a weekend of constrasts

How are you all?

We have had a mixed weekend, some very good and some a challenge but that is life.

According to research after 3 months you should hit your low point in terms of cultural adaptation. I can not say if this will be the low point, but it was a weekend of extremes.

On Friday we went to Enugu to see the psychiatric hospital, and to meet the only OT who is managing the department, he is doing a good job. He is keen to learn and so I hope that I can spend some more time with him. I have agreed to review his paper work and deliver a seminar to his workers when my OT students come. It is about 2 hours away. It was difficult getting to the meeting point to pick up our lift. We left at 7am from home, and then waited till nearly 9 to try to get a public transport vehicle. It had been raining so they were not coming. I was getting bitten very badly. When I get bitten a lot the pain seems much worse.

So at 8:50 we got a lift to the other Amaudo site, and then got a motorbike taxi, and another public transport vehicle. (so it ended up 3 legs instead of 1).

Then after we had been to the hospital we went to see another Hazel in Nigeria, she is the Aunty of Peter who came with his wife Sarah to set up project comfort (where I am working). Hazel is married to a Nigerian, and very wealthy. I do not know how many people she had working for her in her home but I recon at least 5!!

We arrived and she gave us a glass of red wine!!!!! In a wine glass, and then a piece of chocolate cake. Yes you heard correctly. I savored every sip and bite.

For dinner we had tomato soup, and chicken pie with mashed potato and cooked carrot. We stayed the night and slept with air conditioning, and had hot water. What luxury.

On the sat we looked around town and went a saw one of the expensive hotels.

That evening we ate curry with popadoms!!!

And had a three course breakfast both days!!!

It seemed a shock coming back here. It has been raining so the house smells all musty.

We left 10 am, using her driver to get to the public transport depot. It is a chaotic very noisy place, Andy nearly got his mobile pinched out of his pocket. We got in to Umuahia at 12:15, and had arranged to meet a pastor at 1pm. Well we waited till one and he rang and said 2:30, so we thought ok, and waited. 2:30 came and went and no sign of him. In the mean time the skies were getting darker and darker. You know what that means, rain!

And then the skies opened, when it stopped raining as heavily. We decided we had to go and try to get back here, so did not manage to see him. Which is a shame as he traveled up especially to meet us.

We walked with our umbrella through the puddles, to the motor park, but there was no direct, vehicle so we got one to Bende. When we got to Bende it was raining again, and there was a huge queue of people wanting to get a motorbike. Eventually we got one, which both of us shared, so 3 on the bike.

The boy did not know the meaning of the word slow, and the road was awful, we were slipping and slidding everywhere. I lost my shoe twice, and we went through puddles at such speed we got soaked. In the end we asked him to stop and we walked the last bit home. I was so pleased to back off that bike, and we just got home before nightfall.

So that is the end of our weekend adventure, how was your weekend

Busy week of work ahead of us, but Andy has arranged to watch football with people on sat, I am sure the football fans amongst you will be watching too.