Happy Thanksgiving

          The pain and stiffness has subsided in my right shoulder.  I still have a chemical burn from the patch of medicine.  It will take a lot longer to heal.  I’m in the peeling stage now.  It looks much worse than it feels.  It draws a lot of attention because of the contrast to my otherwise pale colored skin.  I also have been wearing sleeveless blouses because fabric makes it itch worse.  When I submitted the claim online for my health insurance I had to note that my injury happened at work and was a result of my job.  I have a feeling my claim will be denied and I will have to fight for reimbursement with my school. 

          The medical care was cheap in comparison with what it would have cost in the US but I had plans for that money so I didn’t want to spend it that way.  Since the same student took out my right toenail last week I told my principal I was going to wear tennis shoes from now on.  He lifted his foot up from behind his desk to show me his hiking boots and said it was not a problem.  I feel so fortunate to have such an easy-going principal.  I just pray he is still here next year.

          We got our package from our son this week.  We had ordered more electrical plug-in converters but the company would not ship them to Nigeria so we had them sent to Oregon and then our son put them in a box for us.  Clint had some of his favorite cooking spices also included.  The box was sent in a USPS priority box and it took a month as was roughly about $50. 

          I know it sounds silly but I hugged the box when it arrived.  It had come from the US and was packaged by my son.  I miss my kids so much.  The closer it gets to Thanksgiving the harder it is.  I am very thankful we are working that day.  I enjoy thanksgiving because it is a day to be with family.  I am not a cook or a “foody” so I am not missing the meal just the sights and sounds of a house full of loved ones.

          I was looking at my computer desktop picture of my cat the other day and thinking about a comment my son made when I got home last summer.  He said I acted like I was more excited to see my cat and my yard than I was to see him and his sister.  Actually, I think I consciously try to focus on my cat to avoid the pain of what I am really feeling.  I love traveling and having the privilege of serving the needs of children in what is now my third cross-cultural experience, but I am also a mother who misses her own children.  It is a loss of time which tugs at my heart.  I cannot dwell on it or it becomes unbearable. 

Once you become a parent you are always a parent.  Time marches on too fast and your precious time with your children at home is gone.  You must step back and force yourself to disengage a little.  If I had shown him my smothering- mothering side he would have been frustrated that I was not treating him like the grown up adult he thinks he is at 19.  Until my son becomes a parent, he will not understand.  I could not bear to even speak the words to him or his sister about what my heart was really feeling.  I would get choked up and never get a word spoken.  Yes, I gave them each a tearful hug but then I just had to quickly move on to save myself, by focusing on the lighter side of my life.

Clint is at the computer store today.  He walked there by himself.  He dropped his computer a few weeks back and it has been acting up more and more.  He cannot trust it to properly save what he has typed.  He has been having trouble getting onto the Internet as well. 

Perusing Facebook, email, and the Internet is our lifeline to life back home.   I cannot imagine how missionaries survived on snail mail.  It could be since the acceleration of communication we have just become so accustomed to being able to communicate at any moment, anywhere that without it we feel lonely. I also think many missionaries brought their children with them or were single when they went.

This experience has changed both our opinions about what we consume.  Last year, above the Arctic Circle Clint refused to drink the milk that came in a box.  He paid a fortune to buy the jugs of fresh milk and went without it when it was not available.  This year he is drinking it because a jug of fresh milk is not even available and hasn’t said he didn’t like it.  He is also drinking instant coffee.  I thought I would never see that happen.  I have actually been drinking a can of pop a couple of times a week and I am not a pop drinker.  It has no nutritional value and is just chemicals.  I think my body is craving the sodium because I sweat so much from the heat and humidity and don’t eat salty food. I have been eating more beef too.  There is just something about seeing the chickens running free in the street.  They are just too much in my face.

I hope everyone has an especially meaningful Thanksgiving this year.  I appreciate the fact you take the time to read my blog.  My blog does not tell me who reads it but it does tell me how many people have opened each of my posts.  You have a window into my world over here and my heart sometimes.  Everyday here in Nigeria is an experience unlike anything I have experienced in small town USA.  Sometimes it is good sometimes it is bad.  Yesterday, I started the day trying to cheer up a lonely  5 year old student who is missing his family since he lives in our school boarding house and at the end of the day I was chasing a cockroach in our flat.  It is just my life right now.  Take Care!

