My new experience of the week, is my trip to Lagos, the former capital of Nigeria. I am on my first official mission with WHO, going out into the field for actual campaign projects (we are giving vaccines in the south of the country). This city has 17 million people in a very small space. It is an absolute mad house here…cars and people everywhere. The 8 lane highways are basically 16-20 lane highways,….there is absolutely not more than a centimeter of space between each car…instead of signaling (with your lights) you simply tap on the car beside you to tell them you are coming over into their ‘lane’ and then you fight your way into that space!!! I for one will say that the WHO drivers who have to come and pick us up from airports/hotels/meetings, do not get paid nearly enough to do what they do…If only we in North America drove like them, we may never have traffic jams like we do on our little 6 lane highways! (Although the more congestion you have, the crazier it is)…I should also mention that there are no legal traffic laws on the highways, so it is a complete free for all…and on top of this, even though you are on the ‘highway’ there are people selling things out your car window(everything from meat pies to click radios and phone cards, to little kittens and puppies (personally I wanted to buy every one of them)….I personally saw two guys get completely knocked off their feet by cars hitting them!! Insane! Now I said that Abuja was expensive, was Lagos is a little out of control..I am staying at one of the nicest hotels in Africa in Abuja (the Hilton for about $200 US), and here in Lagos I am staying at the equivalent of those little motels found on the side of the highways (not quite as bad as the hourly motels you find in most major cities, but no Howard Johnson or Holiday Inn that’s for sure)…and we are paying (with UN discount) $425 US a night!!! With that you get luke warm showers, 6 hour daily power outages, and no breakfast…it is unbelievable! But, food and drink is cheap, much cheaper than Abuja…so if you are wondering why we can’t eradicate polio, its because we have to pay so much for hotels, so can’t afford to vaccinate people!! Lagos is also a city of immense wealth and extreme poverty…those who work in the oil and bank industries here make approximately $20,000 US a month!! And those day labourers, maybe make $2 a day…so it is absolutely polar extremes…flashy brand new BMWs and Mercedes, alongside people begging along the highways, without even shoes to wear, so a little hard to see and really get, but I guess it really is no different from one country to the next…we all have it, but doesn’t seem to hit home until you see it in this perspective.
I am traveling with a Nigerian, Ethiopian and Kenyan on this mission, and so far so good…it is good to have a Nigerian with us, as he knows the way and the local dialect, so he deals with everything! We headed south to Delta and River states, where things are a little crazy down there (in terms of kidnappings and ethnic violence), but they have never attacked a UN convoy…and as we were getting there, there was a kidnapping, and 8 people in the oil industry were kidnapped including the Minister's father, so we got turned around, as it was deemed too dangerous for us to go further, so back to Lagos we went!
I am now back in Abuja...Manchester United and Portsmouth are here playing a friendly preseason game, and of course all the players are staying at my hotel, so it is nuts...I have no clue who any of the players are, but met a couple of them, and they could not really believe that I did not know who they were (I think they were somewhat expecting me to be some sort of a groupie, ready and waiting for them, but no such luck)...so I don't think I made any friends there, but whatever! But they seemed pretty nice, and got free tickets to the game, so I will go check it out...gives me something to do on a sunday night, I guess! And there will be a huge concert with many local nigerian artists, and like the cinema here, they have some incredible musicians!
Anyways, all is well...I am in Abuja for the next week and them off on mission for about 2 weeks to the north (muslim states)...so my burka is getting made as we speak! Also, finally got my passport back with my Nigerian visa, only for it to be immediately cancelled, and I have to go through the whole process again, although I can actually stay in the country this time, while WHO takes care of it and gives me a work permit and a visa...but my passport is almost full (with various African country visas), so now have to go to the Canadian embassy for a new passport!! It never seems to end!
I have posted a few new photos, but will get a few more from Lagos up soon!
hasta luego, ange
dimanche 27 juillet 2008
mardi 22 juillet 2008
Ah...'beautiful' Abuja...
