One year in Nigeria

A year ago, I was very busy packing and preparing my leave. Can you imagine it is a year ago already that I left the Netherlands and arrived in Nigeria? It has not always been easy, but time still flies! I will be in Nigeria for a few more months. I am telling everyone I stay because my partner doesn’t allow me to leave. But well, I am not ready to go yet. Work is not yet done, and also socially, I am getting more and more happy here.

Of course I miss my family and friends. Of course I feel sad that my best friend got a baby in October and I will not meet her till June. Of course I miss the variety of food (cheese!). Of course I miss the possibility to go out without everyone shouting at me, especially when riding my bicycle. Of course I miss having a fridge without a cockroach family living in it. And of course I also miss having constant light and water. But, if I would go back to the Netherlands now, I am sure I would also miss Nigeria.

I would miss drinking water from plastic bags and eating groundnuts from glass bottles. I would miss the taxi rides with 5 school children and me on the backseat of a crappy old car. I would miss the children screaming when they see me (from excitement or from fear). I would miss the cheering of the children in the neighbourhood when ‘they bring light’ in the night. I would miss buying fresh pineapples, watermelons and oranges on every corner of the street. I would miss being stuck in traffic in the city because some Fulani herdsmen are passing with their cattle.  I would miss people telling me I really look like Robin van Persie when they hear I am Dutch. I would even miss the days in the office without light, writing reports by hand.

I would miss eating moinmoin and pounded yam (and especially the comments from people when they see me doing that). I would miss entering a taxi and finding out the other passenger has a living chicken on his lap.  I would miss the excitement from women when they find out my hair is all natural. I would miss the doctors who want to take your blood pressure for any health issue you have (including skin allergy). I would miss the people coming to our office mainly to charge their phones. I would miss starting every meeting or training with a prayer. I would miss the people in Shoprite who spent half of their day there ‘snapping’ pictures. I would miss people telling me ‘well done’ for only sitting in my office or waiting for a taxi. I would even miss the random people telling me that I should get at least one baby (soon).

Yes, this is a crazy country. But it is the crazy country with a lot of nice people. My friends and colleagues, the people in my neighbourhood, the national volunteers with who we work, it is their country. And yes, it is also a bit MY crazy country by now.