Trade School Tour

          My good friend the first grade teacher was invited on a tour of a trade school.  I would guess it is comparable to a community college in the States.  She graciously let me have these photos so I could also see the school. 

Carpentry and Furniture Class

These were examples of projects which could be made.

Wood storage for the class

Check out the old chalk boards - What no PowerPoint presentations?

 

I don't see any lights or outlets.

They were making oil cans from recycled products.

This classroom has some electricity for welding.

The lesson plans for the day.

Somebody has a computer and access to the Internet.  These were project plans.

Design and Sewing - We regularly see men carrying sewing machines on the street.

My Doctor Visit

          On Monday, I went to school with my arm in a sling.  I do not feel the sharp pain in my shoulder with the sling on.  I arranged for a ride after school to see a doctor.  I found out we were misinformed and the beautiful hospital a block away will not take our insurance.  Also, there is a deductible we have to pay.  Everything here is cash up front so I needed to be prepared to pay.  I really thought the school would help me out but they did not.  When our principal’s wife got Malaria and the Mumps last year she didn’t have to pay a thing. 

          After the other expats were dropped off our driver took Clint and I over to the Hannah Foundation Clinic & Trauma Centre.  It is just a block away from a store we often go to.  He left us there so we needed to walk home.  This was fine because it is only a mile at the most from our compound.  Our school administrator warned me it was not a clean pretty place.  From the outside it looked like an abandoned building.  We went in because I knew she would not send us to a bad place.  I told the receptionist I was there to see Dr. Oscar.  It cost N2,000 ($14) to start a file on me and N5,000 ($35) to be seen.

          She had to call him back from wherever he had gone, presumably home by 4:30 pm.  A nurse took my blood pressure three times in the lobby.  I watched the dial.  I think she was having trouble reading it.  She took my temperature under my arm with a large thermometer.  It wasn’t long before we were invited directly into the doctor’s office not an exam room.  All the walls were covered with book shelves and memorabilia.  The doctor reminded me of James Earl Jones with his glasses, salt and pepper hair, and big voice.  Where Clint was seated he could hardly see the doctor for the piles of papers he had on the corner of his desk.

          He talked to me first and then had me come around to sit next to him where he examined my shoulder.  He ordered an x-ray of my shoulder.  It cost N3,000 ($21).  We were escorted down the hallway to a cement courtyard in the center of the building.  I was then taken to a dimly lit room with a scary old x-ray machine.  The male tech needed me to take my arm out of my shirt because of the metal sparkles on it.  I asked him to get my husband because I couldn’t do it myself with my sore shoulder.  While the technician was out of the room we both commented on the visible black mold on the walls, the damp smell and the equipment.  I was probably about to receive massive doses of radiation.

          The technician was very kind and careful to not hurt me when he adjusted my position and the film.  I was very thankful he did not need to take more than two pictures.  Back in the doctor’s office Dr. Oscar (I discovered Oscar was his first name but he never pronounced his last name for me and it isn’t on the medication I received so I couldn’t tell you what it was.) showed us the x-rays.  He pointed to a sharp point on my shoulder bone and said it was evidence of arthritis.  He also said there was an area at the top of my arm bone which looked unusual and he didn’t know what it was but it could be an infection.  He said I had no fractures.

          He prescribed five medications N5,800 ($40 apx) and wanted to see me early next week.  In the waiting room, the secretary who had started my file and took my payments brought the medication out in a basket.  She ran to get change for me in the doctor’s office and left the whole basket full of many different kinds of medications on the table next to us.  We could have easily taken some of it.  He prescribed Kotase (I read on the Internet it is a pain reliever), Cipro (antibiotic), Arthrotec (I read on the Internet it is used to treat osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis), Arthocare (which is an over-the-counter medicine with Glucosamine and Chondritin) and Zetgel (which is also an over-the-counter medicine in the form of a gel to smooth onto my shoulder).

No Bottles - very similar to how medication was dispensed in Taiwan.

          I took today off to rest my shoulder and avoid further injury.  Yesterday, the same student who I had picked up stubbed my right toe.  The nail bent backwards and broke taking skin with it on both sides.  My principal saw me right after it happened.  We were walking in line down the hallway.  I often walk backwards watching my students.  This particular student is in the front of the line.  I was doing a little dance and saying something like awe and ouch and laughing in disbelief.  My principal looked at my toe and asked me why I wasn’t crying.  I whispered to him I didn’t want to cry in front of my students.  I walked with a limp the rest of the way back to our classroom.

