Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Friday, January 11, 2013
What I Will Miss (and Not Miss) About Nigeria
I arrived back in the U.S. 8 days ago. The first few days were deliriously happy and easy ones, filled with delicious food and wonderful reunions with friends. But the past few days have been frustratingly hard and overwhelming. I was talking to a friend and asked, "I am feeling inexplicably sad, tired, and disoriented. Did you feel that way when you moved home from Africa?" He said, "Yes, that would be culture shock." Ah yes, there it is. I don't remember feeling quite this way when I moved home from Romania, but this of course is a different experience altogether. In any event, I am sure there will be a cycle and process of easy and hard days over the coming weeks and months. And I need to learn to be ok with that and ride it out as best as I can. I am thankful for roommates and other friends who are understanding of this and who will support me through it. One way I'd like to process my time in Nigeria is to continue blogging about it and will aim to write one entry a week for as long as I need to do so. Don't be confused, I am back in NYC and will be starting my final semester of my MPH at the end of January, but I think continuing to write about Nigeria will be helpful for me.
Thus, my thoughts on what I will (and do!) miss and not miss about Nigeria.
Back in July 2011 when I left Romania I blogged about what I would and would not miss about Romania. As I was thinking about writing this post, I re-read that one. Interestingly, there is a great deal of overlap in the two lists. I know that many of my Nigerian friends both within and outside Nigeria read my blog, so please know that my intent is not to "bash" Nigeria in writing what I won't miss, but simply to share about both the wonderful and the more difficult aspects (for me) of living there.
What I Will Not Miss About Nigeria
~Stares. Honestly my biggest struggle with living in Nigeria was not the frequent power or water outages, not the bugs, and not the heat (though don't worry, they're on the list, too!), it was being stared at all the time. I blogged about it here, and will probably write about some more elements of my "white celebrity" in the coming weeks, as it's a multi-faceted issue that wasn't simply about the "stares" per se, but so many elements of being white, young, female and foreign. All that to say, it was a daily battle that sometimes I handled well, and sometimes not so well. But I am thankful to not have to battle that in NYC, where I am completely anonymous and unknown.
~Corruption. Bribery is blatant and expected in Nigeria. Corruption is the norm in politics. Schemes, trickery, frauds, 419. The list goes on. It's sad, disheartening and frustrating. Thankfully I didn't have to deal with it directly all that often, but it was all around me and a frequent topic of conversation amongst Nigerian friends. I felt like I always had to be on my guard and paying attention to every interaction and transaction to make sure I wasn't being taken advantage of. Which could be exhausting at times. Now, of course there is corruption in one form or another everywhere in the world, but I think when you're foreign (and visibly so), it just heightens everything. So, I am happy to have a reprieve from the ways it was present in Nigeria.
~Bugs. A frequent experience throughout my day was to think, "Gosh, it feels like something is crawling on my leg/arm/neck." And to look and find that yes, indeed, there is something crawling on me. Bugs were simply an ever-present reality of living in a Boys Quarters next to the bush/forest (and I will say, would NOT be the case in other places/living situations in Nigeria). Which is what it is, and I've definitely increased my fearlessness quotient because of it. But I'm perfectly ok to be back in a place where I don't wake up in the middle of the night to find soldier ants invading my bedroom or spiders crawling on me.
~Power and water outages. I actually didn't mind this as much as I thought I would. And I was fortunate to have power about 70% of the time and water flowing about 60% of the time (with a big plastic storage bin for when it wasn't running) since I was living on a University campus. In town it would have probably been about half that. But again, given my preference, I'd choose constant power and clean, drinkable always-flowing water that I can regulate to be any temperature I desire.
~Garbage. There is seriously garbage everywhere. It's perfectly acceptable to just throw trash on the ground. Finish a bottle of water? Throw it out the car window or just drop it as you're walking. It's overwhelming and sad. Of course I understand it takes a lot of infrastructure, equipment and education to develop proper waste disposal systems. Furthermore, NYC is unquestionably one of the dirtiest (and smelliest!) places in the U.S., so I'm not actually coming back to a 'pristine' environment. However, I will not miss the overt disposal of trash out in the open, not one bit.
~Sweating all the time. It's insanely hot in Nigeria. And my home was not air conditioned, and most people do not have or do not use the AC in their cars. As a result, I spent six months almost constantly sweating. I drank a ton of water to make sure I stayed hydrated, and one friend even joked that Aquadana stock would probably drop when I left the country. Of course now that I'm back in NYC in the middle of winter (going from 100 degree average daily highs to 40 degree average daily highs overnight!) I'm insanely cold all the time and longing for the dry hot sun of harmattan. But I do think the next time I live in Nigeria, I will splurge on a window AC unit for my bedroom.
What I Will Miss About Nigeria
~Hospitality. Nigerians are the most hospitable people I've ever met. Hands down. Hospitality was also on my list for Romania, and indeed Romanians are hospitable. But Nigerians take the cake on this one. And they will probably feed you cake if you visit them. I invariably felt warmly welcomed into any home I visited, and was constantly amazed by how generous my friends, and even acquaintances were. I have a little bit of difficulty unwinding hospitality from generosity since so much of my experience with generosity was linked to hospitality, but I was often humbled by how freely people would give of the little that they had to bless another person. I could not visit someone without leaving with my arms full of food, drinks or fruit. Perhaps the most humbling experience of Nigerian generosity was when I went on a daylong mission trip to a remote village with some friends. As we were leaving, the villagers brought us (no exaggeration) hundreds of oranges, dozens of plantains, and probably ten yams. These people had almost nothing materially, yet they were sending us home with such an incredibly generous gift. I was inspired and encouraged time and time again to live my live in such a radically generous and hospitable way.
~Celebration. Nigerians celebrate everything. Often in a big way. Birthdays. Weddings. Funerals. Baby dedications. Graduations. All can be reasons for a massive party involving hundreds or thousands of people. I think Nigerians value life in a special way because they are confronted with the fragility of life in much more intense ways than we (for the most part) do in America. So they celebrate. And rejoice. And give thanks. And invite everyone they know to join in with their celebrating. I'm fairly certain that over my six months in Nigeria there were not more than a handful of weekends where I had zero invites to some sort of party. I will definitely miss this!