So, as previously mentioned, I am now at my “home away from home” in Abuja, Nigeria for the next year! I arrived Wednesday after a very long day of traveling, but so far so good. Lagos airport was absolutely insane…as you may or may not know, Lagos (former capital of Nigeria) is the biggest city in Nigeria (and Nigeria is the biggest country in Africa), with about 17 million people Lagos, a city about the size of about New York city! So, it is nuts here…if ever you are coming to visit me, give me advance notice and I will come meet you with help, because the airport is absolutely not doable without help…and it is a very good likelihood that you will have your luggage stolen, as this is a favorite past time of some of the locals (Lagos is a major hub for trading in west Africa, so everything gets sent through here)…make sure you keep you luggage tags, because you actually have to show them over and over again at all the checkpoints in the airport!
I didn’t get to see as much of Ethiopia as I wanted, but I did get out into the country side a bit, and I definitely want to see more. It is a remarkable country with a really long history, and amazing culture, so definitely hope to get back soon.
I just moved into the Hilton Hotel, which is a very, very nice hotel. I am here for a month, so if anyone wants a little break, feel free to come stay with me, I have a HUGE room…and you can use the massive pool, get massages, play tennis, or just eat all day long. You almost forget you are in Africa staying here, that is until you walk out of the hotel entrance, and then you are back in a typical African city! Although Abuja is not that big (only about 1.5 million people), there is still a lot going on…and I can honestly say that this is probably the most expensive city in the world that I have ever visited! Nothing is cheap, even the local restaurants and grocery store are quite costly, so this is going to be quite the year…I am in the process of trying to find a place to live, although now being at the Hilton, I almost don’t want to leave, as I can really get used to it here, but WHO doesn’t want to continue paying what they charge to stay here. But, I have been told that it may be very nearly impossible to find a place for only 11 months, so we’ll see!
Abuja is the “Federal Capital Territory” of Nigeria, and is basically in the exact centre of the country. It is very, very green here (not so much in the environmental sense, as it is actually really green)! It is rainy season so everything is fully alive and so green, the roads are all red because the ground is red clay, and there are massive boulders surrounding the city (basically the only tourist sites in Abuja)! Most of the world’s embassies and consulates are based here, as are many other UN agencies, so hopefully there will be people to meet, or this could become a long year! It sort of reminds me of Las Vegas as there are a lot of lights, but really it looks nothing like it. When I first got here, all I would hear were people making this hissing sound to get your attention (sort of like if I were to snap to get a waiter’s attention), followed of course by “oyibo” (=white person)…still a little odd, as I can’t imagine calling people by their skin colour, but ‘c’est la vie’ I guess?! One thing I cannot get enough of is “Nollywood”, basically the Nigerian cinema here…sort of like Bollywood…it is pretty hilarious, even though I understand very little of the “English” they are speaking, but is a major industry, as most Africans from all over Africa can actually relate to it, as it deals with typical African stories, unlike traditional Hollywood films...I will have to get a few to come home with me, whenever I actually make it back to Canada.
As for work, it is going well. It is also a little overwhelming, when you are sat down on day 2 and given $200 million (USD) that has to spent in the next year, and told to go and ‘eradicate polio’!! Polio is worse than ever before, and we are not really able to explain it…there have been many long meetings to try to figure it out…without a lot of luck. So, I will be going around the country over the next couple of months doing some vaccination blitzes…I will be buying my first burka, as I am going into strict muslim areas, where Shiite law is in place, and therefore we must dress appropriately…although I won’t do the full burka, I will cover all skin, and full head, leaving my face exposed,,,and I should mentioned it gets up to the mid 40’s up there (or 115 degrees). But, the one really good thing about Nigeria is that it is really safe…the kidnappings you hear about are only on the oil rigs, so there is no worry…the ‘ninjas’ have never, ever attacked a UN staff member, so I will be just fine!
I am already planning my first holiday or two…meeting up with my friend Lani early August somewhere as yet undetermined, and then taking a week off in early October to meet up with another friend Catherine, again in a yet to be decided location. But, there is lots to do, and many, many places I have never been, so looking forward to seeing parts of this awesome continent! Remember everyone, I get lots of holidays, so if you are thinking of taking a holiday, consider Africa!
