A visitors view...
My mam and dad came to visit me in Nigeria and I asked Dad to write some of his thoughts on it all...
It was dark when we arrived in Abuja so I did not see much of the city on that night. The taxi to the hotel was a bit hair raising. My seat belt didnt work so I had my feet braced in case of a sudden stop. The road was excellent in the sense it was wide and dead straight, as are most streets in Abuja. However the surface is poor - lots of pot holes - which meant the driver was constantly switching from one side to the other - all t high speed.
The hotel was basic, but ok. Abuja generally was strange but not the culture shock I was led to believe. We spent twwo days there. Minna, on the other hand, was a different story. The driver and driving is like nothing I ever experienced. It was frightening and definitely not good for the nervous system. However, the real shock to the senses come on reaching the main market in Minna at 3.oo on Tuesday. It was a mass of people, motorbikes, cars, wheelbarrows and various other modes of transport. There seemed to be no order or purpose. It was like an anthill - chaos. Still there were no accidents and people obviously knew what they were about. Still it was a major culture shock. It took us several days to adjust. Probably still havent. Each day helps. The noise level is intense. Both cars and motorcycles (okadas) constantly "beep" their horns. Car pollution is also rich. This is due mainly to the poor condition of the engines - most are "burning oil".
Other than Fr. Derry and the 3 sisters I havent seen any other white person. Minna has a population of over 250,000. Aine assures me that in 2 years neither has she. You wouldnt need to be paranoid about being stared at! It can be more than a little off-putting but you gradually get used to it.
On the plus side, the people are lovely. Aine's friends and work colleagues are so nice. They love to "greet". No matter how often you meet them you are again welcomed, and they are hopeful that your trip is going well. One work colleague of Aines offered his car for the week. We declined with thanks!
The people are very religious - mainly Muslim but also lots of Christians. They get along together and there is no religious intolerance. (We could learn from them in Ireland).
Another thing that takes lots of getting used to is the heat. It can be pretty intense at times. Then, mainly at night, there can be torrential rain. It is coming to the end of rainy season.
Overall, we are delighted we made the trip. It has been a journey that needed to be experienced - no one could explain it to you.
Our admiration for the workers here, the priests, sisters and lay volunteers has grown greatly. We had no idea of the conditions under which they work. They are brave, extraordinary people, and deserve our support in every way.
Overall my two abiding memories of the trip were firstly the uncertainty of the electricity - you were never qite sure when it would go, and always needed a supply of candles! Secondly was the friendship and openness of the people. For people with so little they seem to be happy and - particularly the children - were always smiling.
It was a once-off and well worth the effort.
It was dark when we arrived in Abuja so I did not see much of the city on that night. The taxi to the hotel was a bit hair raising. My seat belt didnt work so I had my feet braced in case of a sudden stop. The road was excellent in the sense it was wide and dead straight, as are most streets in Abuja. However the surface is poor - lots of pot holes - which meant the driver was constantly switching from one side to the other - all t high speed.
The hotel was basic, but ok. Abuja generally was strange but not the culture shock I was led to believe. We spent twwo days there. Minna, on the other hand, was a different story. The driver and driving is like nothing I ever experienced. It was frightening and definitely not good for the nervous system. However, the real shock to the senses come on reaching the main market in Minna at 3.oo on Tuesday. It was a mass of people, motorbikes, cars, wheelbarrows and various other modes of transport. There seemed to be no order or purpose. It was like an anthill - chaos. Still there were no accidents and people obviously knew what they were about. Still it was a major culture shock. It took us several days to adjust. Probably still havent. Each day helps. The noise level is intense. Both cars and motorcycles (okadas) constantly "beep" their horns. Car pollution is also rich. This is due mainly to the poor condition of the engines - most are "burning oil".
Other than Fr. Derry and the 3 sisters I havent seen any other white person. Minna has a population of over 250,000. Aine assures me that in 2 years neither has she. You wouldnt need to be paranoid about being stared at! It can be more than a little off-putting but you gradually get used to it.
On the plus side, the people are lovely. Aine's friends and work colleagues are so nice. They love to "greet". No matter how often you meet them you are again welcomed, and they are hopeful that your trip is going well. One work colleague of Aines offered his car for the week. We declined with thanks!
The people are very religious - mainly Muslim but also lots of Christians. They get along together and there is no religious intolerance. (We could learn from them in Ireland).
Another thing that takes lots of getting used to is the heat. It can be pretty intense at times. Then, mainly at night, there can be torrential rain. It is coming to the end of rainy season.
Overall, we are delighted we made the trip. It has been a journey that needed to be experienced - no one could explain it to you.
Our admiration for the workers here, the priests, sisters and lay volunteers has grown greatly. We had no idea of the conditions under which they work. They are brave, extraordinary people, and deserve our support in every way.
Overall my two abiding memories of the trip were firstly the uncertainty of the electricity - you were never qite sure when it would go, and always needed a supply of candles! Secondly was the friendship and openness of the people. For people with so little they seem to be happy and - particularly the children - were always smiling.
It was a once-off and well worth the effort.