~Simple life. As in many places outside the U.S., life is simpler. Not so fast paced. Not so commercial. Not so go go go. As a person who is prone to over-committing and go-go-going, I appreciate living in a place where I don't have to battle against that every day. In NYC I feel like I constantly have 10 things to accomplish in a day, and am expected to do so. So even if I accomplish 7 (a perfectly respectable amount in and of itself), I'm still not keeping up. In Ife, logistically it is unlikely that I could accomplish more than 3 things in a day, and no one actually expects me to do so. I can take time for myself, I can rest, I can spend long uninterrupted time with friends, I can be present wherever I am, without a mental battle to do so. I will miss not feeling constant pressure to buy, do, be, read, have, experience, and accomplish more, more, more. Though it definitely took time to unwind from my NYC intensity at first, I am thankful for a season where I could (more easily) live a simple life.
~Food. Oh my word I love Nigerian food so much. Suya, puff puff, chin chin, amala, and fried rice are just a few of my favorites. The fruit is also insanely delicious and fresh. Now I understand how papaya and pineapple should taste. I wrote blogs about food here, here, here, and here. So clearly I really delved into the cuisine of Nigeria. Don't get me wrong, I love being able to eat "familiar" foods again, but I really love Nigerian food and will miss it!
~Joy. It is rare to hear a Nigerian complain. I realized this when I was there, but I realize it even more being home in a culture where grumbling and complaining are rampant. Oh my word, we Americans complain A LOT! It was always so striking to me that despite having seemingly really genuine reasons to be frustrated or unhappy, Nigerians were so very joyful. Uncomplaining. Optimistic. Hopeful that a better and brighter day would come. Choosing gratefulness over grumbling. Now, of course not everyone was like this all the time, just as not all Americans grumble all the time. But the overarching environment and culture was one of joyful appreciation and thanksgiving. This was hugely inspirational and instructive to me, and I already miss it terribly.
Well, this post has certainly gotten quite long, so I'll bring it to a close here. Of course there's plenty more that I could include in both lists, and each of these is likely an oversimplification of the idea in one way or another. But it's my attempt to share a bit of the joys and frustrations of my time in Nigeria. Unfortunately now that I've reminisced about Nigerian food so much, I'm really craving some rice and stew... let me go see what I can do about that!
Thus, my thoughts on what I will (and do!) miss and not miss about Nigeria.
Back in July 2011 when I left Romania I blogged about what I would and would not miss about Romania. As I was thinking about writing this post, I re-read that one. Interestingly, there is a great deal of overlap in the two lists. I know that many of my Nigerian friends both within and outside Nigeria read my blog, so please know that my intent is not to "bash" Nigeria in writing what I won't miss, but simply to share about both the wonderful and the more difficult aspects (for me) of living there.
What I Will Not Miss About Nigeria
~Stares. Honestly my biggest struggle with living in Nigeria was not the frequent power or water outages, not the bugs, and not the heat (though don't worry, they're on the list, too!), it was being stared at all the time. I blogged about it here, and will probably write about some more elements of my "white celebrity" in the coming weeks, as it's a multi-faceted issue that wasn't simply about the "stares" per se, but so many elements of being white, young, female and foreign. All that to say, it was a daily battle that sometimes I handled well, and sometimes not so well. But I am thankful to not have to battle that in NYC, where I am completely anonymous and unknown.
~Corruption. Bribery is blatant and expected in Nigeria. Corruption is the norm in politics. Schemes, trickery, frauds, 419. The list goes on. It's sad, disheartening and frustrating. Thankfully I didn't have to deal with it directly all that often, but it was all around me and a frequent topic of conversation amongst Nigerian friends. I felt like I always had to be on my guard and paying attention to every interaction and transaction to make sure I wasn't being taken advantage of. Which could be exhausting at times. Now, of course there is corruption in one form or another everywhere in the world, but I think when you're foreign (and visibly so), it just heightens everything. So, I am happy to have a reprieve from the ways it was present in Nigeria.
~Bugs. A frequent experience throughout my day was to think, "Gosh, it feels like something is crawling on my leg/arm/neck." And to look and find that yes, indeed, there is something crawling on me. Bugs were simply an ever-present reality of living in a Boys Quarters next to the bush/forest (and I will say, would NOT be the case in other places/living situations in Nigeria). Which is what it is, and I've definitely increased my fearlessness quotient because of it. But I'm perfectly ok to be back in a place where I don't wake up in the middle of the night to find soldier ants invading my bedroom or spiders crawling on me.
~Power and water outages. I actually didn't mind this as much as I thought I would. And I was fortunate to have power about 70% of the time and water flowing about 60% of the time (with a big plastic storage bin for when it wasn't running) since I was living on a University campus. In town it would have probably been about half that. But again, given my preference, I'd choose constant power and clean, drinkable always-flowing water that I can regulate to be any temperature I desire.
~Garbage. There is seriously garbage everywhere. It's perfectly acceptable to just throw trash on the ground. Finish a bottle of water? Throw it out the car window or just drop it as you're walking. It's overwhelming and sad. Of course I understand it takes a lot of infrastructure, equipment and education to develop proper waste disposal systems. Furthermore, NYC is unquestionably one of the dirtiest (and smelliest!) places in the U.S., so I'm not actually coming back to a 'pristine' environment. However, I will not miss the overt disposal of trash out in the open, not one bit.
~Sweating all the time. It's insanely hot in Nigeria. And my home was not air conditioned, and most people do not have or do not use the AC in their cars. As a result, I spent six months almost constantly sweating. I drank a ton of water to make sure I stayed hydrated, and one friend even joked that Aquadana stock would probably drop when I left the country. Of course now that I'm back in NYC in the middle of winter (going from 100 degree average daily highs to 40 degree average daily highs overnight!) I'm insanely cold all the time and longing for the dry hot sun of harmattan. But I do think the next time I live in Nigeria, I will splurge on a window AC unit for my bedroom.
What I Will Miss About Nigeria
~Hospitality. Nigerians are the most hospitable people I've ever met. Hands down. Hospitality was also on my list for Romania, and indeed Romanians are hospitable. But Nigerians take the cake on this one. And they will probably feed you cake if you visit them. I invariably felt warmly welcomed into any home I visited, and was constantly amazed by how generous my friends, and even acquaintances were. I have a little bit of difficulty unwinding hospitality from generosity since so much of my experience with generosity was linked to hospitality, but I was often humbled by how freely people would give of the little that they had to bless another person. I could not visit someone without leaving with my arms full of food, drinks or fruit. Perhaps the most humbling experience of Nigerian generosity was when I went on a daylong mission trip to a remote village with some friends. As we were leaving, the villagers brought us (no exaggeration) hundreds of oranges, dozens of plantains, and probably ten yams. These people had almost nothing materially, yet they were sending us home with such an incredibly generous gift. I was inspired and encouraged time and time again to live my live in such a radically generous and hospitable way.