Hope you are all well wherever this finds you…Vietnam, Berlin, Canada, Italy, US, UK, Australia, NZ, etc….Hopefully I can see you all soon! I have posted a couple of more photos, mostly of Abuja as I lost one of my cards with shots from Ethiopia, so hopefully I find it again…
Odaaro,
Andrea
I didn’t get to see as much of Ethiopia as I wanted, but I did get out into the country side a bit, and I definitely want to see more. It is a remarkable country with a really long history, and amazing culture, so definitely hope to get back soon.
I just moved into the Hilton Hotel, which is a very, very nice hotel. I am here for a month, so if anyone wants a little break, feel free to come stay with me, I have a HUGE room…and you can use the massive pool, get massages, play tennis, or just eat all day long. You almost forget you are in Africa staying here, that is until you walk out of the hotel entrance, and then you are back in a typical African city! Although Abuja is not that big (only about 1.5 million people), there is still a lot going on…and I can honestly say that this is probably the most expensive city in the world that I have ever visited! Nothing is cheap, even the local restaurants and grocery store are quite costly, so this is going to be quite the year…I am in the process of trying to find a place to live, although now being at the Hilton, I almost don’t want to leave, as I can really get used to it here, but WHO doesn’t want to continue paying what they charge to stay here. But, I have been told that it may be very nearly impossible to find a place for only 11 months, so we’ll see!
Abuja is the “Federal Capital Territory” of Nigeria, and is basically in the exact centre of the country. It is very, very green here (not so much in the environmental sense, as it is actually really green)! It is rainy season so everything is fully alive and so green, the roads are all red because the ground is red clay, and there are massive boulders surrounding the city (basically the only tourist sites in Abuja)! Most of the world’s embassies and consulates are based here, as are many other UN agencies, so hopefully there will be people to meet, or this could become a long year! It sort of reminds me of Las Vegas as there are a lot of lights, but really it looks nothing like it. When I first got here, all I would hear were people making this hissing sound to get your attention (sort of like if I were to snap to get a waiter’s attention), followed of course by “oyibo” (=white person)…still a little odd, as I can’t imagine calling people by their skin colour, but ‘c’est la vie’ I guess?! One thing I cannot get enough of is “Nollywood”, basically the Nigerian cinema here…sort of like Bollywood…it is pretty hilarious, even though I understand very little of the “English” they are speaking, but is a major industry, as most Africans from all over Africa can actually relate to it, as it deals with typical African stories, unlike traditional Hollywood films...I will have to get a few to come home with me, whenever I actually make it back to Canada.
As for work, it is going well. It is also a little overwhelming, when you are sat down on day 2 and given $200 million (USD) that has to spent in the next year, and told to go and ‘eradicate polio’!! Polio is worse than ever before, and we are not really able to explain it…there have been many long meetings to try to figure it out…without a lot of luck. So, I will be going around the country over the next couple of months doing some vaccination blitzes…I will be buying my first burka, as I am going into strict muslim areas, where Shiite law is in place, and therefore we must dress appropriately…although I won’t do the full burka, I will cover all skin, and full head, leaving my face exposed,,,and I should mentioned it gets up to the mid 40’s up there (or 115 degrees). But, the one really good thing about Nigeria is that it is really safe…the kidnappings you hear about are only on the oil rigs, so there is no worry…the ‘ninjas’ have never, ever attacked a UN staff member, so I will be just fine!
I am already planning my first holiday or two…meeting up with my friend Lani early August somewhere as yet undetermined, and then taking a week off in early October to meet up with another friend Catherine, again in a yet to be decided location. But, there is lots to do, and many, many places I have never been, so looking forward to seeing parts of this awesome continent! Remember everyone, I get lots of holidays, so if you are thinking of taking a holiday, consider Africa!
Hope you are all well wherever this finds you…Vietnam, Berlin, Canada, Italy, US, UK, Australia, NZ, etc….Hopefully I can see you all soon! I have posted a couple of more photos, mostly of Abuja as I lost one of my cards with shots from Ethiopia, so hopefully I find it again…
Odaaro,
Andrea
vendredi 18 juillet 2008
and finally....Nigeria!!!
