So, the other expats say we should leave Nigeria every couple of months just to survive living there. Mmmm. If the experience at the airport was typical, which they say it was, then getting out is much worse than staying!!! Basically -- everyone helping wants a bribe, that includes the paid staff of the airport; it's hot and filled with all sorts of odors, body being minor; the passengers, mainly men, get a bit uptight and drunk while they wait to board; and the whole event from leaving camp to boarding the plane takes about 4 hours. But now that we're in Paris, mais oui, it is worth the hassle!
Mosquitos are to be taken very seriously. We must take our Malarone tablets while we are gone and we have to have malaria curative treatments with us at all times because the incubation period is one week to 60 days after a bite. Well, Air France takes those little critters quite seriously -- they "fogged" the plane after we were all aboard, walking up and down the aisles while spraying a mist on us all. They assured us that it is environmentally safe ...! Strange to feel like we were contaminated!
We've been in Paris 2 days and I have about 1/3 of my shopping list completed. There are so many basics that are just not available in Nigeria so we brought 3 empty suitcases with us to Paris. Truly, it's not the cheapest place but we've taken advantage of some benefits to visitors and have saved some money thus far. We're getting things like -- a good bed pillow (we packed one in our sea shipment but that may not arrive for another 5 months!), umbrellas, hand soap, hand towels, candles, ... We'll get some food items before we leave.
The two foods I'm missing the most are -- plain ole steak and Chipotle!! OK, so Chipotle's success hasn't reached Paris, yet. But we did have a decent steak -- tres bon! I'm working on figuring out how to make Mexican food in Nigeria -- some of the ingredients are available and certainly I can learn to make tortillas so we're hopeful!
Our waiter last night was terrific -- he gave mini French lessons throughout the evening. True, he was a bit of a flirt; I was glad Jim was there, especially when he offered dessert -- "coffee, tea, or me!" followed by a quick "just kidding" directed toward Jim. He's so friendly, many of the French are. But, oh my, try walking down the sidewalk -- it's survival of the fittest and we're clearly not very fit. And the Louvre was filled with people who were in the "every man for himself" mode -- he who hesitates is lost, for sure! Jim and I were forever being separated in the crowd. We are constantly comparing the culture here to our recent experiences in Nigeria. The Nigerians win in the "friendly" category!
It's strange how we're missing our new friends in Nigeria. We've been there such a short time but it was becoming familiar, which counts for a lot!! Of course, we're missing all of you and think of you, pray for you, and speak of you, often. I have access to a very good email set up, here -- we just paid for a week's worth of use. So, feel free to add comments here or email me.
I'll post more photos when we're back in NGA.
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3 comments:
I want pics of Paris! Surely you have your camera. Non?
Reading of your experiences is like entering a strange dream world with unfamiliar elements and characters; more like a movie. Some sound like great fun, others a little scary. But, Paris, art, and a fresh croissant--mais oui!!
Everywhere I look, I think "Jenny would LOVE this!" We chatted with an artist, yesterday, and bought one of her water colors for ten euros. She winters in Barbados and arrives here in the spring (this spring is just arriving late!) J'ai un camera (how's that for bad English/French together!?) mais je n'ai pas une stationne docking -- too large to bring. Therefore, I can't load my photos until I'm back in NGA, which will be a week from today.
You're right about the movie-like life. Sometimes Jim and I will step back and look at where we are and what we're doing and say, "tres bizarre!" It seems a bit surreal. Everytime I step out of our front door in Port Harcourt, I'm shocked by the heat and humidity and I think, "Oh, ya, I'm in Nigeria."
We were finally hoping to get used to that concept and now we've got to adjust to "Oh ya, we're in Paris!"
Every adventure in Nigeria has some positives and some negatives. So, we've decided we just put one foot in front of the other and do what we need to do -- "baby steps" from What About Bob?
Sorry, Susan, coffee can be found on every street corner around here -- espressos and cappucinos are the most popular, it seems. The big green logo is now in Paris -- we've seen two. A French gal at the camp in NGA said they'd just opened in Paris, recently.
"Mais oui" is "but yes!" -- an emphatic "yes" that has a twist of "of course!" thrown in (and sometimes some French cynicism as well!)
Prescott, I have friends who live there. There are some beautiful places around there, yes? (To which you may say, "Mais, oui!")
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