          Besides the shoulder injury, I also had the unfortunate allergic reaction to a medicine patch I had placed on my shoulder over the weekend.  I received it from one of the expats.  She said it improves circulation and might help.  I must be allergic to one of the ingredients because I have a rectangular shaped red inflamed, blistery area on my shoulder now also.  Without the AC in my classroom yesterday it was very warm and my shoulder was itching so bad I could hardly stand it.  The doctor simply said it would heal and to wait to apply the gel he prescribed for me until my skin had returned to normal.  Today, my skin in that spot is rough and peeling off.  Clint thinks it looks like I got a severe burn.

          We realized an alarming fact last night.  There is no such thing as "911" here.  We have no phone book and nobody has even given us a number to call an ambulance if we had an emergency.  If they came we would likely not have the cash to pay them anyway and I don't know where they would take us.  I just pray we get through these two years here without any big health problems.  Clint was not given health insurance so he especially needs our prayers.

          On another note, we downloaded an episode of Survivor to watch.  I have been watching this show for years.  Today I watched with a whole new perspective.  When they won the reward challenge they received cookies and muffins.  Clint and I looked at each other and went, "Oh man that looks good".  74 days in a Third World country will do that to you.

Heat Wave of Sorts

          All this week we were without air conditioning at school.  We even were without lights a lot of the time as well.  The large generator which supplies the school with consistent electricity was broken down.  The NAPA power company does not supply electricity all the time.  Probably not even half the time.  The kids were complaining and could not stay focused.  There were a lot of big behavior problems across the school community.  There were teachers who were trying to get away with turning their AC on but when they did it overloaded the small generator and it would start to smoke.
          I found out after school on Monday not all the teachers were told to turn off their AC so Tuesday morning when the maintenance guy came into my classroom to turn mine off I stopped him at the door.  I told him I knew he had not informed everyone and it was not fair.  Everyone has to have it off or we were keeping ours on.  I don't usually get angry but when you are forced to teach in a 85+ degree classroom with lights on and off all day you get a little testy.  He said he had told everyone and so I named names and watched him knock on their doors. 
          On Friday, the playground was filled with smoke from the little generator.  We could see two classroom AC fans going and one of them had their windows open too.  I let my aide watch the kids and I went looking for Mr. Maintenance.  I brought him out to the playground and showed him.  He said he was going inside to tell them but we watched and only one of them went off.  I was over hot and flaming mad.  It is impossible to teach when your students are either falling asleep, looking dazed, or hyperactive because they are trying to stay awake.  My aide got a heat rash and she is from here.  I felt sick to my stomach and was losing so much water and salt from sweating I could not replenish it fast enough. 
          I really hope the problem is fixed for tomorrow.  If they cannot fix it then they need to shorten the school day or allow longer playground time.  Something has to give.  I felt so bad on Friday.  After school,  when all the kids were gone, I went to see the nurse.  She let me lay down for awhile and talked to me about how much water I was drinking.  I think I just pushed myself beyond my limit.  Going from the North Pole to the Equator was a big change.  I was doing fine with the AC but five days without it just got to me.
          I am sure how I felt led to a stupid thing I did Friday afternoon.  School was out and parents, nannies, and drivers were picking up the students.  I had two mom's in my classroom who wanted my time.  The driver of my most challenging student arrived to pick him up.  He never comes into the classroom.  He always stays at the door.  Both my aide and I were trying to verbally coax the student to go but he was holding onto his seat and refused to leave.  I wasn't going to yank on his arm and he had a death grip on his chair so I couldn't even pick him up.  I just picked up his chair with him on it and carried him to his driver and set him down.  I said in a polite voice, "I am sorry you had a difficult day but I hope you have a great weekend."  I then closed the door to the classroom.  Less than a minute later he walks in with his chair and apologizes to me and I gave him a goodbye hug.
           Well that split second decision wasn't a great idea.  I should have just told the driver to call his mom on her cell and had her talk to him or simply told his driver I could not convince him to come out and went back to talking to the other people in my classroom.  Anyway, I either pulled or tore a tendon in my shoulder.  I have been suffering all weekend.  I tried a patch which smells like Bengay and ended up with a rash on my shoulder now too.  I am not in a happy place right now.  Miserable doesn't begin to describe it.

