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. 

Africa

As soon as my head hit the Emirates pillow flying from Bangkok to Dubai, I was asleep. It was 2:20am. I took 2 mersyndol, threw on my eye mask, the complimentary blanket and put my music on shuffle at a mild volume and was dead to the world before takeoff. I missed all meals (why does anyone need a hot meal at that time of the morning anyway?), missed the great selection of movies and missed landing in Dubai, which I hear is amazing. 

After all the hype, Dubai airport was a bit of a let down. There really wasn't anything special about it apart from the kids area. I took a nap sitting up on a bench for a couple of hours and thought I would cash in my free meal voucher from Emirates. 

It was still very early, around 7/8am local time. I looked around and decided on Cosi. I perused the menu  and decided on a gigantic looking banana muffin and apple juice. When I produced my meal voucher, they told me I could only order something from a special menu- the most lux of the items was a plain croissant, which turned out to be a croissant-shaped bread roll. It was a bit dry going down. 

I went to my gate (once it finally came up on the departures screen) and boy- did I feel WHITE and severely underdressed. 

Everyone was presented so well. I was in a sea of braided hair and brightly coloured and patterned suits and dresses. 

Once on the plane, I was asked if I could trade seats with a woman so she could sit with her little boy. No worries. I went from an aisle seat on one side of the plane to a window seat on the other. 

I slept for maybe an hour while taking off, then watched a movie (Spy- it was flipping hilarious!) and the flight map showed that we had barely begun our journey. Ugh, so disheartening. Anyway, I watched another movie (Tomorrowland- don't even bother) and did some crossword puzzles. Soon enough, we started to descend. I had my music on shuffle again and it gave me the best selection of songs to hype me up for landing, in particular, Hafsol by Sigur Ros. Get onto that song- it is perfect for getting you excited for something. 

I made friends with a Nigerian Londoner while we were waiting for her bags. In the airport, I have NEVER been so sweaty in all my life. I felt drops of water running down my leg under my lightweight trackpants and my back was sopping wet under my backpack. By the time I got out of the line of people to check me and my bags, I saw Lollie and Waz waiting for me and I ran into her squeeze with sweat and tears mixed together. The angel standing before me gave me a bottle of water and I teared up again. So tired and wet, we made our way to the car. The three of us got lost driving to a ministry centre to stay the night, which turned out to be the wrong one, after we lugged all bags and an esky up several flights of stairs. Down we go again, back in the car and the right place, thankfully, was not too far away. My bladder was feeling a little full, due to not wanting to step over two people on the plane to get to the toilet. I had a shower and got changed immediately before we left to go for dinner at Johnny Rockets, an American style 50s diner. IT. WAS. SO. COOL. Jukebox in the corner, waiters and waitresses in the cute little hats and when Warwick mentioned it was Lollie's birthday, the whole staff put on a routine for us! It was amazing! We filled up on burgers that looked exactly like the pictures in the menu and a celebratory sundae for Lollie, complete with South-American-style birthday candle blowing fire.

I slept so well. The next day we needed to go shopping in Abuja to pick up a few things we can't get in Jos. I started feeling really unwell and ended up having to lie down in the car with the air con blasting while Lollie finished the shopping. Apparently you're supposed to take malaria tablets with a big meal. I did not. 

The drive to Jos was absolutely beautiful. Everything is so green and lush from the rain. The trees are so great, mum! Palm trees, flame trees, cacti acting as a natural fence around properties. Men and women carry the heaviest loads on their heads on the side of the road, as if it bears no weight at all. People are littering the roads with things to sell, be it gadgets, handbags, fruits hanging from their arms and approaching the car, or set up stalls on the road side, with piles of fresh produce and the darkest honey known to man. 

There were lots of military men in uniform and armed with big guns. On our route, we had to stop at several military check points, weaving through the makeshift shickanes made of anything from tree branches, car tyres, rocks, nails in wood or old cars (basically whatever they can get their hands on), where we greet the man of authority and ask them, "How is work?", he would ask us about our journey and then we keep on going. It's hard to be scared of the military men when they are so smiley and friendly, even though the gun in their hand suggests otherwise. Warwick reckons they have seen this type of things in movies so they are copying that image to appear more powerful. 