~Celebration. Nigerians celebrate everything. Often in a big way. Birthdays. Weddings. Funerals. Baby dedications. Graduations. All can be reasons for a massive party involving hundreds or thousands of people. I think Nigerians value life in a special way because they are confronted with the fragility of life in much more intense ways than we (for the most part) do in America. So they celebrate. And rejoice. And give thanks. And invite everyone they know to join in with their celebrating. I'm fairly certain that over my six months in Nigeria there were not more than a handful of weekends where I had zero invites to some sort of party. I will definitely miss this!
~Simple life. As in many places outside the U.S., life is simpler. Not so fast paced. Not so commercial. Not so go go go. As a person who is prone to over-committing and go-go-going, I appreciate living in a place where I don't have to battle against that every day. In NYC I feel like I constantly have 10 things to accomplish in a day, and am expected to do so. So even if I accomplish 7 (a perfectly respectable amount in and of itself), I'm still not keeping up. In Ife, logistically it is unlikely that I could accomplish more than 3 things in a day, and no one actually expects me to do so. I can take time for myself, I can rest, I can spend long uninterrupted time with friends, I can be present wherever I am, without a mental battle to do so. I will miss not feeling constant pressure to buy, do, be, read, have, experience, and accomplish more, more, more. Though it definitely took time to unwind from my NYC intensity at first, I am thankful for a season where I could (more easily) live a simple life.
~Food. Oh my word I love Nigerian food so much. Suya, puff puff, chin chin, amala, and fried rice are just a few of my favorites. The fruit is also insanely delicious and fresh. Now I understand how papaya and pineapple should taste. I wrote blogs about food here, here, here, and here. So clearly I really delved into the cuisine of Nigeria. Don't get me wrong, I love being able to eat "familiar" foods again, but I really love Nigerian food and will miss it!
~Joy. It is rare to hear a Nigerian complain. I realized this when I was there, but I realize it even more being home in a culture where grumbling and complaining are rampant. Oh my word, we Americans complain A LOT! It was always so striking to me that despite having seemingly really genuine reasons to be frustrated or unhappy, Nigerians were so very joyful. Uncomplaining. Optimistic. Hopeful that a better and brighter day would come. Choosing gratefulness over grumbling. Now, of course not everyone was like this all the time, just as not all Americans grumble all the time. But the overarching environment and culture was one of joyful appreciation and thanksgiving. This was hugely inspirational and instructive to me, and I already miss it terribly.
Well, this post has certainly gotten quite long, so I'll bring it to a close here. Of course there's plenty more that I could include in both lists, and each of these is likely an oversimplification of the idea in one way or another. But it's my attempt to share a bit of the joys and frustrations of my time in Nigeria. Unfortunately now that I've reminisced about Nigerian food so much, I'm really craving some rice and stew... let me go see what I can do about that!
Friday, January 04, 2013
Top 12 of '12
Continuing my annual tradition of sharing the best Christian resources I encounter during the year here are my Top 12 of (20)12.
Sermons
1) Kingdom: A Journey Through Matthew- series from the
Church at Brook Hills. I went to Birmingham in March and heard Mark Platt
preach. Oh man, God has given him a gift of wisely and rightly dividing the
Word. Video and audio of all sermons available online,
and also the notes that go along with the sermons. They also have a podcast.
2) Reading the Bible for All it’s Worth- series of 4 sermons
out of Covenant Life Church, one on why it’s important to rightly interpret
God’s word, then one each on historical context, literary context, and content
and application. Solid stuff. Available on their podcast 1/8-1/29, or online.
3) The Songs of the Servant- series from Redeemer (mostly
Tim Keller) on Isaiah. This is a series from 2010 that I listened to back then
but re-listened to as I was reading through Isaiah this year. Ah, they are
super solid. You can buy the series online,
though one
of them is in the free sermons section,
if you want to get a flavor (and it’s my favorite one!).
4) Desperate- series by Covenant Life Church from 2010 on
how Christians should live desperate for God. It was very convicting for me,
and super practical! Available on their podcast or online.
5) Holy Spirit series- What a wonderful and challenging
series on the Holy Spirit from my home church- Trinity Grace Church (Upper West
Side). I learned a lot through this!
Books
6) One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp – 2012 was a year of
thanksgiving. Learning to be thankful. Choosing to be thankful. Seeing how
giving thanks is radical in a world of complaining, striving, whining, and
always seeking “more more more.” This book was a key part of that journey.
7) The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller- This is an
excellent book about marriage, great for both those who are single and those
who are married. This is unquestionably a book I will read again and again.
8) The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence- An
incredibly simple yet hard idea- to develop the discipline and practice of
constantly communing with the Lord, continually walking in His presence, all
day, every day. This is a short but powerful book that really challenged,
inspired, and encouraged me to develop this practice and way of life.
9) The Genesee Diary by Henry J.M. Nouwen- This was the last
book I read in 2012, and it was stellar. Nouwen spent 7 months in a Trappist
monastery in NY, and this book is his journal from those months. During that
time he wrestled with his restlessness, anger, impatience, and desire to please
others. Through his time there he learned to see and experience God more simply
and wholeheartedly. So real, candid, and helpful.
10) Living into Focus: Choosing What Matters in Age of Distraction
by Arthur Boers- This book was helpful in thinking about my use of technology
and its role in my life. I think it’s probably hard to write a book about
technology without sounding a bit over-the-top or judgmental, but while I
definitely felt a bit of that at times, overall I think there are good
principles, challenging questions, and a thoughtful look at how to engage with
our fast-paced always-connected age.
Other
11) Serving Each other through Forgiveness and
Reconciliation by Tim Keller. This is a great article on forgiveness that just
seemed to come at it from a little different angle than I’d heard/read before
and really gets at the heart of community and accountability in relation to
reconciliation. Link to the article here
or here.
12) ESV Chronological Bible Reading Plan- I have seen and
used different Bible reading plans but never had read through chronologically.
While it’s generally reading straight through, the plan brings some overlapping
texts together (e.g., passages from 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Chronicles, and
Psalms) so you’re reading them at the same time, and puts things in fully in
time order. It’s great, and I did it with a group from my church and we met
once a month to chat about what we were learning- great accountability and so
cool to see what the Lord did through 8 other people’s lives through the Word
over the year!