So, I have arrived safe and sound in Abuja, Nigeria!! I got in on Wednesday, after a long day of traveling...I have mentioned it before, but traveling in Africa is not easy... The funny story in all of this is that the exact same soldiers who escorted me back onto the plane and buckled me into my seat on the weekend were waiting for me when I got off the plane, as they were expecting me...we had a beer, and all is good! I can see that the next year of living in Nigeria is going to be an 'interesting' experience!
I am going to keep this entry short, as I have a 6 hour exam tomorrow to finish off my MBA!! Studying has been very difficult, as there has been a lot of power cuts here every night, but really that's an excuse...I have just been busy/lazy about actually getting to it!
Anyways, I have a new mobile here, the number is +234 8039600875. Call or text anytime!
I will update this later in the weekend or early next week.
I am going to keep this entry short, as I have a 6 hour exam tomorrow to finish off my MBA!! Studying has been very difficult, as there has been a lot of power cuts here every night, but really that's an excuse...I have just been busy/lazy about actually getting to it!
Anyways, I have a new mobile here, the number is +234 8039600875. Call or text anytime!
I will update this later in the weekend or early next week.
lundi 14 juillet 2008
My first deportation...
So, I will recount my adventures of the week, and quite the adventures they have been!
I am currently in Addis Adaba (Ethiopia) on an unexpected, but I think deserved, holiday! I have criss-crossed Africa in the last week or so, going from Harare, Zimbabwe, to Kinshasa, DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire), back to Brazzaville, Congo, and then Addis Adaba, on to Lagos, Nigeria, and back again to Addis! In total, it was about 33 hours of flying time…a little much I would say.
So, here begins the story…I started in Harare, as I was there for some meetings (during the Congo civil war of the 90s the WHO office moved temporarily to Harare, where we continue to operate an office), but we also worked on a strategy to assist those Zimbabweans who have sat themselves in front of the US Embassy out of fear of retribution of Mugabe’s army…I would say most had been injured in some way, from small cuts and abrasions, to major wounds and beatings…definitely not a pretty sight, so we are trying to set up a sort of camp for them somewhere where they can remain safe, while the US and figures out what to do next (which is all likelihood is nothing). After that I spent a couple of days in Kinshasa, DRC, which is as crazy an African city as you can find…it is basically overrun with foreign aid workers (NGOs-Non Government Organization people), as well as refugees from all over Africa who fled their own countries in civil war…however, DRC has been in a civil war for the last 15 years, so it is not much better. But, it is absolutely rich in culture and diversity, and a real sight to see…although it is not the type of place I would recommend visiting for the ‘fun’ of it, but there is definitely a lot to do, which was a nice change from Brazzaville. I finally got clearance to go to my duty station in Abuja, Nigeria to start work, so back I went to Brazzaville to collect all my luggage. Traveling in Africa is not easy, as there are no real direct flights anywhere that you actually have to go, so even though I was already in west Africa, you have to fly through Kinshasa, and then on to east Africa, for a night of transit in Addis Adaba…a little much I say, but who am I to comment?! So, the next day, I board the plane for Lagos, land in Lagos where I am greeted by my UN colleagues, who have absolutely no idea that a visa was supposed to be arranged for me, and have it with them upon landing…so long story short…..I got deported!!! Yes, a Canadian got deported from Nigeria…we tried everything from calling every senior UN official in Nigeria, to offering money (actually good they would not take the money as we are trying to fight corruption)…there were about 10 or so people fighting for me, but to no avail, and was escorted back on to the same plane I arrived on by armed soldiers! Passengers were a little concerned, as here is this Caucasian girl being escorted on to the plane, but once they heard the story, everyone kind of laughed and said “Welcome to Nigeria”!! So, I flew another 7 hours back to Addis, where the adventure did not end…I was escorted off the plane into a little room, where I was made to wait for 2 hours with no water, toilet or food (it was now the middle of the night), before anyone would come and see me, at which point the UN in Ethiopia had been informed of my deportation and were madly searching for me within the airport, trying to stop my from being further deported…it was quite maddening…you would think traveling on a UN passport, with UN clearance and diplomatic status would get you somewhere, but it sure didn’t here! The regional WHO representative cleared everything for me in Addis, but I still had to pay the close to $10,000USD…yes, $10,000 fine for illegally trying to enter Nigeria, as well as the cost of the return ticket! Too bad WHO does not have their act together, as I am sure we could better use that money, say for HIV/AIDS drugs, Polio vaccines, education, etc….So, we are now trying to figure out what next to do, while I remain in Addis, Adaba basically on holidays until it is all sorted out…there is talk of having to come back to Canada and start fresh, to perhaps not ever getting entry permission to Nigeria again (which at this point the Ethiopia office would be welcome, as it is beautiful here, with lots to do), to who knows what! So, this week will be interesting, but in the interim, while they (not quite sure who ‘they’ are) figure it all out, I will be going on a bit of a tour of Ethiopia, I am going to go out with the World Food Program and see/work at some of the refugee camps in the North, stopping along the way at some UNESCO heritage sites!
