African Journal #9: Hot Nights in Abuja

April 21, 2008

Sweating It Out

Oh, how great it is to be a VSO volunteer. The perks are countless – making good friends with other volunteers, staying at the spankin’ VSO flat in Abuja, and the excellent networking opportunities that arise as a volunteer. All of that occurred while I was in the capital city for the long weekend during my travels in the Southern states while I take my three-week vacation from the school in Kebbi State.

Helen and I left Akwanga to go to Abuja in the public transport, we paid 300 Naira ($2.50 USD) for a two hour trip cramped in the back of a small car with four people in the back! But the upside was it wasn’t so uncomfortable because I had shed some pounds and was able to fit unlike when I first came to Nigeria. Helen and I went to Abuja earlier on Wednesday so we would attend an educational forum hosted by the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA) on Thursday to partake in a roundtable discussion on a variety of topics covering education for all Nigerians who are HIV positive, women and girls, have special needs, impoverished and so on. A lot of important people attended this meeting and as luck would have it, VSO hired a sign language interpreter named Timothy, whom I had met in Jos earlier in March. The meeting was a very long and daunting one, and it didn’t help that I had to tactile on Timothy’s hand with my sore, dislocated shoulder so I had to take 10-15 minute intervals in between. It was a challenge trying to understand Timothy’s SEE (Signed Exact English) and it was an even more of a challenge having to sign SEE for Timothy to interpret while I spoke on the topic of providing education to all Deaf Nigerians on HIV and AIDS and how the government needs to establish formal interpreting agencies and fund them, as well as the topic on education for Deaf Blind children all over the country because currently no such classes for DB children exist. I got a round of applause from the roundtable (50-60 people attended). I sure wasn’t used to having to sign each word rather than expressing my thoughts naturally through ASL. Timothy had a Deaf brother who was a former president of the Nigerian Association for the Deaf until his death from malaria several years ago. Timothy had a passion for working with Deaf people through his brother, and wanted to find out how he could establish Nigeria’s first interpreting agency and encourage the government to fund it, as well as asking universities to bring into the curriculum ASL classes and advanced interpreting courses. He is truly motivated and that was duly noted when Timothy asked me what the ASL sign for this and that was – it was a learning experience for the both of us. It was a strange experience having a Nigerian interpret for me rather than what I was used to, with Zach and Erin, with any of my North American interpreters – and not being able to sign naturally in ASL. But this is a cultural experience and I embrace it.

The long day in itself wasn’t the only pain in the ass, literally! I had tummy aches all day and had to go back and forth to the bathroom to take a real long good shit. I cannot believe how much I had discharged from my body, and even more so how good it smelled. Ahh. But having to shit five times during the day was draining for me, physically – I felt so tired from withdrawal of so many solids and fluids that I had passed on going out with the girls to a bush bar on Friday night because during Thursday night, I had commuted to the loo a total of SIX times to relieve all the water stored in my body… I didn’t catch any good winks so it had taken its toll on me on Friday and I just crashed. The girls went out while I just chilled at the flat and made several vlogs with and without NEPA (electricity). The mossies (mosquitoes) were equally terrible, they swarmed the flat because it was a great place to chill, too, away from the pouring rain and the humidity of Abuja. NEPA had gone out just before I hit the sack, so for the third night in a row, I lay on my back in a puddle of sweat but knocked out easily because I was just simply so tired.

Saturday was a new day, and Coco was energized to the max! I was feeling so much better and the girls and I set off for some chicken shawarma at Amigo’s Lebanese restaurant for lunch then hit the Dutch Embassy to browse their weekend festival. I could not believe how many Bature (white) people were there – most of them expatriates who moved to Nigeria to reside – and some were volunteers for different organizations, namely VSO. I bought some beautiful purple tye-dye fabric from Elly and Mart, two VSO vols working in Edo State; a black/white beaded necklace from Mary who worked at a service for the handicapped in Kubwa (outside Abuja); four ceramic shooters to bring home for guests to indulge; and a cool Nigerian necklace. The art displayed was so amazing but way out of my budget limit. I earn 30,000 Naira ($250 USD) every month as a volunteer and it allows me to buy food, drinks, some travel expenses, a personal trainer and some fabric to boot – so with that salary I was living comfortably but no room to save up and buy insane amounts of art. Maybe at the end of my volunteer stint I’ll be able to bring tons of African art home – wherever that is when I’m finished here.

Saturday – Aine, Helen, Jane, Thessa, Kristal, Ilse, Mart, Elly, Julia & Dee (vol for different org from Ireland) and I indulged in some din-din at Thessa’s new crib, then some of us hightailed it to the Crystal Lounge, a cool club where the kids of senators, distinguished officials, and rich parents liked to schmooze. When we got to the club, the bouncer grabbed my cane and gave me a weird look. He thought it was a WEAPON!!!! Jane explained that I was blind and it was a cane so I could walk around safely and not injure myself. He was apologetic, and lifted my arm to go up the stairs. Clueless fella!
I wasn’t in the mood to drink but had a Smirnoff Ice and chilled while the other girls danced their booties off. Jane, an amazing friend, has learned how to fingerspell and has already picked up more than 50 signs in one week (quite a perceptive gal) and was able to “interpret” the hilarious but long conversation between me and X, a guy who thought I was the most beautiful angel alive. He asked me my name and I replied: Y. He wanted to be my slave, but I basically told him to kiss my ass. It was fun until he just wouldn’t let go and kept pestering me for my phone number and wanted to take me home – I kept hinting for him to just go. I’m a good, old-fashioned gal, I don’t like taking boys home after a wild night!
I’m usually always up for dancing all night til dawn, but this was different – I felt more mellow, and wanted to chill at home watching a movie with a cutie and eating popcorn instead. No, it ain’t age, just the mood of the day. I know my girls had tons of fun, we all looked muy caliente!

