of Rachel will be coming soon...RAQUELLE

PHOTOGRAPHY...the new me!

JULY-OCTOBER...a quick catch up

2009-10-14T22:32:00.001+01:00

Ok..ok so it has been a while since I have blogged...precisely just over 4 months...WHOOPS...doesn't seem like anyone noticed. So in this entry I am going to give a few updates in my life and i guess life in general around me...month by month.

JULY- Everything on the home front here in Nigeria was fine...busy but fine. i was trying to get all the "end of the school year" stuff finished and in place. A lot of changes were ahead though for the new school year. One of the school branches closed down and was moved to its permanent site of KETU. So July was left unsure of how things would come in September...but I wasn't too worried. Just a lot of drifting and waiting until things came together more clearly during this month.

Sad news from home came on the night of July 23rd. A close family friend to ALL of my siblings, especially my brothers, had been killed by a driver assumed under the influence of alcohol. He had been in his van with his cousin and she only had minor injuries. He was killed on July 22nd late at night, just returning home from a movie with his cousin and my oldest brother Chris, (who was in his own vehicle and further ahead and didn't witness the accident or hear of it until a few hours later). Though my relationship with this friend, Alex Schaap, was not a close one...he was someone i really admired. He had a gentle soul and caring and giving nature. He was witty, clever and funny. He really was one of a kind and it still seems to hit me hard some days. The pain of his death was felt and is still felt in my community back home..especially for my brothers who saw Alex as their closest friend. Being so far away from home has made this difficult to come to grips with as it doesn't seem like a reality. I wish I could sometimes be closer to home to be there for my family in these times to cry with them and talk with them and just sit with them...but alas, I have chosen a life here...and that means the distance will always be there.

AUGUST- August came and so did my plans and excitement for my trip to Cairo, Egypt to see my cousin Clinton and his wife Tara. I have now seen two African countries...but in a way, Egypt seemed more middle eastern than it did African. It was a wonderful trip and I just wish I had more time...but just under 2 weeks was still a good time! I was able to see the Pyramids of Giza and climb a little ways up one of the pyramids. I even went into one to see a tomb inside, a very hot, dank and claustrophobic experience that only ever needs to be done once...but still a good thing to experience. I was able to go to different areas of Cairo, see a variety of things...a sunset sail on the Nile River and a sheesha smoke at TGIFridays restaurant. I was surprised at how "Americanized" Cairo was as I saw many restaurants/food chains such as Starbucks, Second Cup, McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Cinnabon etc. I actually had stomach issues when reverting to eating "Americanized" food, and found that eating a sweet cinnamon bun from Cinnabon caused a great deal of trips to the bathroom for me....guess I am no longer used to those kinds of foods!

During my trip I spent most of my time with Tara, Clintons wife...as Clinton had started work already and Tara would start the week that I left. We were able to bond a great deal and we travelled to stay at a resort on the Red Sea. There I was able to go scuba diving. It has been a few years since I last went in Australia, but I HAD too! Unfortunately I was only able to do one dive and one snorkel due to the time between diving and flying back to Cairo. It was great, but I still want to return to do some more diving for sure!! Since I didn't have as much time as I needed to do all I wanted to do, I had to compromise on some things. Next trip I hope to go to Mt. Sinai and climb to the top and stand on the same mountain that Moses Stood on...as well as Jesus!

At night we would spend time, the three of us, just chatting, playing games of watching movies. It was a lot of fun!! It was a great trip also because I hadn't seen my cousin Clinton in 2 years...the longest time we have gone without seeing each other. But catching up is easy, like we haven't been apart for a day! It was nice to see their lives in Cairo.

Though Cairo was lovely, I definitely prefer Nigeria. Cairo just seemed to be very Muslim. And for a Christian, that can be a tough place to be as it effects what foods and drinks you can get, how you dress and how you act as well...and even as a woman, how you may be treated. I found that even though Cairo seemed to be so "Americanized" many of the cab drivers didn't seem to speak that much English and trying to learn Arabic in that small amount of time, was just pointless. But all in all, Cairo was a cool place to visit and I hope to return this year before my cousin and his wife finish their last year there!

SEPTEMBER- September brought rainy season back and school started. My job has continuously been worked on, trying to stabilize the new changes etc. I now work 3 days a week at the school in KETU. and just last week the schedule was set in place of what exact days I would be there. I am there Monday-Wednesday and teach art to Primary 2-6. There are always challenges that come my way as KETU is more of a residential area that is a little on the lower class side. Its a little more crowded and rough and busy. There are daily challenges but I still enjoy teaching the children art...sometimes i feel as though there is so far to go, but at least I hope and pray I am making an impact and planting a seed. I also take part in teacher training at KETU as well. This runs into my work as well with Juyin. Juyin and I have started training teachers at various schools. We did quite a bit at the beginning of the school year but we have come up with more of a clearer outline of the workshops we offer. Things are still in the beginning stages and we are still testing out the waters and all...but I think it will be good. So many schools need so much help and starting with the teachers is the way to go. So we go into schools and run workshops. I work with Juyin on Thursday and Friday and Saturdays if we have a workshop booked on that day. We enjoy working together and have a lot of fun still.

OCTOBER- Well, since this is still October, I can't write too much as it has not finished. still adjusting to new things and sometimes wish I had a little more stability, but I know it will come soon. I am trying to work on setting up a website and business cards for my photography and have been in "talks" with a close friend of mine about working together on jobs. He does a lot of photo editing and graphics and marketing and design. So we are still in the "talking" stage of that and hope for it to slowly take off. I was sick for a while. Most likely Malaria with some other things attached to it. I was out for a good week! But the Malaria pills seemed to do the trick but it took still a full week before my fever was completely gone. I don't remember the last time I had a high fever like that, no less a fever that lasted that long!

So there are my short updates for the last 4 months. I am planning to go back home for the Christmas break and spend 3 weeks at home. I am so excited to see my family and friends and how much all of my nieces and nephew have grown...also to welcome my brother Matt and his wife Katie's new addition that should arrive just before I do! I am a little worried about how I will deal with the cold weather and snow...especially since I can't remember for the life of me where I had packed my winter clothes back home. I am really wondering, especially since I can feel cold at times here in Lagos, when the rain comes and the weather drops to a cool 26 degrees Celsius....hhhmmm...how will I handle -25C??? I am already making a list of things to do, people to see, things to buy and bring back, and food to eat!!! haha..

well I guess that is about it. As usual life keeps me on my toes and in many other aspects of my life as well...that i don't share here...but I am slowly learning more and more about myself and growing into a strong and confident woman...day by day...or at least i hope! haha! Till my next entry...Odabo (Yoruba word for goodbye)

Life...still goes on...

2009-06-11T22:43:00.001+01:00

Discretion: this entry may be difficult for some people to read...read at your own discretion.

This is a blog entry that I wish I never would have had to write...but life happens the way it does and so I too deal with it this way...

In Nigeria the amount of people is much...and in Lagos there's around 18-20 MILLION people and considering that Lagos is not the hugest city in the world...space is tight. So when you are driving or walking or whatever, there are always a ton of people everywhere. The only time that Lagos seems quiet is at night, but only in certain areas. I live in one of those "quiet areas." and traffic at night is not heavy at all on most roads. Since traffic is not heavy, this allows for free roads for drivers as well as people who cross the road. There are no cross walks anywhere and overhead walkways are only found on a few major roads...so if one wants to cross the road, one has to book it across the road. Since many Nigerians are used to crossing the road, some make close calls and try to cross in small spaces between zooming cars. Crossing the road at night however is easier and supposed to be LESS dangerous. But last week Sunday, this was not the case.

As I was returning home late on Sunday night, I was in a cab and the road was free. I was about 20 min away from home. We were zooming along a fairly major road and there was just one car ahead of us to our right...not far ahead but maybe 30 feet or so. As we drove a girl (maybe in her 20's) jetted across the road. As she crossed she ran in front of the car ahead of us and had one foot on the curb but seemed to hesitate or something and the car didn't break or swerve as if they hadn't seen her and she was hit. As this was happening I saw it happening and begin shouting "NO NO NO NO!!" but it continued to happen right before my eyes. Her body flew over the car and tumbled onto the road bouncing and rolling. Her limbs were in positions that were un-natural and her body folded and flopped around as if she were a rag doll. Things flew out of her pocket and a shoe flew off. The car that hit her screeched to a stop...but the cab I was in just zoomed on and said "she is dead oh...the girl don die" as if he has seen this thing many times before...I wanted to look back or stop...but i was in too much shock to say anything or to move...I couldn't take my hands from my eyes until I arrived back home...but by then I was sobbing and shaking.

I am very sad to have shared this experience...and so many thought have been racing thru my mind since I have witnessed this horrific event. It is so sad...but then life continues...as if nothing happened. I can't imagine what the driver went through and is now going through or what the girls family is going through. So many questions keep coming to my mind like; "why didn't she wait to cross, there weren't many cars...if she had waited" or "why did she hesitate?" or "where was she coming from and where was she going?" "why didn't the driver slow down?" or "why was the driver going so fast and driving so close to the curb?" or "did the driver even see her?" I guess I will never really know any of these answers and just pray that all involved will somehow find peace after what has happened.

Life is so short and it can be taken away any moment...it has gotten me thinking about life and the people in my life and what I am doing with my life...and this event has made me feel grateful for my blessings...for family and friends, for God and his Grace and Love, for safety, comfort, food, work, happiness and so on. I am truly blessed with so many things and this event has pushed me to want to continue to work on myself and use my gifts to help others and to be a blessing as well as to praise God. I want to love the people in my life and appreciate them and treat them with love and kindness...and I want to always remember to be thankful for my life...because it truly is a gift and I should cherish that!

In the end...I pray that no one will ever have to see what I saw that night...I pray that no one has to experience what happened either...And in the end, life always goes on even if sometimes the events that shock us or sadden us seem so unbelievable that you even ask yourself if those things really happened, or if they are part of ones imagination....we will still go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning and live our lives because life stops for no one...so we must just keep going...so that is what I am doing...I am walking on.

Death to the rat

2009-05-23T01:08:00.005+01:00

I have dealt with the rat..the evil dirty rat that thought that it would be auk to move in with me and share my food and even my bed! Here in Nigeria...rats seem to be a different breed and sometimes are difficult to catch, but luckily this rat was only a baby still. Actually there are advantages and disadvantages of small rats. (Not that there are really any true advantages...but when trying to make a bad situation look better, I looked for advantages.) Here are the advantages vs. disadvantages...compared to a large rat.

Small Rats

Disadvantages

1. They are too quick to catch

2. They can squeeze into a hole 1/4 the size of their body

3. They aren't detected as quickly

Advantages

1. They don't wreak as many things as big rats

2. They have small poop

3. They don't look quite as disgusting

So I went to the little store near my house and bought some rat gum (gum here refers to glue) and it was just a piece of plastic basically with glue all over it so that when the rat steps onto it, it becomes stuck. The girls selling it were telling me that Naija rats were different and were hoping that this type of rat gum would work and I assured them that I would let them know and thought it would since it was just a baby rat.

As I got home, I immediately opened the rat gum and set it up behind my garbage. I admit, that I kept checking the rat gum every 10 min or so just to see if I had caught the rat...but no luck. Soon though, I saw something suck on the gum...but it wasn't the rat, it was my little gecko friend who has been in my house since I moved in and it's so tiny that I love seeing it and seeing if I can hold it. I felt terrible..how could I kill my gecko? I picked the gum up and tried to peel the gecko off but it was completely stuck and if I kept pulling I was going to rip its body and limbs apart.

Being the genius that I am, I poured some liquid soap around its body and limbs and let it sit for a while. After a few minutes I put ran some water over the soap and again tried to peel its body off...and phew...it worked. My friend was so scared that once I had him off he just sat on my hand...his little heart beating furiously and didn't move for a while. I thought that maybe I would keep it...and did for a day in a jar, but I just couldn't keep it in a small prison and released it in my home to roam free.

So after being bummed that I didn't catch anything I went to bed and was laying there almost asleep when I heard some rustling coming from the kitchen and some high pitched squealing...and I KNEW I had caught the bugger! I crept into the kitchen and sure enough, the rat lay there on the gum and as soon as it saw me...it only tried to get away, but doing that only allowed for its body to become more stuck to the gum. I took a broom and was about to bash it and end its miserable life when it just stopped moving and looked at me..its little heart beating so fast, and gave a little whimper. I just couldn't do it...I actually felt bad for the little creature...so instead I just covered it with an empty container that I was throwing out and walked away hoping it might somehow be dead in the morning.

It wasn't dead...and as soon as I peeked...it just struggled again. So on my way out to work I took it down to the gate man and walked away as he bashed it to death...but as I left, I didn't feel bad...I felt good that I had my house back!

Now...so that I don't get anymore unwanted guests, I am going to put rat gum in various places around my house...No rat can ever mess with me again...I have come to far for that...so rats...you better beware!!!