Apart from that, the WHO Representative for Ethiopia took me around town yesterday and then for a traditional Ethiopian dinner at his home with his extended family (Like Sunday dinner in North American)…complete feast I tell you…the problem is it is very meat based, and my parents raised me right in that you eat what is put in front of you, which is a very good thing, so I was eating everything from mutton, to chicken, and probably beef…being a vegetarian is not easy in Africa, but after the last few weeks of having to eat meat as I have been invited to many a family dinner, my stomach is very slowly getting used to it all…but it helped that I had copious amounts of tej (a very highly alcoholic honey wine – very, very sweet, but definitely helped getting all the meat down)!! Followed of course by lots and lots of coffee – made the traditional Ethiopian way over a charcoal fire, and takes about 45 mins to brew – I have never liked coffee, but this was actually pretty good – and so I went from pretty drunk to being in a bit of a caffeine hyperactive state! Very interesting for sure! But, so far so good…I am safe and having a good time…it is winter here, so it is actually quite cool, but today is a beautiful sunny day…I am about to go lounge around the thermal pool at my hotel, and then maybe get a massage! Hope you are all enjoying your day where ever this finds you! I will post photos later this week of my adventures to date!
Take care, Andrea
Ps. Forgot to mention that upon landing in Lagos, Nigeria you are greeted on the tarmac by the remnants of the most recent plane crash that killed almost 200 people in 2006…they don’t remove anything, so there are about 3 different planes scattered around the tarmac, in various conditions…luckily the UN does not use those airlines, as we use only reputable ones….
I am currently in Addis Adaba (Ethiopia) on an unexpected, but I think deserved, holiday! I have criss-crossed Africa in the last week or so, going from Harare, Zimbabwe, to Kinshasa, DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire), back to Brazzaville, Congo, and then Addis Adaba, on to Lagos, Nigeria, and back again to Addis! In total, it was about 33 hours of flying time…a little much I would say.
So, here begins the story…I started in Harare, as I was there for some meetings (during the Congo civil war of the 90s the WHO office moved temporarily to Harare, where we continue to operate an office), but we also worked on a strategy to assist those Zimbabweans who have sat themselves in front of the US Embassy out of fear of retribution of Mugabe’s army…I would say most had been injured in some way, from small cuts and abrasions, to major wounds and beatings…definitely not a pretty sight, so we are trying to set up a sort of camp for them somewhere where they can remain safe, while the US and figures out what to do next (which is all likelihood is nothing). After that I spent a couple of days in Kinshasa, DRC, which is as crazy an African city as you can find…it is basically overrun with foreign aid workers (NGOs-Non Government Organization people), as well as refugees from all over Africa who fled their own countries in civil war…however, DRC has been in a civil war for the last 15 years, so it is not much better. But, it is absolutely rich in culture and diversity, and a real sight to see…although it is not the type of place I would recommend visiting for the ‘fun’ of it, but there is definitely a lot to do, which was a nice change from Brazzaville. I finally got clearance to go to my duty station in Abuja, Nigeria to start work, so back I went to Brazzaville to collect all my luggage. Traveling in Africa is not easy, as there are no real direct flights anywhere that you actually have to go, so even though I was already in west Africa, you have to fly through Kinshasa, and then on to east Africa, for a night of transit in Addis Adaba…a little much I say, but who am I to comment?! So, the next day, I board the plane for Lagos, land in Lagos where I am greeted by my UN colleagues, who have absolutely no idea that a visa was supposed to be