Jane, Helen and I – the Akwanga Amigas – went back to Akwanga on Sunday. I’m gonna stay here for a few more days til I’m off to Jos to meet up with the Deaf community and facilitate a meeting with them – as well as participating in a meeting with Nigerian interpreters on Saturday, courtesy of Timothy. Definitely looking forward to that!

NEPA keeps coming on and off and on and off… I’m so used to these shut-offs now, but I recall when I got into Nigeria I was so impatient and cursed every time it went off. Now I just kill time by doing my journals while the electricity’s left the building and do as much as I can while it’s on. Internet is so slow here, I’m not able to download videos nor pictures by the bundle – so I’ll venture to the British Consulate next week when I’m back in Abuja, so m’dearies, have patience.

Thank goodness it’s so much cooler here in Akwanga. The heat and humidity of Abuja was a little too much for me to handle. Light breezes through the windows is a comforting feeling.

Tactile love,
Coco

African Journal #8: The Amigas of Akwanga

April 16, 2008

The Circle of Friendship

When the sun set on Sunday evening, Zach and I were in the company of several volunteers and friends chowing on delicious spicy tilapia fish, cooked right off the outdoor grill and downed several Star beers at the Abuja Military Market. If visitors come to town, I’ll be sure to take them to this wonderful place situated outside of Abuja near the valleys. In a sense, it was Zach’s goodbye party, and we all gathered for some fun and music. There was even a folk singer that sung one of John Denver’s songs – something about The Road to Home. Fitting for a send-off for Zach, who after six weeks departs in several hours for America – the country he calls home. Burning the midnight oil, Zach and I had a great conversation and a bittersweet goodbye, then we went to bed and with the breaking dawn I bid Zach adieu.

Once he left the VSO flat, I sat on the couch in shock. I was truly on my own now. Despite the measures VSO has taken to ensure I am well looked after with an alternate intervenor waiting for me in Birnin Kebbi upon my return, it does not assuage my sadness over Zach and Erin’s departure. Zach’s presence in itself over the six weeks had truly impacted me on a spiritual and emotional level, he’s become a special friend and confidante. We’d gone through so much the past three weeks after Erin left – and bonded even more so. Now that he’s gone, I had to face the daunting task of moving on with my life and focusing on my upcoming travels and working solo in Birnin-Kebbi. Granted, Erin and Zach had helped my transition into Nigeria more smoother and increased my ability to be independent with networking and environmental information – but without them, I think I can take it from here and face challenges everyday and learn lessons from it.

After such an emotional day, I met up with Jane and Helen, two volunteers situated in Akwanga, 2 hours east of Abuja, at the flat and we set out to have some chop (food) at this delicious Lebanese place called AJ’s – absolutely heavenly. I had the most delicious chicken salad with chips – definitely a place I’ll return to when I’m ever in Abuja.

Abuja is the capital city of Nigeria established only recently, close to 10 years old. Lagos, the port city in the South, used to be the capital city but the population grew past 10 million people and the government decided Nigeria needed a new capital city where tourists, politicians and expatriates would come and live in luxury. Buildings, shops, restaurants and clubs were upscale, it was in stark contrast to the shantytowns, tin houses and huts of villages outside Abuja.

After a refreshing visit to the VSO Nigeria Programme Office, I felt rejuvenated with all the words of encouragement and support from the office staff and set off to the Nya Nya motorpark with Jane and Helen. We found a car and we sped off to Akwanga where I would chill with my amigas for several days before returning to Abuja for an education forum with VSO.

Jane Brinson is a cool, collected Brit from Cardiff who was my In Country Training Program co-ordinator. She’s younger than me, but there’s an old soul inside of her. We hit it off during ICT and Jane’s been eager about learning sign language and understanding the wackiness that I always seem to embody. We’ve become instant close friends, and I consider her my lifelong pal – she’s so empathetic about my blindness and has been extraordinary about paying attention to details on how to guide me, communicating and listening.

Helen is one crazy, sweet, spiritual chica from Ireland whom I had met in Jos in the beginning of March for a PATCH meeting where all the VSO volunteers in Nigeria met up twice a year. Someone told me that Helen’s laughter was pretty loud, so I had to see for myself who this cool chica was. She and I bonded over our naughtiness and our philosophy on life, love and spirituality. Helen has studied the art of Raiki, a healing massage practice and has done one on me – it has influenced me to want to learn more about the art of healing, homeopathy and spiritual guidance. Helen and I also bonded over our dismal love lives, and we know that we are two incredibly strong and beautiful women who have waited so long to find the right kind of love – and we vowed we would eventually find it one day.

Last night, Jane invited Helen over for dinner at her flat, we had delicious carrot ginger soup and fresh salad – and great conversations on MS Word on my laptop. Makes for faster communication with hearing people!

Zach is a genius. He downloaded some of his African beat CDs on my laptop and it was perfect timing so I turned up the volume and Helen, Jane and I just danced and danced and danced in the living room, working up a sweat and burned thousands of calories! The light, cool breeze of Akwanga swept in the room and our bodies were in tune with the air and the music.

Now I’m at the College of Education in Akwanga, where vols Helen, Jane and David work – trying to grab as much time on the snail-like internet while NEPA’s still whirring…. Oh no. It just went out. Guess I’m going to have to wait a while until it comes back on to post this entry. Unpredictable! Makes me think about the times I wasted electricity unnecessarily back home in America or the times when I really needed it, it was there all the time. Now I’m playing it by electricity, but good thing my life doesn’t revolve around electricity. Internet runs on electricity but it can wait. This has taught me how to be extra patient and find other fun ways to kill time… such as doing this journal entry.

