Monday I had my first experience using public transport and going to Terminus (the main market area) all by myself!!
The first thing I had to do was walk about 10 minutes to a junction called Secretaria Junction as this is the best place to try and get a taxi from. The taxi’s are not clearly marked so you need to wave your arm out and hope that the car that stops for you is actually a taxi. (Once I got home from this whole trip I did find out that a law was just passed last week that all legitimate taxi’s need to be painted green and yellow and these are the only ones you should take as there have been problems with kidnapping and things like that. I definitely did not ride in a car that was green and yellow – oops.) Anyways I crammed in the back of my not green and yellow taxi with three other Nigerians and we headed off. It costs 30 Niara to get to Terminus and 40 Niara to get back! Oh and it is definitely the African way to cram as many people in one vehicle as you can!! It was good times!
Once I got to terminus I had to plan my attack on the market!! Here there is definitely no way to get everything in you need in one easy place. There are two super market type stores in the area and they sell more of the packaged stuff that is imported plus things like soap, tooth paste, towels and chocolate!! Then everywhere else along the way there are tons of stalls selling everything else! There are stalls that sell appliances, pirated dvds, phone cards, phones, fabric for clothes, soccer jerseys and of course vegetables and other food that is in season as well as random foods that I don’t entirely know yet! Then there is the frozen meat store where we buy our meat and it just happens to be on the other side of the road.
Crossing the road sounds simple enough but in Jos crossing the road is quite an experience. You must look in all directions just in case some motorbike is doing something crazy, you must be careful looking for anyone pushing a wheelbarrow full of sugar cane or other randomness all while watching out for the other cars that are basically just playing a massively huge game of chicken that you become a part of when you attempt to cross the road!
Okay so here was my plan of attack: First I would go to one of the supermarket stores called Onigbinde’s to get the pasta, oats and canned stuff that I needed then I would go and get the vegetables. This usually takes a bit of effort because you can’t just shop around and pick which veggies are the best because in the market all the stalls with tomatoes are together and then the ones with carrots are all together so as you are looking at one persons stall the lady next to it is trying to show you her tomatoes while the person with cucumber is calling you to come look at their stall so you have to know what you want and not be too picky. Eventually I will probably know some more people who sell things and then I can just go to them each time but for this day I just had to go in green! After getting the vegetables I will go get the meat so that it won’t defrost too badly by the time I got home. Then before attempting the craziness of getting a taxi home I will stop at this little café that has ice cream and treat myself to mint chocolate chip ice cream and a little rest!
My shopping plan at the market was a success, I got everything on the grocery list and learned a little bit more about doing life in Jos!!
The taxi ride home went fine too! I did have to talk to quite a few drivers before finding one that was going where I wanted to go but once I found one I piled in the back of the car along with a man and a fairly large Nigerian women! It was a cosy ride home!
So ya that was my trip to Terminus all by myself!!
Well work wise this week and next I will be with an organization called Grace & Light (http://www.a-m-e-n.org/grace&light.htm). They are an HIV/AIDS organization that partners with churches to do testing and education about HIV. Grace & Light focuses on openness about a persons HIV status. They also help churches to put together life support groups consisting of people who are both HIV positive and negative to get away from the idea that HIV positive people need to be separated from everyone else. The staff and volunteers of Grace & Light go to different churches each Sunday, teaching the congregation about who they are and what they do, following the service everyone is encouraged to be tested.
There are staff and volunteer counselors who assist with the event. This weekend I will be able to go along with Grace & Light to one of the vision and testing services to observe and help out a little bit. Next week I will go through the counselor training so that the Sunday after, I will be able to help with the counseling of those being tested. Please pray for the churches that are connecting with Grace & Light, that they would be willing to support and encourage those in their midst who are affected by HIV.
Monday, October 27, 2008
From Makurdi – Oct 15
I have found internet access in a city called Makurdi! We are making our way back towards Jos and out of the more rural areas. We will be back in Jos on Friday which will end our two week adventure in Benue State, Nigeria. I only have time to give you a quick update as I am not sure how long the service or power will last.