The Best of the Rest
The Hole in our Gospel by Richard Stearns- This is a book
written by the President of World Vision and tackles the question of how
individual Christians and the Church (particularly in the West) live out mercy,
generosity and service to the poor and marginalized in our world. I have a few
issues with some of the underlying theology/emphasis, so that’s why it’s not in
the top 12, but I do think overall it’s a convicting and worthwhile read.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Christmas and Culture
I am struck by how unique this December has been in many ways. For starters, it's been my first holiday season in a tropical climate with 95+ degree (Fahrenheit) heat everyday and zero chance of snow. I've spent Christmas outside America before, when I lived in Romania. While in Romania I was certainly aware of how much simpler and less commercial Christmas was than in America, but it there were still decorative lights, Santas, snow, and Christmas trees (and still plenty of consumerism!). I was amidst an international community and had a team, so we were our own little family, and combined all our various traditions to make a melting pot of a holiday season.
In Nigeria I have been stripped of (almost) all that I equate - mentally, emotionally, physically, sensorially - with Christmas.
Worst of all, no one has a clue about the amazingness of the movie A Christmas Story. And people are slightly concerned that I'm a bit racist when I tell them I have an annual tradition of watching a movie called White Christmas.
Did I mention that it's 95 degrees every. single. day? (To all my Southern friends, sorry, I know that feels perfectly reasonable to you, but humor me).
It's astounding how much of what I love about Christmas is entirely cultural and secular. And entirely not about Jesus. Sure, amongst the Christian world in America as each Christmas rolls around, there are laments about how commercial Christmas has become and how the true "reason for the season" has been lost. How we need to boycott buying excessive amounts of gifts and get back to basics. Or something like this, which was quoted in a recent blog post I read...
"Every year the world — and the church — experiences Christmas, that curious amalgam of paganism, commercialism, and Christianity which Western civilization has invented to tide it over the darkest days of the winter. Christmas is a lost opportunity, a time when the world invites the Church to speak and she blushes, smiles, and mutters a few banalities with which the world is already perfectly familiar from its own stock of clichés and nursery rhymes." -Donald Macleod
And I read those blogs and articles and think, "Yea, right on! I'm so with you! This year it's all about Jesus!" I'm convicted of my need to focus more on Jesus, am well intentioned, and maybe even start out the month strong. But the fact of the matter is that it's next to impossible to actually meditate and focus on Jesus amidst the culture, commercialism, candy, and cookies. It's terribly difficult not to conflate it all. I say I'm joyful because it's another year to celebrate Jesus' birth (and I certainly am at some level), but am I really just excited that I'm going to get a bunch of sweet gifts, watch great movies, and eat tons of amazing food every single day for a month? Am I most excited about how the Advent calendar reminds me each day that Christmas is ever nearer, or the tasty chocolates I get to eat as I open a new 'door' on the calendar each day? How can I/we/you even begin to separate these things in our culture?
I don't have good answers to those questions, because I don't actually think I've done a great job of navigating it. But I do know that it was so much easier this year. Purely based on my choice to spend Christmas in Nigeria (in Ife specifically, I'm guessing it might have been a slightly different story in Lagos or Abuja), I was forced to confront how much I conflate and confuse culture with Christmas. I was forced to answer the question of whether my joy is rooted in celebrating Jesus' birth or in receiving gifts and eating food. And I was humbled by my 'answer.' I realized that I felt disappointed or angry that I didn't get to experience or eat or enjoy certain things this year. I saw my self-pity flare up as I listened to Christmas carols that talked about snow or looked at friends' photos of their decorated Christmas trees on facebook. I would feel myself looking at what was missing this Christmas instead of seeing that God had provided a huge opportunity to be truly filled with and satisfied in him and his Son. I had a heart of grumbling instead of a heart of gratitude.
But thanks be to God that he didn't leave me in this place! I praise him for showing me early in the month how much I have wound up culture with Christmas and for revealing my heart that seeks "joy" in the temporal rather than the eternal. I'm so thankful that he gave me eyes to see this and a receptive heart to learn and grow through it. I asked friends for prayer and asked God to change my heart, to make me prone to gratitude rather than grumbling, to take the extra time and space - unimpeded and undistracted - to focus on the true reason for the season. And you know what? He did it. God is so faithful and steadfast and longs for us to know more of him, and he honors our prayers to help us do so.
So I come back to where I started- I am struck by how unique this December has been in many ways. This December has been a rich month of feasting on Jesus, receiving gifts from him, and admiring the Light of the world. It has been a lovely celebration of his first Advent and a deeper longing for his second Advent. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity. In a way feel like I "had it easy," to not have had to fight through all the muck and mire of culture that has gotten so intertwined in my mind and heart with Christmas. Maybe others have been more successful at this in America than I have (and I welcome you to share your stories in the comments!), and I pray that I will be able to do so in years to come.
I still think I prefer a white Christmas to a warm one, but I hope to maintain a focused and joyful meditation on Jesus, no matter the culture or climate in which I find myself.
In Nigeria I have been stripped of (almost) all that I equate - mentally, emotionally, physically, sensorially - with Christmas.
No snow.
No Christmas trees.
No pine tree scent in my house.
No lights on houses.
No Christmas cookies.
No stockings.
No Santa.
No candy canes.
No endless stream of holiday parties.
No Christmas cards in the mail.
Worst of all, no one has a clue about the amazingness of the movie A Christmas Story. And people are slightly concerned that I'm a bit racist when I tell them I have an annual tradition of watching a movie called White Christmas.
Did I mention that it's 95 degrees every. single. day? (To all my Southern friends, sorry, I know that feels perfectly reasonable to you, but humor me).
It's astounding how much of what I love about Christmas is entirely cultural and secular. And entirely not about Jesus. Sure, amongst the Christian world in America as each Christmas rolls around, there are laments about how commercial Christmas has become and how the true "reason for the season" has been lost. How we need to boycott buying excessive amounts of gifts and get back to basics. Or something like this, which was quoted in a recent blog post I read...