I’m off to cheer up my Akwanga amigas. They’re too precious for words. I’m blessed, really. Friendships that I have formed while here in Nigeria with volunteers, the communities and of course my lovely Erin and Zach – truly make my heart fill up with happiness and comfort. I don’t need material things – jewelery, clothes, money, luxury to get me through life, just my circle of friends and my sanity as well as my health is my luxury in life. See, this shopaholic has turned over a new leaf. Nigeria is truly life-changing. You should try worldwide volunteer work. Rewards are plentiful.

Tactile love, amigos y amigas.
Coco

African Journal #7: The Jewel of Guaro Falls

April 12, 2008

Life Is Best Viewed on a Mountaintop

Watermelons, pasta, mangoes, pineapple and cornflakes made up for our breakfast portion of the day. The volunteers gathered their hiking bags, swimming suits, and plenty of water bottles and sunscreen protection. We set off for our day at Guaro Falls, an hour east of Minna where we would spend the day basking in the sun and swimming in the river at the bottom of the falls. However, I was warned by Aine that the area had a very steep descent and was concerned that I would not be able to make it to the bottom safely due to my terrible balance, vision and sore shoulder. In case it imposed too much of a challenge for me, Zach was willing to stay behind and enjoy the afternoon under a hut overlooking the falls.

When we got to the Guaro Falls Reserve, we met up with Julia, a British volunteer from Jos and took several scenic photos from the top of the incredibly beautiful waterfalls. We set off for the hill, and we all were pleased to see that the reserve park had added concrete steps leading to the pebble beach at the bottom, however, the steps were not smooth and had a lot of cracks and missing pieces. Zach and I looked at each other and proposed that we do this challenge – he would help me every step of the way, pun intended! My heart was racing like mad, but the euphoria was a great motivator and down we went! It was a little hard on the eyes, I had to focus on finding a flat surface so I could place my foot on and tread slowly. My cane helped a lot, it served as a balancing tool. After maybe 20 minutes, Zach and I joined the other volunteers who gave us a high five! We were able to join them for a swim.

The water was so refreshingly cool in contrast to the humid weather. The current from the waterfall almost swept me away but Zach hurried and grabbed my hand before it was too late – lesson learned, I started holding on to rocks underneath for support. More volunteers came – Liz, her husband, Jane and her boyfriend and several of Liz’s international neighbours. Two of them were Canadians, from Toronto!

We endured another challenging trip alongside the riverbank through huge rocks and crevices but I was determined to make it to the foot of the falls where Liz’s friends would cook us a delicious feast over open fire. I could smell chicken cooking and saw a feast of mango crumble, French bread, sausages, pasta salads… it was heaven. We drank Star beer, basked in the sun some more, did some more swimming and Zach got stung by something – a bee?

Later on in the afternoon, people started leaving to go back to Minna or Abuja. Zach wasn’t feeling right in the stomach and suffered the stinky consequences, and I started feeling very faint. I had to lie down, with my head spinning and buckets of sweat rolling down my head. It was such an uncomfortable experience for both of us and it brought up some concerns, how would we be able to make it all the way down the shore again then up the hill again? I was so sure I would fall and hurt myself and Zach was feeling weak as well. But we shot that “let’s do it” look again, and we decided to take it slowly. Andrew, Jane’s boyfriend, volunteered to take my bag and be the cameraman. He followed us, took awesome pictures and even made some videos of Zach guiding me up the jagged and rugged steps. It’s all recorded!

The trip up the hill was one of the most trying experiences of my life. I was weak and lightheaded and had to stop occasionally for a breath of air and drink some water. But within an hour, we were finally making our way to the very top… and when we did, it was such a LIBERATING feeling….. I gave a loud Rocky-style shout at the top of the hills facing the stunning view of the forested area surrounding the falls. I’m DEAF BLIND and I did this!!!!!!! Zach was incredible through this whole experience, he was assuring me of every turn, every step, every rock…. He empowered me to do something I never thought I would succeed at – for that I’m forever grateful.

The trip ended with a beautiful, brisk drive facing the sunset to the West when we drove back to Minna with Julia, Andrew, Jane and Zach.

The rest of the volunteers were thrilled to see us again, and the most fun night of our volunteer experience started… it was a raunchy, naughty, hilarious and exciting evening with many themes associated with Passion – all thanks to our wildly funny Irish vol-pal, Helen. I think I should keep most of the details to myself and other vols as children could read this blog… so sorry for the censorship!

Off to Abuja tomorrow. And one more day until dear Zach departs the country of Unity, Naija.

Be sure to challenge yourself. I mean, really surrender to your fears and climb the highest mountain – it’s such a great feeling, something that everyone should at least feel before their lives wind down to nothing but ashes.

I am living life to its fullest.

Tactile love,
Coco

African Journal #6: The Road To Minna

April 11, 2008

Katati Lahira: Go To Hell, Driver!

School’s out! Vacation started for everyone who works at the Kebbi School for the Handicapped, thus beginning a three week journey to the Southern States surrounding Abuja for me. My plan was to take the public transportation to Minna, a city in the Niger State and visit a departing VSO volunteer, Aine, and celebrate her end of stay in Nigeria. Zach would accompany me during the weekend and then we would be off to Abuja to bid him goodbye when he leaves on Monday for the States.

Zach and I woke up pretty early Friday morning, what a mess it was – we packed, cleaned, made sure all windows and doors were shut before we left an hour late for the motor park. Once we got there, we found a station wagon that would take us to Minna. We weren’t confident that this beat up station wagon would survive the five-hour trip South, but thought we’d practice on our praying. Zach and I bought the back row (3 seats for the price of 6.600 Naira (55 dollars total) – a bit steep but it was better than having our faces be pressed against the window for the entire trip down. We then set off for what would seem like the longest trip we’d ever taken in Nigeria thus far.

