Moving Day

            At church on Sunday, I shook hands with the Governor of the Cross River State where I live.  He is the father of two of my students.  Their bodyguard sits by the front door of the school.  His wife is the founder of our school.  I also learned recently that the salaries for the expat teachers are not part of the school budget but is instead paid directly from our school founder.  This could potentially add to my stress but I am trying to not treat these students any different.  Sadly, there are staff members who try to give extra love and attention to them when they see them in the hallway or cafeteria.  I have told all my students to smile and wave but not reach out for hugs or comment back when spoken to when we are walking through the halls.  It just is not fair to the rest of my students.  They do not understand why they are not getting equal love and affection.

            On Monday, Clint went to the Airtel Internet store for me during his planning time.  He had an hour and forty-five minutes.  My planning times are less than 20 minutes at a time.  Our planning time is when our students are at specials like PE and music.  We discovered Airtel is the only company which will connect with my bank in Oregon.  The free mobile Internet sticks we were given work for Clint to get online with his bank but not mine.  We talked to the clerk at the computer store and he said Airtel was the best and he was right, it worked.  I was really afraid I could not use my online bank bill payer system.  I couldn’t even check my balance online.  I tried to email with my bank but they told me I had to call.  I called and was on hold for ten minutes and then my phone ran out of the pre-paid minutes.  Long distance calls burn through those minutes at a faster rate.  Thank goodness I got this figured out.  I didn’t think I needed to add someone in Oregon to my account before I left.

            Tuesday was our first payday.  The bank here really messed up our paperwork and we had to meet with them three times before we got it straightened out and then we were not given our bank account numbers until the day of our first deposit.  Expats get paid before the end of the month so there is time to transfer money to our home country.  We had to open individual salary accounts and then if we wanted an ATM to get Naira out we needed one of those accounts too.  Next, we opened a joint off-shore account.  Our money goes into that account and from there it can be transferred to a bank in America.  There is normally a $100 charge for transfers but our school has been granted a subsidized amount of $40.  I have one of the bank manager’s children in my class.  We had all the money sent to Clint’s account in Washington and then he will transfer mine to my account in Oregon.  It sure will go through a lot of hands before I can pay our mortgage.  I sure hope it doesn’t take too long.  I called my mortgage company before we left and told them where I was going and how to reach me.

            At the bank we went through the metal detector and past the guards with machine guns.  You stop at one counter to check your balance and another one to get cash.  There is no real line everyone just crowds together and you put your request on a form and lay it face down on the counter.  When the clerk picks yours she calls your name and hands it back to you face down with the money.  You watch the money go through a counting machine.  You can ask for Naira or $100 bills.  The exchange rate at the black market which is fondly called Wall Street gives you a better exchange than the bank.  I asked my driver this morning to exchange the $100 I had withdrawn for me on Wednesday morning.  He was able to negotiate to get 157 to 1 for me.  I have gotten as much as 159 before.  The principal said last year they got as low as 150.

            To make the transfer to the off-shore account and then to the States we had to write a letter stating that fact with our account numbers and signature.  We also had to complete a carbonized form.  I haven’t seen one of those for a long time.  We were sent upstairs in the bank to take care of that.  Now we wait to see if it made it all the way home to the Northwest.

            We got the great news we have been waiting for on Tuesday afternoon.  Our flat was finally ready to move into.  The first grade teacher was also allowed to move.  She had been at the guest house even longer than us.  We were given a van driver for the evening.  First he took us to the bank and then shopping at the open air market.  We had no notice so there were several things we needed.  At the Marian Market our driver, Mike, led us around after we told him what we needed.  We saw parts of the market we had not been to before and some of it I think we were not really supposed to go to.  Our school really takes our security seriously.  We were walking through smelly mud that I saw a man relieving himself on.  We just kept walking.  It is really dark in the center of the covered part of the market.  We were up close and personal with everything on sale because the passageways were narrow.  Mike was really moving fast and we had a hard time keeping up with him.  At one point we quickly made a left turn and I scratched my side on something sticking out.  I turned to warn Clint but by that time he had also got a nasty, dirty scratch too.  Luckily, we did not tear our clothes as well.  I will never wear my school sandals to the market again.  My feet were covered with the muck we were walking through.