"Every year the world — and the church — experiences Christmas, that curious amalgam of paganism, commercialism, and Christianity which Western civilization has invented to tide it over the darkest days of the winter. Christmas is a lost opportunity, a time when the world invites the Church to speak and she blushes, smiles, and mutters a few banalities with which the world is already perfectly familiar from its own stock of clichés and nursery rhymes." -Donald Macleod
And I read those blogs and articles and think, "Yea, right on! I'm so with you! This year it's all about Jesus!" I'm convicted of my need to focus more on Jesus, am well intentioned, and maybe even start out the month strong. But the fact of the matter is that it's next to impossible to actually meditate and focus on Jesus amidst the culture, commercialism, candy, and cookies. It's terribly difficult not to conflate it all. I say I'm joyful because it's another year to celebrate Jesus' birth (and I certainly am at some level), but am I really just excited that I'm going to get a bunch of sweet gifts, watch great movies, and eat tons of amazing food every single day for a month? Am I most excited about how the Advent calendar reminds me each day that Christmas is ever nearer, or the tasty chocolates I get to eat as I open a new 'door' on the calendar each day? How can I/we/you even begin to separate these things in our culture?
I don't have good answers to those questions, because I don't actually think I've done a great job of navigating it. But I do know that it was so much easier this year. Purely based on my choice to spend Christmas in Nigeria (in Ife specifically, I'm guessing it might have been a slightly different story in Lagos or Abuja), I was forced to confront how much I conflate and confuse culture with Christmas. I was forced to answer the question of whether my joy is rooted in celebrating Jesus' birth or in receiving gifts and eating food. And I was humbled by my 'answer.' I realized that I felt disappointed or angry that I didn't get to experience or eat or enjoy certain things this year. I saw my self-pity flare up as I listened to Christmas carols that talked about snow or looked at friends' photos of their decorated Christmas trees on facebook. I would feel myself looking at what was missing this Christmas instead of seeing that God had provided a huge opportunity to be truly filled with and satisfied in him and his Son. I had a heart of grumbling instead of a heart of gratitude.
But thanks be to God that he didn't leave me in this place! I praise him for showing me early in the month how much I have wound up culture with Christmas and for revealing my heart that seeks "joy" in the temporal rather than the eternal. I'm so thankful that he gave me eyes to see this and a receptive heart to learn and grow through it. I asked friends for prayer and asked God to change my heart, to make me prone to gratitude rather than grumbling, to take the extra time and space - unimpeded and undistracted - to focus on the true reason for the season. And you know what? He did it. God is so faithful and steadfast and longs for us to know more of him, and he honors our prayers to help us do so.
So I come back to where I started- I am struck by how unique this December has been in many ways. This December has been a rich month of feasting on Jesus, receiving gifts from him, and admiring the Light of the world. It has been a lovely celebration of his first Advent and a deeper longing for his second Advent. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity. In a way feel like I "had it easy," to not have had to fight through all the muck and mire of culture that has gotten so intertwined in my mind and heart with Christmas. Maybe others have been more successful at this in America than I have (and I welcome you to share your stories in the comments!), and I pray that I will be able to do so in years to come.
I still think I prefer a white Christmas to a warm one, but I hope to maintain a focused and joyful meditation on Jesus, no matter the culture or climate in which I find myself.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Travel Log- Ghana: Kakum National Park
This is a “must see/do” of Ghana. Everyone I know who has
visited Ghana told me to go here. It’s a canopy walkway, as in, little walkways
in the air, 40 meters off the forest floor. There are seven walkways
totaling 330 meters, and you can stare mouth-agape at the expanse of forest all
around. And of course, take plenty of pictures.
The walk way up to the walkway
Ready to go! And already sweating.
Now THIS is a forest
The walkway
One done!
This made me a liiitle dizzy
Looking up
Looking down
You can see one of the walkways in the distance, gives a bit
of perspective both how high up we were and how high the trees were!
Beautiful expanse
Walkways four and five
Go team!
Enjoying some delicious coconut water on the way back down
Woo!
Friday, December 14, 2012
Travel Log- Ghana: Food
I ate so much delicious food in Ghana, it was unreal. Fresh
fish everywhere + private chef at my friend’s family’s house + luxurious beach
resort + wonderful Accra restaurants = a week of great eating for Spangles.
Some of the deliciousness included:
Many incredible meals from my friend’s chef, but two were fish
cakes (it tasted like salmon, but I’m not sure if it was), and a beef stir fry:
Banku (a corn-based swallow, super common in Ghana) and
fresh whole tilapia. The pepper was really spicy, but delicious:
Similarly, another corn-based product (whose name I can't remember) and whole red snapper.
There were two kinds of pepper (raw and cooked sauce), not pictured:
A little corn snack (are you seeing a corn theme??):
Another common snack is fried overripe plantain with pepper (spice):
I also ate a yummy sushi roll and lobster miso soup (not
pictured) out at a Japanese restaurant one night:
The beach resort we went to for a weekend had the most
insanely amazing food, including:
Seafood salad with avocado medallion and prawn tempura:
Chicken stuffed with cheese, wrapped in bacon, with a creamy
polenta and mushroom sauce:
Orange cheese cake with chocolate ice cream:
For breakfast we received homemade breads with fresh
pineapple and raspberry jams, as well as feta cheese, avocado, and mascarpone
spreads:
Fruit as fresh as fresh can be:
Grilled snapper with chimichuru, vegetable tempura, coriander
emulsion, and bean salsa:
Berries in lemongrass syrup with orange sorbet:
The most crazy food item at the resort was a fish platter
for two. I think they meant to write four. It included a whole grouper, red
snapper, lobster, barracudas, calamari, and prawns. It was seriously intense.
We did some damage, but weren’t able to finish it all.
What a delectable week of eating, indeed! It didn’t hurt
that many of my meals were eaten overlooking the ocean. I think that makes food
taste better. All around, two thumbs up!
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Travel Log- Ghana: Accra
It's been almost a month since I traveled to visit Ghana. But I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had time to blog. Or I haven’t made time to blog, at least. So this week I’ll try to do a recap of some of my Ghana adventures.
The flight from Lagos to Accra is one hour. Super easy, and
relatively cheap. I stayed in Accra with a friend and based my adventures from
there. Within hours of arrival it was clear I was in a completely different
country. Yes Ghana and Nigeria are both in West Africa, yes they are both countries
in which English is spoken, and yes there is plenty of overlap in culture,
food, and traditions. But they’re still different in many ways.
Overall, Ghana is considerably
more developed than Nigeria- the roads are better and have fewer potholes,
there is near constant electricity and water, and infrastructure is generally
better. For a variety of reasons, Ghana has also been able to commercialize its
natural resources (second largest cocoa producer in the world and second
largest gold miner in Africa) more effectively than Nigeria. That could be an
entire post on it’s own, and I don’t understand either country well enough to
fully explain why that is, but I think my assertion is an accurate one (feel free
to correct me!). Furthermore, unlike Nigeria and many West African nations, elections
and transfer of power have been done well, reasonably fairly, and without
bloodshed since the early 90s. Though I’m sure there is corruption in the
leadership, it pales in comparison to that of Nigerian leadership. So, Ghana is
a reasonably different playing field.