One hour and half in, the driver ventured around several gas stations looking for the cheapest diesel, but he gave up and continued driving. Then, bam, in the middle of the hot desert with sizzling temperatures to 45 Celsius and 110 degrees Farenheit, the car sputtered … and broke down! The idiot driver didn’t fill up on gas so the car ran on empty quite dangerously and gave up. It was just so uncomfortably hot, Zach got out of the car for some air and tried calling VSO on the cellphone but there wasn’t any signal. The driver hailed a kabo-kabo (motorcycle) and left us – we assumed he was going to the nearest town to get a mechanic. Nearly three hours later, the driver came back to find two of his passengers left, and the remaining disoriented and thirsty for water. We were all trying to avoid the direct sun and drink water sparsely, who knew when the driver would come back? The men worked on the engines for a while before we were able to get it started and we started off for Yauri, the nearest town.

We weren’t quite on our way to Minna, because the driver said that his car was in no condition to make the rest of the trip to Niger State, so we had to stay in the shade, drink more water and wait for our next ride. Finally, an hour later, another station wagon arrived and we were on our way late in the afternoon. Zach and I were supposed to arrive in Minna around 1-2pm but we ended up in the city around 7pm when it was getting dark. What was supposed to be a five hour trip turned into a ten hour trip down the road of hell. I muttered ‘katati lahira’ – hausa for Go To Hell – to the driver several times during the road trip. It sure felt that way!

We were greeted by Aine and guided to her house on the campus of the Government Secondary School where she was a volunteer. Her house was pitch black, the electricity (NEPA) had gone out, so there was candles on the table when we got in the living room. It was so good to see the other volunteers – Thessa, Helen, Glenn, Kristal and Aine. We were all pretty worn out from a long day of travel so we hit the sack early – for our long day at the Guaro Falls Reserve Park and for an evening of fun hosted by Helen with an Ann Sommers theme – think Passion Party!

I’m so glad to be safe in Minna. And amongst good friends and good times. But it’s starting to hit me – Zach is leaving in two days, and Erin is long gone. Some of you asked who Erin was – she was the other half of the intervenor team that accompanied me to Nigeria on March 1st – and interpreted my training courses and came to Birnin Kebbi for a week. Her stay was three weeks long, and she departed on March 22nd to return to the States. She is sorely missed.

Off to Guaro Falls! More adventure stories to come.
Tactile love,
Coco

African Journal #5: The Curse of Sokoto

April 8, 2008

Go To Sokoto, Toto

What a long, adventurous weekend that came and went like a summer desert wind. It comes so suddenly, a pleasure to have during the evenings to bring the heat down, but the wind is also short-lived and sometimes messy from sandstorms. The similarities between the summer winds here out in the Sahara and my weekend sounded fitting.
On Friday, Liz left to go back to Abuja on the scorching roads to get to the daily grind at VSO, as I was recuperating from a dislocated shoulder. Saturday’s hazy afternoon had some helpings of friendship from my neighbours, who came to visit while Zach hit the keyboards at an internet café. It was a bit of a struggle to try to communicate with my watchman, who lies on his Islamic mat outside my door during the days and sleeps in the garage with the doors open. He speaks very little English, he taught me some of his native tongue, the language of North Nigeria, Hausa. Right now, I proudly say 10 things in Hausa and aim for private lessons. I currently sign/read/write seven languages, and desire to add more to that list. Perhaps self-taught Japanese, Hausa, Spanish and improved French. Their native signs while I’m at it. After all, I have two years to kill time.

Sunday came, Zach and I were up so late, because it was a Sunday and laziness set in. We ate a great breakfast, packed and closed the house up for an out of town journey to the next state’s capital: the city of Sokoto, Sokoto State. Kebbi State separated from Sokoto in 1991 and created its own Islamic sharia state and proclaimed Birnin-Kebbi as its new capital.
My journey into Sokoto was eventful. Zach and I trudged with our bags to a motor park, 5 minutes walk from my home and paid 750 N ($6 USD) for a seat in a minivan and waited one hour for it to fill its capacity (13 passengers with one driver) and we were off to Sokoto by 3pm. Into town, we met up with Anup and Amit, a couple who emigrated to Nigeria from India last year after their wedding. We met them through Tushar, another émigré from India whom I have come to respect and befriend when I arrived in Birnin Kebbi. Anup sells generators for earn-keep while Amit is a housewife minding their own apartment in the wholesale area of Sokoto. I had come to Sokoto to buy a generator for the house which VSO donated funds for; and to visit the local Deaf/Special School where a VSO buddy is headmistress of.
Last time we were in this hustle and bustle of this city populated with 100,000 Northerners, we experienced some car trouble on the highway out of Sokoto and had to endure night transportation which was, to say, a stomach-churning one. Never one I wanted to repeat. So, coming to Sokoto prompted me to hope for the best, that this trip would end better than last time.
Amit and Anup were great hosts, we had quiet conversations in which Zach interpreted, and the couple showed us CDs of their arranged marriage, which took place the year before. Anup’s parents found Amit and made an agreement between families for them to marry, and they first laid eyes on each other when Amit walked down the aisle. Never have I in my life witnessed an arranged marriage take place so this was a pleasure to watch but a long view. The wedding was so elaborate, with golden headdress, overflowing satin fabrics off their bodies and excessive dancing into the break of dawn!
Monday morning, Zach and I made our way to the A,A, Jasi Special School in central Sokoto and met up with Beverly, a rambunctious, wild, cheerful over-the-hill woman that worked for the school through VSO. She was appointed headmistress her first day of school, the position gave her the honor of being assistant vice principal for the school. Beverly has told me so many stories of her volunteer stints in Malawi, Kenya and Tanzania and how she came to live with the Maasai Tribe in Tanzania. During tea, we agreed that I would try to find funding for myself, an intervenor and Bev to travel to Nairobi, Kenya where we would visit a couple of our Peace Corps friends then take the 4-hour journey by bus across the Tanzanian border and live with the Maasai for two weeks. We agreed this would happen in 2009 during our vacations from school.
The tour of the school was good, the principal introduced me to several classes with what he called: mentally retarded, visually impaired, hearing impaired and the cripples. Politically correct I know. The buildings were new. I gave an impromptu speech to 30-40 teachers in the auditorium about my life as a Deaf Blind person and why Nigeria needs to develop curriculums for all schools for the Deaf to provide good education to DeafBlind children.
We all went to the market afterwards where I bought an element for boiling filtered water, fabric for Zach’s shirt, stabilizers for the generator and several ex-pat goodies.
We were set to leave Sokoto in the school van when dawn set, and the driver drove a while out of Sokoto before he spoke in broken English: No gas. He had forgotten to fill up before we left Sokoto! As night set in, his driving became more erratic, and he kept missing oncoming traffic. Bev was fretting and barking orders in the front seat, Zach to my right all calm, all cool while I was gripping my pillow and screaming profanities and swear words at every jolt of the vehicle. It turns out that the driver cannot see well at night and I ordered the driver to go back to Sokoto. I wasn’t about to risk my life or arrive home after 2 hours on Hell Highway and lose my hair while at it.
We went to Bev’s small quarters at the school and slept in the H-O-T room – the electricity went out and Bev wasn’t in the mood to go turn it back on after a 20 minute electricity hiatus so Zach and I were sweating like PIGS and Bev was sleeping soundly. I could not sleep, I felt sick and suffocated, so I went outside for fresh air. It was much cooler outside??? I went inside, not wanting to wake them up and suffered some more water loss from my sweat-soaked experience.

