Friday 23rd May- Weave on/ Mr&Mrs Cabin Biscuite/ a nice surprise

It was Eunice turn to be fixing weave on. Her own was to be long hair. It reminded me of a conversation I had with Laura Carter where she told me that Beyonce did not have real hair and it was some really good wig. Now I am suspecting it is weave on but neither of us knew what weave on was. I really am learning some interesting things. Whilst this was going on I decided to sit down and draw Mr and Mrs Cabin biscuit. I eat Oxford Cabin Biscuit so much. I only stated buying them because of the packaging, and still feel that it is 80% due to the packaging that I eat them so much. They are Rich Tea and the box is massive.
Eunice, Martha and I had dinner. Eunice went to bed at 9 so Martha and I were just taking tea. Tea of the evening was Milo. This is a Nigerian brand of hot chocolate. I did not like it at first and missed the English brands (like Tesco and Waitrose own.) But what I was doing wrong was not adding enough powder and milk. Milo is actually very nice, chocolate with small malt and it’s slightly nutty. It is better than Hazlenut Options because Options has a fake flavour. Milo is like drinking praline.

There was a big noise at the gate and lots of shouting. It looked like a fight. I got my hopes up that it was my lost items returning but I decided it was a bit unrealistic. Then Ouku called me to tell me that my things had come back. A group of Okada boys were all holding on to an ugly looking youth. He was topless so they were holding on to his jeans and his arms and legs to stop him escaping. Most people from Amaudo heard the noise so came out from their houses to see what the matter was. Finding the items and the identity of the thief was such a relief because firstly everyone was worried it reflected badly on their country for me to be robbed. Secondly the thief did not come from the Amaudo centre neither was he a member of the local community. He was an outsider who had been hanging about doing useless things and had been causing trouble to the people of Okopedi for some time now.
People were shouting PRAIIIISSSEEEEE THE LORD!!! Hey, it was none of us, didn’t I say that all along?! Told you so it was an outsider. It’s none of us people. I knew it wasn’t so and so. Wow, what a happy news. Well done. I wanted to have my items back but they had to keep them as evidence. Kelechis brother was holding the bag.

Bro- Are all three your own?
Me- Three items?
Bro- Yes computer, I pod and this face torch
Me- Oh riiight this useless thing. Yes it is my own. Gosh that boy is a useless criminal everything he gathered was already broken. This thing stopped working almost a month ago.

Success- Carol do you want to know when you were robbed
Me- Yes go find out if it was whilst we were at dining or if I was stupid enough not to notice as soon as we got home.
Success- OK I will go ask him
[Goes to boy]
Success- Carol your not going to like this.
Me- Why?
Success- He said he robbed you by 4pm Saturday
[We both laugh]

I was so embarrassed. I laughed and laughed. It means I am so messy and untidy that it took me more than 30 hours to even notice I had been robbed. I felt well ashamed. It was bad enough that when I showed Cecil the cut in my blind and my room he exclaimed “Gosh, not only did he rob you he also trashed the place!”. And I had to admit that actually the trashing of the room was all my own work. It was worsened slightly because of my stirring up my room to look for the missing items. However everyone that knows me also knows how messy I am and how I like to spread all my mess to any place I can get away with extending it to. I am even getting in trouble by carrying useless things into Welfare Officers house to clutter him up like shoes and scarves and tins of food. I half wanted to phone my granny and tell her because I knew how much she would laugh but I was worried that she would feel angry/disappointed that I have never learned to become tidy yet.

The boy was taken into the office to talk to co-ordinator and Cecil. Welfare Officer is away so Martha and I went back to call him. It was getting late and I concluded that I would hear all the news in the morning until I would be sick to death of hearing so I may as well go back to my hot chocolate and hit the hay. We ended up going to bed at 1 so we were even confused where the time had gone.

Tuesday 22nd May- Retail therepy?!

We went for email and Benson took me shopping. I did not mean him to take me shopping but I had gone to use his connections with the police to be able to get a report to claim on my travel insurance. He said it would be ok and he bought me sweet corn, eggs and bread. I had to stop him and tell him to leave because the stress given to me from trying to manoeuvre about the market in a car was even greater than on foot. I surprised myself by finding that because the markets use to cause me so much stress. Coming out onto the road where the vehicles and bikes move would cause me to almost hyperventilate. Finding vehicle more stressful really shows how well I have adjusted to the environment.

