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….