In the morning, Bev, Zach and I rode in the same van with the same driver??? He claimed he could see better in the daytime but I was unsure. He went to a gas station and there were over 750 cars in line!!!! I’m not kidding or hallucinating. Fuel supply is so low here in Nigeria so when the gas tanks come to the gas station, cars start lining up at 4am and the gas is supplied at 10-11am. We got to the end of the loooooong line at 8am – we were sure as hell not willing to wait until 11am then wait another 4 hours for gas. So we bought some black-market gas and set off. Slept most of the way while Zach listened to two hours of loud Original Beverly the Aussie stories. Yup, she’s an firecracker Outbacker, from Down Under.

I am home safe and sound. While Zach and I were busy hosting Bev before she left back to Sokoto, the electricity came on! We thought: Nap time with the AC blaring on. But after lunch, it went out again. Oy vey. Generator up soon so more electricity soon!

I’m off to rest in my dark, less-hot room and tend to my sore shoulder and hope for electricity soon so I can post this entry up on the Internet.

Every time, it seems, when we try to leave Sokoto, it holds us back with a tight leash as if it doesn’t want us to leave. But I desire to be back home, in Birnin-Kebbi, where it is so much more quieter and safer – and where I’m familiar. The Curse of Sokoto has let me go once again, but I’m afraid it might come back with a vengeance if I dare to tread then try to depart again. I have come to worry for Bev, as there is so much more to this Curse of Sokoto. Perhaps I shall go out in the Saharan bush right out of town and seek out a shaman, a witch doctor of the desert and ward off the Curse of Sokoto for the safety and calm for all of us who feel the burden of it.

Tactile love
Coco
xoxo

African Journal #4: Sala’am Alla’am

April 4, 2008

#4: Mythbusters & Discoveries

It’s so incredibly hot right now with the sizzle from the hot desert afternoon sun that it’s become unbearable to just sit around by myself in my dark bedroom counting the hours until there’s a spark of electricity and I can get back to my cool as a cucumber routine and be able to do several errands online while the air conditioning blares on. But right now, the only thing I could think of doing was sitting at my desk typing away as the laptop charger whittles down from an hour’s worth of energy to none and get in some free-thinking journalism Coco style. Zach’s gone off to the internet café where they have cool air conditioning, running electricity and delicious mineral (they call it soda in the States)… while I’m here in the house all by my lonesome. No point in paying for more internet hours while I have my own system at home.. which doesn’t run when the electricity’s off, pfffttt.

Last night, Zach, the school’s principal Umar, and I took our out of town guest, Liz Gupta of VSO Nigeria, out for some grub at the Mami Market by the military base. Liz’s my VSO supervising officer, so she was in town to do a checkup as part of a routine she will be repeating every two months to ensure that my placement is going along effectively and my safety is of top priority.
The fish we had was incredibly spicy, covered in pepe (the spiciest Nigerian pepper). Liz and I could not stop breathing as if we had severe asthma with some spontaneous laughter and overflowing tears in between. The tough guys kept at the skins while I had to wash my burning tongue out with some ice-cold Star beer.
I had an interesting discussion with Umar, who is Muslim himself, about a variety of things associated with the Islamic law in which Kebbi State governs itself, and the Islamic religion that is practiced by nearly 75% of the population in Birnin-Kebbi. Umar stressed that many things we hear about Islam and its people outside of their religion are mostly propaganda, falsehood and myths. For instance, when I arrived in Abuja, someone told me these following shockers: if I was caught with alcohol in my hand on the street in public in a Sharia state, my hands would be cut off; if I was caught with any drug paraphernalia, I would be placed in jail for my entire life! Umar assured me that there are several Muslims who drink alcohol, and that it was a complete falsehood about chopping off hands of law violators. People who desire to drink alcohol may do so, they usually come to the Mami Market, where Sharia law is not applied, and drink a few, even buy some bottles to take home. It is not encouraged to drink in public, as it displays respect for many Muslims who choose not to drink. For Muslims who do drink, the religion is not vindictive when it comes to discipline, rather, it encourages Muslims to avoid drinking alcohol; but when they do consume some, it is advised they do not come to pray during the five times of prayer in the day after. Muslims can drink during celebratory ceremonies, it is not taboo in their religion as many non-Muslims think.