The last week and a half Peggy and I have spent time with three different Partners of CRC. First with ECJP (ecumenical commission for Justice and Peace) they were in Gboko, Nigeria. Mr. Orshio with ECJP took us out to two different very rural communities to meet with them just to see a little bit of the area that they work in. ECJP assists in chief and boundary disputes and they work in areas were these issues are prevalent. We then changed hands and spent a couple of days with PCEN (Partners for Christian Empowerment Network). With PCEN we were in Mkar and Takum were we met with the PCEN Chapters there. These are people who have come together to get training and some micro-credit loans from PCEN. We went with a convoy of beaten down African cars to visit the business sites of some of the members of the PCEN chapter. We saw a fish farm, a palm tree nursery, a cassava farmer who is also working on making organic fertilizer so that he uses some of the waste materials in the area and we also went to a health clinic. I think to really know what any of these businesses are like you will have to see my pictures cause it all runs so differently then anything you can imagine from home.
After our days with Uncle Solomon (any person that is older then you, you call uncle or aunty – I think I mentioned that in another post but just thought I would remind you!!), we transferred over to Uncle Bulus and Diaconal Ministries. We have spent each day with a different denomination, all of which are of a Reformed perspective and we have learnt about the teaching they are doing and also met with the Widows groups that the deacons work with. Everyone has been so great when we come in to meet them and even though we are only there for a little while it really seems to encourage them so that is really great!!
Along with the planned activities everyday is a learning experience! Everywhere I look there is something new and different that I need to take a picture of! (I am such a tourist!)An examnple of this is the women, and the men, carry anything and everything on their head. As we drove I saw a little girl carrying her water bottle on her head and then a little while later another girl had one long branch of sugar cane balanced up there – it is amazing! The driving is also a fun experience and the food has been good too plus the fact that they give us food at every place we visit which is so great of them. They are used to people eating very large amounts of rice and pounded yam where as my little stomach can’t seem to hold all of it!
And of course there are things that are difficult to understand and hard to see, like the widows who struggle to keep their kids in schools, the homes some of the people live in, and the state of the clinics. It is hard to explain but my eyes are definitely being opened to the issues that affect this country and I hope and pray that I can encourage them with a smile and a prayer. It is all I have with me at the moment, and I pray that maybe God will use me to help people see that they aren’t alone and that God loves them and that his people love them too.
Like I said this is just a little update but I hope it gives you a little idea of what I have been up to. But as I mentioned before, I will have to show you pictures when I get back.
Thank you so much for your prayers. Please pray for the people here in Nigeria. They work very hard but still it is difficult for them to change their situation in life. Perhaps, with the help of programs like the ones I have been blessed to spend time with people have hope and are given enough assistance to move forward!
Thanks so much!
The last week and a half Peggy and I have spent time with three different Partners of CRC. First with ECJP (ecumenical commission for Justice and Peace) they were in Gboko, Nigeria. Mr. Orshio with ECJP took us out to two different very rural communities to meet with them just to see a little bit of the area that they work in. ECJP assists in chief and boundary disputes and they work in areas were these issues are prevalent. We then changed hands and spent a couple of days with PCEN (Partners for Christian Empowerment Network). With PCEN we were in Mkar and Takum were we met with the PCEN Chapters there. These are people who have come together to get training and some micro-credit loans from PCEN. We went with a convoy of beaten down African cars to visit the business sites of some of the members of the PCEN chapter. We saw a fish farm, a palm tree nursery, a cassava farmer who is also working on making organic fertilizer so that he uses some of the waste materials in the area and we also went to a health clinic. I think to really know what any of these businesses are like you will have to see my pictures cause it all runs so differently then anything you can imagine from home.
After our days with Uncle Solomon (any person that is older then you, you call uncle or aunty – I think I mentioned that in another post but just thought I would remind you!!), we transferred over to Uncle Bulus and Diaconal Ministries. We have spent each day with a different denomination, all of which are of a Reformed perspective and we have learnt about the teaching they are doing and also met with the Widows groups that the deacons work with. Everyone has been so great when we come in to meet them and even though we are only there for a little while it really seems to encourage them so that is really great!!
