First Impression by Sylph

I DISLIKED EVERYTHING and I'm being honest.

I just wanted to get back on the next flight home. Unfortunately, I came on a one-way ticket, so that was not an option.

We leave the airport and begin our scenic drive to the residence/chancery. For those who are wondering the chancery is the mission or office and in case you are wondering why I mentioned them together, they are in the same building. Yes, I reside upstairs the office and surprisingly it is definitely a plus for me..... It's about 7am, we are on the road and it's the height of rush hour traffic, there are persons everywhere trying to make their way to work, children in uniforms on their way to school, vendors on the side of the street, plying their trade, police officers directing traffic, sounds like a regular morning. But all of this is taking place on pretty much what seems to be a highway. And what makes the situation even more confusing was the manner in which things were taking place. There were vehicle crossing the median from one side of the highway to the next, there were vehicles driving in the opposite direction on what was presumably the shoulder, persons operating taxi services on scooters/motorcycles, which are referred to locally as 'okadas', carrying two and three persons at a time. All I can say is confusion in my mind.

I also wish to highlight that Nigeria is the most populous African country, with a population of approximately 140 million. Therefore, for someone coming from a country with a population of approximately 1.4 million, it would seem that on any given day that the streets are crowded and there is a constant buzz of activity.

Scene II

Abuja, the newly developed, planned capital of Nigeria in the center of the country. The place is hot and dusty and to add insult to injury, we arrived at the very start of the dry season, which is from November to March, so we have some months of heat and dust ahead. The dry season is also accompanied by a period referred to as Harmattan, which is a dry, dusty West African trade wind that blows from the Sahara. Dust and more Dust............. Yummy............ and I'm asthmatic.

We get to the apartment and the stress of my night's journey begins to take a toll on me, so my mood is automatically unpleasant.... all I am thinking about is how did I end up here and when am I getting out? I miss home, my loved ones, my friends.... I started to miss things that I did not even think about while at home, like a constant supply of electricity, which seems to be oh so rare in this country. I say to myself - "we need to regroup and get some rest, because a fuse is about to blow." So we go to sleep............

With rest, came a new perspective on my environs and my outlook slowly begun to improve. The next immediate need to be fulfilled is connectivity to the world. PLEASE TELL ME THERE IS INTERNET ACCESS!!!!!! and the response was favourable. I told you residing upstairs the shop was a plus..... the entire building is wired... Whooopppy.... I am connected. Now, we have Internet, but there is no phone..... the landlines in the building and in many areas in Nigeria, DO NOT WORK. Never mind, I have the Internet, so I am connected.