Twelve months? Really?

Where did it go? I’m glad I chose to extend, I don’t think I feel ready to go home just yet. Whilst work is going well, there’s still plenty to do so I’ll definitely need the extra few months to finish things off.

So what have I learnt in the past 12 months?

• Expect nothing, and then (hopefully!) be pleasantly surprised.
• I am able to survive in a world where I can’t blow dry and straighten my hair every day.
• I am able to survive in a world without mascara.
• I am able to survive in a world without cheese and rose wine (although I’m not entirely sure about how long I could survive without these things. I have a feeling 18 months might be my limit).
• I will form too strong attachments no matter where I go – I am not cut out for a ‘traveller’s lifestyle’ - to say I won’t be coming home empty handed is an understatement.
• I am too sentimental to live in Africa (or certainly Nigeria anyway).
• If you had asked me before I left home what I would miss the most, and what I would be most grateful for when I got back, I’d have probably said electricity and running water. But these things don’t really feature anymore. Yes, it’ll be lovely to turn on a tap and know water will come out, but what I think I will be the most grateful for at home is the support structure from our emergency services there – knowing that I am living somewhere where you have trustworthy law enforcement agencies is going to be a huge relief to me. Where you can dial 999 and trust the process and the people at the other end of the line. Where the sight of police / secret service / army officers doesn’t scare me.
• I am stronger than I initially gave myself credit for.
• Don’t spend too long worrying about things – chances are (in Nigeria anyway) they will never happen, and if they do, they won’t happen as planned – things change in the blink of an eye here.

Other news… my life here has been pretty much focused on work recently. We’re trying to get a research article published in an international journal, so fingers crossed it gets accepted, as that would be awesome for the charity. No one ever claimed Cat 2. And Cat 2 has turned out to be pregnant. Every day is a battle with my conscience when she tries to follow me home and I have to shut her out. I feed her morning and night but have to stop there, as I cannot afford to take any more cats home with me.

We had an interesting experience the other night, which helps to illustrate my previous point about law enforcement. We were walking along and Jenny had her purse snatched out of her hand. The guy ran off, but it was pretty clear where he had gone to, so we went to ask for help from a man from a certain law enforcement agency who was stationed just down the road. This man was so drunk that I almost passed out with the strength of the fumes. We pointed to where the guy had disappeared to, could he chase him? No. Could he go in the vehicle he was with? No, the vehicle was bad. Is there anyone else that could help? No, his partner had gone to eat. Wonderful. So off home we went, minus Jenny’s purse.

I keep hearing people say that Nigeria isn’t an “Africa for beginners” country. And I do agree that it’s not an easy place to live, but I also think that if you just give it a try, it’s a country worth experiencing. And now for the next 6 months. Here’s to hoping they’re slightly calmer than the last 12, and that during that time I finally figure out what I want to do with my life when I get home.