arranged for me, and have it with them upon landing…so long story short…..I got deported!!! Yes, a Canadian got deported from Nigeria…we tried everything from calling every senior UN official in Nigeria, to offering money (actually good they would not take the money as we are trying to fight corruption)…there were about 10 or so people fighting for me, but to no avail, and was escorted back on to the same plane I arrived on by armed soldiers! Passengers were a little concerned, as here is this Caucasian girl being escorted on to the plane, but once they heard the story, everyone kind of laughed and said “Welcome to Nigeria”!! So, I flew another 7 hours back to Addis, where the adventure did not end…I was escorted off the plane into a little room, where I was made to wait for 2 hours with no water, toilet or food (it was now the middle of the night), before anyone would come and see me, at which point the UN in Ethiopia had been informed of my deportation and were madly searching for me within the airport, trying to stop my from being further deported…it was quite maddening…you would think traveling on a UN passport, with UN clearance and diplomatic status would get you somewhere, but it sure didn’t here! The regional WHO representative cleared everything for me in Addis, but I still had to pay the close to $10,000USD…yes, $10,000 fine for illegally trying to enter Nigeria, as well as the cost of the return ticket! Too bad WHO does not have their act together, as I am sure we could better use that money, say for HIV/AIDS drugs, Polio vaccines, education, etc….So, we are now trying to figure out what next to do, while I remain in Addis, Adaba basically on holidays until it is all sorted out…there is talk of having to come back to Canada and start fresh, to perhaps not ever getting entry permission to Nigeria again (which at this point the Ethiopia office would be welcome, as it is beautiful here, with lots to do), to who knows what! So, this week will be interesting, but in the interim, while they (not quite sure who ‘they’ are) figure it all out, I will be going on a bit of a tour of Ethiopia, I am going to go out with the World Food Program and see/work at some of the refugee camps in the North, stopping along the way at some UNESCO heritage sites!
Apart from that, the WHO Representative for Ethiopia took me around town yesterday and then for a traditional Ethiopian dinner at his home with his extended family (Like Sunday dinner in North American)…complete feast I tell you…the problem is it is very meat based, and my parents raised me right in that you eat what is put in front of you, which is a very good thing, so I was eating everything from mutton, to chicken, and probably beef…being a vegetarian is not easy in Africa, but after the last few weeks of having to eat meat as I have been invited to many a family dinner, my stomach is very slowly getting used to it all…but it helped that I had copious amounts of tej (a very highly alcoholic honey wine – very, very sweet, but definitely helped getting all the meat down)!! Followed of course by lots and lots of coffee – made the traditional Ethiopian way over a charcoal fire, and takes about 45 mins to brew – I have never liked coffee, but this was actually pretty good – and so I went from pretty drunk to being in a bit of a caffeine hyperactive state! Very interesting for sure! But, so far so good…I am safe and having a good time…it is winter here, so it is actually quite cool, but today is a beautiful sunny day…I am about to go lounge around the thermal pool at my hotel, and then maybe get a massage! Hope you are all enjoying your day where ever this finds you! I will post photos later this week of my adventures to date!
Take care, Andrea
Ps. Forgot to mention that upon landing in Lagos, Nigeria you are greeted on the tarmac by the remnants of the most recent plane crash that killed almost 200 people in 2006…they don’t remove anything, so there are about 3 different planes scattered around the tarmac, in various conditions…luckily the UN does not use those airlines, as we use only reputable ones….
