The task of just staying alive is so great for most of the locals. The "haves" just increase their holdings and the "have nots" seem to lose what precious little they are trying to hold on to.
Our driver's father has been quite sick. The doctors determined that he needed surgery. We encouraged Jide to get a second and third opinion -- which he did. The final verdict was that the surgery was necessary and would be costly, over $2,000 in U.S. terms. And the value of the naira has been steadily dropping, causing prices to go up but wages to stay as they were. Therefore, what becomes cheaper for us gets more costly for the locals. In naira, the almost N300,000 ends up being a little less than than Jide's annual salary. The family took up a collection but even if they reduce their food intake, they have very little funds for any donation.
One of the boys who helps us at our beach hut, Gbenga, is ready to graduate from Secondary School but can't afford the exam. Jide never completed high school for that very reason. (Actually, the same holds true for many in Thailand so this problem is not just limited to Nigeria!)
We are humbled and privileged to be able to help out in these kinds of situations but we often wonder how they will make it when we are not in their lives. We are sooooooo looking forward to being transferred out of here but we truly worry for Jide and the others who have become a bit dependent upon us. We've wracked our brains, trying to think of work that Jide could get in the U.S. or elsewhere. But it gets so complicated with the whole extended family in Nigeria, with the reality that living in a colder climate would be very tough for him, and with our reality that we won't be heading back to the U.S., ourselves. No easy answers.
By the way, Jide's father is recovering from surgery and doing well. And Gbenga will be taking his exams in mid-April! (Photos of each of them are in past blog entries.)
We are all so very blessed, aren't we?! Here, our food-related stressors relate to the cost of the imported cheeses and such -- prices we are fully able to pay but just reluctant to pay! Here, the average locals' food-related stress relates to how they will get their next meal -- rice is now too costly so it's usually some slimy, fried flour and maybe some dried fish, at best.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Curious Communication
We've been here so long that we understand the local expressions without even a second thought. But I decided that I should try to start listing some of them so that I can remember them with a smile when we are transferred out of Nigeria. So, here are a few that I can think of now. I'll try to jot down others as I hear them -- if I even notice them.
No one says "Hello!" or "Hi!" Greetings are all related to the time of day --- "Good morning!" "Good afternoon!" "Good evening!"
Another common greeting -- "How far?" (pronounced /fah/) This is equivalent to our "How are you?" No one expects a literal answer!
Also "How now?" Same as above but not as commonly used
Other greetings relate to people other than you. No one asks "How are you?" It's always "How's Master?" "How's your family?" to which you answer "fine"
"Sorry-o!" Not really an apology, but a response when you stub your toe or sneeze or some such thing! This is about as close to an apology as most people get!
"Tomorrow, tomorrow" Means in two days. Same holds true for "yesterday, yesterday" or "Saturday, Saturday"
"Yesterday Saturday" means two Saturdays ago.
Repeated words tell you that it's very true --- "last, last time" as in "I'm doing this for the very last time!" or "best, best" as in "He's the best there is!"
"No matter how!" (pronounced /mattuh/) This is a favorite of our driver, Jide. He uses it to express agreement to something I say when we're discussing politics, human nature, or other philosophical theories-- similar to "totally true!"
Other ways to express agreement:
--"Thank you!" (said with a tone meaning "a-ha!") I suppose it means "thank you for saying what I was thinking!"
--"Honestly!" (said with three very distinct and equally emphasized syllables!)
--"I'm telling you!" (also pronounced very clearly and distinctly!)
"I'm coming" Could mean, "yikes! I forgot!" Could also mean "I'll try to leave soon." On only rare occasions does it mean "I've left and am on my way!"
"Good pry" as in "good price" It means "Because you are such a great person, I'm going to give you a very special deal on this!" Literally, it means "Because of the color of your skin, I'm going to assume that you know nothing about pricing and I'm going to rip you off!"
"pick you" means I will pick you up in the car.
"off the light" (or "on the light") means turn the light off/on (This is actually a more accurate way to say it because there are rarely knobs to turn but rather on/off switches!)