            Mike did all the bardering for us and we were able to save a lot of money.  Without a Nigerian National helping us we always pay the white price for things which are not marked.  At the booth for plastic items we had several things to get.  It appeared there was some variety of colors so I requested a color.  Mike started to laugh a little.  I knew it was a bit ridiculous to be choosy in that kind of setting but I like things to match.  I had to at least try.  Our furniture and walls are green.  The kitchen ended up with blue and Clint’s bathroom is blue too.  My bathroom is green and pink.  I found a pink bath towel and I felt like dancing a jig I was so excited to find it.  We took all the plastic stuff to the van and headed into the fruit area which was across the alley in a field.  We purchased a branch full of plantains, a pineapple and a papaya.  Mike wanted to know which day we planned to eat the fruit.  He helped us pick it out to fit our timetable so it would be ripe when we wanted it.   The first grade teacher purchased 1/3 of the plantains from us because otherwise it was too many to use.

Our Fruit Purchase

            We next had to rush back to the guest house to eat our last meal there.  We invited Mike to join us.  We knew there was always leftover food so there would be enough.  I know it normally is not allowed to do this but we did it anyway.  He was so nice to us and we knew he would be a big help getting our heavy luggage down the stairs.  Otherwise Mike would have waited in the van for us while we ate.  I thanked the wonderfully kind servant who spent the most time with us before we left.  We did not see the others.  We had talked about ordering pizza one night and inviting the cooks to come inside and eat with us but we did not get enough notice about our move. 

            After living out of our suitcases for a month we had a big mess to quickly get-together and put in the van.  Mike and our servant O-Jung ran up and down the stairs with our stuff.  The principal and his wife are still not able to move into their place.  They also helped us.  We thought our principal might have to drive us because the van was so full.  It was even a ten passenger van but there was just enough room for the three of us.  Mike took us by the Value-Mart on the way to the flats.  This store is more like our traditional grocery stores back home in the States except the brands are not very familiar.  I grabbed a loaf of bread.  They only had unsliced bread.  Clint ran to the meat department and picked up a pound of hamburger.  We already had previously purchased peanut butter, jam, mayonnaise and tuna to have ready in case we moved quickly like we did.

            It felt so good pulling into the compound which is now our home for the remainder of our contract.

A few things to unpack.

Our New Home Away From Home

Week Three

Saturday, September 22, 2012

            On the way to the school one morning this week I saw a woman just off the busy road standing in a plastic bowl, completely nude giving herself a bath.  The bowl was no bigger than a Tupperware Fix-n-Mix bowl.  The principal’s wife said she saw a man walking nude last month.  She said it looked like he was carrying his laundry.  This is a very different culture than what I am used to.  Back in the States, someone would get arrested for indecent exposure for this behavior.

            Another morning I saw a student carrying her school desk to school.  It was wooden and had the seat.  I wondered if it was a punishment or if she wanted to take it home to do her homework on.  Maybe the parents have to provide seating for their children in the public schools.  Someone said they had seen this behavior before.  Public school started this week.  All the schools have student uniforms.  One of the schools wears pink and burgundy.  It was really interesting to see the boys walking together in their pretty uniforms.  

            We went to the bank this week.  You have to go through a metal detector.  I was warned to not touch my face after handling the money because of the pink eye virus and other diseases which could be on the bills.  This next week is our first payday.  We each had to get payroll bank accounts and then get a joint off-shore account.  We can then transfer our money from the off-shore account to a bank in the States.  We have to pay $40 to make the transfer.  This is subsidized for expats.  It is usually $100.  I have had trouble getting onto my banks online banking service.  I was unable to get the mobile Internet stick today I need to do it.  Clint has no trouble getting onto his bank account.  They must have different security systems.