As for drugs, while a variety of substances may bring harsher punishments in America such as jail time for possession, in Kebbi State, if caught with marijuana or a softer drug, the police usually demand some thousands of Naira (1,000 N = $8.50 USD) and then let you go. That’s it. But if you continue to abuse it, then there might be harsher punishments.

Later on in the night, I was feeling a little sore from having pulled a muscle in my lower back earlier in the day, and electricity wasn’t running and we were out of clean water so I had to boil some water to fill the water filter tin and go to my sauna bedroom and try to sleep. On the way from the kitchen to my bedroom, I had completely forgotten about the box with the new A/C on the floor in the hallway and I tripped, dislocating my shoulder. Oy vey! Thankfully, I brought my black sling in case these things happen so I put it on to restrain my left arm from being displaced again. It marked the 16th time that my arm had disassociated itself from my shoulder, they have a love/hate relationship indeed!

Guess what? I’m thrilled to announce I dropped a whopping 20 lbs in my first month here in Nigeria – that is how hot the country is, I’ve continuously broken out rivers of sweat and downed hundreds of large water bottles to replace the lost water in my body, as well as eating small portions since I felt full immediately from the searing heat. I have hooked up with a physical therapist in town and he has this small gym – I became a member on Thursday and look forward to the miracles Sanjo can perform!
Me frustrated with the high-starch foods here. The cheapest and most common foods we could get here in Nigeria would be rice, rice, rice, potatoes, enriched white bread, pasta and more rice. When we go to restaurants, usually they have four choices: white rice, fried rice, jollof (spicy) rice and semovita (mushed rice). I prefer jollof or fried rice but sometimes I choose to have some chunks of beef with Nigerian-style salad (chopped lettuce, tomatoes, cabbage, baked beans, egg with some kind of white cream). Then there’s the Top Ramen that is easy to cook and affordable and that’s what Zach and I usually have for lunches. I’m getting wary of starches, and with the limited choice of vegetables and protein out there, I have to focus more on portions of veggies rather than high-starch foods. A while ago, our Hindu-Muslim friend, Sadit, brought us to a delicious bakery not far from my home – Oasis Bakery – and they serve many delicious desserts, French loaves, cookies, meat pies, chicken or beef burgers, andddddddd wheat bread???? One huge loaf costs 100N which is around 80 cents! So I’m deliriously happy and munching on wheat bread for breakfasts or having wheat sandwiches with tuna. Mmmm. I surely took healthy foods in America for granted and when I return I’m going wild on these herbs, organic foods, plenthora of green veggies and of course wholesome oranges and cheap apples! Apple by individual price cost 100N – a small apple has the price of a huge wheat loaf?? Could be a rip off or it could be the market price as in the desert it’s impossible to grow apple trees so they are imported from the South so hence higher prices.. maybe.

Have mercy, I stink! Skipped the shower this morning to sleep in a bit and wash the dishes (even with my injuries) and a lazy afternoon – so I’m going to lug a heavy bucket full of tank water with my good arm and give myself a good scrubbin’. There is no running water for showers & sinks here, so we have a medium sized scoop bowl for washing ourselves, and we use fresh bottled water for brushing our teeth. I’m used to this routine, but look forward to the day I have a long, relaxing bath with a glass of Merlot and delicious baked Ghirardelli brownies. A cold, running shower sounds so good and heavenly right now but I’ll settle for a scoopful of warm water with some cockroaches sitting by the sidelines having a good peep show!

One more thing before I close off – please do not believe everything mainstream media tells you about Muslims – ask one, talk to one, experience their religion for a day and you’ll be surprised that most of what you hear is false. Umar said there are many different sects of Muslims and that they have different ways to worship Allah and how to behave, think and talk. Come to Nigeria – especially a Sharia state – and see for yourself that they’re not that bad! I think they’re cool, actually.

Tactile love,
Coco
xoxo

African Journal #3: The Saharan Heat

April 1, 2008

Sizzling Temperatures and Ice Cold Coca Cola

Sannu!
My goodness, the heat is climbing upwards each day I wake up to the desert sun of Birnin Kebbi, and it even continues into the night – which isn’t pleasant to bear when the electricity decides to black out and we’re stuck laying in bed in the pitch black darkness with a couple of cockroaches, buzzing mosquitoes and sweat streaming down our backs!
It’s something I’m quite not used to, having grown up in frigid Canada for the past 28 years, but any day I would pick this heat over the icy cold snow weather! What’s important is that I quench myself with continuous safe H2), keep my body slathered in SPF 30 and keep my cool, polarized shades on!

This past weekend, Zach and I hopped on the kabo-kabo, which is a motorcycle driven by a cabbie, to the local military base where there is a market. At the Mami Market, the sharia law (the law of Islam in which Kebbi State government runs its policies and state under) is not in effect and alcohol is served. Zach and I had a beer, and brought some back home with us. Sunday, we went to my friend Sadit’s home, he is an ex pat from India who works at the local eye hospital, and we had some delicious soup, potatoes & rice… starch laden foods have become the norm of my food intake here – as delicious as they are, I hate the fact that every meal I have is consisted of 60 percent starch!!!

No worries – I was hooked up with an occupational therapist through a former volunteer from the Netherlands – Hiljkje – who came into town to visit. Sanjo, the therpaist, is going to whip me in shape in the next few months – as he had done for previous VSO volunteers looking for fun and a way to keep in shape with all the weight dropped from the extreme heat. Looking forward to this!

