Our First Weekend

            Our principal arranged for a driver Saturday morning so he could take us to the show us where we will be shopping at the open air traditional market, the modern grocery store, and the bakery.  We started at his favorite booth in the traditional market.  He can get bottles of Coca-Cola there.  There is a vinyl marketing sign that advertises cold drinks but there is no electricity in her booth.  It is a three walled room about the size of a walk in closet.  Only one person can go in at a time.  It was interesting how everyone seemed to know the principal and his wife and then it donned on me that they are easy to recognize as the minority.  They buy bananas from one person and yams from another to spread out their money.  The market was very much like the ones in Taiwan but the individual booths were so much more rustic.  It was like a shanty town.

I am very glad I brought all the undergarments I will need this year.

I watched the store keeper refilling the containers with her bare hands.

             After visiting the traditional market I was really anxious to see the REAL grocery store.  To my horror it was about the size of a 7-11.  I hardly recognized any of the brands.  I think many of them have been imported from Europe.  The frozen food section was one deep freeze of packaged meat that looked like it was processed in someone’s barn.  I am assuming with all the rolling power outages it is too hard to keep frozen items.  The prices were very high like what we were paying in the Arctic.  I think Clint and I were both really disappointed.  We are not big cooks.  I wouldn’t have a clue what to do with what we saw in the traditional market.  The foods in the grocery store were so unfamiliar to us too.  I do think this will be good for us.  We are going to have to learn to cook more from scratch which is of course better for us.    Next, we went to a bakery.  It was all bread and rolls and no cakes, cookies, or pastries.  Can you tell I am missing sweets?  

Oh yum, warm eggs on the shelf in the middle of the pet food.

             The bakery did have some meat pies so we purchased them for lunch.  We ate down at the marina.  There was a slavery museum, a carrousel ride, a café and outdoor seating.   It was fun watching the little lizards scramble around on the grass and up and down the coconut trees.  Cross River is a wide, brown river.  I am assuming it is full of sediment.  We were so thankful for shade in the picnic area.  We didn’t have time to view the museum but we plan to return.  Calabar was the location where most of the slaves boarded ships bound for America.

A dance team was performing at the marina.

This boat went by while we were eating our lunch.

             Sunday evening we went to a performance for the students of a performing arts school.  They played instruments, sang, and danced.  We really wanted to work in our classrooms over the weekend but it was nice to also get a chance to look around and experience some of the culture.  One of my students played the piano.  When she saw me she came down the aisle to give me a hug.  It is a cultural thing to hug your teacher in the morning and when you leave.  My principal saw it and gave me a thumbs up.

With all the poverty outside of this performance hall, I was surprised to see so many video cameras inside.  There is a huge gap between the rich and the poor here.

First Day of School

Friday, August 31, 2012

            We were picked up by the school van at 7 am.  We were already sweating from the heat and humidity before even arriving at the school.  Surefoot American International School (SAIS) is located on the main road that leads through town.  We pulled up to the gate and the guards watched us drive in.  They actually have rifles.  There is not a No Guns on School Property rule here.  We have to sign in and out each day at the front desk.  My classroom is the closest to the front door.  

We are next to the front door of the school.

              A new early childhood building is under construction but the number of pre-k school students has increased so as a temporary fix for the overcrowded situation the kindergarten class was moved over the summer.  All the teaching materials, children’s books and free-choice games were mixed up on two walls of book shelves.  I do not have a desk, file cabinet or cabinets and drawers.  We do not have a classroom bathroom or even a sink.  I do have a window and an air conditioner.  We do have a typical kindergarten classroom carpet with the alphabet on it and little round tables.

            I just barely met my assistant and my students when we had to attend the Friday morning assembly.  I noticed some quick cultural differences.  Each student gives me a hug every morning and one as they leave every afternoon.  Also, the parents often ask, “How was your night?”  I have learned to just say, “good.”  They are not really asking for information it is just a greeting like “how are you?” in the USA.

            After the assembly I had a quick training with the principal and the counselor.  They are husband and wife.  We really did not get a lot of information beyond the school schedule and a list of the California State Standards to follow. I met up with our class just before they went to lunch and then observed my assistant teach reading in the afternoon.  The different grade levels have different curriculum.  I know 1^st grade and 3^rd grade use StoryTown which is the reading curriculum I used in Alaska.  I have ReadWell.  I have never used it.  From what I have gathered so far it does not have much for the writing and sight words.  There are some student practice workbooks and some small reading books that start farther into the curriculum.

            The math is Everyday Math but we do not have the actual teacher’s lesson book.  There are manipulatives, a game book, activity book and workbook.  We also have a social studies and science curriculum but I know they will not last the whole school year even though I am required to teach those subjects all year long.  My students go to specialist teachers for PE, music, art, computers, and French.