This week I received two new students.  One was moved back from the first grade and the other was new to our school.  I am up to 11 students now.  Our little classroom is bulging at the seams.  The new early years building still looks months from being finished.  I had a student go home with a temperature and then she missed a couple days after that.  Since our school is a private Christian school I told the kids we need to pray for her to get better.  I barely got the words out and my student named Godswill started a prayer on his own.  It was so full of energy like a Southern Baptist minister.  All the students bowed their heads as soon as he started.  It was so beautiful I almost teared up.  I know God was listening and smiling.

I had a funny request by a student this week.  She asked to leave the classroom to fart.  I have never heard that one before.  I guess in a way it was polite to ask to be excused rather than the alternative.  Most kids just request to use the bathroom without the details.  There is rarely toilet paper in the bathrooms so you have to unroll some for the student to take with them.

My principal told me this week that he is impressed with how I have trained my students to behave so well.  They sit quietly now in the cafeteria.  The first week was a nightmare.  They thought they could run around to get seconds, use the bathroom, fill their water bottles and take their dishes to the counter.  I have them now raising their hands to be excused one at a time.  Nobody runs, skips, hops, or dances along the way now either.  They are even walking silently in the hallway in a straight line with their hands behind their backs.  I call it the silent game.  We are trying to surprise the other teachers because they will not hear us coming.

My Classroom

Next week we have Dora the Explorer and Boots coming to our school for a presentation.  Our school is the only one in Calabar.  For those without small children these characters are from a TV cartoon.  The local media will be here also to take video for the news.  I hope my class can sit through the hour and a half show without coming unglued.  I need to think of a good reward for them if they stay in their seats.

It has been nice having our principal and his wife staying here at the guest house because he has a car.  Today we drove back out to Tinapa and went on a boat ride in the Cross River.  Along the shoreline the jungle hangs right over the water.  We only saw a little beach in one spot and it was mud.  We did not see any crocodiles.  The tour guide said they stay in the inlets and the unpopulated jungle regions.  We passed a huge cargo ship and an off shore oil rig.  It was so tall.  There were a couple half sunken ships sticking out of the water next to the newer ships.  We can see a half submerged large boat in the river from our guest house too.  This was just like at the Lagos domestic airport.  We saw expired airplanes off to the side of newer working ones.  I guess when something breaks down they do not dismantle it for scrap metal.

We were getting ready to board the board for our river tour.

Miss Li and I were in the front.

The old and the new both share the harbor.

The jungle hangs over the river bank.

We have purchased several things for our flat but still have not moved in.  We have bedding now, a rice cooker, a cutting board, a blender, and towels.  I bought a colander at the open air market.  It is a metal bowl that someone took a knife and punctured it in a pattern to drain the water through it.  The school is buying a dish set, a glass set, a pot and pan set, and a microwave.  We heard the school did provide pillows and one sheet.  

Shopping for household items for our flat

36,000 Naira

We are so way past wanting to live here at this guest house.  Today we were served coconut rice and catfish for lunch and I had to excuse myself from the table because I almost gagged.  I just cannot eat the same thing day after day.  It doesn’t taste bad.  It is hard to explain.  They just serve us the same thing almost every day.  I just cannot get it down anymore.  I want to relax in my own place and eat when I want and what I want.  My entertainment in the evening is waiting and watching for this unwelcome four inch red/brown lizard to run along the wall between the window curtains.  I hope to get a picture of it before we leave but I pray I do not find him in our room.

The electricity was out all night once this week and two mornings we got ready for work with flashlights and cold water.  The water was off in our bathroom a couple times this week too.  Our principal said our flat has good water pressure and when the electricity is off the generator or inverters (large batteries) in each apartment provide the electricity.  Tonight when we got back from the river trip the water from the bathroom sink was brown.  For such a fancy big guest house this really isn't a very nice place to live.  I am so spoiled having come from the U.S.