My home intruder

2009-05-18T23:24:00.004+01:00

Bad memories are flooding my mind as I sit here writing this. I think my heart is still beating at an usually quick pace and i can't seem to relax. Every few seconds I stop to look around my surroundings and to look for any type of movement...but for now I don't see any. I am sitting in my room, on my bed and this is now day 3 of catching glimpses or rather more like close encounters of a very uninvited, hated, disgusting intruder. A baby rat has entered my humble abode and I am now being reminded of last year when I was staying with Jude and the baby rats that would crawl on me while i slept and I would jump awake, heart beating so fast as if it were going to burst out of my chest. The baby rats are small and seem almost like mice...but they are clearly NOT mice if you see them. they have the pointy faces and long tails and have longer bodies that are dark. Some can be so small that you may think it was a big cockroach...but nope, if you've ever had a baby rat crawl on you while you sleep and you wake up...you can clearly feel that it is NOT a cockroach or any type of bug...because you can feel the fur...so they are definitely rats...and they really are not scared like they should be. This is the third time that this rat has come close to me. The first day it ran past me in my parlour and i exclaimed very loudly "AH AH!" which is a very Nigerian expression almost to say "NO!!" or "NO WAY" So I tried to chase it...(I no longer really run away, because now I just want to try and be brave and kill the damn thing!) Then while I was doing the dishes last night, it ran past my feet...literally less than an inch away and I jumped back, feeling as if I was having a heart attack! Then today...the worst one of all..as I was sitting on my bed i see out of the corner of my eye something moving...and towards me...and as I look the rat and I make eye contact and I jump up and it seems to disappear into my dirty clothes pile. So I grab a hanger and pry around picking up each article of clothing with the hook of the hanger and shaking it violently....but nothing was there. I then moved onto my dresser and realized that behind it there is a space which the rat can go underneath the dresser...so I take my flash light and I am shining it and see nothing...then I move the dresser and peak again. My heart stops and the light flashes on the nasty beast and it looks up at me frozen and then darts off. I swear that as I watched it dart off that it entered my purse. (This is the part where I have to sensor...because like a crazy person, I began to shout and threaten and swear at the rat....

AHHH...sorry this must be put in NOW! As I was writing just now I saw the rat try to make a run for it from behind my big dresser and immediately I yelled in fear as my heart again jumped. It has run back to its hiding place...AHHHH!!!...Why am I being tortured!

ok...so back to my story..the rat obviously didn't enter my purse and I am sure you can all imagine me trying to pick up my purse to shake it out and holding it far from my body while standing on my tip toes...ready to jump or run at any moment...and I am sure I look like a fool...but who wouldn't! I went to my neighbours and since the places that sell these rat gums are closed (it is like a rat trap that they get stuck to...the bottom is like glue and they die there) they came and we all were banging things around and trying to find and destroy this intruder. But since these rats are small and quick and can somehow squeeze there body thru a space the size of a penny or less...they hide so well. Even now, I don't know how it is hiding behind my big dresser as there is no space underneath it unless it can squeeze between the carpet and the wood! So now here I am...and until this thing leaves my room...I won't sleep well...so i am going to again...scatter my room to find this rat and if i get it cornered...I am going to kill it and bash it until i know I've gotten my revenge!!! stay tuned!!!

Fuel Scarcity

2009-05-18T23:21:00.002+01:00

This last month in Lagos has been a little crazy for everyone. For some reason there is a fuel scarcity...meaning that only a certain amount of petrol is available to the public...or rather only a certain amount of petrol is being sold in a day and the rest is being held. Since here in Nigeria, power is not a consistent or constant thing...and even available to some, generators are commonly used everywhere. When I say everywhere, I mean everywhere. If you have a small business you use a generator (ex: places on the side of the road that sell food/beverages that may need to stay cool, or a business where they fix tires or shoes or metal works etc. (anything that may need to be plugged in basically) and small gens are used to power all of these things when there is no light/NEPA and most of these run on petrol. Some generators, like my own and big big ones, usually run on diesel, so I am lucky that way in the sense of not having to have someone queue for my petrol or have none at all. But this fuel thing is affecting everyone. I am not even quite sure what exactly it is about, but what I hear on the news is that there are pricing issues between the government and the oil companies, so fuel is being rationed each day. No one really knows the real reasons as one day you hear that there won't be scarcities, and then the next day they say there will be scarcity of fuel for another 2 weeks....so no one knows when it will end. It affects our school in the sense of not being able to have light some days if the bus drivers don't get fuel that day. (The drivers usually go and pick all the busing kids up, come to school and go straight to queue for fuel and some days don't come back until its close to closing time for the day) It affects my job because on Tuesdays and Thursdays I am supposed to go and teach art at the other Abbey school branch in KETU (Ketu is the area) but for the last month I have only been able to come a few times, and sometimes i have come late due to waiting until we get fuel to drive there. If there is no fuel at the KETU branch, I can't really go either because I don't have a ride back. So in the end, it really is messing up the lessons that I wanted to get done and now I am having to change things. Hopefully soon, this will end...but all I have to say is, with some things in life...we just take it for granted and you don't realize how blessed we are sometimes until something that may seem little and unsubstantial in everyday life, is taken away or made scarce...that's when you really know how much we rely on some things more than we think! Just some thoughts for everyone to take a minute to think about all the little things in life we are used to...and to appreciate that we can obtain those easily most of the time. Well, until next time...i am out!

Being Detained...

2009-05-04T00:04:00.001+01:00

Well its official...I am now a hardcore Lagos chic....for I was detained by lasman (they are road safety officials who really can cheat the law and rules but still fine or detain you!...NAIJA!)

So the stories goes like this....I was on my way to KETU (the other branch of the ABBEY SCHOOLS that I teach at and was being driven by one of the bus drivers from the GRA branch (confused yet?) Anyway, we followed the way we usually do and suddenly the bus stopped and a man (not dressed in any lasman uniform) is standing in front of the bus. The bus driver steps out (for all you Nigerians..you all know this is a bad move) and didn't lock the doors behind him. So then the man comes and jumps in the from seat of the bus (as I always sit in the back) and then my driver jumps in and I can tell that they are arguing...but in Yoruba, so of course I can't understand. So I jump in the conversation since I start to feel annoyed and pissed b/c I am thinking its some area boy or something...and say "excuse me...can you tell me what is going on here?" So he tells me that we went down a one way and we have to pay a fine and has to take us in to pay it.

Now, since we have followed this road every time we come to KETU...we have (and I HAVE) never seen this one way sign...and that's just what they do sometimes, they take the sign down, or they put it in one hidden corner so no one sees it but then they stop and fine people! This is the reason that its smart to keep your doors locked so that they can't jump in your vehicle and you can sometimes dodge them...especially if they aren't carrying a board with nails used to stop you from driving off...b/c if you try they throw it in front of your tires...and this guy didn't have anything! So he starts taking us (leading me driver with directions) to the office where we are to collect our fine and pay...and I am trying to talk to him telling him that he should please cover his eyes and pretend that he didn't see us drive that way (meanwhile as we are driving he now directs us down a one way...and we again are breaking the "law"...so really in my mind I am thinking...so but THIS is OK!?" And I am asking what it is he wants...saying let me dash him some money etc. So we are arguing and we stop the bus b/c I am determined to get off of this ridiculous fine...and so he calls his boss who then comes on an okada and so since this guy in our bus has stopped listening to me and ignoring me as I argue...I jump out of the bus and begin to talk to his boss...So I am sure that people were amused to see this "oyibo" (white) little female arguing in the street with a lasman official...!

So we get to the office and while our fine is being written up and the keys snatched from my driver I am arguing with the Lasmanofficial and asking him how much money he wants from us and try to only dash N500 (around $5)..but alas...he pretends that in Nigeria there is no such thing as ignorance to offenses and I sort of laugh...

So in the end we were detained and we were supposed to pay a fine of N10,000 ($100) we were able to bribe them to let us pay N2000 ($20)...

So next time these officials see me...and I see them...I'm going to be prepared!

Ife

2009-05-03T23:44:00.003+01:00

So after the drama of getting fuel the night before, we were off to Ife in Ogun state. (2 states out of Lagos). Juyins dad is from the town of Ife and it is formally known as Ile Ife "home of Ife" and it is said ILL A...EEE FAY. (I am learning a lot on how to pronounce words properly here!) So we headed out at around 10:30-11 on Sunday morning and headed to Ife. The drive was fine and we went through Ibadan (which is not a very pretty town and very old and rusty and red) and experienced highway driving in Nigeria...which means you can go from 120 km/h to 10 km/h due to large potholes in the road that must be avoided or gone over slowly. But since everyone is used to it, it doesn't seem to be a problem with traffic at least.

We arrived in Ife to Juyins fathers place. It is like a second home since he comes to Ife often. He runs a catfish farm and breeds catfish to sell, as catfish is a common food that is eaten in Nigeria in these parts. The trip was very lovely as we were able to spend a few days there to relax just before Term 3 resumed for Juyin and myself at school.

In Ife, we had the chance to go around and learn a lot of the history and see where Juyin's grandfather and great grandfather lived and grew up. In Ife there is also a King....know as the ONI. We were able to go to the palace and learn a little history of the past kings and other historical legends and stories. Juyins father is a Soko of Ife...

meaning he is a chief of Ife and he is recognized everywhere and is constantly dashing people money as it is part of the culture to "tip" people just for being them if you are a chief.

It was really just a lovely time and after a few days, we were off again to Lagos. We hope to go back to Ife soon to see the harvest of the catfish in a few weeks. Until then, its city life for me!

Fuel search

2009-05-03T23:43:00.000+01:00

A while ago I headed out on a Saturday morning to Juyin's place. Since I live in Ikeja and she lives in Surelere (these are areas) I had to take a cab. I had forgotten that in her area on Saturdays it is incredibly busy and traffic is terrible due to the amount of events or weddings that go on in that area. But of course after an hour in traffic I made it. We didn't do much that day in fact...but we seemed to get some vital things accomplished. Juyin handed her keys over to me and I took on the task of driving from Surelere to my area, Ikeja. Our first task was to stop at one little grocery store close to her house and buy some food. Once that was accomplished we were on our way. But as we drove we noticed that there were long queues at the fuel stations (apparently 2 fuel tank drivers were arrested by road safety or something probably b/c they didn't have their papers complete and the since all fuel tankers are part of a ____ they all decided to strike refusing to bring fuel into Lagos until the two drivers were released.)So seeing this, we decided we had better get fuel...just in case...and especially for us as we were heading to Ife for the next few days. (Ife is 2 1/2 hours away in another state, Juyin's dads home town). So we would stop at some queues and then leave them as we decided to keep driving to other stations that we felt would be less crowded. As we headed to one station near my house, Juyin wanted to fill the right tire of her car up and so what you do here in Nigeria is look on the side of the road for a tire that says "vulcanizer" and that is where you can change your tire, pump it up...fix it, you name it. So since traffic was quick busy I had to inch over to the side of the road, but i had to also back up. As I backed up there were okada's coming (those are motorbike taxis). As I was backing up slowly, they are supposed to dodge me and since I was moving very slowly it shouldn't have been any problem at all. As okada's passed me I suddenly jumped with fright as it sounded as if I had hit someone and almost had a heart attack, so as I turned my head to look at the front of my car where the noise came from, I noticed that a passenger on an okada purposely hit our car with his fist in anger and was yelling at me. Guess he wasn't too happy that I was backing up making all the okada's dodge me on the side of the road. We just laughed, and I was just happy that I hadn't killed anyone or injured anyone!

Juyin rolled down her window and called "vulcanizer!" then waited....no one came so she called again, "vulcanizer" and still no one. Finally she called "fuckanizer" and the guy came. While our tire was being filled she explained to me that most of the time people don't know its vulcanizer and call it "fuckanizer" and will only respond to that name. Again, we had a little laugh!

Once we were finished I begged my way back into nose to nose traffic and then eased into a queue for fuel. Not even a minute later we had a man at Juyins window telling us we were blocking the gate to a compound and a man in his car began to come out of the gate. The gate man proceeded to tell us to move...MOVE? move where? i was literally maybe an inch away from a bus infront of me and behind me a car was maybe 4 inches back. Even if i wanted to get out, i couldn't...so how was it that he wanted ME...to move the car to let this other man out?! We just ignored the gate man and his foolish ideas and since we were more or less over half way past the driveway of the gate, it only made sense to move forward again once the queue moved. So of course, that is what I did...but the car behind me only moved as I did and left no gap for the car in the driveway to come out. Now, you would think that the gate man would go and talk to this car...but nope...he was now yelling at me! Meanwhile, Juyin seemed to see that the station looked as if they were closing and jumped out with a jerry can as well as argued with the gate man and walked off to the fuel station. While Juyin was gone, Lara and I sat in the car and the gate man just pointed at us and yelled "Oyibo...now you dey cause am!" basically saying that I caused all this drama with the car trying to get out. I just looked at him and shrugged and Lara and I laughed. I pointed to the car behind me, as to us...it was really them who they should be scolding for continuing to move forward and not us. So as the gate man was fuming at us, the queue moved and I successfully moved from blocking the driveway...but the hilarious part of the story is this. While the gate man continued to fume as I drove out of the way, the car behind me also moved right up behind me and again the driveway was completely blocked. It wasn't until the owner of the car got out to yell at this car behind me that the gate man realized that perhaps he should have been talking to this other car instead of me. It was just too funny!

So as we waited in the queue and Juyin waited for fuel with her jerry can, It began to pour. Juyin ran back soaked but had left the jerry can with someone to watch until it was our turn. Finally after say waiting in queue for about almost 2 hours, it was our turn. Seeing as it was dark, no one really saw me at first. But soon there was this one area boy noticed me. (area boys are boys/young men who think they own the rights to certain things in areas and hold certain power and make people pay them sometimes...long explanation for another time). So since he wanted money from us...he was telling the fuel manager who was filling all the cars and jerry cans that "in this car here was a Romanian and he should help us first" (this was all said in Yoruba and Lara translated for me. We laughed and just ignored the guy. He also said that since Juyin was with us, we should go first. We again just laughed and ignored him. He kept going until one vehicle now bribed the station attendants to let them in the exit and to jump in right behind us to by bass the whole queue came around...he was then onto bigger and better fish I guess.

Finally after being in the car for about 3 hours, we arrived at my place and relaxed and ate some food so that Juyin and Lara could wait out some of the traffic going back to Surelere.

So the point of the story here is...be thankful that if you have many plans for a day and you get them all accomplished, because here in Lagos, due to fuel strikes, rain, or traffic...you never know what you will get done in a day and what will have to just wait for another day! But as I always say..."life in Nigeria is FAR from boring!"

