Sunday

The Walkers live on a compound, which is like a closed off culdesac, with guards to let us in and out of the gates. Everyone in the compound helps each other out- it's a real community. Borrowing eggs, vehicles, resources, food, doing activities together, kids playing together and even eating together every now and then. There are Kiwi, Canadian and Australian families (the Commonwealth is really well represented here) as well as American and Nigerian families. 

On Sunday we went to Hillcrest church. Lollie and I dressed in our tailor made Nigerian outfits. 

Church was really cool. Everyone is so well presented- Nigerians take such great pride in their appearance and the ladies accentuate their booties for greater effect. Lollie and I say that we have found our people. During church, Scarlett was doing some Frozen colouring in and coloured Elsa's skin brown. 

After church on Sundays, we all go to Southern Fried Chicken (an eatery that sells KFC-like chicken, Hungry Jacks-like burgers and pizza). We sit upstairs where they play cartoons on mute while we can hear wildly inappropriate music blaring from downstairs. It's a good thing the kids are so focused on Tom and Jerry to take any notice. 

On this particular Sunday, Lilly, Arin and another girl on the compound put on a fundraiser dance performance on the basketball court to raise money for a data projector for the church. They each did a solo performance and showed their own style. Caitlin did an interpretive dance to Katy Perry's Roar, Lilly did a jazzy composition to Firework and Arin had a ballet influenced style to New Empire's One Heart with a Million Voices. After they performed their solo pieces, they all danced together to  "Wokka Wokka This is Africa", each in their own styles. Then everyone was encouraged to join in to Pharrel Williams' Happy. Scarlett was a hoot, bouncing up and down with her arms swinging out in front of her. Everyone was charged to watch them dance, and were charged again after the dances were finished. So far, they have raised about 8000 Naira (US$40). 

I'm so proud of my nieces' big servant hearts and their passion for wanting to help out the community. 

That afternoon, we announced to the compound that we were going to have a movie night outside, complete with speakers and data projector. I bought Inside Out on DVD when I was in Thailand so we were all very excited. But then the neppa (power) went out, that seems to happen a lot here, so we just hung out as a family. It's so great how much we are removed from screen time over here. The TV doesn't work. The internet isn't on all the time and there's barely power long enough to charge the computers, iPads, phones etc. 

I am having a hard time trying to keep up with posts because there is just too much happening to keep track of all the mental notes. Obviously there is a lot more happening than what's on paper. I'm trying to take a moment and just enjoy what's in front of me, rather than imagining how to recap the experience on the blog. 

Keep checking in. Photos soon.