Wednesday 21st May- Pet Bird

Eunice and Martha’s favourite doctor was staying this week Dr. Obayi (Oh-bye) He is such a hard working man. He likes to read medical books all through the evening sometimes till 2am. Everyone likes it when he comes to Amaudo because he really enjoys the work and engages with the residents. Ward round was magic. The doctor keenly drove on discussions into detail such fine detail. We explored if the jerky walking which quite a lot of residents have adopted could be a side effect of drugs or if those people have catatonic schizophrenia so it is a mental slight paralysis. This causes some of them to walk like zombies its quite weird sometimes because the drugs make them sleepy and some of them are very slow.

In the afternoon Martha made her hair into weave on. This is where you plat the hair and then sow on strips of hair over the top to create a Caucasian style of hair.

John the cook gave me a gift to cheer me up. He caught one of those small yellow and black birds that nest in the palm trees and kept it in his hands to give to me. When I came back to Eunices house and saw the bird I was so surprised to see it sitting in his hands. He tied a little rope on its leg to make a lead and I had a pet bird for the afternoon.
Some of the children from the village admired my bird and asked me to dash it them. I felt slightly bad that a small child wanted to enjoy the bird and I was just being a big kid. One of the residents came to beg me not to give it them. She said that over here people like to eat the birds so the children would only kill it. Eunice confirmed that the tiny bird makes a tasty snack. I let the bird go free back to his nest to live another day.

Tuesday 20th May- Nonya. yeah right.

I was up early again. I checked the door half expecting my items to be waiting to me. Everyone is still chatting about the thief but I am getting bored. Ernest called and said him and Nonya were coming soonish. I told them I was out of milk and please if they could help me because you can’t get powdered peak from Amaudo only evaporated milk.

I called up Amaudo UK and they said that I need to get a police report to be able to claim from my insurance. I have been warned against the police because they like money too much. If they come then they will like to do all kinds of funny things to be able to make the maximum amount of money. Catching money is even more important than catching the thief. If they come then they may start arresting innocent people to gather their bail money and will beat the people in prison and cause a lot of bother. From a utilitarian point of view, weighing up pleasure vs pain, it is much better I forget the claim and just buy new ones. I would rather I pay £150 to replace my I pod than risk an innocent village man jail and paying a bail of 3,000N. The lap top is an EEPC, a new small computer made for children that is only £200 to buy with all of the software already on it. My only regret is that the person will not be able to have any gain from the useless items and will not even be able to sell them. They are probably lying in the bush somewhere getting soaked in rain.

Kate UK told me that Nonya is away in South Africa staying in Cape Town. Nonya called me saying he was in Ummiah and could not come because he had spent the morning with a friend who had just come back from Lagos and now it was too late to think about coming to and from Amaudo with these bad roads. 30 minuets later that Ernest turned up. He said he did not want to disappoint me and that I needed milk. Nonya is sick in bed with malaria. I said is he not in Cape Town. He said Nonya is too sick to go to Cape Town so he missed his flight. I said how can that be if he phoned me asking to come yesterday and phoned me 30 minuets ago to tell me he was seeing a friend and would not be able to make it any more. Ernest spoke a lot of funny things. He emptied lots of photos of English people from his wallet and said how they were related to him. I was not really bothered as I have met plenty of whites from England so I don’t see them as anything amazing. He kept asking what to buy me as a gift as if I have no money of my own. What’s your shoe size? Do you like wrapper? Do you like Jeans trouser? What about cover shoe or do you only like sandal? What is the thing that would make you most happy? I looked at him long and hard. I said I know what you can buy me that would make me the most happy. A cold glass of semi-skimmed cow’s milk with a side plate of chocolate digestives and chocolate covered malted cow biscuits. He was stumped because fresh milk is not here and nor is there fridge freezers.

Monday 19th May- BLOOD OF JESUS/ HOLY GHOST-FIRE/ MAY GOD REVIEL THE SECRET

I did not sleep so well last night. I was awake at half 5. My house was very dark after Kelechi bolting all of the shutters locked so no light would enter (or any other thing for that matter). In chapel they annonced what had happened and said they were going to have an investigation all day starting from with in Amaudo and then spreading out. All of the residents houses were searched and all of the staff questioned, not because they were suspecting anyone but because every investigation needs to start from the middle and move outwards. From the centre Rev Kenneth went to the Mbukwa village and asked the youth leader to alert everyone that some items were stolen and everyone should keep their eyes open for when the thief dumps them or tries to sell them.

