Confused? I was too

There are some phrases here that took some getting used to. Some examples:

1. “I’m coming” – Actually means ‘I’m going, but at some point will return.’ The return seems to be open ended. I’ve waited over 3 hours for someone who said, “I’m coming” to come back to the office.

2. “I need to ease myself” – I need the bathroom.

3. “How far” – A greeting, or a way to ask about the outcome of something. The first time I was asked this I responded with “how far to where?” and the other person burst into hysterical laughter

4. “You’re welcome” – this is said ALL the time as a greeting when you get back from somewhere or arrive somewhere.

5. “Well done” – again, said ALL the time by people you’re passing as a greeting. It’s quite nice, I get told well done for walking down the road, putting my rubbish out, successfully sitting at my desk, and the list goes on.

6. “You’ve tried” – at home this would be a bit patronising, implying that the person had tried but hadn’t quite achieved what they were meant to achieve. Here it’s a form of praise.

I was told the other day that Nigeria has the highest number of early leavers but also the highest number of people wanting to extend their placements. I can understand that, I’ve come to think of it as the VSO equivalent of marmite, people either seem to love living here, or hate it. Thankfully, despite all the ups and downs of the past few months, I still love it. Although sometimes I’m not entirely sure why! Speaking of marmite, I get some tonight! A previous volunteer has just got back from London, and was under strict instructions to return with marmite. I used to find it easily in Calabar, but can't find it here for some reason and so I am very excited.