Along with the planned activities everyday is a learning experience! Everywhere I look there is something new and different that I need to take a picture of! (I am such a tourist!)An examnple of this is the women, and the men, carry anything and everything on their head. As we drove I saw a little girl carrying her water bottle on her head and then a little while later another girl had one long branch of sugar cane balanced up there – it is amazing! The driving is also a fun experience and the food has been good too plus the fact that they give us food at every place we visit which is so great of them. They are used to people eating very large amounts of rice and pounded yam where as my little stomach can’t seem to hold all of it!
And of course there are things that are difficult to understand and hard to see, like the widows who struggle to keep their kids in schools, the homes some of the people live in, and the state of the clinics. It is hard to explain but my eyes are definitely being opened to the issues that affect this country and I hope and pray that I can encourage them with a smile and a prayer. It is all I have with me at the moment, and I pray that maybe God will use me to help people see that they aren’t alone and that God loves them and that his people love them too.
Like I said this is just a little update but I hope it gives you a little idea of what I have been up to. But as I mentioned before, I will have to show you pictures when I get back.
Thank you so much for your prayers. Please pray for the people here in Nigeria. They work very hard but still it is difficult for them to change their situation in life. Perhaps, with the help of programs like the ones I have been blessed to spend time with people have hope and are given enough assistance to move forward!
Thanks so much!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Yankari
On Friday October 3rd, I was able to go on a little trip to Yankari. Yankari is a protected animal reserve. It is a huge area with a hotel and you are able to take a safari ride in the bush. We did both!
We were told not to expect to see too many animals because it is the end of rainy season so the animals still spread out and get water all over the place rather then having to go close to ponds and rivers where it would be easier to see them. Once you enter the park it takes about 20 minutes to get to the reception area for the safari and hotel. The coolest thing was that on our drive to the reception area we saw two elephants! Well I saw mostly one but we could tell that there was a second one behind it. It was just a small elephant standing on the side of the road. It waved its ears out and then as we drove closer it quickly disappeared into the bush. About 10 minutes later, we were almost run over a pack of warthogs (I am not sure what the official word is for a group of warthogs but I am going to stick with pack!). As we neared the hotel area we saw baboons, everywhere! It turns out we saw more animals driving into the area than we saw on the safari. The safari itself was still neat, we did see the noses and ears of 3 Hippo’s who were mostly under the water and we also saw some Waterbuck. Basically we spent the rest of the time bumping through the bush and swatting away biting flies!
There is a river that you can walk to from the hotel area called Wikki Warm Spring. It looks like any other jungle river and I was still expecting it to feel like any standard jungle river. It lived up to its name and was a very warm river. I was not able to find out the scientific reasons for why the river is warm but I do know that it felt incredibly nice to swim in!
As I mentioned before there are baboons everywhere (It reminded me of being in Jasper where the elk roam around all over the place). These baboons are also very smart. I should also mention that the rooms at this hotel are “stand alone” little huts spread out over the property with a regular house slide and lock windows. One of the baboons decided to try and get in our hut and get some food, it jumped onto the window sill and slid the window open then proceeded to climb inside our room. One of the girls I was with, jumped off the bed and started screaming at the baboon and waving her arms around, sure enough she scared it off. We made sure we shut all the windows and locked them tight but as I stood by one window getting something out of my backpack the same baboon jumped onto the sill again and started working on the window. I had to bang at the window until the baboon jumped off and walked away. But then…the same baboon walked around the front door of our hut and sat just waiting for us the open the door so it could run inside. These things were crazy, it was hilarious!! Thankfully no baboons got into our hut during our stay although many of the parked cars weren’t so lucky. When the baboons weren’t trying to break into people rooms they were jumping onto cars and into the car’s open windows to swipe food. They would even take it right out of people’s hands. It was so funny to watch!
The 3 hour drive was really cool. It gave me a chance to see more of Nigeria and the towns and villages outside of Jos. There is a definite difference from the cities to the towns and villages. We would drive for half an hour or so without seeing anything but bush and rocky hills then with no warning both sides of the street would be packed with people, stalls, animals and little shop buildings almost right on the highway. Every so often there would be sections of the drive where little groupings of mud huts that could be seen.