2009-04-15T18:31:00.003+01:00

A day with Koyinsola...

Many of you are pondering "who the heck is Koyinsola and what does this have to do with Rachel?" Well since I have moved to Nigeria my friend and boss Juyin decided that I was already such a Nigerian in so many ways that I needed a Nigerian name. Just like many Nigerians use English names for us white folk who can't pronounce their names, I too am adopting that idea, except for everyone here CAN easily say my name. Nigerian names are quite unique and a lot of them are very lovely. Many even have names that represent the day they were born or if they are a twin etc. I went through many names, but I was the one who came up with Koyinsola...the way it is said is so lovely. First it was Rashida (my crazy friend Taiye decided this one...but no one liked it) then it was Bumi...but then I heard the name Koyinsola and that was it. So now that I am officially a temporary resident of Nigeria (yes I have the paperwork to prove it!) I am living a daily Nigerian life with of course my Western influences that I just can't shake. So here it is...a typical day.

In the morning I wake up at around 6am. If I wake up and I feel hot, it is because NEPA took light sometime during the night and I don't like to put my generator on throughout the night (here is my cheap dutch side coming out...I would rather be a little more hot than to waste my diesel!) Ok...so lets say there IS NEPA...because usually there is until right before I leave for work. I go to my shower and begin to fill a large bucket (which looks more like a giant bowl) with a mixture of hot and cold water (I am lucky to have a water heater...because no matter how hot you feel, taking a cold shower in the morning is alarming and an easy way to fall sick!) I do have a shower head, but since the water pressure is very low, it just makes sense to take a bucket bath/shower. It also save water!

After my shower I get ready. If there is no light, I am already wet with sweat and it seems impossible to put make up on like this. My hair tends to have a mind of its own here and its super curly because of the humidity. So I am learning to cope! I wander then to the kitchen and grab a bowl of cereal. I usually have fresh bananas which I buy from a lady named Fatima. I first put a few scoops of powdered milk into my bowl, add some cubes of sugar, a banana and some water. Then I add my cornflakes. I don't even really eat Kellogg's because to buy the name brand imported cereals can cost up to $13 a box! I prefer to eat the no name and save! (So anyone planning on visiting...I like Golden Grahams a lot!) I sometimes make tea as well, depending on the time.

For now, since I don't yet have my car, I get picked up by Yemisi's driver. (Yemisi is Juyins sister) and we then swing by to pick up Yemisi's kids and we are off to school. Depending on the day or time...no wait, what am I saying...nothing to do with traffic is to be predicted here. So we sometimes enter heavy traffic, and sometimes we don't. Yemisi's driver Chimeze grew up in Lagos so he is showing me all the short cuts to school from my place. I think I can remember 3 but I am sure there are more!

Once at school, most of the students are already there in their classrooms. Depending of traffic elsewhere, some teachers will come late as well as students or the buses. A student rings a bell at 8am and we all head to the activity room. Here we spend time singing, learning a lesson, reciting the national pledge and anthem of Nigeria and then end with a marching song where the students head to their classrooms.

While the kids are heading off, the teachers all gather and we have a brief morning prayer and relay any announcements to each other about the day. I then head off to do some work. I sometimes just wander around the school and observe what is happening in certain classrooms. Sometimes I go in and watch students who are unattended. This happens often and Juyin has really been trying to enforce that the teachers MUST not ever leave their kids alone especially the younger ones! For the most part, Nigerian children seem to have an earlier understanding of staying put and not getting into something they shouldn't...especially the young kids. Sometimes they seem older than they really are! Of course though, there are always times when they WILL misbehave, after all, they are kids!

Somehow I don't always know where the day goes, but it flies by. Sometimes I am sitting in Juyins office talking about ways to make improvements and how to get the teachers to change their methods of teaching. We can somehow talk for hours on this topic and come up with so many ideas. It sometimes is hard to remember to practice patience as we know that the changes will only occur slowly and we have to try to stay positive and not get disheartened or frustrated. For the most part, since I am new to the system, I don't get frustrated, but I can tell that Juyin has tried very hard not to become frustrated but sometimes it is difficult. I haven't yet started teaching art, but I have worked on the art room and the curriculum as well as lessons. I also am always working on ideas for and planning the next teacher workshop. I lead these and use them to allow the teachers to have a basic hands on way to see various methods of teaching and how to incorporate these into their classrooms and lessons. Its not easy...

I seem to be the favourite attraction to many of the kids and it took a while but now they are used to me. Especially the youngest kids, they are always coming to shake my hand or hug me if they see me and say "Miss Weening...Miss Weening!" The older ones seem to be fascinated with me, especially the girls as they like to touch my hair and want to always be near me. The boys are slowly coming around but I think they are still shy. I do spend time playing with them during the break or at least try to watch them play. I still have so many names to remember...but I am coming along. Even the teachers names are difficult for me to remember.

After the kids leave, there are still kids that stay around for lesson (or tutoring) and some just stay in the activity room until there parents come. They are allowed to stay because most parents both work and due to traffic, it is difficult to come before 4. I usually then leave again with Yemisi's kids and driver and head home. I tend to get home at all different times. Sometimes it is 5:30. Sometimes it is 7:30. I then either chill, wander out of the Estate and carefully make my way across the street to get some small groceries. Usually at this time I am walking in between cars that are in traffic and dodging okadas. (motorbike taxis) But don't worry, I am always more cautious than not! I then cook some food for myself. I have a gas stove and am getting used to lighting it without getting nervous...haha! I am very picky about having my kitchen clean because I have sworn NEVER to live with rats again in Nigeria as well as Cockroaches. I do admit that there are tiny tiny ants that sometimes appear if there is a tiny crumb or something, but they are easy enough to get rid of. I am always doing my dishes pronto due to this and any guests who come over just have to wait while I do all the dishes because I won't have bugs!

After I eat, I tend to take a bucket shower because i feel so sweaty and gross from the day of being in the heat. I luckily have an air conditioning unit in my room, so it can cool the house down a lot! Everyone who comes over tends to hang out in my room on my bed due to the air conditioning. Most people who have come to my place find it hard to leave because it is so relaxing. They don't have all these people around to deal with and they say it feels so homey. I am glad for that and love it when people come to visit me.

After this I tend to do some reading of work and then answer some texts or phone calls...then I usually just find myself slipping off into a deep sleep. It is so easy to fall asleep here, whether there is generator noise outside or not...the heat tends to somehow do that to you.

So that is a typical day. Sometimes it differs, but for the most part I just go with the day as it takes me because you can never predict how anything will go here. So maybe one day, if someone comes to visit, I can take you thru a day so you can truly see how I live.

2009-04-15T18:15:00.002+01:00

Ekaro...

that means good morning in one of the major Nigerian languages...Yoruba. Now that I am in the South, the major tribe background here in Lagos is the Yoruba tribe. When I was in the North around Jos and Abuja, it was Hausa. But now that most of the people around me speak Yoruba, I have decided that I too want to learn this language and am slowly learning a few words and phrases here and there. I know it will still take a while but if a lot of the people around me are constantly Engluba or Yorubish (a combo of English and Yoruba) then I might as well learn. It is a very interesting language...as are most Nigerian tribal languages...but Yoruba combines some difficult letters together such as KP or GB...and some others...(I think) and with the GB sound it is like you have to stick your tongue to the roof of your mouth while you also stick your lips together and then open both quickly moving your tongue down and back to make want sort of sounds like a BA sound...but you can actually here the G in front of that BA sound. Anyone confused yet?! Well I am learning slowly to reshape my tongue and mouth as I learn. There is also often a silent H in many words so spelling sometimes is not always easy. For example the name SOLA is actually pronounced SHOLA. Guess each language has its secrets! When told from Juyin, my good friend and Boss, to be able to distinguish the differences between each of the 3 main Nigerian Tribal languages, its all in the tone. Yoruba, she explained was a low and deep throaty language. Hausa was sing songy and lovely and Ibo was just really fast. I hope I remembered that correctly! So for all of you out there...there you have it, your first introduction to some of Nigeria's languages.

Speaking of languages, Pidgin English is also a main language. Though it isn't seen as an official language, everyone knows how to speak it...it is a must especially when relating to people in the market or on the road for most of the time they may not speak actual English or your own tribal language, so to meet in the middle, Pidgin English (also known as Broken English is spoken. This is one language that for a time now I have been able to understand...but really can't speak it. Some of my friends just laugh when I try because I add too many extra things to my sentences mixing everything up, its quite funny to them I suppose. I have to actually use Broken when talking to my gate man. He is actually Hausa and since I only know a few words and phrases, we use broken. Its quite funny because he will call me when there is NEPA (this is the power or electricity) so that he can shut my generator off and so that I can switch my power box to NEPA. I will take a picture to show you what I mean by this. So when my gate man Douda calls, he simply states "Na NEPA" meaning, there's light or NEPA. sometimes I call to tell him to "OFF AM" which means "shut it off" (my generator that is). Sometimes I say "I dey gate" which means "I'm at the gate" These are the simple phrases and there are much more complicated ones...but as I said, I can only understand them and not speak these or write them properly....maybe one day.

Talking about a gate man I am sure is very strange to many of you...well its a common thing here if you live in a compound (which I do) and there are also guards or gate men at my Estate gate. This is generally more for at night to monitor who is coming in. It is nice to have a gate man....any little errands that you need help with or something, you can just ask them to do it for you. I try not to do this that often, but if I run out of phone credit, and have not yet taken my bath, I admit that I don't want to wander down the road looking all scrubby to buy credit...but hey, all Nigerians are JUST as guilty! :-) Its also nice because I barely have to turn my generator off and on. The main reason for this is because I would have to take 3 sets or stairs down to my door, walk to my neighbours and turn my gen off or on. Douda (my gate man) is only about 20 feet away. So really people, I am not truly that lazy...but when light can come any time of the day or night...its just more convenient!

I am not in fact at all lazy. Yesterday I was awake at 4am and since there was light, I decided to wash my dirty clothes, the kitchen clothes and towels and my bedding. I have a little portable washer and though the thing is only about 3 feet high and 2 feet wide....it works wonders. So just when all of you thought I would be washing my clothes all by hand or paying someone to wash them (which is the norm here) I am actually doing it myself and yes, there are still items that I wash by hand. I also take a lot of pride in my place and each week do a thorough cleaning. This consists of using a broom that is kind of made of reeds or sticks wrapped tightly at one end to sweep my whole house...including sweeping the carpet. I even attempted to mop my front stairwell...but I think I have to get a special broom for that one. After I sweep, I mop. Then I do the kitchen and bathrooms. It is quite tedious because I find that I mop at least twice since the dust from the air gets everywhere and is always tracked in by my feet as well as my guests. But for the most part, I enjoy the cleaning.

I am really beginning to feel completely comfortable and confident here. I live near a little corner store type thing and bakery. I also buy my bananas and veggies from a local roadside store...Fatima is the name of the lady who sells to me and each time I buy from her, she is really inquisitive about Canada and what its like there. She is a lovely lady. I am completely used to the stares from people and now even laugh at some people especially when they might trip or run into something because there are staring at me. One night a car coming into my estate gate as my friend Lara and I were waiting for someone, was so busy staring that they drove into some tires in the middle of the road to divide lanes. We got a kick out of it!

I am still pretty independent here. I can go places alone and I even have started to drive a bit. My car is not yet ready for me...but one day as I started Juyins car (my boss) she suddenly looked at me and said "ok you are driving!" and that was it. I drove from the school to my place. Since then I have driven 2 more times. The last time was quite funny. Juyin sat in the back with her baby and I drove. Here many people have drivers and the passengers always sit in the back if that's the case. So you can imagine the stares! We were laughing because we knew people were confused and thinking "what is this? Does she have an Oyibo driver?" (Oyibo=white) So now I will just get my international license which allows me to drive here without police hassle. Anyone can get their license and not test is needed. Funny right?!

Well I think I should leave now before I turn a simple blog entry into a novel. There is just so much to say, but I don't want to bore anyone. So till next time.

Partying Naija Style

2009-03-25T10:55:00.000Z

ok now many of you are probably thinking that i went out one night to a club or a big Nigerian party for some adult or something abi? (abi means right? or you get?) well you are all wrong. I went to a party alright and it was probably one of the biggest parties i have ever been to. I would say there were around 400-500 people there kids included. There was a variety of small chops (finger food...small food to much first) and all kinds of drinks as well. It started out with a cold bottle of water and a cold mineral (pop) then they brought champagne to our table...then after a while some other funky fruit drinks like Chapman and some sort of make shift pina colada....and finally Baileys. There was never a empty bottle for long b/c as soon as we would finish one...the waiter would bring another one. our table alone went thru 7 bottles of N10,000 (close to $100 champagne!) we had a menu to pick from consisting of Nigerian dishes as well as Oriental dishes and you could request to mix any and everything. They also had a variety of desserts including my favourite cheesecake. Now...lets see, the atmosphere. Tables were under tents as to keep some of the sun and heat out. It was on the island (Lekki to be exact) right off of the water...oh and they had all these areas like a little flat roller coaster ride, a giant bouncy slide, a bouncy samurai castle type thing, a stand with hot dogs, cotton candy, popcorn etc...Now you are wondering why abi? well it was in fact a birthday party for 2 twins for their first birthday. Yes...this extravagant event was for 2 toddlers who are just learning to walk. I guess this is a common thing in Nigeria to throw big parties for their kids on their first birthday. Now to be fair...this one was really something b/c the people throwing it are bloody rich...but still many people who have a little money do this...wow...its all i can say...is wow. i think we all know really who the parties are for...haha haha but i had a blast anyway!