My class

            School had actually started on Monday.  My assistant has been subbing for me.  My assistant has been with the school since it began 5 years ago.  She has been the kindergarten teacher for 3 years.  That really surprised me.  I feel like I am in an awkward position.  She was told last year she had to step down so an expat with a teaching certificate could lead the class.  It just feels so demeaning.  I also learned she has only received a small portion of the salary I will make as a teacher here.  She has never lived in the teacher housing either.  It is not for the Nigerian nationals.  Most of what I just shared I did not learn from her and I plan to never talk about that subject.  My goal is to consider her my equal and work with her as a teaching partner not as my assistant.  I told her we have a great opportunity to learn from each other and grow in our teaching profession.  She said she hopes to someday be one of the pre-k teachers.

            Well the day ended pretty well but I was really frustrated when the van driver pulled up at 3 pm to take the teachers home.  I only had an hour after my students left to start looking at everything in my classroom.  I was told I could not stay later or come in on the weekend because I can only come with a school driver.  I do not have keys to the school or even to my classroom.  I grabbed every curriculum book I could find and got in the van.  We went back to the guest house where our belongings were because the problem was fixed.

Calabar

Thursday, August 30, 2012

            You can probably imagine our eyes were big as we drove through town trying to catch everything in what was now our home for the next 10 months.  The streets were not as littered with street vendors but as when we went off the main road through town we say a lot of people selling things.  I am not sure I will ever feel comfortable buying clothing, phone cards, CDs, and produce from a temporary vendor.  I guess you could describe it as a farmer’s market but a lot more accessible but yet more sketchier and dirtier.  People come right to your vehicle if you even look their direction while slowing down.  They definitely attack you if you stop.

The Cross River State Governor's Guest House.  If you look close you can see one of the servants by the door.  He was waiting for me to come back in so he could open and close the door for me.

            Right off we were told our apartment was not ready for us so we would have to stay somewhere else for about a week.  The founder of our school is the Cross River State governor’s wife.  She arranged for us to stay at their guest house along with the first grade teacher who arrived the day before.  The mansion sits on top of a hill overlooking the Cross River which leads to the ocean.  We pulled up to a gate and the driver honked so the guards would open it.  Our room is as big as my double car garage back home.  We have a deck and a private bath.  The cook and service staff made us dinner even though they had already served dinner to the other teacher much earlier.  The dishes all had gold trim and the governor’s crest on them.  It is a strange feeling to have a server do everything for you and then stand in the corner in case you need something.

The Governor's China

A Typical Meal

The Guest House Hostess/Manager

             We were so tired that we went straight to bed after sending off some quick emails to let our family and friends know we made it all the way to Calabar.  Just as we were finishing the lights went out.  We had been warned about the power outages but thought it happened only in the wee hours of the night.  We later learned it is more like a rolling thing that can come at any time.  We had packed four flashlights so the search began in the dark to find them in our five large pieces of luggage.  I found two in mine and we just climbed into bed thinking we would find our clothes and toiletries in the morning when the power was back on.

            At about 11 pm we heard a knock on the door.  I had heard someone on the steps earlier and was glad our door was locked.  The first grade teacher told us the school was on the phone and wanted to know if we would like to move to a hotel because without the air conditioner it would only get hotter.  Granted we were really sweating in the hot humid air but I didn’t want to bother anyone.  The caller said there was a big problem with the generator and we would not have lights in the morning when we were getting ready for our first day at school.  She was also worried we would not get our rest.  I finally decided that maybe it was disrespectful to say no.  After I hung up the other teacher told me I was talking to the governor’s wife.  I was sure glad I had accepted her offer.

            Of course you can probably imagine it was chaotic trying to find clothes, toiletries and what we wanted to bring to school the first day with two flashlights but instead we had only one because the other teacher did not have one.  We hurried down the stairs and waited for our ride.  On the way down I discovered the butler had placed candles around the house so we did not trip on anything.  We were taken to a very upscale hotel and spa.  The bed was soft and we had no trouble falling asleep again.  The next morning was rough because we both forgot things we really needed to have.  The room only had a towel set like the hotel in Lagos.  We decided it was probably okay to charge breakfast to the room since we had meals provided at the house and the front desk didn’t have a problem with it so we were ready to start our first day.