We saw Nigerian men repairing the road along the way and we would throw money out the window at them, as they do not get paid for their labour. There were disabled men who were unable to work on the side of the road in town, so we would hand out small food bags to.

Nigerian tuk tuks (kay kays) were scattered all over the roads, among other funny sights, like a car being towed with a thick piece of fabric. 

Once in Jos, we picked up Scarlett from her sleepover and I was bombarded with thousands of gifts (miscellaneous pieces of drawn-on paper folded up and tied with curling ribbon) and cuddles. 

Lilly and Arin were waiting at the gate of the compound in the rain waiting for us to come home. Cuddles and exchanging of last year's Christmas presents and an accumulation of supplies and gifts were exchanged and loved. 

I cannot stop hugging my (not so) little girls- including my (little) sister ;). 

Feels like home. 

(Note: I'm having issues with uploading photos at the moment. Keep your eyes peeled.)

Gross for some...

I'm peeling at the moment. While it's super annoying to have my skin flaky and bubbly, there is a sense of pride in peeling off enormous sheets of skin from your own back.
See for yourself!

 

Fabulous

Jana and I got our nails painted. And we felt fabulous.

 

Street food

Street food is just the best. In Thailand, it is everywhere. Jana already lives right next to a fresh food market and just in front of her place, the food carts line the street for miles on end in both directions. 
Every time we pass a food cart selling hot corn on the cob, I salivate but have just eaten so no buy, just look. 

Today is my last day in Bangkok. When Sorm asked me what I wanted to do, I said "EAT HOT CORN!" It was lunchtime and he had already eaten. We prowled the scorching streets and markets of Phra Khanong, because we just so happened to be there at the time, and we could not find a single corn food cart. I was starting to get a little bit weak from all the sweating, walking and lack of eating and I just said, "Let's just forget about it. Go home." 

We caught a non-air conditioned bus and I could've just died when I stood up and my clothes and the seat I was sitting in were saturated in sweat. The bus dropped us off just outside the fresh food market at Udom Suk and we thought we may as well have a look for some corn on our way back home.

Lo and behold, there it was. Golden, steamy, juicy mountain of corn cobs. I got 2 for 25 baht (AU$1) and and had a great time munching away kernel after kernel until the cob was just a cylindrical husk. 

So satisfied.

 

Cha Am

Last year, Jana and I went to Cha Am and had the best time, so naturally, we decided to spend a weekend there this time and just chill out. 

We spent the bus ride (small, claustrophobic van with minimal air-con and beyond maximum passengers) documenting our birthdays in chronological order so as to refresh our old, weary minds and NEVER forget. We have been struggling to remember our last birthdays, let alone the earlier ones. There is an embarrassing amount of gaps in my list. 

Last time we stayed at this hotel, our beds were basically just wood crates with sheets thrown over them. This time, we splurged and got a pool-side room with an actual bed. It still felt suspiciously hard, but I did check and we were in fact on a mattress with springs. The room was adorable though. Seashells were superglued to the top half of the walls and the artworks were very mish-mashed. In the dining area, there was an Egyptian painting on some cloth, next to a picture of a castle with 18th Century ladies and their gowns, which was next to a watercolour painting of some cows and some cute illustrations of trees which I was almost tempted to bring home with me. Jana and I describe Cha Am as the Thai version of Sussex Inlet. Beach-side small town with not really much to do. Most of our time in Cha Am was spent lounging by the pool and eating at Aroy's Restaurant, which, Mum- by the way, you would love. Clocks everywhere and sweet stained-glass lanterns above each table. 

Last time we were in Cha Am, Jana and I discovered this incredible street food of deep fried squid. BEST SEAFOOD EVER. We found the same guy and for 3 small styrofoam plates of crunchy deep fried heaven, we paid $4 and were on cloud 9. Another sweet tradition we have made is going to the salon "Aui" and getting a hair spa - a 40 minute long hair treatment with scalp and neck massage, blow dry and style. After about a week of unclean hair mixed with chlorine and too much coconut oil, you can not imagine the feeling of that freshly washed and straightened hair. Feels like fabulous. 

After a relaxing girls weekend away, we are feeling refreshed yet lethargic just thinking about starting another week. Only here for two more days and there is still so much to do!! QUICK!

Thai food

 Sorm cooked up a storm one night after school. Prawns, potatoes and carrots. YUMMMMMMM