Frank

2009-03-25T10:50:00.001Z

I killed Frank.
Frank was an uninvited guest. I had seen others like him but the sight of him and others like him frightened me so much that I would run away in fear. So late last night I got up from my sleep and wandered to the kitchen and was startled when I saw Frank just there in the middle of the room. My first instinct was to run, call for help...do something...but after a short flea to the hallway, I now decided that this was my place and I wasn't going to let this guy do this to me...it was time that I dealt with him, and others like him before they start taking control of me. I grabbed a weapon, a Nigerian broom, and waited around the corner for him to emerge as if to look for me and capture me. He came around the corner and WHAM...I hit him, then I hit him again and again and again until his body went limp! I had done it...I had really killed Frank and it felt wonderful. All I had to do now was to get rid of his body and the mess. I scooped him up and poured him in the trash and as I stood over him with his brown crunchy body and with his creepy legs I felt a sense of pride. I had stood up to my fear and dealt with Frank....so to all you dirty cockroaches out there, let this be a lesson to you...I still hate you and you give me the creeps...but I am not scared to come closer to you and end your life...so if you want to live...STAY AWAY from me!!!!!

Nigeria return...

2009-03-25T09:37:00.003Z

Ok...so here I am again in Nigeria. Lagos to be precise. I left early on the 27th of February and was off. My flights all went smoothly and I had no issues at all. It was my first time flying into Lagos so I wasn't familiar with the airport but it was easy as pie. I arrived just after 8pm but didn't actually walk out of the airport until a little after 10. the reason for this was a delay in luggage. As I walked out into the hot humid air of Lagos I was greeted by my good friends from the Valley Estate house as well as my boss and her husband. This was the first time I was meeting Juyin, my boss, but we seemed to flow well b/c of past conversations on the phone. We headed to Valley Estate all together so I could be dropped off and so Juyin could know where I was staying in the meantime while my flat was being prepared. Being back, it seemed like just yesterday that I was in my friends place at Valley Estate and I stayed up late just talking. I felt like I had so much to say but eventually I knew that I had to rest. The next day was just one of catching up, relaxing and resting. The next day Juyin and her husband Femi, took me out for lunch and we spent out time talking about teaching and the school and my past experiences in Nigeria. It went really well and we just seemed to click. It was now Monday and I made my way to the school for the first time and got the official tour. The school is lovely and cozy. Meeting all the staff was nice as well but I still am struggling with some names as they are these non-dutch or non-western names so I always forget who is who and their names. I am slowly getting them. The kids names are coming slowly too but there are so many that I still have yet to learn. So far I have spent my time getting adjusted to the school and how everything works in the Nigerian school systems. It is quite different than what I am used to in the sense of teaching methods. Basically the styles of teaching consist of lecture and note taking at almost all grade levels. The kids start so early learning how to write and read here as well. That is why I am here, to help implement changes in the teaching methods of the teachers here. Introduce ways to interact more with the kids, have more materials for hands on learning etc. Juyin has had this vision but as I also can see, she is so overwhelmed with other duties of running the school that it is so hard to implement change and actually see the change occurring. That is why I am here. So far Juyin and I have had so many similar thoughts and ideas about how to improve the school and the way the teachers teach. We see a lot of things eye to eye and seem to flow really well. I led a workshop last week called "The Organized Teacher" for all the teachers from both branches of Abbey school. (There are 2 branches at different locations...one in GRA and one in KETU.) I also am working on an art curriculum to introduce into the school and will begin teaching soon. First the classroom had to be changed and cleared out and now for supplies and then after the Easter break hopefully I will begin teaching.

I am really enjoying my time here and have met so many people who are involved in arts here as well. I have my own flat which is on a compound that is owned by a family at the school. The mother, Ojoma is very artistic and we are currently putting our ideas together to come up with some workshops outside of school for children. We have a lot in common and they are now my new family here as I can pop in anytime I want and vice versa. My flat is really nice...its perfect actually. I just have to yet have a few things finished, but it truly feels like home and that is really important for me. I am close to a lot of little shops here so I can just run across the road and pick up some things if need be. I am learning to know when to shut certain appliances off if others are on while using my generator so that it doesn't suck it dry or shut it down...as some electronics take more energy than others...you can't use some at the same time. When there is light (NEPA) I pull my switch to turn all the appliances to now use the NEPA wires and not the ones connected to the generator. I even have a little blue light that turns on when they bring NEPA so that I don't waste my generator not knowing there is light. But so far, the gate man turns my gen off for me and will sometimes call my phone to tell me "NA NEPA" meaning...there NEPA. (NEPA by the way is the old name for the power company and Nigerians now named it Never Expect Power Always. It is now called Power Holding Company...PHC...which many now say Please Hold Candle) You never know when there will be power...that is why almost everyone has a generator. I am blessed b/c I was given a big heavy duty gen that can carry more power. So it can carry my air conditioning unit in my bedroom. That is important b/c when I come home I can cope for a while without my gen on but after a while I just have to turn it on so I can at least use my fan for most times it is 34C in my flat. As I write this now at 9am it is 29C. I am getting used to the heat and I have developed a little bit of heat rash at times due to sweating and wiping and sweating and wiping.

I am really learning my way around Lagos as I have taken cabs to work as well as cabs to see some friends here and there. I feel comfortable going out on my own pretty much and people are more receptive than anything else. I have a lot of people who are now like family and it is really great. I have had some great times hanging out with friends, meeting new friends and spending time working at the school. I am really enjoying my time and this time it feels so right that I am here. God must have known what he was doing placing this job in my lap randomly and unexpected! Till next time!

Lagos

2008-06-17T13:51:00.003+01:00

Sorry...sorry...again it has been a while since I have written a blog I know. But I have had less and less access to internet in Lagos. I have spent now 3 weeks and counting in Lagos, so I MUST talk about it and all the rumours or warnings that I have been given about how crazy Lagos is. Fist and foremost, I really believe that anywhere I have gone God has always protected me...so my fears are not really heightened here. There are different areas of Lagos and some can be broken down into areas that contain certain shops selling a variety of things. One area may be known more for electronics...the other furniture. But obviously there are areas that aren’t specific in any industry...and are just where people stay. Lagos is the mainland, and then there are 3 major bridges that take you to the island. On the island there are 3 major areas, Ikoyi, Lekki and Victoria Island. This is where the money is, and mainly where the foreigners stay and where many people commute to work. So imagine it like New York and that Lagos is like New Jersey and they commute to work. (I am not sure the distance in km is the same...but you get the idea).

So you may ask, what is so crazy about Lagos...well though I have heard stories of robberies or policemen taking people in to the station for not having their ID cards and being paid off...when I am around, it seems that these things don’t happen...which I thank God for. But generally the craziness to me is not craziness, but busyness and congestion due to Lagos having somewhere around 15 million people. The traffic is what is crazy...and how many people are out and about but that seems to be all to me. It is like a Chinese New York or something...so in conclusion, I like Lagos.

Lagos weather is humid and hot, but it isn’t as hot as Abuja to me. Abuja was more stagnate and the sun would beat down and any time of day there I was sweating. Here I feel more comfortable and the humidity is not really that overpowering. The Island is my favourite area. Driving in you see a city...more of what I am used to as a city girl. There are more places to eat that are international, the amenities that I am used to are more easily found here...and there is a big mall and movie theatres.

People in Lagos are generally more liberal. They say here that the people in the south (which is where Lagos is) are more educated, therefore are more open to new ideas and concepts. That is why people can do anything here in Lagos and do well...new things and ideas are welcome with open arms. There are many cool places to hang out, and one of them that we do hang out at is called Bogobiri Hotel. It is a small hotel that is very unique. It is artistic and primitive in its decor. On the main level, it looks more like a coffee shop with tables and couches and chairs made of wood, then art work all over the walls. You can order drinks and food and there are live bands. Every other Tuesday there is something called Taruwa which means “gathering” which is put on by an old schoolmate of Jude’s where artists come to sing or recite poetry with just the bare essentials of a traditional drum, a guitar and keyboard. Jude often performs and it is really cool.

The crazy things that I have gone thru...which should really allow you all to have a new found respect for me...are many. I am staying with some friends of ours and since they are just starting out things aren’t always how they want them to be. Not that it is a big deal, the room I stay in is clean and nice but I fear the kitchen...due to mice and rats that come in through other places...it’s like an apartment building. They come in through the bathroom mainly through the hole where the water from the shower drains. They have put stuff out, but these rats are really something else. I don’t fear cockroaches here; since I barely have seen any except dead ones...it is now the rats and mice. So keeping the place neat is imperative so they don’t get into things. I also have to make sure I don’t use a lot of water when I bathe. They only bring water (they...being well...I really don’t know) mainly at night so we fill buckets in the bathroom and then use that to scoop water into the toilet to flush it and to bathe and wash our hands. The bathroom doesn’t have a bath to stand in or squat in to bathe...so you just bathe in the middle of the bathroom and the floor slants and drains out the hole. The water I bathe with definitely wakes me up because it is always cold and we don’t boil it to bathe. Nepa (which is electricity...actually the electricity companies name...which people have made an acrostic for...Never Expect Power Always) here in Lagos seems to be the worst in all the cities I have been in so far. I think I have found a pattern and so far it comes once a week for a whole day...usually on Sunday. When there isn’t any we turn on the generator...so I have become accustomed to sleeping with that noise now....yes me, a light sleeper, but when you are hot and tired, I guess you can sleep anywhere and through anything! But that takes money to buy the gas for the gen...so all in all sometimes I feel frustrated and miss power and running water. But I am generally doing well with everything...and can’t complain too much and we all joke about it.

I have had a few emotional breakdowns...missing mainly random things such as subway sandwiches, home-cooked meals chai tea lattes and the vegetables from the market...b/c even the ones here don’t compare! I crave pizza all the time...it is funny and find I get sick of eating chicken and rice...so I tend to stay away from it sometimes. I miss my family and friends and certain dumb routines that I would do...going out by myself to go shopping to London Drugs, the mall or just the grocery store. Last night I dreamt of going to IKEA just to hang out. So I am adjusting. Any emails about my nieces and nephew make my eyes tear up...and they are the main thing I miss...which I knew they would be. On the news front, I have applied for a teaching job at a primary school that is a British International School. They are located in Ikoyi and have around 300 students. The make up of staff and students is supposed to be 60% Nigerian and 40% other...but it is more Nigerian. The head teacher (principal) is from Ireland and seems really nice. Jude and I saw the school and both thought it was a nice place...so I had an informal interview, then I was called back for a formal one, and now they have told me that they are offering me a position but local hire...which means without all the perks of being an international hire like tickets, and pay...so we are seeing what they are going to offer salary wise..then make a decision. I have also been prompted by many of our friends here to pursue my photography and though I feel insecure and shy, they all really believe I have something special. So I am going to pursue things with that too so my options stay open. So as for now...keep praying.

Other than that, I am meeting some great friends and learning a lot. I am being pushed to grow and push myself to be more confident in everything I do. I am thankful for the friends I am making, because I am feeling like I am making some ones that will really be good ones...though mainly guys...

Beginnings of life in Nigeria

2008-05-17T19:08:00.004+01:00

WOW...or shall I say "Na Wa O" which is pretty much the same thing...I have been terrible in writing, but I have a more than legitimate excuse...see I have had internet here and there but not as often as back home...but i have had a chance to e-mail here and there...but my real excuse is that whenever I went on to blog, the site was in arabic...everything except my blog, so I couldn't figure out how to sign in, or how to post...because YEP, you guessed it, I don't know how to read arabic characters. BUT ALAS, today I turned into a genius and changed it back to english. (Maybe for some of you this isn't a big thing...but it was to me, I was proud of my intelligence).

Anyway, what is new...lets see...

I have not been in Nigeria for a month and a half. When I arrived it was good to be back, it didn't seem as if it had really been a year and the surroundings were familiar to my eyes. The smell and heat when getting off the plane also was familiar and enjoyable. Customs and immigration went smoothly and as I went to collect my luggage, I saw Jude waving to me from the domestic terminal...waiting to pick up his own bag as he was coming into Abuja from Lagos at the same time. I collected my bags and we went from there to his parents to spend the night. We headed to Jos soon after that and I stayed with Kyle and Ann, the missionaries I had worked with the first time I came to Nigeria in 2003. Jude went back to Lagos quickly for some work and business and I hung out with our friends and spent time "jisting" and catching up.

After some time Jude came back to Jos for his "welcome home M.I" show for winning his hip hop award. We went to the show and hung out in the VIP lounge above the club and spent all night there, arriving home at 6am. The show was fun and Jude killed it. Jude and I went to Abuja and hung out there a bit and then we came back to renew my visa. So it is now renewed until August 1st. This time I stayed with some missionaries Mary Beth and Bayo...a mixed couple who run Mashiah Foundation...who I worked with shortly in 2003 as well. They help women with HIV and teach them to sew etc. I am currently staying with them again, as here in Nigeria, people are always welcome to stay...no matter how long. Nigerians are very very welcoming! Jude went back to Lagos and I traveled to Abuja alone to meet him. This is where I became sick. Abuja is hot and humid...and i developed a cold which was causing a fever and headaches and sweating and coughing. Then I began to vomit, then sharp kidney pain...and dehydration from sweating and vomitting...so I ended up in the hospital for the night being pumped full of fluids and antibiotics. Luckily it wasn't malaria. I have been doing much better. Jude was amazing and stayed the night in a chair and helped me when I had to vomit and walked me to the bathroom...he really really took care of me...

We came back to Jos as Jude had to do some small work and for us to just have a little time to see our friends...and for cool weather. We will go back to Abuja for a day or so and then Lagos...