In any event, I really enjoyed Accra. Here are some
highlights.
My friend works at University of Ghana, so I walked around
campus one day. And it’s so big! And beautiful! And clean! Did I mention
beautiful? I have so many pictures from the University, but here are just two:
One day I went out exploring Accra with a friend (a few classmates are in Ghana for their Practicum), and we started by visiting the Jamestown lighthouse. We climbed the slightly sketchy stairs and then a seriously sketchy ladder and came out to see striking views:
Then we descended and walked down into Jamestown, which is basically a little village within Accra that is almost entirely devoted to fishing. Everywhere I looked people were cleaning or preparing fish and mending fishing nets or boats. It was fascinating. It was one of those times I wished that I wasn’t white, and I could just walk around freely and observe people. Though I’m sure there’s nothing glamorous about fishing, and it’s in likely a hard life, everything about Jamestown had this mysteriously attraction for me. The colors of the boats, the bowls filled with fresh fish, the boys diving off the piers and swimming in the water. It was gritty, vibrant, and captivating.
After lunch it was off to Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. Nkrumah
was the leader of the Gold Coast (Ghana’s predecessor state) and Ghana from
1951-1966. This included overseeing the transition from British colonial rule
in 1957. Interestingly (to me and my life path), he did one of his Masters
degrees at my undergraduate University, preached at black Presbyterian churches
in NYC, and died in Bucharest. The memorial tomb and park for him is in the
heart of Accra and is very well done:
Finally, we visited Independence Square, where there is the
Black Star Gate with FREEDOM AND JUSTICE written on it. Wikipedia taught me
that it’s the second largest city square in the world, after Tiananmen Square:
Note: I meant to include a photo of the whole square
so you could see its size, but Blogger is telling me I am out of photo
space. And I'm not feeling like dealing with that right now.
There is (of course) so much more to Accra, some of which I
saw, much of which I did not. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the city and am
thankful for the opportunity to visit!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
To Ask or Not To Ask: That is the Question
As I've lived in Nigeria, I have learned there are certain things you don't ask or say, especially to a new acquaintance. Things that are perfectly reasonable to ask or say to a new acquaintance in the U.S. This also works in reverse, as there are certain things that Nigerians will say to me that are perfectly reasonable here but if you would say in America, they would be completely unacceptable. I've collected quite a number of these cross-cultural quirks, so I thought I'd share some of them with you.
Things you shouldn't ask a Nigerian, especially if you're meeting them for the first time:
~"How old are you?" This is kind of impolite in some situations in the U.S., but not in the way it is in Nigeria. I don't know the age of the vast majority of people with whom I have interacted regularly for the past five months.
~"How many children do you have?" This is seriously taboo. If a person would answer that, it's almost as if they're saying that is "final." Even though they may only have 2 now, they may want 4, but if they say, "I have two," then it's like that's it. Done. No more will come. I believe it's linked to some old-school traditional beliefs, though I don't know anymore than that.
~"When are you due?" Never ever ask a pregnant Nigerian lady when she is due. This is terribly offensive. Again, I understand it's linked to some traditional beliefs about stating things before they're certain, saying things out loud and thereby giving demons a chance to do funny things (some believe), etc. This is something that even close friends don't ask one another.
~"How many brothers and sisters do you have?" We would totally ask this in a first conversation in the U.S., but it's not something you'd ask that quickly in Nigeria. It's not "relevant" or "fair game," and altogether too personal to ask when you first meet someone.
In general, we Americans ask a LOT of personal questions the first time we meet someone. A lot. So if you're meeting a Nigerian, just chill out with the question asking, and instead talk about sports, politics, or generalities about their life (e.g., How's work? or How's your family? rather than Where do you work? or What does your brother do?). Let people offer information rather than asking for it. Americans view asking lots of questions as showing interest and trying to get to know a person better, but Nigerians see it as suspicious behavior and think, "Why do they want to know this??" In general, Nigerians prefer to get to know someone by observing them, spending time together, or experiencing things together. Again, these are generalities about both cultures, not absolutes, but good to keep in mind.
And for my Nigerian friends, here are some things you might want to refrain from saying or asking if you're in America.
~"You look like you've added weight." You can't imagine how frequently people say this to me in Nigerian. It seems Nigerians notice even small changes in the way people look, and it's perfectly ok to comment on it, as a totally 'matter of fact' statement, not in any way judging. Well, maybe some people are judging if they say it behind your back, but if they just say it to you, it's rarely judgmental. But yea, don't do this in the U.S., it is extremely rude. You can tell someone they look like they've lost weight, but not added. It's also common to ask people how much they weigh in Nigeria, and this would also be taboo in the U.S., unless it's a close friend.
~Asking a person about their acne/pimples. Even the word 'pimples' is not a word we use in the U.S., but it seems to be the preferred word in Nigeria. As with so many things, we try to find 'nicer' words. Ah, the number of people who have asked me about my pimples! But it's literally not something you ever ask about in the U.S. Unless it's a mother to her child. Off limits.
~In general, men commenting on women's appearance. Now. Of course if a Nigerian guy my age who is intersested in dating me comments on my appearance (in a positive way), it's fine. I'm talking about older men commenting on younger women's appearances, especially in a professional setting. It's totally commonplace here, and I literally think all of my male coworkers/supervisors have commented on my appearance at least once. But in the U.S. you have to be super careful because people are super sensitive about sexual harassment and at the faintest whiff of sexual undertones, you might find yourself with a lawsuit on your hands. When you had perfectly benign intentions, and, as a proper Nigerian man, were just appreciating and celebrating the beauty of a woman.
~"What church do you go to?" If you know someone is a Christian, it would be fine to ask. But unlike Southwest Nigeria where most people are "Christian" (or at least they would call themselves so because they go to church on Sunday), there are large portions of America where only a small percentage of people are Christians. Even if you're in a place with lots of Christians, religion is just not a "first conversation" kind of topic like it is in Nigeria. Again, assuming you don't know if the person is a Christian. Then again, if you have an evangelist's heart and want to share Jesus with everyone you meet, go right ahead, but just know that it may come across as a bit abrasive.