"get sacked" means to get fired. To say "he was fired" would mean that he was burned.
"waterproof" (I blogged about this 3+ years ago, I think.) The term for a plastic bag. If it's raining and a woman wants to protect her hairdo she'll tie a waterproof on her head. I think this actually originates from the Brits!
"M tinkun!" Translated literally is "I'm thinking!" and means "I'll try to think of some more later!"
No one says "Hello!" or "Hi!" Greetings are all related to the time of day --- "Good morning!" "Good afternoon!" "Good evening!"
Another common greeting -- "How far?" (pronounced /fah/) This is equivalent to our "How are you?" No one expects a literal answer!
Also "How now?" Same as above but not as commonly used
Other greetings relate to people other than you. No one asks "How are you?" It's always "How's Master?" "How's your family?" to which you answer "fine"
"Sorry-o!" Not really an apology, but a response when you stub your toe or sneeze or some such thing! This is about as close to an apology as most people get!
"Tomorrow, tomorrow" Means in two days. Same holds true for "yesterday, yesterday" or "Saturday, Saturday"
"Yesterday Saturday" means two Saturdays ago.
Repeated words tell you that it's very true --- "last, last time" as in "I'm doing this for the very last time!" or "best, best" as in "He's the best there is!"
"No matter how!" (pronounced /mattuh/) This is a favorite of our driver, Jide. He uses it to express agreement to something I say when we're discussing politics, human nature, or other philosophical theories-- similar to "totally true!"
Other ways to express agreement:
--"Thank you!" (said with a tone meaning "a-ha!") I suppose it means "thank you for saying what I was thinking!"
--"Honestly!" (said with three very distinct and equally emphasized syllables!)
--"I'm telling you!" (also pronounced very clearly and distinctly!)
"I'm coming" Could mean, "yikes! I forgot!" Could also mean "I'll try to leave soon." On only rare occasions does it mean "I've left and am on my way!"
"Good pry" as in "good price" It means "Because you are such a great person, I'm going to give you a very special deal on this!" Literally, it means "Because of the color of your skin, I'm going to assume that you know nothing about pricing and I'm going to rip you off!"
"pick you" means I will pick you up in the car.
"off the light" (or "on the light") means turn the light off/on (This is actually a more accurate way to say it because there are rarely knobs to turn but rather on/off switches!)
"get sacked" means to get fired. To say "he was fired" would mean that he was burned.
"waterproof" (I blogged about this 3+ years ago, I think.) The term for a plastic bag. If it's raining and a woman wants to protect her hairdo she'll tie a waterproof on her head. I think this actually originates from the Brits!
"M tinkun!" Translated literally is "I'm thinking!" and means "I'll try to think of some more later!"
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Calling back to Calling!
It's my Dad's fault, I suppose! :-) I've got teaching in my blood and once it's there it never leaves. Our daughter, Jeri, is the same way. She just can't help thinking like a teacher! (I see it in her more than she sees it in herself and it makes me smile!)
I didn't realize how much this was still true in my own life until just lately. You see, I haven't been using my teaching skills and gifts in any formal way in a long time. I've just taught by influencing, I guess. I kept busy with my job for Jim's company, but it only utilized acquired skills and nothing from my gift-mix or passion -- other than the occasional counseling/empathizing. So, I got through each day but I certainly didn't thrive in each day.
When I look back at the past two months, the high points were ... get this ...:
grading writing papers for Jeri's university students!
and
creating a "make believe" lesson plan for the online course I just took!
And that is CRAZY! Who actually LIKES to grade papers other than desperate teacher-wanna-be's!? And who gets excited about writing lesson plans -- believe or make believe!?
I actually got excited about my lesson plan and told Jim some of what I was creating. Duh, it's all make-believe. No students. No teacher. Just an assignment so that I could finish my online course and get my TEFL certificate! Sheesh! But, as mentioned in my previous post, Jim graciously said the appropriate "really" and smiled as I told him my ideas.
