Thunder storms and heavy rain over night, with this came more power cuts meaning the air con would keep going off and the heat would rise. So another disturbed sleep, I decided to get up assuming it was around 8-9 and looked at my phone to see it was 10.45! I was meant to be up and out between 10 and 11….oh well!
I tried to skype home as promised before I had left this morning, but no sooner had I got through, NEPA (electric supplier) went down again, no electric, no internet, no skype! I tried to send a text to relay the news and no phone use either, but there is no point in getting frustrated as this is what it’s like here every day.
I made my way over to the medical centre the pot holes in the roads this morning were full of water after last nights rain. Huge puddles waiting for the sun to come and dry them up. It was still overcast and grey with this tends to come a bit of wind so it feels slightly cooler.
.
When I got to the centre I helped the girls open the second of the large boxes shipped over from the UK with donated goods in. We sorted them into toys, child, adult clothes etc had the photo shot and put them into bags. Everyone was amazed and happy with the amount of things that had kindly been donated or purchased with donated money. A couple of teddies were selected form Fumni’s new baby and little girl and a toy was also given to one of the nurses for her little girl who is 4.
Suddenly I realised that a few items were missing, that had been unpacked on Saturday. Everyone began to search for them, but they could not be found. It was thought that someone had taken them, but I couldn’t believe any of the staff would have done that. I felt terrible that I brought items and from this we were standing accusing someone of stealing. I prayed that they would turn up and the negative feeling would be relieved. One of the nurses called in to say she had taken them home for safe keeping after we had gone out on Saturday as she didn’t like to leave them around in case some one took them. Relief was felt all around to know that they had not been stolen after all.
Later that afternoon the staff came and found me, as they thought I might be bored. I went downstairs and they gave me lessons in Yoruba, as I tried to pronounce simple phrases, we laughed and any small tensions that were left had lifted. I finally felt accepted by them and they cease to see me as a threat in anyway .My favourite phrase I think is “mofe jo” I want to dance. I then went and got my netbook and we viewed the photos I had taken over the past two weeks.
Mr Adegoke (the husband of Fumni who had the baby) came to measure me up, as he is making me a top to wear to a wedding at the weekend (he is a tailor and Femi had some traditional material). I had decided that with some of the money which had so generously been donated by friends in the UK and by ChiChi Dike from the USA, to settle the balance from the caesarean section. This was no huge amount by USA/UK standards but to this family it is a great weight lifted off their shoulders and would probably otherwise had taken them ages to have settled the bill. He was completely surprised and over the moon. So thank you all those that gave which allowed me to bless this family. I also gave him the teddies and baby toys for the baby and her big sister, which I’m sure they will be equally as thrilled with.
I returned to the hotel when my lift had come to get me. The weather had been overcast all day so the puddles had not dried up, everywhere was still very wet. As they dropped me off I said “oshe gan” thank you very much. He laughed, so I asked if I had said it correctly and he smiled and said yes!
I decided to go down to dinner after speaking to Tony and Beth on the phone due to the fact that the internet wasn’t working (that’s unusual!). I asked for chicken pepper soup (and chips not very Nigeria but felt yam and riced out!), when it turned up it was fish pepper soup (lost again in translation?). I usually love fish but had steered away from it after seeing where they fish (ref- previous blog and the sewage from the houses on stilts in the water and the men fishing…fat fish!). Saying this I must say it was nice, not sure what the fish was and there was more than a head which is what I commonly see everywhere. I think that the pepper is hot enough to kill almost anything that crosses its path.
I tried to skype home as promised before I had left this morning, but no sooner had I got through, NEPA (electric supplier) went down again, no electric, no internet, no skype! I tried to send a text to relay the news and no phone use either, but there is no point in getting frustrated as this is what it’s like here every day.
I made my way over to the medical centre the pot holes in the roads this morning were full of water after last nights rain. Huge puddles waiting for the sun to come and dry them up. It was still overcast and grey with this tends to come a bit of wind so it feels slightly cooler.
.
When I got to the centre I helped the girls open the second of the large boxes shipped over from the UK with donated goods in. We sorted them into toys, child, adult clothes etc had the photo shot and put them into bags. Everyone was amazed and happy with the amount of things that had kindly been donated or purchased with donated money. A couple of teddies were selected form Fumni’s new baby and little girl and a toy was also given to one of the nurses for her little girl who is 4.
Suddenly I realised that a few items were missing, that had been unpacked on Saturday. Everyone began to search for them, but they could not be found. It was thought that someone had taken them, but I couldn’t believe any of the staff would have done that. I felt terrible that I brought items and from this we were standing accusing someone of stealing. I prayed that they would turn up and the negative feeling would be relieved. One of the nurses called in to say she had taken them home for safe keeping after we had gone out on Saturday as she didn’t like to leave them around in case some one took them. Relief was felt all around to know that they had not been stolen after all.
Later that afternoon the staff came and found me, as they thought I might be bored. I went downstairs and they gave me lessons in Yoruba, as I tried to pronounce simple phrases, we laughed and any small tensions that were left had lifted. I finally felt accepted by them and they cease to see me as a threat in anyway .My favourite phrase I think is “mofe jo” I want to dance. I then went and got my netbook and we viewed the photos I had taken over the past two weeks.
Mr Adegoke (the husband of Fumni who had the baby) came to measure me up, as he is making me a top to wear to a wedding at the weekend (he is a tailor and Femi had some traditional material). I had decided that with some of the money which had so generously been donated by friends in the UK and by ChiChi Dike from the USA, to settle the balance from the caesarean section. This was no huge amount by USA/UK standards but to this family it is a great weight lifted off their shoulders and would probably otherwise had taken them ages to have settled the bill. He was completely surprised and over the moon. So thank you all those that gave which allowed me to bless this family. I also gave him the teddies and baby toys for the baby and her big sister, which I’m sure they will be equally as thrilled with.
I returned to the hotel when my lift had come to get me. The weather had been overcast all day so the puddles had not dried up, everywhere was still very wet. As they dropped me off I said “oshe gan” thank you very much. He laughed, so I asked if I had said it correctly and he smiled and said yes!
I decided to go down to dinner after speaking to Tony and Beth on the phone due to the fact that the internet wasn’t working (that’s unusual!). I asked for chicken pepper soup (and chips not very Nigeria but felt yam and riced out!), when it turned up it was fish pepper soup (lost again in translation?). I usually love fish but had steered away from it after seeing where they fish (ref- previous blog and the sewage from the houses on stilts in the water and the men fishing…fat fish!). Saying this I must say it was nice, not sure what the fish was and there was more than a head which is what I commonly see everywhere. I think that the pepper is hot enough to kill almost anything that crosses its path.
Like your candour and sense of humour!
ReplyDeleteyou said you were ment to be up between 10-11 so 10:45 isnt late :) lol, bet that couple were happy you paid for there thing for them :) and glad they were all happy with the stuff donated :)
ReplyDeletespeak soon x