Residents do not steal electrical items. If a resident steals then they go for food items or clothing or money. There aren’t any residents that steal in Amaudo at the moment, it is usually when they are fresh from the street and if you are mindful of bringing your washing in as soon as it dries and don’t keep your food visible then it is easily avoidable. I have made friends with all of the workers on one level or another so in my mind I have already ruled out all of them. Cecil is in charge of sponsorship of children born to residents and some children from the village so knows the boys very well and likes them so much. The village people enjoy Amaudo, they are an extension of our community. They are free to come in jest with the staff and residents, lick mango, buy recharge card for topping up their phones from Martha and come and buy provisions in our shop. Every time I see anyone they are friendly and greet me so it also would be very hard to believe that someone from the close community could come and steel from Amaudo.

All I can know from the evidence at hand was that the thief was young and did not know the value or purpose of the items they stole. They did not see the need for the charger for the lap top or for the packaging which was easily locatable in my room. Chances are they will not know what an I pod is because I have only seen one boy using I tunes in he internet café in 2 months. The computer had some trouble over here and I need to get a new charger before it can work again and the I pod lost all of its music so both items are completely useless to everybody apart from me. I am partly responsible for the crime as I had been leaving one of my bed room shutters open at the back for light to get me up in the morning. I don’t like having them open at the front of the house for if anyone sees me sleeping in late or dressing. What I think happened is that the thief was licking mango and saw my shutter open and decided to have a look. Saw a lap top at the end of my bed and was tempted so tore the blind. Inside my room they thought if I steel this I may as well have a look about so then took the I pod. I can’t imagine they planned it because they should have had the sense to look for the chargers and other bits to go with the things.

Nonya called and asked if he could come see me in Amaudo. He is the adopted son of Ross Cowell so I am curious to meet him. He and his friend have been calling me quite a lot asking to take me round town and have now given up on me coming to them so said they would come to me. I said what had happened and they said they would come the next day.

Martha came back today from helping V/Rev Timothy. She was sorry for what happened and we ate food with Eunice.

Church was for me tonight. The sermon was on why it is wrong to steel and how it is a sin. Chapel usually ends at half 8 but we stayed on almost till 9 having an extra big prayer session lead by Rev Kenneth. He was pointing his hands and flailing his arms like a front crawl swimmer in a thunderstorm. BLOOD OF JESUS COVER THIS PLACE
HOLY SPIRIT
FIRE
MAY THE THEIF NEVER REST (AMEN)
GOD REVEIL THE THEIF (AMEN)
BLOOD OF JESUS
BRING OUT THE THEIF (AAAAMMMMEEENN)
GOD IN HEVEN YOU KNOW EVERYTHING REVIEL THE SECRET
REVIEL THE SECRET
HOLY SPIRIT
FIRE
STIKE DOWN THE CRIMINAL
CAST OUT EVEIL FROM OUR COMMUNITY AND VILLAGE
BLOOD OF JESUS PROTECT AMAUDO (AMEN)

Other things were said but I can’t really remember now. I have never had a prayer like that before. It shows that everyone really cares and is seriously angry about the crime. After such a lot of shouting and praying and screaming of Amen till peoples voices went horse it will be pretty bad if the items do not turn up.

Sunday 18th May- Induction of Very Rev Timothy and a nasty surprise for laters

Time for the long awaited service for the induction of Very Reverend Timothy. Amaudo took a vehicle and the Helping Hands bus to show our best support.

The service was good, we were in a cathedral and it was completely filled up with friends and well wishers. It was a normal service with a section for the induction, presentation of new cloth for him and blessings. Then he and his wife sat at the front and people came up and gave him gifts of money and pledges of money to congratulate him. When a person goes to the offering bole then they are given a calendar to keep in their house and remember the day. I know that my parents sent our gift through a bank transfer so did not feel the need to go and announce it because he knew and I knew so weather people know or not then it doesn’t matter. I sat and let everyone else fight for calendars. I was sitting next to Benson. He asked me if I would like to follow him to Abuja for a few days on business. I was not really sure what I will do there but I suppose it could be interesting.

My friend Rev Peter was doing the MC-ing for the event. He is a very funny reverend and I like him a lot. He asked why I did not announce my gift and if I meant I was a nun. I have been asked if I am a nun a couple of times. I guess nuns must be common over here. Being a white in traditional dress got a lot of attention, people where really pleased that I was ‘trying’ (at being a Nigerian I suppose). A lot of people noticed my chief beads and said oh baby are you a chief? And I would say yes. I was made chief on the 11th of May in Igbrerre last week as a matter of fact.

