Calabar Botanical Gardens

Achi Tree

        To go along with our kindergarten science curriculum studying plants and insects this year, I arranged a field trip for my class to the Calabar Botanical Gardens.  As little scientists, the students observed the plants and insects they found there and recorded the information in handmade explorer journals with colored pencil sets.  I made the journals from brown paper bags.  I crinkled the paper and applied multiple layers of cocoa butter on the paper until they resembled leather then attached the covers to plain paper inside with leather shoe laces.  I told the students about the Lewis and Clark Expedition and how  Meriwether Lewis was a botanist and recorded information about what he saw during his exploration of North America.

He was using a magnifying glass to observe the details on the flowers.

They were recording what they saw in their journals.

           I received the information below from one of my student's parents about the history of the gardens.  He works here in Calabar for the Wildlife Conservation Society.

                    Calabar was one of the first two Botanical Gardens in Nigeria in 1893 (the other being 

          in Lagos) in affiliation with Kew Gardens in London.  I love local history and wish there was 

          more available on the Calabar Botanic Gardens.  It must have been a fascinating place 100 

          years ago and significantly larger than it is today stretching all the way along Garden Street.  

          Plants coming and going from all over the world (the British empire).  Most of the traditional

          foods in Nigeria we now take for granted were imported from other countries: cassava, 

          maize, cocoa etc.  Rubber and oil palm were exported from West Africa to the rest of the 

          world.  Oil palm was vital for the Industrial Revolution in Britain and replaced the slave trade.

          In the 1970’s the garden was renamed the Calabar Zoo.  The rising cost of maintenance, and
          ever-dwindling revenues to the Calabar Zoo resulted in its eventual collapse. 

          My teaching partner remembers the zoo and went there as a child.  We found the burial site of some of the animals who lived at the zoo while we were there.  Some of the trees were so old that my class holding hands could not reach around the base of one of those huge achi trees which are only found in tropical Africa.  All of my students come from affluent families.  This is often true for private schools like the one I currently teach at.  When I told my class we had to sit on the grass to work on our notebooks they were not happy.  I discovered they really have no experience being out in nature and roughing it a little.  Two wanted to go back to the van only minutes after arriving at the garden.  I think it was good for them.  Most of them finally adjusted and had fun exploring.  I had some magnifying glasses for them to use to get a closer look at the plants and insects.  I was very thankful we didn't come across any snakes.  We saw several insect cocoons and one bee hive.  There were several different kinds of flowers and a couple of fruit trees.  One of the trees was a soursop which has a green spiky fruit.  I purchased one at the market the next day and served it to my class at lunch.  Most of them would not try it but for those that did it added to their experience from the field trip.  The soursop tree is originally from the West Indies.

The soursop has a white flesh with a texture similar to a mango with big black seeds.

The black ovals are insect cocoons.

Beetle Homes

Palm Fruit - My teaching partner took one of the red ones and chewed on it.  She said the palm oil is very tasty.

The Storm's Produce

          The rainy season is really underway now.  We are getting heavy showers almost everyday.  They are almost always accompanied by a spectacular thunder and lighting storm.  Even though there are large drainage ditches along all the roadways there is still flooding that happens.  When it rains hard during the night, our driver has to wade through a flooded dip in the road to get to our compound.  Whenever he is late, we know why.  The flooding has been especially bad on one road adjacent to the main road through town.  The city hired a crew to build underground drainage tubes to help alleviate the problem.  The tubes form a large "t" under the intersection.  The main road was closed for two weeks which caused a large back-up of traffic which went right through our neighborhood.

Looking North

Looking South

The cement slabs do not all come together to form a tight seal.  Clint and I made a comment that someday I bet the water leaks will cause a problem.  Sure enough this week on our way to work we saw a big truck with it's back tires in a sinkhole at this intersection.  I don't think they planned this very well.

They hit a water main.  Check out the guy taking pictures of us taking pictures of him.  We probably get our photo taken more often than the local politicians.  He was more interested in getting our picture than worrying about the gushing water.  Also, take note of the guy in the flip flops.  This is a standard dress code for construction workers.