Dedication's at Church

          At 9 am this morning we had a knock on our door.  It was one of our drivers.  He said, "Are you ready to go to the baby dedication?"  I hadn't heard a word about it.  Clint heard about it but did not hear when it was and thought I knew.  We were both eating breakfast in our pajamas.  Here we go again on an unplanned, day long, adventure.  Little by little most everyone came out of their flats and off we went.
          The church wasn't too far away and by the time we arrived the service had already started.  The principal's wife said since it was the first Sunday of the month everyone would be decked out in their very best and people would be there from out of town.  She was right, everyone had on their Nigerian garments.  There was a lot of singing and dancing and praising the Lord.  I was so thankful we sat next to the fan.  It was warm in there.
          After a 3-hour service, the baby dedication began.  The baby boy was the son of the marketing director at our school.  Everyone who was there for the dedication was invited to dance as they proceeded to the front of the sanctuary.  We continued to dance as the pastor held the baby and gave his magnificent blessing.

The parents are wearing matching peach attire and the grandma has a red headress.

          Next, there was a wedding dedication.  The new wife sang to her husband.  It was so beautiful.

Their dedication was also a very moving experience.

          After the service we went to the home of the parents.  There were a lot of people.  We were fed a nice big meal.  His school friends all congregated in the living room with all the children and their family and other friends were outside under a big tent.  He said the food was catered.  There were two kinds of spicy fried rice, chicken or fish, coleslaw, moi moi (steamed bean pudding wrapped in banana leaves) and spring rolls (egg rolls).  Inside we were offered water, soda or juice and outside they were serving beer.  We were given the food already served on a plate.  As customary here, there must have been 2 cups worth of rice on the plate.  I knew I couldn't eat it but I didn't want to offend my coworker so I accepted it.  I was so sorry I had already drank my bottle of water.  The spicy rice made my tongue and throat burn for a long time.  I was very thankful for the napkin because it made my nose run and my eyes water.  I tried my best not to cough.  Others in the room put their unfinished plates on the table.  I wasn't the only one who couldn't finish.  We did however appreciate the invitation to be a part of their special day.
         

A Country Medical Clinic Tour

Bringing supplies to the hospital.

Mary Slessor was a humanitarian from the UK who spent her life here in Calabar.

My friend the first grade teacher has been corresponding with a previous teacher from our school because she is now teaching in China at that is where she is from.  Anyway, she put her in touch with a man from the UK who is known as a white Nigerian.  He is an engineer who has lived her for many years.  He took her with him on a trip to the country to bring supplies to a medical clinic.  Since this trip, Clint and I have met him and a couple of his friends.  There are a few Caucasians around town but we have found they are usually from the UK.  I suppose since Nigeria was once governed by the UK they still have an interest here.  I believe I learned they gained their official independence in 1960.

The Doctor's Desk

This is where you talk to the doctor.  It is right in the waiting area.  No Privacy!  I am assuming those are patient's medical records sitting on the desk next to his instruments.

The Waiting Area

The benches are the waiting area and the receptionist's desk is the round one.  The shelves have more patient files.  Nothing is locked up.  The wood sure is beautiful.

Hospital beds for patients who need to stay.

The Birthing Room

The Examination Room

The Doctor's Utensils

I don't think they look very clean.  I wonder how often they use a new bottle of water?

They use iodine for sterilization.

         We live just a block from a small hospital which takes my health insurance, Global Benefits Group.  This health insurance was paid for in full by my school.  I will have no out-of-pocket expenses here in Nigeria and will cover 80% everywhere else in the world.  Sadly, Clint was denied coverage by the underwriter.  We are just praying Clint doesn't get sick or injured for the next two years.

My Halloween Day

           My aide told me students wear costumes on October 31.  It is called Harmattan Day here.  Harmatten Day marks the first day of the cooler, dryer and dustier season when the wind comes from the North.  As the time drew closer I asked my students what they were going to where and they all mentioned what their costumes were but nothing was said by the school administration.  On Tuesday, we all returned to school after a 5-day fall break which ended the first quarter of school.  Sadly, we were told about the death of two middle school students from a car accident.  Nothing was said about the wearing of costumes the next day.  I had one parent call me at home Wednesday morning to find out if the kids were supposed to wear their costumes.  I told her it was on the school calendar but the administration had not said a word about it.  I told her it was fine if her son wanted to dress up.  At school not one student came dressed up so I think it was informally canceled due to the school being in mourning.
          I was informed however that my set of twin girls, the daughters of the founder of our school and First Lady of our State, were having an impromptu birthday party.  They were all to leave the school that morning, on a field trip to their house.  What?  Really?  I have no parent permission slips for this because nobody told me this was happening.  I went to the principal for advice since it was ultimately my boss's big idea and I felt really uncomfortable telling her "no".  We came up with a compromise to have the kids leave right after the school day.  The school administrator called all the parents for me for permission.  My aide was not able to go because she had to pick-up her kids right after school.