Week Two

            Last Sunday, the three of us staying in the guest house decided to venture out on our own for a walk around the neighborhood.  The staff looked at us like we were crazy.  We all had shorts on and tennis shoes.  We are in the government quarter so we were a little restricted on where we could go.  We attempted to walk down to the river bank but it was blocked off.  We could just barely see over the cement barricade.  There was some kind of military vessel at the dock.  Back up the hill at the entrance there was a replica of a ship.  I got out my camera to take a picture of it and the guard motioned to us not to take pictures.  We walked down the street and I turned around and snapped a quick picture from the other side.  We were really getting stared at in the park.  We weren’t sure which direction to walk and what there was to see but it felt good getting outside.

This sculpture in the park is in memory of the natives who left Calabar as slaves aboard many sailing ships in the 1900's.

I think the ship we saw at the dock looks like this one.

             I have had stomach aches every morning so I am trying to find out what is causing them.  I suspected it might be because I have been brushing my teeth with the water from the faucet rather than using bottled water.  Clint says our mouth wash will burn the germs away.  I used the bottled water today and it didn’t make a difference.  I also have been drinking the instant coffee.  I wonder if the cook uses the bottled water for us in the carafe?  Sometimes I forget to think about where the food and water came from.  I must stay vigilant so I don’t get really sick. 

            The staff bathroom in my building at the school did not have a door knob until this week.  Teachers were getting stuck in there because if they closed the door they could not open it again from the inside.  Finally a knob was installed.  The bathroom has two stalls in it.  One has a door and the other does not so teachers are asked to knock on the door before entering for privacy.  The stall with the door is really small. You cannot close the stall door if you are sitting on the toilet because the door touches the front of the toilet.  I also discovered you cannot touch the stall wall because it is not bolted down so it moves.  Most of the time there is no toilet paper so you must remember to bring your own.  There are never towels or paper towels available in the bathroom either.  The water only works part of the time too.  One day I put the soap on my hands and could not wash it off.  I suppose this is also why I do not use the bathroom during the day.

            Our school principal and his wife moved into our guest house this week.  We will get their apartment after it is cleaned.  There will also be a small furniture change.  Tonight is the third night and still there was no word on a moving day for us.  It feels a little awkward to be living with your boss.  The first night they wanted to play cards.  The three of us were all working on our school work.  He said he remembers what it was like to grade papers every night.  We did eventually get a game started.  Last night we all worked quietly in the living room together.

On Thursday we went shopping with the teachers at the market.  We purchased cleaning supplies, some food and water bottles.  At the little grocery store we picked up some jam and peanut butter but no bread because we don’t have a move-in date.  The jam is mango.  I have never even heard of mango jam but I love mango so I bet I will like it.  This shopping trip felt really real to me because it was the first time we have made some big purchases here in Nigeria.  It is still a little confusing to convert the money in your head to make sure the price sounds reasonable.  The merchants are very impatient.  They want to know if you have agreed on the price.  They don’t like window shoppers.  Of course there are no windows but you get my meaning.  It was a lot of pressure.  I sure hope it gets easier.  I need to learn to not make eye contact unless I really intend to buy something from merchants. 

             I have been trying to show electronic books on my laptop which is hooked up to the TV in my classroom.  The Internet is so slow that it took 20 minutes to download the book today.  The kids thoroughly enjoyed it so it was worth it.  I am so impressed with the dexterity of most of my students.  Their penmanship is so neat.  Also, most of them know all the letters of the alphabet and their sounds.  Our curriculum is really beneath their level.  I am adding a lot of writing to make it more challenging.  I am crying that we do not have sets of early reader books.  I want to do literature circles.  Most of my class can already read the stories I am reading them.  They just amaze me every day.

