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African Journal #9: Hot Nights in Abuja
April 21, 2008
Oh, how great it is to be a VSO volunteer. The perks are countless – making good friends with other volunteers, staying at the spankin’ VSO flat in Abuja, and the excellent networking opportunities that arise as a volunteer. All of that occurred while I was in the capital city for the long weekend during my travels in the Southern states while I take my three-week vacation from the school in Kebbi State.
Helen and I left Akwanga to go to Abuja in the public transport, we paid 300 Naira ($2.50 USD) for a two hour trip cramped in the back of a small car with four people in the back! But the upside was it wasn’t so uncomfortable because I had shed some pounds and was able to fit unlike when I first came to Nigeria. Helen and I went to Abuja earlier on Wednesday so we would attend an educational forum hosted by the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA) on Thursday to partake in a roundtable discussion on a variety of topics covering education for all Nigerians who are HIV positive, women and girls, have special needs, impoverished and so on. A lot of important people attended this meeting and as luck would have it, VSO hired a sign language interpreter named Timothy, whom I had met in Jos earlier in March. The meeting was a very long and daunting one, and it didn’t help that I had to tactile on Timothy’s hand with my sore, dislocated shoulder so I had to take 10-15 minute intervals in between. It was a challenge trying to understand Timothy’s SEE (Signed Exact English) and it was an even more of a challenge having to sign SEE for Timothy to interpret while I spoke on the topic of providing education to all Deaf Nigerians on HIV and AIDS and how the government needs to establish formal interpreting agencies and fund them, as well as the topic on education for Deaf Blind children all over the country because currently no such classes for DB children exist. I got a round of applause from the roundtable (50-60 people attended). I sure wasn’t used to having to sign each word rather than expressing my thoughts naturally through ASL. Timothy had a Deaf brother who was a former president of the Nigerian Association for the Deaf until his death from malaria several years ago. Timothy had a passion for working with Deaf people through his brother, and wanted to find out how he could establish Nigeria’s first interpreting agency and encourage the government to fund it, as well as asking universities to bring into the curriculum ASL classes and advanced interpreting courses. He is truly motivated and that was duly noted when Timothy asked me what the ASL sign for this and that was – it was a learning experience for the both of us. It was a strange experience having a Nigerian interpret for me rather than what I was used to, with Zach and Erin, with any of my North American interpreters – and not being able to sign naturally in ASL. But this is a cultural experience and I embrace it.
The long day in itself wasn’t the only pain in the ass, literally! I had tummy aches all day and had to go back and forth to the bathroom to take a real long good shit. I cannot believe how much I had discharged from my body, and even more so how good it smelled. Ahh. But having to shit five times during the day was draining for me, physically – I felt so tired from withdrawal of so many solids and fluids that I had passed on going out with the girls to a bush bar on Friday night because during Thursday night, I had commuted to the loo a total of SIX times to relieve all the water stored in my body… I didn’t catch any good winks so it had taken its toll on me on Friday and I just crashed. The girls went out while I just chilled at the flat and made several vlogs with and without NEPA (electricity). The mossies (mosquitoes) were equally terrible, they swarmed the flat because it was a great place to chill, too, away from the pouring rain and the humidity of Abuja. NEPA had gone out just before I hit the sack, so for the third night in a row, I lay on my back in a puddle of sweat but knocked out easily because I was just simply so tired.
Saturday was a new day, and Coco was energized to the max! I was feeling so much better and the girls and I set off for some chicken shawarma at Amigo’s Lebanese restaurant for lunch then hit the Dutch Embassy to browse their weekend festival. I could not believe how many Bature (white) people were there – most of them expatriates who moved to Nigeria to reside – and some were volunteers for different organizations, namely VSO. I bought some beautiful purple tye-dye fabric from Elly and Mart, two VSO vols working in Edo State; a black/white beaded necklace from Mary who worked at a service for the handicapped in Kubwa (outside Abuja); four ceramic shooters to bring home for guests to indulge; and a cool Nigerian necklace. The art displayed was so amazing but way out of my budget limit. I earn 30,000 Naira ($250 USD) every month as a volunteer and it allows me to buy food, drinks, some travel expenses, a personal trainer and some fabric to boot – so with that salary I was living comfortably but no room to save up and buy insane amounts of art. Maybe at the end of my volunteer stint I’ll be able to bring tons of African art home – wherever that is when I’m finished here.
Saturday – Aine, Helen, Jane, Thessa, Kristal, Ilse, Mart, Elly, Julia & Dee (vol for different org from Ireland) and I indulged in some din-din at Thessa’s new crib, then some of us hightailed it to the Crystal Lounge, a cool club where the kids of senators, distinguished officials, and rich parents liked to schmooze. When we got to the club, the bouncer grabbed my cane and gave me a weird look. He thought it was a WEAPON!!!! Jane explained that I was blind and it was a cane so I could walk around safely and not injure myself. He was apologetic, and lifted my arm to go up the stairs. Clueless fella!
I wasn’t in the mood to drink but had a Smirnoff Ice and chilled while the other girls danced their booties off. Jane, an amazing friend, has learned how to fingerspell and has already picked up more than 50 signs in one week (quite a perceptive gal) and was able to “interpret” the hilarious but long conversation between me and X, a guy who thought I was the most beautiful angel alive. He asked me my name and I replied: Y. He wanted to be my slave, but I basically told him to kiss my ass. It was fun until he just wouldn’t let go and kept pestering me for my phone number and wanted to take me home – I kept hinting for him to just go. I’m a good, old-fashioned gal, I don’t like taking boys home after a wild night!
I’m usually always up for dancing all night til dawn, but this was different – I felt more mellow, and wanted to chill at home watching a movie with a cutie and eating popcorn instead. No, it ain’t age, just the mood of the day. I know my girls had tons of fun, we all looked muy caliente!
Jane, Helen and I – the Akwanga Amigas – went back to Akwanga on Sunday. I’m gonna stay here for a few more days til I’m off to Jos to meet up with the Deaf community and facilitate a meeting with them – as well as participating in a meeting with Nigerian interpreters on Saturday, courtesy of Timothy. Definitely looking forward to that!
NEPA keeps coming on and off and on and off… I’m so used to these shut-offs now, but I recall when I got into Nigeria I was so impatient and cursed every time it went off. Now I just kill time by doing my journals while the electricity’s left the building and do as much as I can while it’s on. Internet is so slow here, I’m not able to download videos nor pictures by the bundle – so I’ll venture to the British Consulate next week when I’m back in Abuja, so m’dearies, have patience.
Thank goodness it’s so much cooler here in Akwanga. The heat and humidity of Abuja was a little too much for me to handle. Light breezes through the windows is a comforting feeling.
Tactile love,
Coco
p.s. if you have just joined this group, you can see previous journal entries on the page under discussion topics: The Chronicles of Coco; or go to my website http://tactiletheworld.wor dpress.com
xoxoxo