We came back in the afternoon and I decided to loose my attachments. It was big work and my hair underneath was spoilt and awful looking. I showered then sat with Eunice chatting until we went to dining. I am getting bored of rice with stew so we came back pretty quick. After Eunice went to give drugs Ansylem came to chat to me. He is an ex resident and fully stable. He has been to university to study accountancy so is intelligent and witty. We lay on our backs enjoying the concrete bench with our heads together sometimes lying on our fronts like we were having a girly sleep over. He was discharged from Amaudo in 2004, his twin brother came to the ceremony and gave Amaudo 22,000N and goat to eat. He is a big man and lives in Lagos and Port Harcourt. His mother is late but his father is still alive. He married a second wife who has born one child who Anasylem and his brother sponsor. The wife is not very nice to the children of the first wife. We chatted until the rain desturbed us and he left me to go to bed. I then called my home and spoke to each family member one by one.

Coming into my room I noticed the blind was open and torn. I did not have any light in my room because there was no fuel for the generator and I still don’t know how to on lantern. I ran to security and met Kelechi on the way. I showed him where my house had been entered and he helped my search if anyone was hiding. I then got security so I could have more light and went to wake up Eunice to find out where that ex resident was who had been hanging about all day. She had been sitting outside helping me loose my hair and then did her own so I hoped she would have noticed if someone had come whilst we were at dining. I didn’t notice anything funny before dining and I spent sometime wondering about my room getting changed so I was pretty sure that the burgerler came whilst I was at dining. They stole my lap top but left the charger behind even though it had been sitting on top of it. Then they stole my brand new I Pod classic (80 gig) but left all of the wires, head phones and speakers behind. We reported to co-ordinator and he came to see. Then Eunice made me a cup of tea and I sat with her and Kelechi. House Parents have to get up at 5 to take their baths and get up so that they can get their residents up and bathed at 6 and give them their drugs. I felt bad keeping them up, so after taking tea I was happy and told them to go and sleep. Eunice went but Kelechi stayed worrying about me. I said I was fine but he kept worrying if I would be scared and how someone could do this to me and why did it happen? He prayed and prayed and pleaded to God for the thief to be found. I told him to calm down and that I was already settled and quite ready to go to bed so he shouldn’t keep me up.

Saturday 17th May- Story time wiht Eunice

I should be setting foot in my house again today and unpacking my suite cases but instead I am playing in my goat farm with Kelechi. When he first saw the goats he just wanted to eat them, and they would run away from him. Today he has baby eating from his hand, I told him he has become too soft now so he will have trouble to kill them.
I have been enjoying relaxing in the sun with Sister Eunice licking mangos. Considering the cost of mango back home it feel pretty luxurious to be able to eat mango after mango, if you come to a bruise or a bad spot you can just chuck it into the bush an open another one. She told me any interesting things. Many people have come to me showing off that their relations own the land that Amaudo is built on. (This includes the Chaplin Rev Peter from Amaudo.) Eunice told me that before Ross came the land was Evil forest and nobody dared enter the bush to use it for building houses or making farm land. When Ross came and asked for the land they did not really mind because they thought it was cursed and useless so they all agreed she was welcome to it. When the work men came and cleared the bush and started making the compound beautiful, planting trees, making a farm and building houses suddenly the land became attractive again and people started digging up documents to work out who really had owned it. Then the people who claimed previous ownership felt they had rights to benefit from this new development. When the bell went for dining village people would come to eat. When new clothing came in for residents then the villagers would want to be given their own. Amaudo is helping the community around them and promised to help all of the landowners children go through their education as a way of thanking them. Amaudo have got electrics stepped down which they will benefit from when it gets fixed up properly. Some children from the village are under Amaudo sponsorship. Most of the staff come from close by. When Ross built the compound she said there was to be no fence or restriction of movement so that nobody is kept out and nobody is kept in Amaudo that wishes to leave.

Eunice told me about her praying at 2am because that the time when evil happens and the trouble she gets from the evil noises from the bush. The Owls cause her a lot of trouble, when they like to hoot in front of her house they go ‘woooo’ ‘ooooo’ and she has to get up to sing songs of praise to drive them away. She reads them Bible and prays till they go. Sometimes she can pray and sing from 12 till 3 am. She said that Rev Kenneth also joins in when he gets disturbed from the owls. Martha use to join in at first but began to feel it unproductive because she needs to learn to ignore them and not to let them disturb her sleep. She did however agree that evil spirits can enter animals such as owls and foxes.

Eunice took me to Ndewo market and to say hello again to her family. In the market I bought a new wrapper to keep unsown so I can tie wrapper like a skirt and be free. The wrapper goes down to my toes to protect me from insects that want to bite me and drink my blood. Martha went away today to go help V/Rev prepare for his induction. She works too hard, whilst he is away we will have to relax and make sure we are eating fine. I have managed my money very well. I budgeted to stay for 2 months and I still have £100 left. I will have to get some money sent out to help me with this month so let us enjoy the money.