Teaching is in my blood and oozing through my pores. ('not a great visual, that mix of metaphors!) I thought I could translate that over to writing but it's tougher to visualize any students or an audience so my book project has not been progressing much of late.
Anyway, my point in these rambles is -- if what you are doing isn't linked to your skills, wiring, passion, gifting in some way -- change course as soon as possible! (Unless, of course, what you are doing for employment is enabling you or someone you love to pursue your/their passion when not on the job ...)
Be still long enough to listen ... that's a calling calling!
I didn't realize how much this was still true in my own life until just lately. You see, I haven't been using my teaching skills and gifts in any formal way in a long time. I've just taught by influencing, I guess. I kept busy with my job for Jim's company, but it only utilized acquired skills and nothing from my gift-mix or passion -- other than the occasional counseling/empathizing. So, I got through each day but I certainly didn't thrive in each day.
When I look back at the past two months, the high points were ... get this ...:
grading writing papers for Jeri's university students!
and
creating a "make believe" lesson plan for the online course I just took!
And that is CRAZY! Who actually LIKES to grade papers other than desperate teacher-wanna-be's!? And who gets excited about writing lesson plans -- believe or make believe!?
I actually got excited about my lesson plan and told Jim some of what I was creating. Duh, it's all make-believe. No students. No teacher. Just an assignment so that I could finish my online course and get my TEFL certificate! Sheesh! But, as mentioned in my previous post, Jim graciously said the appropriate "really" and smiled as I told him my ideas.
Teaching is in my blood and oozing through my pores. ('not a great visual, that mix of metaphors!) I thought I could translate that over to writing but it's tougher to visualize any students or an audience so my book project has not been progressing much of late.
Anyway, my point in these rambles is -- if what you are doing isn't linked to your skills, wiring, passion, gifting in some way -- change course as soon as possible! (Unless, of course, what you are doing for employment is enabling you or someone you love to pursue your/their passion when not on the job ...)
Be still long enough to listen ... that's a calling calling!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Attitude Adjustments, Always!!
So I've been back in Lagos for a little more than a week. I don't know why there's always such a crazy adjustment period! You'd think, by now, that we wouldn't be shocked by what we find upon returning. Sheesh! I guess I'm just a slow learner!
The first adjustment was required when I had been in the airport for all of 3 minutes. Our group of arrivers were heading through the corridor where we would go down stairs and deal with the immigration folks (something that always requires prayer for grace!) but before we even reached the stairs a uniformed Nigerian man stopped two of us -- expats, both. The Nigerians all flooded past us. The uniformed man said "I'm an important man! I need to see your yellow fever card." In all of my arrival experiences, I'd never been asked, while walking down the hallway, to show my yellow fever card. But the guy next to me and I both silently complied and starting fishing for our cards. Meanwhile, the same man stopped a few other expat men and said the same thing to them. One got a bit belligerant and asked "why?" The answer was quite un-original, "I'm an important man!" Yeah, 'heard that one! But then he continued, "Those men downstairs will just take care of your immigration papers but I (said with great emphasis) asked to see your yellow fever cards." I was so afraid that someone in the group would mouth off and say something like, "if you really were an important man you wouldn't have to tell us!" but everyone stayed mute. Maybe we were all praying for grace!
Other necessary attitude adjustments have included:
-trying to avoid viewing the men urinating on the side of the road (I'd been in the company shuttle bus for just about 4 minutes when I saw the first one!)
-shutting out noise from the throngs of horns honking when no vehicle is moving in traffic
-being able to laugh at the group of workers who have been congregating on the grass just beyond our living room windows from around 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day this week. They are sitting right next to their sign "DANGER! MEN AT WORK!" What's the danger? That one of them might actually do something???? The crew has had the task of putting up scaffolding for the painters so our buildings can get painted. It was due to be done in '07. At this rate, the four buildings might be done by '12!!!