In Lagos, Nigeria

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Before we could get off the airplane we had to complete some immigration papers.  It took a long time to get through the immigration line even though there were just a handful of people not from Nigeria.  They really looked us over and went through all our paperwork.  I thought it was just intimidation tactics.  I mean really, do we look like terrorists?  The whole time I could see in the distance our luggage going around the belts.  My 70 lb pink duffle bag makes a statement.  As soon as we approached the luggage we were bombarded by men with carts trying to secure our business.  They would not back off so we agreed and they loaded our five bags weighing a total of 290 lbs.  Clint went and exchanged our $100 bills for Naira so we could give the appropriate tips and have money for the baggage on the domestic flight the next day.  We did not see the man who was supposed to help us.  We learned later he was late because he was taking the first grade teacher to the domestic airport.  Next, we had to get through the baggage security line.  They were again looking at our passports and visas and then checking to make sure our bags matched the tags we had.  We were asked to show our medical prescriptions.  We did not have any and so we had to pay a steep fine of 5,000 Naira to bribe the officer.  We learned later that was nothing we really had to do and if our assistant had been there we would have gotten through that with just the luggage check.  We were told the local police would often stop us because we are white just to cause us trouble.

These two are selling the contents of the large plates on their heads

            Outside the terminal we still did not see our ride and then men helping us started getting pushy for payment and we did not know the money conversion or what was appropriate and Clint started getting really nervous.  He was sweating and pale.  I told the guys we were fine to just stand there and wait.  Finally our assistant showed up.  He was not happy these guys had run us out of the terminal.  He helped us pay the 500 Naira a person but he said next time to only allow one person to help with the cart.  It was nice to be on our way to the hotel.  We were both exhausted.  Lagos is the largest and most crowded city in Nigeria.  On the highways there were no lane divisions on the road except dividing the traffic going different directions.  Four lanes of cars were just weaving all over not even looking.  There were few stop lights and drivers just ignored them and the people on the side of the road.  We put our seat belts but most do not.  I thought we were going to hit somebody.  At one point the driver suddenly exited the road onto a rocky embankment which served as a median to make a u-turn.  He did not even stop for the oncoming traffic he just went.  There was honking and swearing but we didn’t say a word.

Many little businesses are just made from a ship's cargo container.

            The little hotel was inside a compound enclosed by tall cement walls with barbed wire on top.  It was like a safe, peaceful oasis.  Our room was pre-paid by the school but it included only one continental meal and had only one towel.  The room was on the second floor and there was no elevator.  The porters carried all our bags.  The man carrying my 70 lb pink bag tried to put it on his back on about the fourth step and he lost his balance and fell back a couple steps.  I thought for sure he would fall all the way and take the rest of us out.  He then put it on his left shoulder.  Unbelievable is all I can say.  I did however stay way back out of the way in case he had a problem.  The room was nice and cool but the bathroom was like a steam bath at a spa because they do not air condition the bathroom and do not use de-humidifiers.  We have found it to be the same everywhere we have stayed here in Nigeria.

Sidewalk Cuisine - We haven't tried it yet but eventually we will.

            I was nervous about the fees for the bags at the domestic airport so I did not eat dinner.  Clint went downstairs to the restaurant and ate both dinner and the free breakfast.  I was still trying to calm my stomach ache from the airplane ride so I just ate a protein bar my friend gave me to pack.  She was so wise because I did not get to eat until after I arrived in Calabar.  I went a whole day on just those bars and bottled water. 

            Our assistant took us to the domestic airport which was next door to the international one.  He went in with us and stayed with us until we went through security.  We ended up paying only about $200 for the bags but it was going to be more but the lady behind the counter started yelling at the man next to her who was weighing the bags.  Apparently he had his foot on the scale behind the luggage so we could not see.  She made him weigh them again and it was less.  I think she felt pressured by our assistant.  He actually works for the government.  He did not tell us how we came to get his assistance but our school is founded by the Cross River State governor’s wife.  We are one of her pet projects.  I am sure she had connections to make sure all the expats arrived safely.  An expat is someone from one nation working in another nation.

            When our bags went through x-ray we were allowed to climb over the scales and go behind the counter to the room where they were being examined.  The police were there and the airport security.  I sure was glad they did not think we were trying to smuggle anything in.  Going through security was pretty much the same as in the US except we had to pull more things out of our carry-on bags.  As I was putting my shoes back on the security agent rifled through one of my bags and wanted to know what my prescriptions were for.  She wanted to know what the C-Pap machine was for too.  She asked if it was for asthma.  Lesson to self, next time just say “yes”.

            We waited two and half hours for our flight to be called.  Nobody knows which gate is theirs.  Everyone just sits in one big room with windows and vendors.  The announcements were hard to understand and we did not know why our flight was so late.  We finally heard the announcement, showed our passports and visas again and got on the smaller jet.  I think it may it was about the size of a 727.  It was a smooth ride but it felt really good to be on the ground in Calabar and know I did not need to fly again until June.  Our principal and his wife who is our school counselor were at the airport to meet us.  They had a driver and the tech specialist with them so we could get our Internet stick and cell phones.  It was so nice to finally be here and ready to start our real adventure.