            On Friday night the power was out.  The generator was broken again and NAPA (the power company) was out too.  The principal drove us over to his old apartment which will be ours so we could play cards in the light.  The generator was working in the teacher housing complex.  The principal’s bed was gone and ours is in and a chair in the living room was gone, however, our pots and pans, dishes and glassware had not been delivered.  We still do not have a move-in date.  The principal said he had not asked for the chair so he wasn’t sure why it was gone.

            I had quite a time coloring my own hair Saturday morning.  The power was out again so I was working with dim lighting.  The hard part was trying to rinse it out.  The shower only trickles water and it was cold because of the power being out.   There is one big bucket you place over the drain to catch the water and a smaller one to use to pour over your head.  I didn’t want to pour the brown water which contained the dye from my hair back over my head so it took me more than half an hour to rinse it out.  Then I had to wait to fill the bucket several times to get the dye off the walls of the shower.  What an ordeal just to serve my vanity. 

            Saturday was our school Open House.  I made a PowerPoint with the kindergarten benchmark and standards to be shown on the big TV in my classroom.  The power kept going off and on so it was really a strange Open House.  Half the time I was talking to parents in a dimly lit room.  The principal spoke to the parents for awhile and then there were refreshments.  All my parents were pleased to have me as their child’s teacher.  I got the feeling they did not have a lot of confidence in the Nationals as teachers.  The Nigerian staff are called Nationals.  Personally, I am very glad to have a Nigerian assistant so my students have both perspectives.  Even though I have a great education and know how to teach that doesn’t make me an expert in all things.  I consider my assistant teacher as a teaching partner and I introduce her as such.  

At the electronic's store

             After the Open House the principal drove us to an electronics store.  I was able to purchase speakers for my laptop.  Now my students will be able to hear the ABC songs I have over the noise from the air conditioner.  The store owner tested them on his laptop.  It didn't have a keyboard.  I saw a chicken cross the road while we were waiting in the car for others to finish at the store.  I wish I had, had my camera ready.  It was too funny.  The chickens run wild all over the city here.  It still makes me laugh.  My friend the first grade teacher did manage to get one picture of the chicken so she shared it with me.  She really blends in with the dirt so it is hard to her to the right of the purses.

This is where I saw the chicken cross the road.

             There is a small lizard living in our room here at the guest house.  I first saw it on Friday night.  When we returned home and entered the room it was on my night stand.  I saw it jump off and go under the bed.  It was only about two inches long.  Now we see it almost every time we go to our room.  It likes to hide by the door under a tile that is not sealed down.  It is almost transparent except for its black eyes.  I really want it to go away.  I don’t like the idea that it was on my night stand.  It could have been on my pillow.  It may be the reason why I wake up a lot during the night.

            Today we went to our first church service here.  The church was pretty close to our guest house.  It was next door to the Governor’s palace.  The service was over 2 hours long.  There was a lot of fabulous singing and rhythm instruments were available to use in the congregation.  Everyone was really dressed up.  The boarding students at our school were there too.  As usual we were video-taped.  It seems like the Nigerian people really like to take pictures and record events.  Who knows, maybe someday we will see ourselves on a commercial or news cast.

We were walking up the stairs to the church.

Inside the church

We had fun in the lively service today.

First Week

Monday was a nightmare.  It was my first full day at school.  The power was out the first hour of school and it was dark and warm in my classroom.  I pulled the carpet over by the window and played games until we could see to write at the tables.  None of my copies I needed were ready because of the power outage and I discovered I really don't have morning prep because parents start dropping off kids at 7:30.  My aide was sick so I was alone all day.  I had a runner and a crier.  I have taught long enough now to know it gets better but wow today was horrible. I didn’t get a chance to look for more of the curriculum so I punted all day with writing and activities I made up as the day progressed.  I discovered there are two sets of stairs to get to the second floor of my building but when upstairs the second floor has a wall in the middle.  You go up one set of stairs to get to one side and the other set of stairs to get to the other side.  I was so confused and thought the art teacher was in the other building because I did not find his classroom upstairs.  Well, I took the students on a tour of the buildings before I finally found it.