My VSO supervising officer, Liz, is coming tomorrow, so have to get the house in tip top shape, and stock our pantry with food….. market, here we come.

INo news on my lost blue baggage… I am sooooo BUMMED… there was a lot of stuff in it I absolutely needed to survive the weather, the bacteria, the boredom here… VSO is working, working, working on finding it… fingers and toes crossed!

On April 11 and 12, Zach and I are off to Minna, a state four hours south of Birnin Kebbi, for a goodbye party for a VSO volunteer, Aine, who has completed her stint and is returning to Ireland, so it should be fun… then we’re off to Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria, to bid Zacheroo goodbye as he flies off to the States on the 14th. I’ll be sticking around the southern states for a bit, visiting Akwanga to see my dear friends Jane, David and Helen, then off to Jos on the 18th to visit vols Heather, Julia and Sebastian and mingle with the Deaf community there… see if I can share any of my expertise and resources with them… then its back to Abuja on the 23td and meet up with some important people who came to BK to visit – the Federal Government Dept of Education – they requested a meeting once I came to Abuja to discuss resource sharing and the possibility of funding for Deaf clubs, language programs and classes for the Deaf Blind… so this is a perfect opportunity for me to start networking with the national level… I have connections already with the state and local governments!!!! amazing networking so far!!!

Even all the Deaf schools in the nation are aware I am here and the heads of these schools want to meet me – either for networking or to have me give a lecture or worksop on Deaf Blind issues and culture.
Things are definitely looking up!

I made three vlogs – but the net here is so slow and my single diles alone are so large, I’m not sure where I can compress my videos on the Internet then download?? Any suggestions??

I’m off – kabo kaboing and Mami-ing – so y’all have a great day, wherever you are in the world… or time zone, that is!
Stay warm, stay cool and stay tuned!

Tactile love,
Coco xoxo

African Journal #2: Sweet Home Sweet, Birnin-Kebbi

March 22, 2008

Second Week In Birnin Kebbi

Sanu, friends!

What an absolutely crazy week I had! Where do I start????

Last weekend, Erin, Zach and I traveled to Argungu, a small fishing village half an hour east of Birnin Kebbi in the principal’s car and endured the hot desert heat to attend the annual world-famous Kebbi State Fishing Festival. I had looked this up on the internet before I came to Nigeria, and seems the fishing festival attracted more than 500,000 visitors every year with some radical celebrations that got recognized in the National Geographic, media outlets, and its reputation was said to be extraordinary.
Indeed it was! On Friday, we went to the Processional Ceremony and got the luxury of sitting in a sheltered seating area in a row behind the emirs, wazhiris and the governors of Kebbi State. Their headresses and clothes were so exquisite, and they emitted very strong influence and respect towards the other distinguished visitors. In the rows behind us, we saw what was mainly men, not women, and a few speckles of Bature (white) people who came from all parts of the world to watch this legendary fishing sport event.
A large processional of camels from the desert, strong horses, and colorful costumed natives from different sectons of Kebbi State pranced around the track field, and all around the shelter were thousands of spectators (villagers). Billows of dust smoke continued to penerate the air, and often I found it difficult to breathe and had to clear out my air pipes. Yuck.
The next day, the big day, was just…. sectactular, extraordinary, inspiring…. I have never been so amazed at something like this before, and the best thing was – we got the best seats in the house!!! Erin, Zach and I got in the secured gate area quite so easily because we were foreign batures (more global recognition for Argungu, the better) and we were urprised to see so many Nigerian and worldwide media outlets (BBC, Nigerian National News, Lagos newspapers and National Geographic) strewn all over the grounds. We got seats in the nosebleed section which did not fare so well for me because I wanted to see up close the action we had so much heard about. Zach tried to talk to several event coordinators, trying to see if we could get seats in the front area but we were given the run around. There were a LOT of bature people sitting in front, we decided to go over the railing and sit right on the edge of the river bank!!!! In front of us was a journalist from Lagos and his staff, a cameraman, and one bature man. In Nigeria, time does not occur quickly or promptly, rather, it takes sooooo long to start anything… so the event, scheduled for 9am, started close to noon???? Dehydrated but excited, we saw thousands of fishermen lining up half a mile away across rice paddies with homemade fishing nets, special bowls to store fish. Their resolve was to run into the ice-cold muddy river and catch the BIGGEST fish and win the 1 Million Naira (dollar) and car prize. There was a weighing scale behind us, waiting for the biggest fish to come out of the Argungu river.
The men started running, and dust filled the air, it became a scene of madness! The gun hadn’t gone off, it was a flase start and despite the attempts of the local guards, the men kept on coming! The air was so thick of euphoria and desperation, as the fishermen started filling the 30-foot wide river almost instantly. Their bodies were strewn all over, with fishing nets dangerously tangled around their bodies and the ground began shaking with thunderous stomping from local villagers who came to watch the action from behind the fishermen. One by one, big fishes were thrust in the air, and the men’s faces looked around in jealousy and glee, hoping their fish would be the prize of the Argungu fishing village. In a camoe, one of the men hoisted upon a very large fish, which I’m assuming easilyy won the prize, crept up to the stairs leading to the weight scales. We stayed among the craziness for an hour under the hot sun, and decided to walk back to meet the principal. We had a man singing Hausa lead us to our car, for whatever reason that was for!!!!

On Monday, it was my first day at the Kebbi Dchool for the Handicapped, and boy, can I tell you it was rather overwhelming, exciting and eye opening?