samedi 5 juillet 2008
Making friends::::
So, week two in Brazzaville is coming to an end…I leave for Abuja, Nigeria on Thursday (fingers crossed)…but it has been a very busy and hectic, but interesting week to say the least! Lots of really disorganized meetings, with not a whole lot accomplished, but we have come to the conclusion in many of those meetings that “things” need to change…what “things”exactly I don’t know yet, but I am sure we will figure that out as time goes on…and we have until September to come up with THE strategy to eradicate polio from western Africa…so any suggestions would be gladly appreciated….I will say one thing that the team I am working with truly is committed to seeing an end to it…the last few years of polio eradication in western Africa has been tough for them, as there have been significant declines, to the point where there were only a dozen or so cases last year, but then this year alone (and we are only 6 months in) there has been over 400 diagnosed cases (this means that 400 of children under the age of 3 are paralyzed the rest of their lives…keeping in mind there is no social structure to support them)…there are many reasons for this, as mentioned in my last blog entry, but so many others including the quality of the drug, # of dosages received (or missed is a better way of terming it, as they need 3 to be immune, but they only on average receive 0.81% of a single vaccine), as they are oral drops we give them…anyways, enough about work, now on to the everyday stuff.
I went on a couple WHO-sponsored Safe Drinking Water education session, which traveled around the Congo this week, just to get an understanding of how we do education and information sessions for locals, mostly we visited local orphanages, and man was is it an eye opening experience…the children are absolutely beautiful, but I have never seen such living conditions. I won’t get into the specifics because it is just way too much to explain, but the kids were amazing…they know nothing else besides the orphanages, so they don’t know that things could be possibly better for them…I have started a website for pictures of my adventures, so have a look, these are just some of the pictures, and I will continue to update these photos whenever I update this blog. Listening to some of their stories is incredible, one kid in particular (who says he is 14 but he has to be at least 20) literally walked from Rwanda to the Congo (he is in one of the pictures) – find a map and you will see that it is basically like walking from Mexico to Greenland, but through fully armed, machete-wielding zones, as the civil war had completely devastated his family and village, and somehow he ended up in Brazzaville…if you haven’t read “What is the What” I highly recommend it, as it is basically similar to his story and so many others. They don’t allow international adoption here, as there is just too much illness and lineage issues (no real clue where the kids came from as they are just dropped off in the middle of the night, or found in fields), but they are just so happy and sweet natured…I have gone back a few times over the week to visit the kids, and even teaching them a bit about Ultimate Frisbee…I wish I brought more discs, but will have to get more on my next trip home!
It is awesome to be back in a French speaking country….nice to put my 17-20 years of studying it to use, but do I ever get laughed at for my quebecois accent!! Very similar to how Canadians are said to say “eh”, and “aboot” instead of about a lot, but it is all in good fun! I actually met one other Canadian and we ‘celebrated’ Canada Day together…we drank Coca-Cola (no Pepsi) and ate the Congo version of a Joe Louis! The other nice thing I really like about being back in the UN system again, is the people….last night we were all at a friend’s place celebrating her recent marriage, and among the 7 of us in the room, we had 7 different mother tongues!! We all speak various languages, few of which many of us are considered fluent…but in most cases we understand those languages, so it definitely makes for an interesting evening! At any given moment you are listening to someone speaking in one language, but responding in French, Spanish, English… and then immediately switching into another language to speak to others…so I guess it definitely helps that I know quite a few languages…even getting to practice my Mandarin again! But, I really love it, and look forward to Nigeria, where I have been getting some “Nigerian-English language lessons” from a Nigerian friend here…although English is their national language, it is very much a slang format (eg. “Lets go chop=Lets eat, or, Easy yourself=Where’s the bathroom, Take leg=Lets walk)!! So, this should be fun!!
Hotel life is definitely getting to me…but I finally had hot water on Friday morning, which made things that much better (before that it was cold, cold water showers everyday)! But I am back to the cold showers again…what can you do?! You don’t realize how much it is the little things you miss until you haven’t had it in a little while! It is surprisingly cool here in the evenings, to the point where you need a sweater (it is the dry, cool season right now), but day time is perfect, usually no more than 26 degrees (or about 80 F), but absolutely no humidity or wind, so it really is perfect…although at my office they literally crank the air conditioning as high as it will go, so the office is beyond freezing…but in Africa, air conditioning is a sign of wealth, so if you go to someone’s house (when there is actually no electricity cuts), even though it is cool outside, the air conditioning is turned to high and you sit there freezing, and you should never ask for them to turn it off! And I found some tennis friends, so really we just play tennis most evenings!
