October: The big even this month was Gina’s big trip to Ghana for a teacher’s conference. Now we went to Ghana last year for Thanksgiving and we had no problems getting there, no problems getting around the city of Accra, and we actually enjoyed our stay there quite a bit, so Gina was quite excited about the trip. She went to get her Visa to travel into Ghana. Then the fun began. In order to get a visa you need a passport, and Gina’s passport, along with mine, Emily’s and Jacob’s, was in the hands of the Nigerian government. The school had taken everyone’s passport, because we needed to get Nigerian re-entry visas. This process had started in August when we arrived, and the school’s liaison to the immigration department still had not returned them. So, unless the passports came back, there would be no Ghana visa, and no visa, no conference. No conference would mean a very unhappy Gina. Gina started with emails to Tom, but no passport. Conversations with Tom and then phone calls to the liaison, but no passport. One week before the trip, and no passport, so we upped the harassment. One day before the trip, and Gina was still with out a passport, but according to the liaison guy it was on its way. Any minute it would show up and all would be good. Any minute after lunch, it would be at the school. Ok any minute after lunch it would be there. Well, maybe it would be there before three. No problems, a guy would have it to school before six. Nothing.
Gina came home that night and packed her bags just in case. The bus was leaving the school at noon and the plan was that Gina would go ahead and ride it out to the airport, if the passport was there it was on to Ghana. If not, a long quiet ride back to the compound.
We said goodbye and then the wondering started. Would she get to the airport? Would she get on the plane? Would she have to come back? This is entertainment better than anything on cable. Gina got on the bus and headed to the airport, just before the bus left VI, the guy called and said he had Gina’s passport and he was on the way. He was on an okada and would be there in a minute. The cell phone was passed to the driver and a series of plans were made. Just before the airport, the bus pulled off into a restaurant parking and sure enough after a few minutes Gina’s passport appeared on an the back of an okada.
Passport in one hand, ticket in the other it was time for the next challenge. Technically, they will not let you on the plane without the appropriate visa. Gina needed to do some fast-talking, and she needed the help of our two Nigerian teachers, Dominic and Alfred, who were headed to the conference as well. Between the three of them, they convinced the ticket agent, the Nigerian Immigration official, and the security officer to let Gina on the plane and she would have no problem getting her visa once she got to Ghana.
Some more talking at the airport in Accra, but with the cold hard cash and the fact that many other teachers were coming in to the conference it didn’t take much talk and Gina was on her way to the La Palm Hotel and 5 days of dinners, workshops, and some serious off compound time.
Meanwhile back in Lagos, the kids and I were getting ready to be bachelors for a few days. Not a problem because how tough can it be when someone is cooking your meals and cleaning, and you have a nanny on duty? Well it turned out to be a little tougher than we thought because the moon came up early. Let me explain. During the first week in October is the Muslim Holiday Ed El Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan. The exact date of the holiday is not fixed because according to Islamic law you have to see the crescent moon. We try to get an approximate date on the calendar for the holiday, but it really comes down to when the head Islamic cleric in Nigeria says the holiday occurs. Well, the day after Gina arrived in Ghana we were on holiday. No Juliet to cook and clean for us, no Mercy to watch the kids while I played tennis, oh this was going to be work. Well not too much work. We played, watched movies, hung out the pool, and enjoyed a break from school and work.
November
Thanksgiving vacation is short and sweet here in Nigeria. The weekend before we have the big tennis tournament. The Rainbolt family finished out of the money, but we had a great deal of fun anyway. Then we have our big turkey dinner that Sunday. We work Thanksgiving morning we then we headed to the airport. This Thanksgiving we were going to head to Abuja, the capital of Nigeria with the Teauge’s, Slater’s, and Yvonne Solmiren. Through the friend of a teacher at the school, we had rented a flat in the capital for three nights. As an added bonus, our Thanksgiving Weekend coincided with the Abuja Carnival, which is a huge cultural carnival. On Friday we headed to the Masquerade, where traditional dancers and musicians from over a hundred tribal groups performed. The music and costumes were amazing.
Part of the fun of the day was our celebrity status. As some of the few “oyibos” in the crowd, we were interviewed several times. At least half of the dancers wanted to have their pictures taken with Emily and Jacob, although Emily and Jacob were not very willing to pose. That afternoon we headed just outside of town for the same time of event, but featuring the Islamic tribes from the North of Nigeria.
The gathering is called a “Durbar” and the traditional clothes, horses, and camels were amazing. Later that day an AIS Parent, Mr. Abba treated all of us to dinner. He was an incredible host with a first hand knowledge of Nigerian Politics and history. After dinner, he had arranged for us to meet with the current Presidents daughter. She was a gracious host and spent some time talking about her father’s election and goals. Also, she spoke of some of the Non-profit organizations she was working with to address the needs in her home state.
The rest of the weekend we spent lounging around the pool eating suya. Not a bad way to spend a Turkey Day
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