~Interdigitating. This is a word I made up the first time I experienced it in Romania. One time we were all circled up before dinner to pray, and a Nigerian guy friend was next to me, and as we all joined hands, he interdigitated. You know, like the kind of hand holding that couples do, interlacing fingers. Not something guy and girl friends do. At all. Ever. It caught me totally off guard, and I was terribly confused at what it meant and if he was trying to 'send me a message.' When in actuality, it meant nothing, and it's just totally normal. Nigerians are affectionate in some ways that Americans aren't, and hand-holding (even interdigitational hand-holding) is quite common between men and women who aren't a couple, as well as between men. It's just part of the culture. Unfortunately I did not know this, and I am sure I blushed the first time it happened. Thankfully everyone was praying at the time and likely did not notice, and my confusion was shortly cleared up when I asked another Nigerian friend about the matter. But just to save any other Americans some confusion, be careful about your interdigitating.
With that, I will bring this post to a close. Hopefully this will help prevent a few misunderstandings and cultural snafus. If you can think of other questions or sensitive topics to add to this list, please feel free to post a comment!
Things you shouldn't ask a Nigerian, especially if you're meeting them for the first time:
~"How old are you?" This is kind of impolite in some situations in the U.S., but not in the way it is in Nigeria. I don't know the age of the vast majority of people with whom I have interacted regularly for the past five months.
~"How many children do you have?" This is seriously taboo. If a person would answer that, it's almost as if they're saying that is "final." Even though they may only have 2 now, they may want 4, but if they say, "I have two," then it's like that's it. Done. No more will come. I believe it's linked to some old-school traditional beliefs, though I don't know anymore than that.
~"When are you due?" Never ever ask a pregnant Nigerian lady when she is due. This is terribly offensive. Again, I understand it's linked to some traditional beliefs about stating things before they're certain, saying things out loud and thereby giving demons a chance to do funny things (some believe), etc. This is something that even close friends don't ask one another.
~"How many brothers and sisters do you have?" We would totally ask this in a first conversation in the U.S., but it's not something you'd ask that quickly in Nigeria. It's not "relevant" or "fair game," and altogether too personal to ask when you first meet someone.
In general, we Americans ask a LOT of personal questions the first time we meet someone. A lot. So if you're meeting a Nigerian, just chill out with the question asking, and instead talk about sports, politics, or generalities about their life (e.g., How's work? or How's your family? rather than Where do you work? or What does your brother do?). Let people offer information rather than asking for it. Americans view asking lots of questions as showing interest and trying to get to know a person better, but Nigerians see it as suspicious behavior and think, "Why do they want to know this??" In general, Nigerians prefer to get to know someone by observing them, spending time together, or experiencing things together. Again, these are generalities about both cultures, not absolutes, but good to keep in mind.
And for my Nigerian friends, here are some things you might want to refrain from saying or asking if you're in America.
~"You look like you've added weight." You can't imagine how frequently people say this to me in Nigerian. It seems Nigerians notice even small changes in the way people look, and it's perfectly ok to comment on it, as a totally 'matter of fact' statement, not in any way judging. Well, maybe some people are judging if they say it behind your back, but if they just say it to you, it's rarely judgmental. But yea, don't do this in the U.S., it is extremely rude. You can tell someone they look like they've lost weight, but not added. It's also common to ask people how much they weigh in Nigeria, and this would also be taboo in the U.S., unless it's a close friend.
~Asking a person about their acne/pimples. Even the word 'pimples' is not a word we use in the U.S., but it seems to be the preferred word in Nigeria. As with so many things, we try to find 'nicer' words. Ah, the number of people who have asked me about my pimples! But it's literally not something you ever ask about in the U.S. Unless it's a mother to her child. Off limits.
~In general, men commenting on women's appearance. Now. Of course if a Nigerian guy my age who is intersested in dating me comments on my appearance (in a positive way), it's fine. I'm talking about older men commenting on younger women's appearances, especially in a professional setting. It's totally commonplace here, and I literally think all of my male coworkers/supervisors have commented on my appearance at least once. But in the U.S. you have to be super careful because people are super sensitive about sexual harassment and at the faintest whiff of sexual undertones, you might find yourself with a lawsuit on your hands. When you had perfectly benign intentions, and, as a proper Nigerian man, were just appreciating and celebrating the beauty of a woman.
~"What church do you go to?" If you know someone is a Christian, it would be fine to ask. But unlike Southwest Nigeria where most people are "Christian" (or at least they would call themselves so because they go to church on Sunday), there are large portions of America where only a small percentage of people are Christians. Even if you're in a place with lots of Christians, religion is just not a "first conversation" kind of topic like it is in Nigeria. Again, assuming you don't know if the person is a Christian. Then again, if you have an evangelist's heart and want to share Jesus with everyone you meet, go right ahead, but just know that it may come across as a bit abrasive.
~Interdigitating. This is a word I made up the first time I experienced it in Romania. One time we were all circled up before dinner to pray, and a Nigerian guy friend was next to me, and as we all joined hands, he interdigitated. You know, like the kind of hand holding that couples do, interlacing fingers. Not something guy and girl friends do. At all. Ever. It caught me totally off guard, and I was terribly confused at what it meant and if he was trying to 'send me a message.' When in actuality, it meant nothing, and it's just totally normal. Nigerians are affectionate in some ways that Americans aren't, and hand-holding (even interdigitational hand-holding) is quite common between men and women who aren't a couple, as well as between men. It's just part of the culture. Unfortunately I did not know this, and I am sure I blushed the first time it happened. Thankfully everyone was praying at the time and likely did not notice, and my confusion was shortly cleared up when I asked another Nigerian friend about the matter. But just to save any other Americans some confusion, be careful about your interdigitating.
With that, I will bring this post to a close. Hopefully this will help prevent a few misunderstandings and cultural snafus. If you can think of other questions or sensitive topics to add to this list, please feel free to post a comment!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Lagos Adventures
First of all, Lagos is pronounced like you're saying the words lay+goes. Not lah-gohs. Think of Legos (a children's toy in the US), if that will help you remember.
Secondly, I heard more about Lagos prior to visiting than any other city in the world, possibly with the exception of Istanbul (which I still haven't visited but sincerely hope to). The most common adjectives Nigerians had used to describe Lagos to me are stressful, loud, dirty, chaotic, rowdy, and congested. Great reputation, huh? People talked about how fast-paced it is, how there are constantly people everywhere, how bad the traffic is, how there is something going on 24/7, how intense it is, and how you can pretty much get anything you want there. Lagotians say they thrive on the energy while non-Lagotians say they can't stand the place.