We rode the school bus which is used to take the boarding students to church and other activities.

One of the birthday girls is on the right.

I personally put all their seat belts on them.  They weren't too happy with me because people generally don't wear them here.  I counted the students and we had extra.  Okay, this became just a bit more stressful.  I was told we were also transporting the twin's siblings and cousins.  We also had on our bus a police officer with a large rifle (AK47?) in the front seat and an armed bodyguard for the Governor's children.  The children of the governor do not go anywhere without protection.

Notice the shoe rack.  It was about 10 ft x 6 ft full of shoes for the twins.

           I discovered the Governor and his family do not live in the Governor's mansion by the water.  They prefer to live in their own residence.  Their house is actually not far from where we live in our flat.  Their house is surrounded by 10 ft cement walls with a 2 ft electric fence on top of it.  When we came in we were ushered straight to the girl's bedroom.  The room was as large as my whole flat.  Each girl had a full-size bed, a desk, a dresser, a night stand and a bookcase.  They had a 50" flat screen TV on the wall.  Their dressing room had floor to ceiling wardrobes and cabinets.  The bathroom was really big as well and had an extra large jet tub.  I couldn't tell from my student's expressions whether they were as impressed as I was.  I know they all come from wealthy families.

Each twin had The Big Piano mat at the end of their bed.

Sorry about the quality of this picture.  I was trying to get pictures of the room without being too obvious.

For activities they first set-up some chairs and turned on the Cartoon Network.  Next, they blew up some balloons and let the kids bat them around.  We played musical chairs and then danced to some local music.  Each of the Governor's children has a nanny.  One of the nanny's was teaching the kids some new moves.  They had a quiz about the twin's favorite things and then it was time to get pictures with the cakes.

The baby is their little sister.  

I was told most if not all of their children were adopted by the orphanage.  The orphanage is another one of her pet projects like our school.  Her excellency is a very kind and generous person.  After the party she showed me the large pool behind the house.  She said if we ever wanted to come and swim we just needed to text her first and the guards at the back gate would let us in.

This is what I did during most of the party.  She is a cousin of the twins.

          Stranger's kids have always come up to Clint and wanted him to hold them but it has never happened to me even though I have wanted them to.  Today, I had this happen to me.  She spotted me from across the room and walked right over to me and wanted up.  Her grandmother looked so surprised.  She snuggled in and did not want to go back to her grandmother.  It was so sweet.  I was told she had recently been very ill.  Hopefully, whatever she had wasn't still contagious.  

Their party theme was "Dora the Explorer".  The cakes were made with fondant frosting.

          The students were only tempted by the cakes but the adults in the living room ate them.  The students all received cupcakes.  They also served spring rolls (egg rolls), fried rice, fried plantains, and some mystery meat.  I was given a piece of the cake and then one of the twins brought me a smaller piece.  She said it was a mistake and I was to eat the smaller one.  I told her I had already started eating it.  Later, her mom told me her daughter had told her I only eat small food and that is why she wanted me to have the smaller piece.  I laughed because I think she hears me tell the server at lunch to give me a small portion.  Everyone here eats huge helpings of food.  The amount of rice they pile on the plate looks like enough for four people and they still go back for more. 

          I stayed until the last of my students was picked up by their parents.  Since I had not personally spoken to them, I wanted to make sure they all got home okay.  It was a long two hours of chaos.  Shortly after we arrived, I noticed my students had all taken off their socks and shoes.  I quickly had them all freeze and I told them to put them back on.  No way was I going to search for 22+ socks when it was time to leave.  One student had left her backpack on the bus but we got it back the next day.  I was so tired by the time I got home.  With all the nannies and the occasional presence of their mom I probably didn't need to attend the party but I was glad I had come just in case one of my student's needed a familiar face.  Half my class are only 4 yr olds so they still need some reassurance at times that someone is there for them.