My aide was back today but two of my boys were really pushing our boundaries.  I have set-up procedures for everything and most of the students understand and are following them.  I assigned a line order and seating chart to keep the three boys apart from each other.  The principal arranged for Clint and I to stay at school until 5 pm so we could get more done in our classrooms.  Unfortunately, to organize and find materials requires tearing things apart first.

At our school guns are allowed because they protect the school.  It is a bit alarming but I am glad we are safe.

 The staff driver takes us to the market after school on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.  On Thursday we went looking for things for our classrooms.  I wanted to find some plastic tubs for organizing.  I picked up one and the merchant told me it was 1,000 Naira ($7 apx).  I thought that was high but wasn’t sure.  I Nigerian lady came up and asked the price of another piece about the same size and she was told 150 Naira.  At that point I knew she was charging me the white tax so I walked on.  I found another one for 700 Naira and purchased it even though I knew it was still too much money.  Now I understand why teachers ask the driver to make purchases for them.  I thought it was kind of rude of them at first.

On Friday my students were so much better behaved.  Only one of the boys was giving us fits.  My aide told me he repeated pre-school because of his behavior.  Now that I know his behavior is more than just getting used to a new class my goal is to find out what he really likes and use it as a privilege for good behavior.  I need to study him and learn what his triggers are and then find a balance.  I also want to make sure he knows I care about him even though he spends time in the lonely place for short bouts during the day.  My aide asked me an embarrassing question today.  She wanted to know why I never use the bathroom during the day.  She asked if it was because I sweat so much.  It is going to take awhile for my body to adjust to this humidity.

Finally the weekend and we were able to sleep in.  Today, the principal and his wife took us to the stores in the other part of town.  It is a ghost town of a shopping center with a resort next door.  We were basically the only patrons.  Most of the stores are empty shells.  A developer built it but only 10% of the people drive up here to shop.  We were told the largest store is the equivalent to a Target store.  It was dimly lit and had very little variety in the departments.  There were a lot of empty shelves.  Clint and I both purchased canvas bags for carrying groceries or school books.  The bags have a map of the city on them.

I wonder why the Playboy stools were in the baby section?

Next we went over to the resort for lunch.  The hotel had a nice dining area and there was a large buffet.  There was only one other group of people eating.  None of us ordered the buffet.  We were warned that the waitress will try to tell us our total was different than what the menu said.  That didn’t happen but one of the teachers ordered one meal for his two girls and they received two separate meals.  We heard him ask for two and the waitress repeated what he said but after we ate she told him he had to pay for two.  It got a little uncomfortable.  The white teacher said she could get the manager but he asked for one meal and that was what he was paying for.  It all worked out.

This was the craft shop down by the water at the resort.

It was a warm rainy day today.  I didn't mind getting wet because it does cool you off for awhile.

We walked down to the waterfront and there were boats you could pay to ride in around the river and some little craft stores that looked like tribal huts.  It was so dark in them it was hard to see the merchandise.  I purchased my first souvenir.  It was a handmade wood necklace.  It was raining really hard today so we didn’t stay long but I would like to go back another time and take the boat trip.  On the way back we stopped at a monkey rescue center.  This is the second one we have been to.  Their natural habitat is shrinking as the population of Nigeria increases.  They are also hunted for bush meat.  Often the poachers leave the babies alone in the forest and if they are found they are brought to a rescue center.

I think this one is a mona guenons.

We finished the day attending a birthday party.  One of the teachers is in the process of adopting a 3 yr old from the orphanage.  She was allowed to take him out for the day.  He started attending the pre-school at our school last spring.  He is still pretty much none verbal and still wears diapers.  It is so special she is adopting him.  She is from Chile and her fiancé is from Bangladesh.  Our staff is really international.  We have someone from China and India too.