I am adjusting to life in Nigeria...and adjusting to being with Jude...so we are taking our time and learning many new things about each other as we are no longer on vacation mode. I pray that I find a job and I am truly enjoying my time here. People are so hospitable and welcoming. I don't feel like a foreigner and as long as I fell that way, I believe it really helps me and others to adjust and accept. People greet everywhere and are always willing to help me out. I am thankful for this. Some days I am anxious b/c I want to begin to do something...and sometimes there are so many uncertainties...but I guess that is where my faith is coming in. Believing no matter happens...it is the right thing. I also get emotional some days, as I miss friends and family and just some habitual things of home...but I know I belong here...so that gives me strength.

Anyway...that is it thus far...the life of Raquel Naija..till next time...sorry...uploading pics is not going well...

Pearls before Swine

2008-02-09T16:58:00.001Z

I don't know why, but this comic has grown on me so much...it is just so funny. Here are some of my favourite ones...it was hard to narrow it down.

The Interview

2008-02-08T22:30:00.000Z

THE INTERVIEW....DUN DUN DUUNN...

Probably one of the things in life that I really do NOT like. Before I go into and interview I get really worked up...I have sweaty palms, my heart beats uncontrollably and I go through answers in my head over and over again. I pray and pray through out the whole interview and find myself having almost more of a conversation with God than with the interviewer. Here is a senario:

Interviewer: "How would you say that you...."(fill in blank)

Me: (while he is talking and asking me questions) "oh great, not this kind of question...let me think...OH GOD HELP...let me answer be a good one! Don't let me stumble over my words. Allow me to articulate what I want to say!"

Me: "I believe that...." (fill in the blank)

Interviewer: RESPONDS...

Me: (thinking while he is talking) "GOD...HELP ME...SO MANY QUESTIONS...HELP ME! OH CRAP...what did he just say...ok listen RACHEL..PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT HE IS SAYING!"

That is me in a typical situation. I can barely drink my water and have to really concentrate on what is going on so that my thoughts/prayers/conversations with God don't make me close my ears to what is being asked.

So for this last interview, I have no idea how it went. I was told that I had some strong competition. (GREAT :-( BOO!) The interview was pushing 3 hours and there was so much information that I think I would have to ask again what was said if I am offered this job. The job seems like a great opportunity, a lot of hard work and a 2 year contract. There are benefits and of course challenges, but at this point in time all I feel is that I have to pray about it and pray for discernment about what to do IF and IF i am offered this job...God will do the rest and that is all.

I find out probably in a few weeks, so until now...I am just letting it rest and trying not to think about it...if I am not offered this job, I am certain that God has something else planned, so no worries right!?

Photography

2008-01-26T17:37:00.000Z

Photography....

So lately since Jude has been incessant in his pushing me to work on my photography and take it more seriously than I do...I have decided that perhaps I should and have decided to start learning more about digital photography and taking more pictures as of late. It has always been my dream to be a photgrapher for National Geographic (which is unrealisitc...but hey one can dream) so I might as well live life to the fullest!

I know more about simple 35 mm film photography but the world as always is changing. I still love film and most people think I am crazy but I especially love it for it's grainy look and it's old fashion look (especially in black and white film). When I look at old pictures from way back when photography began, I LOVE how dated and unique it looks!!! I miss being in a dark room and developing my own film....but alas I have grown to love the option of having crisp clear photo's and not having to pay for my mistakes....I do now love the luxury of digital SLR cameras!

When I bought my SLR the man in the store told me to "chuck" my film camera to which I promptly responding by saying "Are you crazy, NO WAY...I LOVE ALL MY CAMERA'S!" And it is true. I do love all 3 of my camera's, even if one of them was given to me by some random guy I worked with at Tommy Hilfiger....and is probably "HOT" (stolen)...but hey...I got a free camera from him even when I told him NOT to give it to me...and my mother seems to enjoy it's use since she has now claimed it should be hers since it probably was stolen anyway. (finding the logic in that is still so difficult!)

So I have asked my friend Rose (who is wonderful at websites and all that computer stuff!!!) to help me set up a website base solely on my photography...and perhaps I will be able to sell some pieces...that would then take another thing off of my 'Life list' of things to do before i kick the bucket!

Now...to go out and find some great photo equipment before I travel to Nigeria...$$$...but truly worth it! I hope that all goes well...and hey come and support me!!! :-)

Love...

2008-01-17T05:58:00.000Z

To the one I love...

I LOVE YOU THIS MUCH....ENOUGH TO DO ANYTHING FOR YOU. GIVE MY LIFE, MY LOVE, MY HEART AND MY SOUL TO YOU AND FOR YOU. ENOUGH TO WILLINGLY GIVE ALL OF MY TIME, EFFORTS, THOUGHTS, TALENTS, TRUST AND PRAYERS TO YOU. ENOUGH TO WANT TO PROTECT YOU, CARE FOR YOU, GUIDE YOU, HOLD YOU, COMFORT YOU, LISTEN TO YOU, AND CRY TO YOU AND WITH YOU. ENOUGH TO BE SILLY AROUND YOU, NEVER HAVE TO HIDE ANYTHING FROM YOU, AND BE MYSELF WITH YOU.........I LOVE YOU ENOUGH TO SHARE ALL OF MY SENTIMENTS, DREAMS, GOALS, FEARS, HOPES, AND WORRIES; MY ENTIRE LIFE WITH YOU. ENOUGH TO WANT THE BEST FOR YOU. TO WISH FOR YOUR SUCCESS AND TO HOPE FOR THE FULFILMENT OF ALL OF YOUR ENDEAVOURS. ENOUGH TO KEEP MY PROMISES TO YOU AND PLEDGE MY LOYALTY AND FAITHFULNESS TO YOU. ENOUGH TO CHERISH YOUR FRIENDSHIP, ADORE YOUR PERSONALITY, RESPECT YOUR VALUES AND SEE YOU FOR WHO YOU ARE....I LOVE YOU ENOUGH TO FIGHT FOR YOU, COMPROMISE FOR YOU AND SACRIFICE MYSELF FOR YOU IF NEED BE. ENOUGH TO MISS YOU INCREDIBLY WHEN WE ARE APART, NO MATTER WHAT LENGTH OF TIME IT IS FOR AND REGARDLESS OF THE DISTANCE. ENOUGH TO BELIEVE IN OUR RELATIONSHIP. TO STAND BY IT THROUGH THE WORST OF TIMES, TO HAVE FAITH IN OUR STRENGTH AS A COUPLE, AND TO NEVER EVER GIVE UP ON US. ENOUGH TO SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE WITH YOU, BE THERE FOR YOU, WHEN YOU NEED OR WANT ME, AND NEVER EVER WANT TO LEAVE YOU OR LIVE WITHOUT YOU....I LOVE YOU THIS MUCH..............

Booked my ticket!

2008-01-16T23:27:00.001Z

AHHH!!! So here I am all nervous as I just booked my ticket to Nigeria today...that means on March 31st 2008 I will make the long haul to Abuja Nigeria. WOW...only 2 months and a few weeks!!!

Now to just finish preparing...

Who is M.I???

2008-01-16T03:33:00.000Z

This is a blog all about the love of my life M.I...aka Jude. M.I is his stage name and is short for AMIGO...it was a nickname he had and shortened it once to M.I and there you have it..and what he does...or rather to show you some of what he does. :-) ENJOY....

The life I am getting into...

2008-01-16T00:48:00.000Z

This post is about what I am getting myself into...

As I wrote that previous sentence I am SURE almost all of you who read this are also thinking "What IS she getting herself into??" Well, only God knows right?! For a long time since I was little I was fascinated with Africa, but did not have any idea that it would be no embedded in my heart and now my history. I am marrying a Nigerian; a proud, stubborn, quirky, talented, loving, caring, passionate, compassionate (and yes...short,) man named Jude. It all seems but a dream on some days for how can you imagine your life and how it will be when you have NO idea yourself.

All I can say is...that I know myself in Western circumstances. I live in a house with running HOT water, electricity ALL the time, a fridge, oven, dishwasher, washer and dryer etc. I will be leaving some of these things behind and will have to learn a way of life that no one in my "western circle" may ever understand.

Do not get my wrong, I am so excited, overwhelmed actually with excitement about starting my life with Jude and moving to Nigeria. Yes...they have 419 scams...yes they have corruption..yes they are a third world country...yes some comforts of life cannot be found there...but really...Nigeria is a wonderful place filled with amazing people so willing to help out, feed you when they have no food themselves and are truly Optimistic and happy people. I am stretching myself to step outside of my western way of living and into a new phase in my life...marrying a Nigerian will forever change me and the way I live and view life....as dating one has already done so a fair bit!

I guess I write this blog because I want to come clean to you folks. I AM NERVOUS AND SCARED!!! NOW, after saying that I need to explain myself. I am NOT nervous or scared for my safety. I know many of you are, mainly because any news about Nigeria is usually bad news on our end of the world. But I trust God in all things and have no fear for my safety. Why am I nervous or scared then you ask? I am going to go through 3 major life changes in a small amount of time, and I am nervous as to how I will adjust and cope. There are so many uncertainties in my life right now....I only know a few things; that Jude and I love each other and will marry, and that I will move to Nigeria in a few months. Knowing me, adjusting will be a very emotional thing!

I hope that all of you would continue to pray for both Jude and me. We will finally be together soon, but our lifestyle too will contrast from many that we know. Jude is a musician and travels a lot and works crazy hours. He is growing into his stardom in Nigeria and I too have to deal with being his "Oiybo" wife (Oiybo=white). It is a busy life with hectic work schedules and being in the public eye under scrutiny can also be stressful...and that is also something that will be a part of my life.

I am excited but sad as well. It is always sad to leave friends and family. But Jude has family in Nigeria and they will become my family.

So there we have it...my life and what I am getting myself into. Only faith in God and following His Will...will give us strength...but I would have it NO OTHER WAY!!! And so...life will be an adventure!

My last "lost" trip on the Great Ocean Road

2008-01-15T02:42:00.000Z

I wrote a blog a while back now about the difficult decision to spend money that I didn't really have traveling the Great Ocean Road, to finish up my Oz trip. I had many people e-mail or 'tell' me that I should forget about the cost and LIVE LIFE. After some careful planning and budgeting, I figured out a perfect trip that was both time and cost effective, all the while, seeing the Great Ocean Road.

My trip began when I left Adelaide and traveled to Melbourne. Instead of driving from Adelaide to Melbourne which would have taken over 12 hours, I found some cheap flights and flew instead from Adelaide to Melbourne. Once in Melbourne (rather Geelong..near Melbourne but closer to the Great Ocean Road), I rented a car and found my hostel for the night. It was quite an adventure to have my own car with my map sprawled out on the passenger seat (which is...in Canada...where the driver would sit). I went to bed early that night as to wake up REALLY early to begin my journey the next day.

I began my journey, dragging my large suitcase down 3 flights of stairs..feeling the strain on my arms and legs from when I had dragged it UP those 3 flights of stairs the night before. I jumped in the car and drove in the darkness for a while until the sun began to peek its head up.

I traveled along the curvy windy roads of the Great Ocean Road that continue to climb higher and higher up the cliffs. Traveling on these roads takes much concentration but it was a lot of fun. I was able to have many stops seeing magnificent cliffs in situated in the ocean, a large ways from the cliffs. I was able to see the Twelve Apostles, Loch Arch Gorge, the Arch, London Bridge and The Bay of Islands, Gibsons Steps...and so many other beautiful formations!

The day was a bit chilly, but it was a wonderful day. I ended in Lorne and stayed in a little hostel there. I was exhausted and crashed after finding a bite to eat. The next morning I was up again long before the sun and drove this time inland back to Geelong to catch my flight from there back to Sydney. By traveling inland, I was able to save close to 3 hours driving time. It also was a wonderful drive and again it was lovely to have time to meditate on the beauty of God's creation that I had just experienced.

So in the end...thank you to all those who convinced me to go on this trip...though I came back home in debt and broke, it was all well worth it!

Life as I know it...

2008-01-10T21:54:00.000Z

Well it has been quite some time since I last wrote. I have returned home from my travels in OZ and began to work some random jobs to make ends meet. I have moved back home with Mama Jean and Papa Klaas as to save money and am renting my WHOLE house out, top and bottom separate. Living at home has been in itself an adventure for both myself and my parents. Soon I promise them official status of "empty Nester's" once again. For the most part it is well. I have worked as a nanny for both of my siblings with kids this year and have decided that I do for sure want to have children, but NOT for a little while yet! Some days I was just glad to be the "Auntie" instead of the parent and other days I was wishing I had kids. I have worked at the Calgary's Farmers Market for a time during the weekends waking up really early, complimented with long days...BUT a job that I absolutely love. My boss is truly amazing and fun to work with and spoils me with vegetables and Chai Tea Lattes. My math skills also improved some with this job as well as my vegetable intake. It is now the off season and I already miss the tomatoes!

Jude and I were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to meet up in London. Jude was chosen for a music thing to bring awareness about Africa to various parts of East/West Africa and the UK. There are members from countries such as Tanzania, Sudan, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Nigeria, UK...etc. Jude has already traveled to the UK, and Uganda and is currently in Ethiopia. Next month it looks like Tanzania or Cameroon or both! London was quite EXPENSIVE...but we had some great friends who took us in and took care of us! (thanks again Irene and Zainab!) Otherwise Jude and I would be in major debt. One meal out at Chili's cost us $60 (CND) for our main course of Fajitas (which we shared!) and some small dessert, a pop and bread sticks. UNREAL! Needless to say, everything is expensive; transportation, going out, food...all except for our favourite store PRIMARK! But alas, we had to part ways due to our responsibilities of real life.