On Monday, Peggy and I will start a two week trip to Gboko and Taucum. We are going to be visiting with some of the partners; to see what they do out in the field. We will be able to talk with the people who have started small businesses with the loans they have received from PCEN (Partners for Christians Empowerment Network) and we will spend time with ECJP (Ecumenical Commission for Justice and Peace). I am not sure what the internet situation will be like while we are traveling so I may not be able to post any updates while I am on that trip but I will give you the update once I am back in Jos.
Thank you so much for your prayers and your support.
Here are some prayer requests:
- Pray that we are safe as we travel and pray that our time with the CRWRC partners and the people they are serving is encouraging for them.
- Pray for me as I continue to settle into life here and that despite really missing home I will take advantage of the time God has for me here in Nigeria.
Blessings, Natalie
We were told not to expect to see too many animals because it is the end of rainy season so the animals still spread out and get water all over the place rather then having to go close to ponds and rivers where it would be easier to see them. Once you enter the park it takes about 20 minutes to get to the reception area for the safari and hotel. The coolest thing was that on our drive to the reception area we saw two elephants! Well I saw mostly one but we could tell that there was a second one behind it. It was just a small elephant standing on the side of the road. It waved its ears out and then as we drove closer it quickly disappeared into the bush. About 10 minutes later, we were almost run over a pack of warthogs (I am not sure what the official word is for a group of warthogs but I am going to stick with pack!). As we neared the hotel area we saw baboons, everywhere! It turns out we saw more animals driving into the area than we saw on the safari. The safari itself was still neat, we did see the noses and ears of 3 Hippo’s who were mostly under the water and we also saw some Waterbuck. Basically we spent the rest of the time bumping through the bush and swatting away biting flies!
There is a river that you can walk to from the hotel area called Wikki Warm Spring. It looks like any other jungle river and I was still expecting it to feel like any standard jungle river. It lived up to its name and was a very warm river. I was not able to find out the scientific reasons for why the river is warm but I do know that it felt incredibly nice to swim in!
As I mentioned before there are baboons everywhere (It reminded me of being in Jasper where the elk roam around all over the place). These baboons are also very smart. I should also mention that the rooms at this hotel are “stand alone” little huts spread out over the property with a regular house slide and lock windows. One of the baboons decided to try and get in our hut and get some food, it jumped onto the window sill and slid the window open then proceeded to climb inside our room. One of the girls I was with, jumped off the bed and started screaming at the baboon and waving her arms around, sure enough she scared it off. We made sure we shut all the windows and locked them tight but as I stood by one window getting something out of my backpack the same baboon jumped onto the sill again and started working on the window. I had to bang at the window until the baboon jumped off and walked away. But then…the same baboon walked around the front door of our hut and sat just waiting for us the open the door so it could run inside. These things were crazy, it was hilarious!! Thankfully no baboons got into our hut during our stay although many of the parked cars weren’t so lucky. When the baboons weren’t trying to break into people rooms they were jumping onto cars and into the car’s open windows to swipe food. They would even take it right out of people’s hands. It was so funny to watch!
The 3 hour drive was really cool. It gave me a chance to see more of Nigeria and the towns and villages outside of Jos. There is a definite difference from the cities to the towns and villages. We would drive for half an hour or so without seeing anything but bush and rocky hills then with no warning both sides of the street would be packed with people, stalls, animals and little shop buildings almost right on the highway. Every so often there would be sections of the drive where little groupings of mud huts that could be seen.
On Monday, Peggy and I will start a two week trip to Gboko and Taucum. We are going to be visiting with some of the partners; to see what they do out in the field. We will be able to talk with the people who have started small businesses with the loans they have received from PCEN (Partners for Christians Empowerment Network) and we will spend time with ECJP (Ecumenical Commission for Justice and Peace). I am not sure what the internet situation will be like while we are traveling so I may not be able to post any updates while I am on that trip but I will give you the update once I am back in Jos.
Thank you so much for your prayers and your support.
Here are some prayer requests:
- Pray that we are safe as we travel and pray that our time with the CRWRC partners and the people they are serving is encouraging for them.
- Pray for me as I continue to settle into life here and that despite really missing home I will take advantage of the time God has for me here in Nigeria.
Blessings, Natalie
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