Settling in...

Before I left Ireland, a returned volunteer tried to explain something of this experience to me. She said it strips you of all your safety nets and assumptions, and leaves you with the person you really are. And Im beginning to see that now - I dont speak the language so I must make an effort to be understood, I cant rely on ATMs or credit cards so I go to the bank regularly, I dont drive and so I rely on public transport, I cant be invisible in public for any amount of time, if there is no water I need to get some before I go to sleep/work, if there is no light I just have to wait for it to come back, food and veg dont have a lot of preservatives so I shop every day. Its not that any of this is particularly hard, its just another version of normality. All the essential little jobs take up a lot of your time in Nigeria, and its just not possible to be independent in the same way that I can at home. I have to rely on my neighbours and colleagues and friends for information and help. Which, as it turns out, is actually a pretty good way to live.

Things that I can actually live without

• My car
• My credit card
• My makeup

Things that I cant survive without

• Email contact
• Conditioner
• Pringles

Its a nice feeling to stretch yourself and cope with less than youre used to. But its a comforting feeling to know that my superficiality is intact and there's no part of the world where I wont hanker after crisps...