Recently I just began substitute teaching for FFCA schools (Foundations for the Future Charter Academy) and still find myself getting nervous but thoroughly enjoy it. It is such a refreshing change from my last job at CCS and though I miss my friends at CCS...I DO NOT MISS CCS!! :-)Substitute Teaching leaves some things to be desired though. It is really unknown when I will work or not and some days I receive many requests and can only choose one, while other days nothing. So I never really know if I will work or not.

I have applied to work at a school in Lagos Nigeria located on Victoria Island. It is an American International School which consists of a diverse community of faculty as well as student body (but the majority seems to be made up of American students and faculty...as it is an American Associated School). I am flying to Minneapolis to meet the Superintendent at the end of January...I pray that all goes well!

I received my Nigerian visa (first time round...which was a major shock!) And I am still trying to figure out with Jude when I will take the long haul to Nigeria. I want to wait until Matt and Katie's baby is born (brother and sister in-law) in the beginning of March. So anytime after that. I am still figuring out how to go from being a "visitor" in Nigeria to getting a "working visa" while I am there. So many things to figure out!

There is NOT a set wedding date as of yet...and this is something that will be figured out when Jude and I are FINALLY together in the place we will live for a while. Adjusting to life in Nigeria and to each other again in daily life takes more of a precedence than an actual wedding date at this time for me (us) and I think that is very important. We want to grow together now and "get used" to each other being there in our daily life...where as now, the distance prevents us from those things.

My friend Heather said to me the other night "you will be going through 3 of the major life stresses in a short amount of time...moving, a new job (no matter what it is...teaching or not), and marriage" Yes...these are the things that keep me up at night. The most important thing for me is to take it easy in these things....so as to not become overwhelmed or too stressed out that I have a mental breakdown! (Knowing me...it could happen!) I already find myself tossing and turning at night thinking about all I have to get ready and how nervous and excited I am to move to Nigeria, start a new job and to finally be with Jude.

I plan to use this bog as a diary of my new adventures to come in this next year. I hope to keep up with my brother Matt's crazy blogging!

Adios!

The curse of money...

2007-04-21T07:29:00.000+01:00

Money...there is never enough of it in my pocket, nor never NOT enough to live comfortably. Perhaps I am going about everything all wrong. Worrying won't help me...what can I do to obtain more money...and no...I am not trying to obtain money in the greedy sense...but in the sense for my future. Suddenly my future seems so expensive! So many things to think about, where to live, where to work...etc. And all I can think right now is..."oh crap..I am broke" I know many of you don't feel bad for me, and in actuality, I don't pity myself either...for I did choose to take time off from the "real word" to travel for about 5 months. But I am laying in bed at night, worrying about money...worrying about getting a job, worrying about being able to pay off my visa, or my other debts to my parents. Then it hits me..."PHEW" thank goodness I live in Calgary...b/c I can get a job easily...so that isn't a concern. But when bills are due and money is lacking at the moment, I get worried. I sit and write out goals, calculating how much money I will need by a certain time of the year to do what is planned, how I will get that, what my budget is etc. I considered forgoing a trip...the Great Ocean Road...but I am still being convinced (especially by my brother Matt and sister in law Katie) that despite my money problems...I should further myself in debt and go and see God's wonders...for this is the only chance I may get...and no one likes to live with regrets...SOO...perhaps I will do that. As for right now...all I can do is pray everything works out and that I find some job to give me some cash here in Aussie land...and to find something quickly when I return home. Money...Worry...what is it all good for...NOTHING! (well the money is always nice ;-) heheh..one has to live right?!)

What was here a month ago...is gone. :-(

Adelaide so far...

2007-04-21T06:59:00.000+01:00

Well, here I am in Adelaide...and it has been just over 2 weeks that I have been here. We were able to get to Adelaide just in time for Easter. Uncle Pete and Auntie Anne had Auntie Anne's family over and we ate, told jokes and played an intense game of Cranium...WOW...true Wierenga's are sure competitive (ahem...Phil....Todd.)

We also went and had a picnic and a walk in a park which was really lovely. We went to Todd's for a BBQ and had one at Auntie Anne's and Uncle Pete's as well. A few days after, Lauren (my Aussie cousin) took me to Gorge's wildlife park. I have admittedly been here now 2 times and would still go back...just to hold a Koala once again. We walked around feeding the animals and I held a Koala. At the end we fed the Kangaroos and had many laughs as I was being swarmed as well as watching a huge Albino roo chance around a female with a joey...and trying to "put the moves on her" MEN...doesn't matter what species...they are all the same! :-)

Phil (my cousin) left on the 13th back to Canada and I was left here to hang out with the Australia Wierenga's. FUN! But before Phil left we went around to some wine country and did some wine tasting. YUM! The first day was a lot of fun. Phil was our driver b/c Todd (my Aussie cousin) and I were doing the wine tasting. We were in the Mclaren Valley. The drive up was through the hills and the drive had many curves...none of which my stomach didn't notice. We went around do different wine places and began tasting...and you can guess what happened after a few places...yep, Todd and I began to get tipsy. I just giggled and knew that I should stop...and did. At the end of the day we came back and were all exhausted. (must have been the wine and the sun).

The next day we went to Clare and little towns here and there. We stopped at the whispering wall which is a dam that is curved. One person goes and walks to one end and talks and the person at the other end can hear them as clear as day....it is quite a neat thing really! Since then I have been hanging out with Lauren and some days Todd and Uncle Pete and Auntie Anne.

I have been job searching...and it hasn't been fun. I was sick for a while and am still getting over it. I had to go to the dentist yesterday for the toothache that I was trying to deny and ignore was becoming too painful. Yep...I have a wisdom tooth coming in, but it is impacted, so instead it just caused an infection and inflammation of my gums and cheek area. Good thing I have travel insurance to cover that! I am currently on antibiotics and should be ok until I come home...but then out it goes! I finally have a job interview (well 2) one this Monday and one of Friday...so wish me luck! Until then...read my post about money! :-)

Cairns/The Great Barrier Reef/Tsunami Warning

2007-04-05T06:23:00.000+01:00

We arrived in Cairns after a longer day and checked into our hostel. We met Ruvini and people from our bus at the Woolshed for dinner and some drinks. We didn't stay long because we were tired and bored. Cairns was very different from the last time I had been there, but I had to tell myself that that was about 15 years ago and so it must have changed a lot...plus I was little! :-)

After dinner, Phil and I made our way back to the hostel. I noticed that in a pub/bar that there was a soccer match on TV. So I decided to watch it since I am trying to learn more about one particular team, Arsenal. I was watching by myself and in front of me at another table were a group of guys. After a while they invited me over to watch the game with them. They were all cheering for the other team, Liverpool,...so it became a fun rivalry. They in fact were a soccer team and had just finished winning a game and were out celebrating. They were quite amusing and needless to say at the end of the night my team lost, but it was fun arguing with these guys about which team was still better.

The next day Phil was off to Cape Tribulation for a few nights. I went and met up with Ruvini and we wandered around and booked a tour together. Ruvini also booked an intro dive with me on Calypso so I was happy to have someone I knew and liked to come with me. The day flew by and before I knew it I was back in my hostel cooking dinner, showering and going to bed to get up early for my dive.

We were picked up by the bus and made our way to Port Douglas (about 45 min north of Cairns) where we would go out to the outer reef. The sky was cloudy, it was windy and it was raining off and on. As we waited on the boat Ruvini looked at me and stated that she could have sworn that she heard our captain say something about a Tsunami warning. I looked at her and said "NO..you are hearing things!" Less than five minutes later our captain turned to us and said "There is a Tsunami warning, there has been an earthquake in New Guinea and we probably have to cancel the dive. It is up to you what you want to do. We can give you a refund right now or you can wait to learn more and we can decide from there...it is suppose to hit at 9:30am" Nervously I giggled and joked my way through the situation and we made our way up to the phone to make some calls to tell people what was going on and that we loved them in case we were to die. We joked about it but didn't know what to think. We went back to the boat to listen to the update. It hadn't hit a place near us which it was suppose to and that was an hour ago. Our captain decided it was ok to go out so we made our way out. As we did, Ruvini began to really question whether we did the right thing or whether we should've gotten to high ground. Guess we did the right thing because nothing happened at all to Australia. THANK GOD!

As we made our way out it was really choppy and rainy. I went to the back of the boat to ease my queasy stomach. We were briefed on our dive and then we went out. At first I think I was a little nervous because I was concentrating on being out in the middle of the ocean, near animals, in choppy water. I had a little trouble maintaining neutral buoyancy but it was due to my weights. I also was concentrating on the camera and figuring that out underwater as well. I still was able to concentrate on what I was experiencing but each dive after was even more amazing. We saw a few reef sharks, some lion fish, an eel, some beautiful coral, huge sea cucumbers, fish galore, sea slugs...you name it. I was disappointed that I didn't see a turtle but I was loving every minute anyway. At one point I lost my buddy who was our instructor...but was able to find her and the group again. :-) Our second dive was great as well and then on our third I went with Ruvini and an instructor...just the 3 of us so me and Ru could dive together. It was a lot of fun and I lost them at one point due to again, getting lost in what I was seeing. The visibility was a little less clear than it would have been due to the weather and winds, but you could still see a long ways down! It was truly amazing and each dive felt as though it was 5 min long when in reality it was 45 min long. I didn't ever get tired of what I was experiencing!

We returned from our dive, me feeling sea sick and then car sick, and walked home in the rain. I showered, ate and did laundry and crashed.

The next day Ru and I went on a tour where we saw a large fig tree in the rain forests, an old volcanic crater that was now a lake due to rainwater, (a python as well near the lake) a bunch of waterfalls that were really lovely, and then went to Paronella Park to view this place a man built that was crazy but really cool. The day was fun but a little rushed and we were tired. Ru and I met up for dinner that night and then I went back and met Phil, heard about his time in Cape Tribulation and learned that he didn't get to dive and felt better that I had made different plans so I could dive. I crashed that night due to exhaustion!

The next day we checked out, met up with Ru for lunch, wandered around and left Ru in Cairns and came to Adelaide. On our way we had some difficulties before we left Brisbane. Our plane seemed to have something wrong with it so we switched plans quickly and tried to take off so that we could get into Adelaide before the fly-in curfew of 11pm. We just made it and after all the ordeal we had to wait for a lady to take almost 7 min to bring the walkway to the airplane door. We all watched her come close, thinking she had it, then reverse and come in again. It was painful to watch and as Phil put it...it was like watching someone parallel park for the first time."

So here we are in Adelaide...it is definitely cooler here...but so nice to be settling in for a bit and to spend time with family! Now to find a job! :-)

more photos of the reef when I get home

Magnetic Island

2007-04-05T05:51:00.000+01:00

After leaving Airlie Beach we made our to Townsville to then jump on the Ferry to Magnetic Island. This is a small Island and doesn't host very much except for some hostels, a few supermarkets and little stores, and some nature walks. It is a nice place to just hang around. This so far has been the one place where we have stayed the longest. The reason for this was because we took a scuba diving course and became certified. I had already taken my PADI course but hadn't done my open water dives to become certified (which Katie and I had tried to do in the Dominican Republic). It turned out that it was cheaper for me to do the package deal 4 nights accommodation, the dive course, and two extra fun dives rather than just my open water dives and my accommodation. So being broke I went with the cheaper deal and am now certified with SSI instead of PADI, which is good enough for me.

We had to do a medical before we could take the course and this is due to Queensland being the strictest state in Australia in regards to diving. It was an easy task but for some reason I found it quite humourous. We did an eye test, hearing test, weight, lung test etc. Then at one point the doctor checked our reflexes and our stomach muscles. During this part I burst out laughing and said "hahah...that tickles!" The doctor was a little taken aback by my outburst and seemed to laugh at my reaction a little. Straight after this he made us stand heel to toe, cross our arms across our chest and close our eyes to check our balance. During this I was still thinking about how awkward it was that I had burst out in laughter and how always in those moments where you shouldn't laugh...it is hard to hold it in. I suddenly burst into the giggles as well and tried to control myself but couldn't. When I opened my eyes the doctor looked at me and asked "what is funny?" I just replied "I have never had a medical like this I guess." He just laughed...

After the medical we began our dive class and it went very smoothly and quickly. A lot faster than my PADI course but it was fine for me since this was like a refresher course anyway. When we finally went out to perform our skills, there wasn't much to see out there in Magnetic Island. This was due to a beach entry, so we were close to land, and that Magnetic Island has a lot of silt around it. The things that were cool to see though were the little blue dotted sting rays. At one point during our skills test while kneeling on the sea bed, i felt something graze my legs, I looked down and saw a sting ray swimming between them and freaked out a little, tapped Phil and made an "AHHH" sound through my regulator. My first thought was "Crikey...Steve Irwin" but then later my instructor assured me that if stung (rather stabbed) by these rays it will just hurt but they aren't deadly. PHEW!

I was fairly disappointed with what we were seeing and knew I had to see the Great Barrier Reef. I canceled my trip with Phil for Cape tribulation (near Cairns) and booked a full dive day with a company called Calyspso, the place that Matt and Katie recommended to me. Phil wasn't so keen on the idea of me switching but after a while we decided that we had different interests. I wanted to dive, dive, dive and Phil wanted to see the rain forest etc and dive. So we planned to do different thing when we arrived in Cairns.

We spent much of our time diving and when we didn't we hung out at the main bar at the hostel. This was a cool hostel right on the beach and there was most likely a party every night. I just hung out with Ruvini and chilled and refused to let the bartender coax me into drinking each night. A few times I caved because the drinks were free but I never wanted to drink, so I didn't. There have been too many people on this trip making fools of themselves...and I refuse to drink GOON...the cheap version of wine that comes in a silver bag and in a box that has fish oil as one of the ingredients. I prefer real wine thank you.

After six days we were headed off again to Cairns...