--dealing with this life of "retirement" that I'm currently living! I can see why it kills old people! :-) I really have no reason to get out of bed in the morning, no deadlines to meet, no one counting on me to get something done, no demands at all ... pretty stinky, really! So, I'm working on finding someone who will hire our cook/steward 'cuz at least I'd have to get out of bed to keep the house clean and cook dinner and do laundry and all ...!!! And I've enrolled in an online course so that I can be certified to teach English as a foreign language. And I do get up early so that I can walk before it's too hot. And I create my long "To-Do" lists because a goal-oriented person like me just HAS to have some goals! And I just read an amazing book on the Biafran war in the '60s. And I just look myself in the mirror and say "deal with it!" So I am! God is very gracious in the way he snaps me out of my pity party in various gentle ways ...
--having my daily verbal quota be limited to the people I see, which, this week has been: Jim (male!), Michel (our cook ... male!), Jide (our driver ... male!), and the guy who came to fix the phonelines but didn't (guy = male!) Now --- that's stuff for some serious trauma!!! Jim's a dear who patiently lets me babble on and on as he adds the occasional "really?" and "yeah!" at the appropriate moment! So, if I start blogging a whole lot of nonsense please understand that I'm just trying to find an outlet for my verbosity!
The first adjustment was required when I had been in the airport for all of 3 minutes. Our group of arrivers were heading through the corridor where we would go down stairs and deal with the immigration folks (something that always requires prayer for grace!) but before we even reached the stairs a uniformed Nigerian man stopped two of us -- expats, both. The Nigerians all flooded past us. The uniformed man said "I'm an important man! I need to see your yellow fever card." In all of my arrival experiences, I'd never been asked, while walking down the hallway, to show my yellow fever card. But the guy next to me and I both silently complied and starting fishing for our cards. Meanwhile, the same man stopped a few other expat men and said the same thing to them. One got a bit belligerant and asked "why?" The answer was quite un-original, "I'm an important man!" Yeah, 'heard that one! But then he continued, "Those men downstairs will just take care of your immigration papers but I (said with great emphasis) asked to see your yellow fever cards." I was so afraid that someone in the group would mouth off and say something like, "if you really were an important man you wouldn't have to tell us!" but everyone stayed mute. Maybe we were all praying for grace!
Other necessary attitude adjustments have included:
-trying to avoid viewing the men urinating on the side of the road (I'd been in the company shuttle bus for just about 4 minutes when I saw the first one!)
-shutting out noise from the throngs of horns honking when no vehicle is moving in traffic
-being able to laugh at the group of workers who have been congregating on the grass just beyond our living room windows from around 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day this week. They are sitting right next to their sign "DANGER! MEN AT WORK!" What's the danger? That one of them might actually do something???? The crew has had the task of putting up scaffolding for the painters so our buildings can get painted. It was due to be done in '07. At this rate, the four buildings might be done by '12!!!
--dealing with this life of "retirement" that I'm currently living! I can see why it kills old people! :-) I really have no reason to get out of bed in the morning, no deadlines to meet, no one counting on me to get something done, no demands at all ... pretty stinky, really! So, I'm working on finding someone who will hire our cook/steward 'cuz at least I'd have to get out of bed to keep the house clean and cook dinner and do laundry and all ...!!! And I've enrolled in an online course so that I can be certified to teach English as a foreign language. And I do get up early so that I can walk before it's too hot. And I create my long "To-Do" lists because a goal-oriented person like me just HAS to have some goals! And I just read an amazing book on the Biafran war in the '60s. And I just look myself in the mirror and say "deal with it!" So I am! God is very gracious in the way he snaps me out of my pity party in various gentle ways ...
--having my daily verbal quota be limited to the people I see, which, this week has been: Jim (male!), Michel (our cook ... male!), Jide (our driver ... male!), and the guy who came to fix the phonelines but didn't (guy = male!) Now --- that's stuff for some serious trauma!!! Jim's a dear who patiently lets me babble on and on as he adds the occasional "really?" and "yeah!" at the appropriate moment! So, if I start blogging a whole lot of nonsense please understand that I'm just trying to find an outlet for my verbosity!
Friday, March 13, 2009
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