The school has around 300 Deaf children, 50-something crippled and blind children, all split in different groups and into the Primary and Secondary levels. I met the vice Principal. Mustafa, and through our Principal. Umar, he introduced us to the schoolchildren in a 7 30am ceremony. The smiles on the children were so wide and beautiful, their eyes big with curiousity.
I met a Deaf Blind man, who SEEMS to have Usher’s. at the school. He was not much younger than me, and his tactile methods were so different than the method I use. I put my hand on the signing hand while they sign freely, while with the man the signers forced his hand to form the signs and clamped down his hands – I viewed him as a jailed bird wanting to be free. And I resolved to be the one to open the cage door and let him fly free.

The week went by quickly, with some things happening here and there, then on Friday we went to Sokoto, the nearest biggest city, 2 hours away for the day. I bought some beautiful fabrics to make a dress, and was the center of unwanted attention on the sde of the street with 200 children watching us all around, while we waited for our friend, Sadeet, to come pick us up, His car broke down on the way home but fortunately it wasn’t so far away from Sokoto, so we had to come back to the big city and wait for a tow truck and a saviour to come get us.. travelling during night is NOT recommended in Nigeria, but we took the roads anyway…… crazy.
Today we’re off to a military base, where sharia law does not apply, and finally have some alcohol to enjoy… and hopefully they have some good chop (food0.

My box is still missing and I am devastated. There was around 5,000 dollars’ worth of things in there, mostly from donors… many things I needed to survive up here. Most depressing especially, was the two photo books – one with my ORIGINAL childhood pictures – and the second with all of my friends’ pictures – is missing in action. I really wanted those books to remind me that I am not alone out in the desert, but to be reminded how far my life has come and how much my family and friends love me.

If you’d like to send a care package, please do… the address for mailing it is on the facebook group’s page.

I will have internet installed at my home pretty soon, so I’ll be able to update often! Yay!

It’s so nice to get supportive messages from you… please consider coming to visit!!! It’ll be a rich experience for you!

Tactile love and surely sweatin’ it out,
Coco xoxo

African Journal #1: Nigeria Welcomes Coco!

March 17, 2008

First Update from Africa!!

Sanu, everybody! I am sitting in the local internet cafe shielded from the hot desert sun and thrilled to finally be able to get some internet access and get the message out to y’all loud and clear: I AM DOING GREAT!

Of course, there was some wahala (problems) and stomach churning incidents in the past two weeks into my first month here in Nigeria. It’s a blessing to have friends and interpreters Zach and Erin with me – if they didn’t come with me, I seriously would have lost my cool and unable to communicate with people here at all. So, it’s thanks to them, my experience so far has been a less difficult one and I look forward to the rest of my African experience.

I landed in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on March 2nd via London, UK (by the way, thanks for the Guinness and great company Tish and Arlinda) and was greeted by gawkers and several suggestions to be “friends” (meaning sexual partners)… ha. I was told by the military guy at Immigration that I should find a good Nigerian man to marry. Oh boy.
I had brought four bags/boxes and turned out I had only gotten ONE???? wahala wahala wahala…. dododo???? so within a week and half, I got the two others… one remains missing. In that box is my original childhood pictures and essential suvival kits, and even DVDs and coffee beans… how will I live without them???? Coffee here = instant. Ugh.

The In Country Training was long, interesting and boring. Had built a great network of friends with the other VSO volunteers who had just arrived in Abuja at the same time, and with the rest of the serving VSO volunteers scattered in Nigeria who came together for a PATCH meeting in Jos the weekend after the ICT. What fun!!!!

I had the fortune to meet several Deaf community members through Anadestin, a hearing interpreter and leader in the Deaf community and he brought along some Deaf people whom had a literal culture shock when they met a strong willed independent white deafblind woman! One woman, Doris said, “Thank you so much for coming to Nigeria. Now we have hope”. That made me almost cry…. They begged me to stay in Jos permanently during my volunteer service period, but I was already committed to work in the desert town of Birnin Kebbi, 9 hours away. I promised I would come to Jos once a month and visit. They mentiioned there was a Deaf Blind woman that had her education stopped at 12, and now she is 30 – she had stayed at home all this time doing nothing. Broke my heart but inspired me to do something for her and other DB folks. See what I can do.

The journey to Birnin Kebbi from Abuja was long and dreary. The temperatures rose as we drove more north. Erin, Zach and I were so cramped in the back of the truck while the driver and the principal of the school I work at, sat comfortably in the front. 9 hours and counting, we finally arrived in Birnin Kebbi and I entered my casa. A four bedroom house with kitchen, bathrooms, living room, a courtyard. It’s nice – middle class for Nigerian standards. I drain my water from the tap and use it for showers, washing dishes, washing clothes… and use a water filter for drinking water. Speaking of water, I’ve drank so much water in the past two weeks it’s insane!!! I am pretty sure I dropped more than 10 pounds and I can see myself wasting away (the good kind).
Speaking of waste, too… oh my gosh. I had the terrible stomach aches, had several embarrassing incidents with my bowel and having to drink conocotions for diarrhea. It’s still not over, but soon I hope…

It’ll probably be a while before I am able to update, and seems the internet cafe doesn’t recognize my USB card, would have been so great to download pictures for you all…

It truly is an AMAZING experience living in Africa especially the desert as a Deaf Blind white woman. I feel very welcome here and there’s been an astounding outpouring of support in this town. I met several important people today – te Waziri (vice president for the town), High Commissioner on Education for Kebbi State, the school administration, the teachers, and most importantly, I met several students who look forward to my presence everyday.
Tomorrow the school is having a special assembly where I will officially introduce myself and make my place at the school. I am truly blessed to have this experence, and look forward to the huge challenges that lie ahead.

I hope all of you are doing well, I’ve missed checking facebook, so you’ll have to email me and tell me any news you have.

Like we say in Hausa *the language of the North* Say Anjima (see you later)

tactile love,
Coco
xoxo