Today was set aside for visiting the War Museum; we went to collect emails first. I was not really in the mood for going out. I did not sleep so well last night because I was missing home. I was not really missing any of the people (sorry all!) but more things that I like to have when I am feeling low.
1. Tea & biscuits with GOOD milk
2. A cold glass of milk
3. Chips
4. A cold Old Rosy (with Indigo & whoever else is about, on the apple possibly with a slice of brie cheese, chutney and bread)
5. My saggy sofa that lets me lie with my head and feet raised when I am watching TV
6. Good old processed meat like hamburgers, chicken burgers and spaghetti bollanyse & lasagna
7. Music (I am cursing that EPC for wiping my Ipod so much now the honeymoon period of loving Nigeria is fading)
8. Eating vegetables and fruit with every meal
9. Being able to feel the cold and sleeping under two duvets
10. Safe roads and organised traffic where a car has the correct amount of people in. Road markings. Traffic lights. Zebra crossings. Speed limits.
Things I have taken too well:
1. The shower room. It is very large and cool. Showering is quiet and refreshing. I put detol in the water like everyone else. Detol’s market is staggering over here! There are loads of adverts on TV and all around the place. They market their cleaner to be used in your bath water, clean the house with and disinfect things. They also have Detol soap so you can be extra safe when washing.
2. Garri, when the soup is sweet and not very salty I am learning to enjoy it. Rev Timothy’s wife makes it very well. I can even finish the whole meal.
3. Nigerians don’t have the same marketing problems where every problem needs a different product. Why would I buy fairy washing up liquid if the powder I have bought to wash my clothes in works just as fine!
4. Okada bikes. I enjoy them because they are better at avoiding bumps in the road and can go round potholes. You do not get squashed unless you are riding with more than two people on the bike. The breeze is refreshing and it cools you down before you get to where you wish to be
Some Nigerian phrases
- Onyeocha/ Sister – a greeting for white people, ‘sister’ is used by people that know Ros Colwill and by the children of those who knew her
- I am Coming - when walking away from you so that they are quite clearly going but will be returning later on
- Snapping - Photographing and anything to do with cameras
- What of my own? This my own? – This talks about something that is for you or is belonging to you. “Your orange is green…my own is orange in colour and is sweeter….I miss my own”
- Food is Ready - Fast food, not the way we think of fast food, so no chips and burgers it is just food that is cooked with speed
- Ease myself - Go to the toilet
- Picking - this word is used for getting anything. Be it picking food from the market, stealing something, or taking a homeless person from the street to carry back to Amaudo
- Fine - here fine means better than very good and better than fair. Fine is the highest marking of something so excuse me if I call something fine when it is actually very good and liked a lot
The war meausium was closed so we went to Adukuwe bunker instead. It was an underground hide out for Adukuwe where he lived in the war. It was very cold inside and I was embarrassed to think that it was a fine place to live although I half wished I could spend the night there. We were taken about on a tour with some navy men who were dressed up very smart. I wanted to ‘snap’ them and their security guards that were in helmets and had guns. To leave we had to exit via a ladder that was made of rungs up a tunnel. I was a bit annoyed to be having to wear skirts the whole time but Rev Timothy felt a lot worse because he is afraid of heights. This made up my mind about us leaving via the ladder. He asked me how could he could climb and carry his bag in his hand? I said to him if you can drive me safely whilst eating and drinking then you should be able to climb and carry. I gave him my shopper bag so he could hold all his things about his neck. It was the first time I have been better than him/ Martha at anything before so I felt pretty happy. He was such a drama queen when he got out the top.
I told Martha I wished to photograph the navy men because they look so smart but was worried they would think I was silly. I then realised that several of them were taking photographs of me. So I said “I am admiring your bright white uniforms and you are admiring my bright white skin why don’t we all stand together and it will make a fine photograph.” Then everyone was happy.
The navy men
Later we went to the market to collect my clothing I had measured. I was very excited to pick up a lovely green dress with a matching skirt and shirt. They were rather tight but the tailor assured me that they would grow with wear. Rev Timothy’s birthday had been on Thursday and none had done anything so I wanted to find him a birthday present because he has been so good at caring for my needs.
The taylor
Diane had a stream of visitors all day long. She is loved so much and had been given lots of gifts like mango, oranges and bread.
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