          This afternoon we had another big rain shower and then a huge gust of wind hit.  It really pounded on our metal roof and then the usual thunder and lightening show began as well.  I took pictures out the front door and the back windows.  I didn't dare open the back door because when it rains hard our kitchen floods from under the back door.  There was already a puddle so I can imagine what would have happened if I had opened the door.  The banana tree that was up against the compound wall behind our flat either snapped or fell against the wall.  All the large leaves were right in front of my kitchen window and we had a big branch of bananas hanging down where we could touch them.  I had taken pictures of this branch a while back.  It was interesting watching the flower bud on it drop petals and reveal a new bunch of baby bananas. 

This picture was taken in March.  I could see these bananas growing from my kitchen window.  The petals come off one at a time around and around the bud to reveal the new bunch of baby bananas each time one would fall off.  As they grow the black end gets shorter and comes off.  The tree is very sticky and the branches are really broad.  The wind opens the strips on the big leaves.

This is the same branch of bananas now two months later.  They needed more time but the storm brought the tree down into our backyard.  We asked the expat from Jamaica for advice on whether we should cut it off.  He went to get his machete.  The news quickly spread and our guard arrived with a machete and then the neighbor to the east popped up over the wall with a machete in his hand too.  

Sadly, these baby bananas will not grow any bigger but we had enough bigger bananas to share with most of the expats, the guard and the neighbor.  They will take about four days to ripen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They twirled the branch after each bunch of bananas was cut off until they reached the end.  Each bunch of bananas looked just like what you buy at the store.  I took a video of the whole process.  Clint is talking to the neighbor.  He lives in the unfinished home next door.  The shell of the brick home is done and the roof is on but the owner ran out of money to finish it.  We think this guy is just guarding it but he could also be a squatter.  We just wave to him as we come and go. 

This is the bud on another branch still on the tree hanging high above the wall.  If the tree is only leaning on the wall these may still grow but I have a feeling the tree broke when it hit the compound wall.  We shall see.  They will not be ready before we leave for the summer but the guard got a good look at them so I am sure he will enjoy them.

Wedding

          My teaching partner invited Clint and I to her brother’s wedding.  We hired our school driver to take us.  He had to take the expats on their Saturday morning shopping trip first so we were 30 minutes late for the service.  As soon as we were spotted we were ushered to seats just behind the family even though the church was packed and people were standing in the back and at the windows looking in.  I had the feeling people were asked to get up so we could sit.  It was really awkward being ushered to the front during the service.  I wonder if they wanted everyone to see that this couple knew white people.  It is like it changes their status or something.  The sermon was long.  It sounded a lot like a pre-marital counseling session.  The couple had their traditional Nigerian service earlier in the week in the bride’s home village.  In that service they where the traditional clothing.  This was their modern service which was similar to services in the USA and the bride wore a white wedding dress.  Every big event brings photographers with their handheld, battery operated photo printers.  They take pictures of you and then try to sell them to you.  It is a bit irritating.  Most people do not have cameras here so for them it is special.  I think we had our picture taken twenty times or more.  Several people had cameras on their phones so they were using them to take our picture.

 

The wedding flowers were all silk.  The service was held at a Jehovah Witness Hall.  The lady in front of me is wearing a wig.  More than half the woman here in Nigeria wear wigs or braided hair extensions.  Rarely do you see a woman with just her own natural Afro hair.

This little sweetheart was walking up and down the center aisle.  I wish the picture had turned out better.  She was so cute.  She had fancy little braids in loops.

         My teaching partner asked us for a ride to the reception.  She went to quickly tell her family while we climbed in our van.  All of a sudden all these people started getting in the van.  There were so many they were sitting on laps.  We didn’t know what to say and our driver didn’t stop them.  When she returned I talked to her at the window and told her what happened.  The people thanked us for the ride after we arrived but they certainly didn’t ask before they started piling in.  It was like a mob scene.  We see this kind of thing every day on our way to school.  The cars and vans are packed like it is a contest to see how many people you can get inside of a Volkswagon Bug.