Whitsunday Islands sailing trip

2007-03-28T03:57:00.000+01:00

After checking into our sailing trip as well as our hostel for the night, I finally did a little load of laundry. Travellers like us don't really do laundry often so it was a nice thing to do. I have done my undies though many times...don't worry...but other clothes just get sandy and salty and sweaty anyway...so why bother right..especially when it isn't so easy or you don't saty in one place long enough? (hehe)

We headed to pick up some things for sailing like sea sick pills in case we got sick, plastic zip lock bags for our cameras and an underwater camera to take pictures of the coral and fish. We went to bed and got up the next day, ate breakfast, wandered around and made our way to the harbour to catch our boat. We were on the sailboat "Condor" which was a maxi sailboat that had won some races and what not. It wasn't a huge boat like a pirate ship, instead it was a small smooth one that tips a great deal when sailing. We had a group of 27 people and a crew of 3. We shuffled into the cabin down below and set up our sleeping areas. These are tiny and the quarters were very cramped. Most of the beds are like bunks with a hanging cot above them...but only about 12 inches above someone else's head. Phil was beside me on a double bunk and Catherine (a friend) was above us...or rather me. It felt like I was in a little coffin...good thing I am not claustrophobic!

We set off and people helped put the sails up and we all had to sit on the "high side" so that we didn't get swept into the water on the low side. Our first stop was to snorkel. Since it is stinger season still (jelly fish) and they can be deadly, we all wore lovely tight stinger suits which made us feel like superhero's. I had an underwater camera and just took random pictures...many of them didn't turn out so I plan to rent a good one for diving! I saw a bunch of cool fish and coral...but still nothing compared to what I knew was out there on the Great Barrier Reef. We came back to the boat, found a cove to spend the night and ate dinner. We spent time just talking to people and having fun...occasionally hearing large splashes from fish...or something from the water. Seeing the stars from here too was amazing! We all managed to make our way to bed and no one seemed to have a great sleep that night. I kept hearing the waves break against the boat...and a door kept banging as we swayed in the water.

The next morning we were up at 6:30am and ate breakfast and drank some tea. We headed straight to White Haven Beach. We made a trek up on the other side to the look out and what we saw was amazing. So far...I think my favourite thing of the whole trip. The sand is silica sand and the finest sand in the world. It is so white and it goes through a canal through the island. When the tide is out...the water pools in places and doesn't in others leaving beautiful whites, blues and greens in all different shapes. It really is beautiful. We then made our way down the path to the actual beach and spent some time just sitting and relaxing. Then it was off again...lunch and then on our way to another area to snorkel.

This time I saw a little sting ray...so that was cool. Since it was more windy that day I was feeling a little queasy...but i managed fine. We ate dinner and found another spot to stay for the night and did the same thing as the night before...just talked to people and hung out. The next morning we woke up early, ate breakfast and took a quick early morning snorkel. This was cool because I had bread and was feeding the fish...especially these big bat fish that are really beautiful. After this we headed back and returned to Airlie beach for some showers and rest. We met up with the group later that night and then we were ready to leave to Townsville/Magnetic Island the next day...

Byron-Airlie Beach

2007-03-24T03:35:00.000Z

It has been a while since I have had a minute or two just to sit in front of a computer screen for more than 5 minutes...We have been extremely busy with adventure lately. We have been continuing our trek up the east coast of Australia and the more north we travel the more hot and humid it is. We have met many people on our travels and have been able to meet up with them here and there which has been great. We have made some new English friends as well as people from Canada, Finland, Scotland, Ireland etc etc... From Byron Bay we made our way (haha that rhymes) to Surfer's Paradise. We didn't really enjoy our time there. It is a larger city that seems superficial. Everyone seems too vain and into themselves and our hostel was not really nice at all. The kitchen was the size of a small hallway, the fridge had a funky smell to it and Phil had his yogurt stolen. We just wandered around Surfers mainly around the main strip and then hung out at our hostel. We had met up with a 2 Canadians and an English guy we knew. The only fun thing really that we did in Surfers was the water park "Wet and Wild." It was a lot of fun and I felt like a little kid again :-)

We left Surfers Paradise and made our way to Brisbane. The weather in Brisbane was a little rainy when we arrived and we just chilled and relaxed in the hostel. We met a really nice English couple who were ending their trip in Canada...so we gave them some tips on where to go and what to do. Our time in Brisbane wasn't long and we just went to the museum and the modern art gallery. This was cool and fascinating and we spent all day there. We were off again early the next morning.

After leaving Brisbane we made our way up to Noosa which had an amazing old hostel which was an old house from the 1800's. We spent part of a day on the beach and then hanging out at our hostel with friends again that we keep meeting up with. (Ruvini and Catherine). We were off again the next day and we went on a short Koala walk but only saw part of one. I spotted a Kookaburra so that was exciting for me. From there we headed to Hervey Bay which was just a place to sleep because we were going to Fraser Island.

Early in the morning we left for Fraser Island in groups of 11 and went grocery shopping. We were all packed into a 4WD vehicle and took a ferry to Fraser Island. Fraser is an island made up of all sand and has a rain forest growing on it. It is a natural phenomenon really. There are lakes and little rivers on the island that are fresh water as well. We camped for 2 nights and roughed it hard core...i mean no toilets, no showers...dingoes invading our camps...digging a hole to pee, camping on the beach...kind of thing. We had an awesome group and spent time looking for shooting stars on the beach, to playing around in the water. Our first day we spent giggling and getting used to 4WDing. We stopped at Indian Head to take a walk up to see the view. It was spectacular! We didn't have time to do much so we set up camp on the beach. We were only allowed to drive on the beach at certain times due to the tides. We made dinner, watched the boys play soccer and then played some games and watched the stars...I have never seen so many in my life and the milky way is spectacular! On the second day I woke up before 6am to catch the sunrise on the beach. It was amazing! There were so many flies that were gigantic so that was a bummer! We ate breakfast and made our way to a proper campground to clean our dishes. We headed to the shipwreck and then to this little fresh water stream. It was so cool and lovely to walk in! We saw many spiders as well...and some poisonous ones! We then made our way to Lake Wabby...this was my favourite lake. We had to take a hike down and then up a sand doon to get to it. It was really remote and lovely. The pictures don't do it justices. We headed back just as it began to rain for a few minutes. We set up camp again and began to make dinner. Just as we were doing this we spotted some dingoes on the edge of our camp. As we were watching them these 2 girls came back from the camp beside us saying they had been walking and the ranger drove them back to camp telling them to be careful because a pack of dingoes were just attacking some kids down the way. Just then as we were focusing on 2 dingoes, the other one sneaked around and into our camp. It grabbed a hold of our cooler lid which had a beer in the cup holder and tossed it aside, leaving the beer still in it without spilling. We chased it away but from then on were a little nervous about leaving camp to pee! This was our last night so we played concentration and talked. Later that night Rob (a guy from our group) started throwing up at 3am continuously for 20 minutes. Since we were on an island we had to call the mainland to see what to do. We figured that it could have been a bug bite or dehydration. He wasn't really drinking and he was having cramps and chills. Phil, another guy Tiago, Rob and his 2 friends drove back inland to the Ferry Bay where they met a boat that took him to the hospital on the mainland. We didn't want to risk not taking him in case it was something serious. I dreamt that he was ok and that it was something to do with his Urinary tract and told everyone that while there were gone. They came back at 6:30am and said they wouldn't know anything until later that day....so we still assumed that it was a bug bite. We later found out that it was Kidney stones! Me and my crazy dreams! We then went to Lake Mackenzie and just chilled. It is filled with minerals so you feel nice and soft afterwards. We ate lunch and headed back to the mainland on the Ferry. We spent the night eating dinner with our group and then going to sleep. Phil was feeling sick and I was too the next morning.

We took the OZ bus and since it was a long leg to Airlie beach, we stopped at a cattle ranch in Krombit. We weren't feeling well so we just slept basically the whole time. We headed to Airlie beach and got there later at night because it was a long trip as well. We checked into our sailing trip for the next day....

The snoring...naked Swedish man and Byron Bay

2007-03-08T23:54:00.000Z

So here we are in Byron Bay. We made our way from Surfers Camp to here. It is a small Hippie town near another town called Nimbin...a place where weed is sold in cafes and is baked in cookies etc. The cops tend to look the other way and so many people walk around in Nimbin and Byron with bare feet, nappy hair, long skirts and look nice and hippieish. Phil and I didn't go to Nimbin but we heard many stories!

We arrived at our Hostel which was really nice...one of my favourites so far. We are in a 4 share room. Me, Phil, a 50 yr old, and a 30ish Swedish man...so last night I was tired and didn't go out. Had to recover from all the activities that we have been doing. So I was second to go to bed after the 50 yr old, then about 1am the Swedish guy came in kinda drunk but went straight to bed. Phil came in later and I woke up due to incessant snoring that could wake the dead. I was already wearing ear plugs too! But seeing as I am a very light sleeper I guess that didn't help me in this situation. So anyway, it wasn't only me who was annoyed. Phil too was peeved. We both tried to sleep but it was too loud, I threw some stuff at him but that didn't work...I then told Phil to shine his flashlight in the guys face to make him turn over. Phil explained that he didn't want to b/c the guy was naked. "WHAT?" i exclaimed..."HOW...WHY?" to which Phil explained that when he came in the guy seemed as though he was turning over (and at this point the light was still on when Phil came home) and instead the guy took his boxers off and was laying on his back without anything covering him. I was completely disgusted...and did not look that way all night! Needless to say I didn't sleep well...even with my iPod blaring in my ears...I dreamt of spitting spit balls at the guy..and am really going to put that by my pillow tonight to shut him up! (haha) I woke up this morning...opening my eyes and saw his bare a** and wanted to puke! It is either spit balls...sleeping pills or something tonight to make us sleep through this snoring naked Swede!

Life is funny...and later I guess I will laugh more about it...

We spent most of our time in Byron just relaxing, sitting by the hostel's pool and walking around. Phil and I hired some bicycles and took a trek half way up to the lighthouse. We then walked from there b/c the road was steep and didn't have a wide shoulder. The walk was really beautiful but it was incredibly hot and humid that I was all red in the face! Near the top we reached Australia's Most Eastern point. There we looked into the ocean and saw some turtle's surfing and some giant manta rays. We finished the trek to the lighthouse, ate some ice cream and headed back down again and sat on the beach for a bit.We later met up with some friends and went out for a bit. Byron was one of my favourites because it was small and had a lot of personality.

On our way...

2007-03-08T02:43:00.000Z

Well this is just a short blog really...I will try to write more to it later...so you will have to look for the new version later. We have left Sydney...but our last night in Sydney was spent at an OZ Experience...tour assistants place..the place we are travelling with. It was a small little place with basically a table, a mattress on the floor (which Phil and I shared) and a dodgy cot that he slept on. We had hooked up with the guy when we went to check out and book most of our trip up the coast. It is a bus thing that you hop on hop off whenever you want kind of thing. Along the way they have some kind of activities that we participate in etc. It is fun and a lot of young people take this instead of the Greyhound. We had to leave early in the morning so the reason we stayed there was b/c we had to be in Sydney to catch our OZ bus by 6:30 am...and Terrey Hills is too far (where my cousin Sandra lives).

Phil and I spent some time looking around the Sydney University looking at old buildings and then ate some dinner while our new friend Josh attended a Jehovah witness meeting. It was quite hilarious because he said he had to go out and left us his key to his apartment and said "I have to go to a meeting...I am sort of getting involved in this new thing lately, Jehovah's Witness...have you heard of it?" Phil and I laughed a little because he laughed when he said it, but he was serious and we just tried hard not to laugh and talk about something else.

In the morning we woke up early and he brought us to the bus station (rather walked us to it) and paid for my bus fair to the OZ meeting place. We began our journey in the OZ bus, having to hand a mic around and say something about ourselves and so on.

We stopped for breakfast and lunch and finally arrived in the late afternoon to Arrawarra, Surfers camp. We planted our gear in our dorms with 8 other people and got into our swimmers and set off to surf. It is fun...hard work, but fun. The hardest part is getting out there past all the massive waves. Afterwards my throat and eyes were burning from the salt water.

We stayed in a massive camp and I saw a giant grasshopper while on the phone to Jude and screamed. I am not so good with the massive bugs here. I also freaked out b/c on my way back I was opening a gate and realized I had a creatures eyes on me...and that creature was less than a foot away from my face. I jumped back in fear and realized it was a possum. I don't know why...but they freak me out b/c they are creatures of the night and I can't see them as well...The next day we were off again to another adventure...

More adventures in Sydney

2007-03-03T10:55:00.000Z

I doubt that I am actually resting my feet and legs and much as I should while I am here in Sydney...and resting my bank account for that matter as well. Sydney is a very posh, hip happening place and it costs an arm and a leg for most things. A coke will cost anywhere from $2.80 up..can you believe that? So you can imagine what the bus or train costs which we take everyday. I pray that my money doesn't deplete before I get to Adelaide to work for a few months!

In these last few days my cousin Phil and I have been trekking around as usual. We went to the Sydney zoo with my cousin Sandra and her 2 kids. We ended up staying the whole day while they left just after lunch time. It is an enormous zoo with a great view of the Sydney skyline, bridge and Opera House. I seem to be fascinated lately with taking up close and personal pictures of spiders and their webs. Thankfully with my camera and the lens, I don't have to get that close in real life...because I really don't like spiders at all!

Today we went into town and booked our stops all the way up the east coast of Australia. We will take some surfing lessons on our way up so who knows how that will go! The further North we go, the hotter the weather. Australia is heading into Fall as it just finished Summer...or was it Spring. Who knows..everything seems to be backwards here!