All this sounded a lot like NYC to me.
The adjectives, the descriptions, and how two people could look at the same place and one would say it energizes them and another would say it drains them. NYers look at the chaos and intensity of the city and smile, while non-NYers grimace.
I thought for sure after living in NYC that I would do just fine in Lagos.
I thought wrong.
It was probably the most stressful two weeks of my life. Which is not to say I didn't have great experiences, learn a ton, nor that I can't look back and laugh at the absurd experiences. But alas, it was seriously. intense.
Now, a fair amount of the stress came from the nature of the work we had to do. As I said, it involved visiting 10 hospitals (where we interviewed 3 individuals) and interviewing local and state officials. They were spread out across the State (Note: Lagos is a city, but it's really a state), and the traffic situation made it a logistical nightmare. There were a number of other challenges with the work that I won't go into, but suffice it to say, doing the work in the Lagos environment was challenging.
Another portion of the stress was transport related. It's legitimately absurd to get around Lagos. By any mode of transportation you name. If you take a car or taxi, you'll likely sit in traffic for at least an hour to get anywhere. If you're going a long distance, it could easily be 3, 5, or 7 hours depending on the time of day. On more than one occasion I overheard someone say they left for work at 5am and didn't arrive until 11am because of traffic. If you take one of the forms of public transport (various kinds of buses and marwas), you have to figure out how to navigate the routes (no maps), and you will likely be crammed into a small hot space with far too many other people. If you walk, you have to be super mindful of your person and possessions (though that's the case everywhere all the time). If you take an okada, you have to pray fervently that you don't die.
So.
With those options, you can imagine it's a tad bit stressful, particularly for a newbie.
During my two weeks in Lagos I utilized all of the aforementioned modes of transportation. Our team supervisor had a car, which I rode in when I was working with him (we would often "divide and conquer," so sometimes I was with him and sometimes with the other gal). On those days we usually sat in traffic for 2-3 hours. When working with my other teammate, we didn't have a car, so we would take public transport. We took many small buses (something like a 15-passenger van), though never the large ones or molues, as well as marwas (essentially motorized rickshaws for 4 passengers). Here is a picture of the small buses, one from within the bus, and another from inside a marwa.
And then there were the okadas. A necessary evil, in a way. Given that they are not regulated, and any dude can just decide to buy an okada and drive people around on it (with or without training) they're incredibly dangerous. Even if they were regulated, the roads are terrible, and offensive driving is the way of the Nigerian driver, so you're quite vulnerable sitting on the back of a motorbike. Without a helmet. However, they are incredibly useful if you want to get places with any amount of timeliness. They can glide through traffic jams and really pothole-y roads that are difficult for standard vehicles to navigate. There were times when I got somewhere in 20 minutes on an okada, and it easily would have taken two hours in a car. Given the time constraints on our work and the logistical issues of going all over the city, it was a helpful option. Though they're trying to ban them in Lagos, as you can see in the pictures above, they're everywhere. I counted that I took 20 okadas over my two weeks. Just for good measure, I took a photo with the first one.
Yes, my first okada ride in Lagos was at night.
Moving on. Since we had to go to hospitals all over the city, I saw a ton of Lagos. Imagine having to go to 10 hospitals spread out across Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. Yea. Lagos consists of the Mainland and the Island, and almost all of my work was on the Mainland. For those who know the city, I did work or spent time in Surulere, Mushin, Ikorodun, Ejigbo, Agege, Osodi, Ladipo, Imimu, Ojota, Yaba, and Ikeja. Not sure if they're all spelled correctly, but alas. Here are a few pictures so you can see some of the different types of houses and cars, as well as the ubiquitous garbage and satellite dishes. Of course, this doesn't even remotely begin to cover it all, just a few places that were of interest to me.
I only went to Lagos Island to interview one individual at the Health Service Commission, and it was on my tenth day in the city. It was literally like going to a different country. I had heard that it was this completely "other" place, a land of smooth roads, tall buildings, fancy stores, and big houses. I didn't go into the residential areas, but you can see even from these few pictures that Lagos Island is a radically different kind of place.
To get to the Island you need to cross the Lagos Lagoon over one of three bridges. We went across the Third Mainland Bridge to get there. It's about 7.5 miles (or 12 km) long! While crossing to the Island, on your right you can see a slum called Makoko, essentially a fishing village on stilts in the Lagoon. It's an informal settlement, and the government recently destroyed many houses giving only 3 days notice to residents. I learned about Makoko a few years ago on a BBC Documentary entitled Welcome to Lagos. I have issues with the documentary because the three-part series essentially shows the three worst areas of Lagos, as if that "defines" Lagos. It would be like doing a "documentary" of New York City and highlighting a neighborhood in the South Bronx, the garbage dump in Staten Island, and the worst neighborhood in Brooklyn. Not exactly representative. In any event, I was interested to see it in person. It's far enough from the bridge that you can't get great pictures, especially while in motion, but here is one, as well two pictures of a neighborhood in the swamps along another one of the bridges. As with any major world city, the contrast between the vast wealth and immense poverty is striking.
While staying with that family, I attended my first Nigerian funeral with one of the brothers. We didn't attend the service or burial, just the celebration/party, at which there were easily 1,000 people. Lots of music, lots of dancing, lots of food. For funerals there is most often a fabric that is chosen and you can buy it and sew it into any kind of attire and wear in solidarity with the family. It was fascinating to see more than half of the people wearing the same fabric!
I also attended a Sallah celebration. The hallmark of this celebration is each family slaughtering a ram (to represent the ram God provided to Abraham in place of his son). Driving around the city that day, we saw loads of rams being slaughtered in front of houses, as well as rams tied outside houses waiting to be slaughtered. In this case, I believe several families had come together and purchased a cow. But they still put a ram in front of the house, as well. I have a closer picture of the skinless dead cow, but I'll just leave you with this less bloody one.
So, that ended up being a bit longer than I intended, but like I said, it was still a fraction of all that happened. Now that I've actually been to Lagos I can attest that everything people said about it is true. It is stressful, loud, dirty, chaotic, rowdy, and congested. But if you can manage to sort through all that, it's also a thriving, dynamic, and fascinating place, with adventures around every corner. Perhaps some day I'll go back and experience life on the Island, but I'm glad that the first time around I experienced Lagos as I did- in all of its gritty glory.
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