Anyways, that is it for now…Attached are some photos of the kids in the orphanage, as well as some other random Brazzaville photos…I will definitely get more on here from my other adventures…I am off to Harare, Zimbabwe Sunday evening until Tuesday…and just hanging out in Brazzaville yet again this weekend, as this trip is very last minute, as is everything here!
Hope all is well with everyone wherever this finds you!
A bientot, Andrea
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AYsWLJi3csWTk4
I went on a couple WHO-sponsored Safe Drinking Water education session, which traveled around the Congo this week, just to get an understanding of how we do education and information sessions for locals, mostly we visited local orphanages, and man was is it an eye opening experience…the children are absolutely beautiful, but I have never seen such living conditions. I won’t get into the specifics because it is just way too much to explain, but the kids were amazing…they know nothing else besides the orphanages, so they don’t know that things could be possibly better for them…I have started a website for pictures of my adventures, so have a look, these are just some of the pictures, and I will continue to update these photos whenever I update this blog. Listening to some of their stories is incredible, one kid in particular (who says he is 14 but he has to be at least 20) literally walked from Rwanda to the Congo (he is in one of the pictures) – find a map and you will see that it is basically like walking from Mexico to Greenland, but through fully armed, machete-wielding zones, as the civil war had completely devastated his family and village, and somehow he ended up in Brazzaville…if you haven’t read “What is the What” I highly recommend it, as it is basically similar to his story and so many others. They don’t allow international adoption here, as there is just too much illness and lineage issues (no real clue where the kids came from as they are just dropped off in the middle of the night, or found in fields), but they are just so happy and sweet natured…I have gone back a few times over the week to visit the kids, and even teaching them a bit about Ultimate Frisbee…I wish I brought more discs, but will have to get more on my next trip home!
It is awesome to be back in a French speaking country….nice to put my 17-20 years of studying it to use, but do I ever get laughed at for my quebecois accent!! Very similar to how Canadians are said to say “eh”, and “aboot” instead of about a lot, but it is all in good fun! I actually met one other Canadian and we ‘celebrated’ Canada Day together…we drank Coca-Cola (no Pepsi) and ate the Congo version of a Joe Louis! The other nice thing I really like about being back in the UN system again, is the people….last night we were all at a friend’s place celebrating her recent marriage, and among the 7 of us in the room, we had 7 different mother tongues!! We all speak various languages, few of which many of us are considered fluent…but in most cases we understand those languages, so it definitely makes for an interesting evening! At any given moment you are listening to someone speaking in one language, but responding in French, Spanish, English… and then immediately switching into another language to speak to others…so I guess it definitely helps that I know quite a few languages…even getting to practice my Mandarin again! But, I really love it, and look forward to Nigeria, where I have been getting some “Nigerian-English language lessons” from a Nigerian friend here…although English is their national language, it is very much a slang format (eg. “Lets go chop=Lets eat, or, Easy yourself=Where’s the bathroom, Take leg=Lets walk)!! So, this should be fun!!
Hotel life is definitely getting to me…but I finally had hot water on Friday morning, which made things that much better (before that it was cold, cold water showers everyday)! But I am back to the cold showers again…what can you do?! You don’t realize how much it is the little things you miss until you haven’t had it in a little while! It is surprisingly cool here in the evenings, to the point where you need a sweater (it is the dry, cool season right now), but day time is perfect, usually no more than 26 degrees (or about 80 F), but absolutely no humidity or wind, so it really is perfect…although at my office they literally crank the air conditioning as high as it will go, so the office is beyond freezing…but in Africa, air conditioning is a sign of wealth, so if you go to someone’s house (when there is actually no electricity cuts), even though it is cool outside, the air conditioning is turned to high and you sit there freezing, and you should never ask for them to turn it off! And I found some tennis friends, so really we just play tennis most evenings!
Anyways, that is it for now…Attached are some photos of the kids in the orphanage, as well as some other random Brazzaville photos…I will definitely get more on here from my other adventures…I am off to Harare, Zimbabwe Sunday evening until Tuesday…and just hanging out in Brazzaville yet again this weekend, as this trip is very last minute, as is everything here!
Hope all is well with everyone wherever this finds you!
A bientot, Andrea
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AYsWLJi3csWTk4
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