Nigeria Part 2

In less than five days I will fly to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to visit with my family and my new-born niece and nephew! It has been exactly one year since I've spent any time back in my home city and my trip is long overdue. I hope to reorient myself and relax before my excursion to Nigeria. To say that I feel "unprepared" for my upcoming experience is a major understatement. I have yet to pack, say my "good-byes", or reflect on anything. This entire year has been awash in anxiety, stress, and transition. For those of you who haven't been in strong contact with me, I'll run down the year for you in about 30-seconds flat:

1. Came home from cross-country bike trip and absolutely hit an emotional low.
2. Wallowed in my own self-induced stress and anxiety throughout the fall and winter.
3. Got rejected from about 5 job interviews.
4. Started working for Diaconia. Sat at home in our apartment staring at computer screen.
5. The Delphines (my major joy in Milwaukee) breaks up due to some interpersonal problems.
6. Have about 100,000 sinus infections.
7. Start tutoring at the YMCA (yay!).
8. Get an awesome job at the Wisconsin Bike Federation (yay!).
9. Struggle to manage  my time with 3 part-time jobs.
10. Get hardly any sleep.
11. Prepare to leave for Nigeria.
12. Busy, Busy, Busy.

The spring saw a great improvement in my personal and emotional fortunes; however, I still feel as if my concentration is constantly being pulled from one responsibility to the next. I am, to say it succinctly, over-extended. As I prepare for Nigeria, I am continually reminded of all the other "things" I have to accomplish prior to my leaving: spend quality time with Jamie, sure up my work with Diaconia, manage to ship three guitars and an entire drum set to Nigeria (donations I'm sending to the school I'm working for), and see off my friends.

It's been rather overwhelming.

Anyways, sorry for that, I wanted to post a quick message about what exactly I'm going to be doing in Nigeria. I will not be doing missionary work or going on vacation. Even though my trip will indeed have ample time for sight-seeing and wandering through local markets, I will be teaching at a private elementary school called Pater Noster Academy. In spring of last year, my African history professor Dr. Chima Korieh invited me to come teach at his school. I took the invitation as an honor and quickly said yes. I didn't second-guess my decision at all. Yet, now that it is approaching, I realize that the burden I will be putting on Jamie is heavy. She will have to pay the bills and watch over our apartment (and cat) while I'm gone. I don't take her responsibility lightly and I thank her very much for giving me her blessing. While at the school, I'll be teaching children in 1st through 6th grades a myriad of subjects. I have planned about 15 lessons, spanning over 5 topics. There will be science experiments, public speaking practice, sports, and history. I'm sure that the students will find the topics interesting and the outdoor activities fun and engaging. Dr. Korieh wants me to give a few teaching pointers to some of the staff as well, which I find rather curious, as I myself have never actually taught in a traditional school setting. Nevertheless, I think I have some advice to offer, as I do have experience teaching adults, English-language learners, and students of of all ages. We shall see.

My goal in going to Nigeria is to be enriched and challenged. The fact that I will be travelling by myself will definitely push my boundaries, stressing my comfort level and self-reliance. Flying into one of the world's largest and most chaotic cities, Lagos, will surely test my mettle and confidence as I navigate through its serpentine streets and chaotic traffic jams. My intention is to travel as lightly as possible, only having one pack on my back. I refuse to take more than is absolutely necessary. There are a few reasons for this decision: 1) Being burdened with suitcases will make my trip miserable and possibly make me a prime target for a robbery and 2) I don't feel that it is appropriate for me to come to a village in the Niger Delta with a lot of material items. Maybe I'm tricking myself into thinking that I can live as simply as some Nigerians? Either way, I'd rather not have the conversation about all my gadgets and do-dads while most of the students I will be teaching have decidedly much less.

Packing for this trip has been very difficult for me because I'm totally ignorant to the climate and topography of the region. All I've been told is that it will be very hot and humid. I'm going to be there during the rainy season, which  means there will be periodic deluges. I don't know if it is acceptable for men to wear shorts and t-shirts. I assume that I'll have to adhere to a business-casual dress code at the school, meaning I'll be wearing a lot of khakis and button-down shirts (this does not seem that appropriate of attire for tropical Africa). I'm not going to bring sandals, which might be a big mistake. And I'm going to try to cover up as much skin as possible to protect myself from the ubiquitous mosquitoes. I surely don't want to contract malaria, let alone 1,000,000 itchy welts on my skin. I have no idea what the water is like. I don't know if I'll have running water in my apartment. I think there will be a few grocery stores and markets near by, so I assume I'll be doing most of my shopping there. And I'm unsure as to how much money I should be taking--I'm estimating $500. There will be periods of acclimating that will put my body through a  rigorous mental and physical test. I hope to make it out of the first week full of energy and excitement about what is to come.

Most importantly, however, I want to live in the moment while I'm there. Too often we get caught up in  looking towards the future. Opportunities await in New Owerri and I want to indulge in them as much as possible. I want to travel to Bonny and see the old slaving fort. I want to dip my toes in the Gulf of Guinea. I plan on taking in a soccer match in a Nigerian bar. I will travel to the regional capital Enugu to see the universities and peruse a record store. Why not? Life is too short and Nigeria too beautiful to let it pass me by in a haze of stress and anxiety. This year, as previously stated, has been a blur. I'm hoping that with a little African sun and rhythm I'll be able to regain my own personal balance and come back to Wisconsin refreshed and energized.