We also went to the Chinese Gardens and spent a great deal of time there. I find that I am alone with my thoughts a lot of the time because Phil and I walk and different paces and wander off a little on our own. This is fine with both of us as long as we know we where the other one is...we don't go far though! He keeps laughing at me and seemingly doesn't understand why I can't keep up with him on our long treks. I kept telling him that he has to remember that I have short legs and therefore I take more steps and I am walking as quick as I can. I think in an average day we walk probably close to 10km or more! Good thing I brought my walking shoes!

Tomorrow we head to the beach to relax, Monday to the Blue Mountains for a day trip, Tuesday something...and leave Wednesday early morning up the coast...

Until then...I sign off!

Touring Sydney

2007-02-28T09:49:00.000Z

Today and yesterday were spent walking around the city centre of Sydney. It is a large city...but really nice. It reminds me of a mix between Chicago and New York....but with more parks and really great scenery. The Opera House is really amazing and the bridge as well. I think I have taken a million pictures of the two! Today we went to the aquarium and had a great time! Luckily we were inside when it started to rain really hard.

We also took the monorail around town today, went to China town and saw some historic sights as well. Yesterday we walked around the Opera House and through the Botanical gardens. There were bats hanging from trees and huge spiders sitting in enormous webs. I am definitely going to lose weight on this trip due to the amount of walking we do each day...but I am still eating a lot to keep my energy up. I seemingly have gotten used to the time change and am walking up at a normal time now.

Tomorrow we may hit up the museum or a beach as well as some more of downtown...definitely more walking...

ROACHES!

2007-02-27T22:28:00.000Z

This entry ties my 2 trips together...I had forgotten to write about it but I was reminded of these horrible creatures yesterday as I dashed out of the bathroom...hitting my wrist extremely hard on the door and lifting my feet as I ran like a jumping animal...COCKROACHES!

I don't know what it is...but I have seemingly become more terrified of these creatures than any other bug. Last time I was in Nigeria almost 4 years back I remember killing them until all of their body parts were unrecognizable...but this time I couldn't even get close to the things without doing some kind of dance of fear...hitting my arms and body as if I were killing the billions that I was imagining all over my body!

I only saw 2 cockroaches in Nigeria...one in a box near my hand and the other crawling up the wall beside me as I was watching a movie with Jude. I freaked out the first time...but freaked out even more the second time. Jude didn't kill it and it ran away somewhere in the room the second time. As I sat on the bed, nervously scanning the room...I suddenly saw the roach crawling up the wall by my suitcase and almost jumped Jude panicking...almost yelling for him to "kill it! Kill it!" to which he was giggling b/c I was amusingly hysterical...but as soon as he saw the actual fear in my eyes he got up and smashed the thing. I had to see it for myself to make sure it was a goner.

This time in Australia...I was in the bathroom...doing my business and b/c here they have the toilet separate form the sink and bath...it is a little room...so as soon as I began to open the door this dark red thing started coming towards me bare feet...I freaked out and this is why i ended up whacking my wrist so hard against the door...anything to prevent this evil creature from touching my feet.

So any of you who have bug fears...I greatly sympathize with you...the roach has become my new worst enemy...and I vow to kill any of the ones I see(or rather have someone braver than me kill them for me)...none will be spared!

Arrival in Sydney

2007-02-26T06:53:00.000Z

Here I am after a long haul! I was so exhausted in Honolulu that I did everything I could to try to make myself stay awake...except drink coffee...b/c I don't drink coffee. I wandered the airport, went outside, read, walked some more...and finally found a quiet place to lay down and sleep. I successfully set my travel alarm and fell asleep on the floor...I woke up suddenly and realized that indeed I had forgotten to actually turn the alarm ON! Luckily God is being really lovely lately in little ways...and woke me up! I had an hour till boarding so I was good.

On the plane I feel asleep before take off and woke up after about 6 hours of sleeping...but I am still tired due to all my travels through different time zones etc. So when I arrived they ask on the boarding card if the passenger arriving has been to Africa in the last 6 days...so good thing I had along with me my vaccination card to show I had the right vaccinations and was allowed in. I got my work visa without them even looking at my E-visa ticket...I was already in the system...so simple as pie I guess to come to Australia! Then I waited and waited for my bags and they didn't arrive. So here I am now in Sydney at my cousin Sandra's house..wearing the same clothes I was for about 2 days now. At least I took a shower! :-)

So far I have just hung out with Sandra and the kids...went to a big book store that is like Christian Publications and bought a Bible...then to the grocery store...then back home and I just woke up from a little nap. Tomorrow I meet up with my cousin Phil from Edmonton who is also here in Australia and has been for the last 2 months. We are going to see the opera house and all that good stuff tomorrow..hopefully...but it is raining and wet...so who knows.

anyway till next time....

Humourous flying stories

2007-02-25T02:57:00.000Z

ALOHA....

If you didn't guess from my greeting, I am in Honolulu Hawaii. I have been travelling since early this morning and am really feeling my jet lag from my Nigeria trip already. Since I came back I found that I was still on Nigeria time and AM still on Nigeria time. Now on my way to Sydney, Australia I have to adjust to another 8 hour jump ahead from Nigeria time and 16 or so hours from Calgary time. My body is all messed up at this point in time! I guess I shouldn't complain since I am travelling the globe!

My trips...as in the air travel are always interesting...and funny I guess. Arriving in L.A. was interesting because on my way to my connecting flight 3 people stopped me due to my Calvin College sweatshirt. None of the people went to Calvin in actuality...the first Man went to Kalamazoo College and recognized it, the second person, a lady just saw "Calvin" and pointed it out to her young son whose name was apparently Calvin...and the last Man had gone to a track meet where supposedly Calvin had a huge nice bus and he was really impressed and asked whether it was a really high end educational school due to that. Perhaps next time I won't wear my Calvin sweatshirt if I don't want anyone to talk to me ;-)

The next story is the one that seems to amuse me the most. On the plane before take off, I am sitting beside a nice lady and we are talking about where we are going...and the convo turns into how I was just in Nigeria...and what for etc. etc. and meanwhile the flight crew is going over the "in-flight safety" stuff. Now I can't even begin to count how many times I have heard this but it has been a lot...so we were talking during it and the lady behind us suddenly sticks her head over the seat and looks and me (since I was the one talking at the moment) and shushes me....yes...she gave me a loud obnoxious SHHHHHH! For the energy that she expelled to shush me, I thought she was going to collapse and we would have been delayed in flying to Hawaii....hehe. It seems I have issues with older ladies who sit behind me. Perhaps I just look like a little kid who is obnoxious and undeserving of adult recognition or respect for that matter. Both the lady (who I was talking with) and I, just laughed.

So here I am now after conking (is that a word?) out on the flight for an hour...in Honolulu for about 5 more hours...then off to Sydney on another long flight. All together I think the total travel time is close to 40 some hours...but it will be worth it in the end.

Anyway...until then you will be hearing from me next in Australia!

Nigeria

2007-02-23T00:59:00.000Z

Well here I am back in Canada...tired, jet-lagged...getting ready for Australia...missing Nigeria and Jude...and writing my blog. I thought that I would be a diligent blog writer but instead of writing blogs I sent mass e-mails about my trip...so any of you who are reading this and didn't get those e-mails...enjoy the short version of my trip! As for those of you who received my e-mails...sorry if this is all repetitive!

Where to begin...I cannot even begin to describe the adventures that I had, the relaxation, the tiredness, the intensity, the joy, the fun...but I will try. Returning to Nigeria was so amazing. On the plane from London to Abuja I was so excited that my heart was racing...I thought it was a side effect from my malaria pills, but it turns out that I was just nervously excited to see Jude again. Walking off the plane into the familiar smells and heat of Nigeria felt great. The airport was a breeze and my bags weren't even opened...being with Bola really helped since he knew the customs officers. Waiting for me was Jude and his father. I was so overwhelmed, tired, nervous, excited and happy that it was difficult for me to talk...and he too was feeling the same way.

My time was all backwards so when it was morning, I thought it was later in the day. We spent some time around Abuja but I was so exhausted that I had to come back and sleep. We left to Jos and spent a great deal of time there meeting Jude's friends, going to shows, hanging out with Enzo (Jude's close friend and now a good friend of mine as well). Later we travelled to Port Harcourt and had a breakdown along the way....switched to a packed station wagon...feeling hot and uncomfortable...stayed in Enugu for the night and then made our way to Port Harcourt the next day. Along the way we say a great deal of garbage and what seemed to be a graveyard of old rusted cars and trucks. Let's just say that this area was not my favourite...and I was missing Jos and Abuja.

The following weeks were spent hanging out with people, going to shows, meeting with missionaries, going to an HIV foundation, having intense conversations about the future and travelling. The stories can never truly be told in a way that will shed even a glimpse of what it was like...but at least I have shared many moments with people who know how amazing these things were.

I miss Nigeria and the people there as well...I know I will be back soon and am looking forward to that...but now I am off to Australia for a few months...so hopefully I will keep up with this writing thing for that trip!

Dominican Republic

2007-01-20T01:24:00.000Z

Here I am on a small break in between places recuperating for just a short time before I travel to Nigeria...Last night we arrived home to Calgary from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic...or shall I say the Dominicano Republica. I don't know what it is but already I am wishing that I were back there, laying on the beach, catching some rays, dancing the Merengue, sipping on a Bahama Mama or Pina Colada, snorkeling, eating, playing...it is probably due to the weather here...winter weather!

The Dominican is beautiful. Katie and I tried to get certified for diving, but it didn't seem to work out b/c we decided to cancel and get our money back after feeling as though we were not allowing ourselves to do anything else except to continuously check to see if the dive was a go or not each day. See...we were told 3 days in a row that the weather was bad (bad meaning too many waves), thus not allowing us to dive. So we got our money back and will both do our 4 open water dives in Australia. Instead we went snorkeling with just mom.

The water is so blue and green, the sand is amazingly white and fine...and the palm trees and luscious greenery are breath-taking! It wasn't easy for some people due to people coming down with the flu, mainly Julie and her kids and Chris and Missy and their kids. I luckily was feeling fine and dandy the whole trip. What else is there to tell...ohh...the beautiful looking men...yes yes...so many fine men to look at! A running joke on the trip was how I had a bunch of husbands (men kept flirting and proposing!) My own mother even bartered me off to get a good deal...telling him he could marry me....in exchange for a few bucks off of some souveniers!

what else...oh...speaking Spanish! Coming home, I want to say "hola!" or "gracias" and other phrases commonly used. It was fun...and despite some rough parts due to sickness and moving to a different resort...it was a wonderful family vacation....now to just get everything in order to go to Nigeria on Monday...WOW...

THANKS BE TO GOD!

2006-12-13T03:26:00.000Z

WOW...Today was a crazy and insane day! I went to work feeling nervous yet calm all at the same time...more of a feeling of excitement. (I was too preoccupied with it coming today that I left a note for my mom asking her to call me when it arrived). Hours later, 1pmish...my mother calls me at work. She tells me the package is here, she opened it but didn't look inside. She asked if she should but I told her I wanted to be the first to know. After waiting an hour...working (thank goodness it suddenly became really busy so I was preoccupied with other things than just worrying about my visa)...I drove the 15 minutes home for break....AND...as I opened my passport...inside was my VISA!!!!! AND...the craziest part about it was...that it looked exactly like it did in my dream!!! CRAZY! So ya...sometimes I have prophetic dreams and that really creeps everyone out and they think I am a weirdo...but hey...look at this now!!!

So now I will work on finalizing my plans. First the Dominican for a week with my family...then Nigeria...then Australia...wow...2007 is going to be looking good...a lot better than 2006! THANKS BE TO GOD!!!

dreamer

2006-12-12T15:11:00.000Z

Ok...it is 8:09 am and I am just about to head off to work for the day. I pray that I will stay calm and at peace today...for I think my package will be here today. Last night I read verses about discernment...b/c I want to be able to correctly discern God's will...and sometimes that is a really difficult thing. In the end I prayed that my hearts desires would be in line with God's and that He would show me the way. Last night I had two dreams...near each other...but different. In both dreams I was granted my visa and actually saw the visa in my passport...both times! It looked different than my old one...so we will see whether my dreams come true or if they are just playing jokes on me...

So off to work and then if I get my package today...I will tell the news...good or bad!

Until then...I can only stand here and wait....

Nerves

2006-12-10T18:56:00.000Z

Last night I arrived home from a late night working and looked online to "track" my package. (It should be here by this week...YIKES!) My package contains all of my documents which are returning to me that I had sent in to apply for my visa to Nigeria. Now, this is the 4th time that I am applying (maybe I am pushing it and should just give in to what may be Gods will...that I don't ever get to return to Nigeria.) I am so incredibly nervous. More nervous than I have felt in years! I keep dreaming about Nigeria (not that I don't already dream of Nigeria since I went there the first time,) and my dreams are extremely confusing. I am a dreamer...usually some part of my dream will come true or will be telling of something...but when I am dreaming both that I am denied (for reasons so ludicrous that it would make you laugh such as because I can't handle bugs or the climate,) as well as dreaming that I do end up going. GOD...what is suppose to happen? If I get my visa this time what does that mean? If I don't, should I stop trying and give up on the desire in my heart to travel back to Nigeria...to Africa? Of course there are people I desperately would love to see...but it is Nigeria that I long for as well. I reminisce about the smells, the sounds, the sights. Africa is a beauty, it calls me, it is under my skin and I can't stop thinking about it. What do I do with this...me a westerner who can't seem to understand why she has such a strong desire (and had one ever since she was a little girl) to be in Africa?

God only knows the future. We can only wait, pray, and continue on our path no matter what the outcome is. I just have to remember to keep my faith aligned with God's will. This is the most important thing that I have to always remind myself of.

A new start...

2006-12-08T00:12:00.000Z

This is officially my first post. This blogspot is going to be for my travels and adventures in the next year....so here I am kicking it off and starting my page.