It was kind of funny how they piled in uninvited but it wasn't funny that there was no room left for my teaching partner.

This is a picture of a picture of us with my teaching partner and her husband and one of her children.

          At the reception venue there were hundreds of more people who had arrived just for the reception.  I only saw two gifts for the bride and groom.  The room was nicely decorated.  We have noticed that people decorate here with fabric swags more than anything else.  The chairs were all outdoor cheap plastic patio chairs.  The only reason I am describing them is because they started collapsing under people all over the room.  At our table Clint and I both fell twice and our driver fell once.  Two other people near us also fell.  We could hear it happening over and over all around the room. People would yelp and shuffle to try and grab the person falling.  Some of the chairs actually snapped legs off.  I was laughing so hard when it happened to me.  I was just sitting not leaning or anything and all of a sudden I was on the floor on my back.  Two people got up and took my arms to help me up.  I was laughing too hard to get up on my own.  I felt really red from embarrassment so I did a curtsy before I sat down again on a different chair.  Within only a couple minutes I was back on the floor again this time I almost took our table out too because I was holding onto it.  It reminded me of the story my mother has told about falling off of a stage while sitting on a chair near the edge. 

This is my teaching partner's other child.  He attends our school in the nursery class.  The staff members can have one child attend for free and the second one is 25% off.

 

I tried to download the video I took of the dancing but it didn't work and wouldn't let me delete it.

          When the bride and groom came in with their wedding party they danced to the popular music here.  There was a clown who showed up and was bothering people.  I was told he was requesting money before he would leave.  The meal was rice and goat meat, I think.  It didn't taste like beef.  We also were served barley soda.  We have learned to drink it.  The soda tastes like drinking a slice of bread.  I don’t know how else to describe it.  The bride and groom gave everyone a ceramic plate and a calendar with their picture to remember their wedding.  Our driver purchased a couple pictures taken of us.  Clint purchased one also and finally the photographers left us alone.  The clown followed us out to our van trying to get money from us.  When we got back to our compound the science teacher was outside.  He said I looked like a queen.  Several people made comments that we had nicely grown into the culture here by wearing the traditional clothing.  Our attire was definitely well received.  Clint picked up his shirt from the seamstress yesterday so he got it just in time.  The science teacher’s wife made it for him.

This is us with our driver.  He took us by his house to drop something off.  We were able to meet a couple of his seven children,

This was the irritating clown.

Baby Naming Ceremony

          Last weekend one of my students welcomed a new baby sister.   His parents invited me to attend their baby naming ceremony.  This tradition happens one week after the child is born.  Their family and friends gather for the ceremony led by their church pastor and elders at the family home.  We sat outside under a rented tent and then came inside for the meal afterwards.  The Christian families in this area pray to God to give them the name for their baby.  It is always a name they believe will give favor to their child.  In fact, I know of two children who were named Favor.  The little boy in my class is Godswill and his new little sister is Miracle.  I also have a King David in my class and one of his brothers is Prince.  The lady who made the African dress for my daughter is named Glory.  As part of the service people donated money to the family to start a bank account for the newborn but the pastor reminded them they had to tithe with a portion of it.  The pastor talked about how not all moms and babies survive childbirth and so they should feel very lucky that everything went well.  It was a bit morbid but I have seen some of the healthcare facilities here so I understand.  I am sure many people simply cannot afford any healthcare.  This family is privileged.

He has lighter skin and eyes than my other students.  He looks like his mom.  His new sister was very light but sometimes a black baby can take up to six months to get their full pigmentation. 

His other sister is on the right being held by another teacher from our school.

         The parents were so honored that I came.  They had me sit in the front row next to Godswill.  He is so proud of his little sister.  After the dinner of pepper soup and rice, I got up to help clear plates and they quickly asked me to sit down.  I felt so silly being waited on.  It is definitely a different culture here.  There are those who serve and those who are served and you do not cross that line.