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adventures in minna (exp)

August 20, 2008
10:44
The power cut...
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Sitting in front of my computer, typing between phone calls. The printer hums beside me, lights flash on the photocopier behind. Information kiosks blink in the corner, the heater warms my toes. And in a flash it’s all gone. A power cut in Ireland.
An alarm shrieks in the sudden dullness. And in a minute folks start to gather. Figuring out how to contact Emergency Services without a landline. How to gather information without the switchboard. How to inform folks without the intercom. A plan quickly comes together – a mobile phone brings accurate information about the lightly duration of the problem. After a bout of jokes, work resumes in whatever shape is possible.
Power cuts in Nigeria are a bit different. For starters they happen several times a day – if you’re lucky. Cos if there are no power cuts - there’s a very good chance there was no power to cut. Blackouts are greeted with a wearied shrug, a shake of the head, and a flurry of window-opening. After a bout of jokes, work resumes in whatever shape is possible.
August 19, 2008
10:57
Happy days...
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Kabba happy Kabba

Treking in Kagoro

Bauchi bash

Paddys morning fry up

Dutch mayhem
10:52
Favourite pictures of Nigerian children...
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Children sitting on Dala Hill - one of the most beautiful places in Nigeria

Fishing at Guara Falls

My gorgeous neighbours
10:42
Favourite pictures of work...
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Primary 6 St Peter and Pauls Primary School, Mikenkeli

Library staff & my mam (and honoury staff Aiesha)

Library skillshare

CERC colleagues - Kolos, Shu'aibu & Sadisu
9:58
Irish summer...
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Dry.
Looks like rain.
Mist.
Rain in the wind.
Spitting.
Raining.
Heavy shower.
Bucketing down.
Absolutely pourin.

Irish Winter.
9:44
Adventures of a returnee...
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Turns out I’m not ready to stop writing just yet, so off I go again.
Now that I’m home, there really are too many differences to take in. But sometimes things just take me by surprise. Like potholes. After a few months in Limerick I am now familiar with the 2 potholes on my regular routes. Gone are the days of jitterbug driving as I battered my noggin of the roof/window/other passengers; bottom trampolining on suspensionless seats; dramatic swerving, gesturing & honking punctuated by varyingly serious breakdowns.
Driving is one of the best consolations of being home.
July 08, 2008
10:53
Life goes on...
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Now that Im home I still love to hear the continuing story of the magnificent place that is Nigeria. So I read the blogs of some of the current volunteers. Long may their adventures continue

Coco [tactiletheworld.wordpress.com]
Glenn [acanuckamuck.blogspot.com]
Thessa [www.wahaladey.blogspot.com]
10:52
Sai an jima...
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My final six weeks in Nigeria was undoubtedly the craziest time of my life. There was so much to do and a huge desire not to leave anything undone.

On the work front – we got a great contribution from Irish Aid for library books. It really boosted the collection and gave the space a ‘proper library’ feel. Then we needed to make more bookshelves and reorganise the library layout. Having to spend a bunch of money in a limited time would normally be something I love! However, it can often be difficult to get hold of unessential items in a hurry, thus hindering my splurge. However, great shopper that I am, I battled on. Buying books, making furniture, stocking up on stationery, photocopying left right and centre, collecting scrap paper… We also held our last staff training sessions which was great – some repeat attendees were able to help out their newer colleagues which was heart-warming. As usual in the midst of the ‘wahalla’ (great Nigerian word for mayhem) there was plenty of laughs.

On the fun front – there was lots of it! My last few weekends were a riot. From the last Minna gathering to the Dutch celebration of Queens Day to the housewarming of a friend. My exhaustion was largely self-induced. Best of all were my sendforths. I had my colleagues to dinner – about 20 people – which was a wonderful whirlwind of people and food. My brave colleagues tasted (and obliterated) the food I prepared. My kind neighbours supplemented my plates & cutlery when all possible alternatives were gone. The compound kids carried and carted with huge grins on their faces. And then my colleagues held a sendforth for me. The week before I had been summarily summoned to accompany the admin gals to the tailor. I was promptly measured and then sent back to sit in the car as the ladies huddled up to agree the finer details of the purchase. The sendforth coincided with my line manager’s last visit to Minna, and so she sat beside me at the High Table and smiled for all (the many) photographs. It was a really lovely (and little bit emotional) day.
10:51
And now the time has come...
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I think the time has come when I have to write my last blog entry. I’ve been putting this off for a long time – a big part of me is still convinced that being home is just some temporary thing. That I’ll back in my lovely house, with my happy neighbours & friends at some point. That I’ll sit in the library again and hatch plans about what needs ‘doing’!

Being home is great. Settling in isn’t so much of a challenge – but feeling settled is something different. I guess that just comes with time. I miss Nigeria every day. Not necessarily the crazy roads or basic food – but I miss the people. I miss greeting and being greeted. I miss random conversations on the back of an okada. I miss the strange and obscure events that littered my days. I miss our weekend gatherings. It’s a great thing to have two places in the world where you feel at home. But it’s a terrible shame that you can’t be in both places at once :-)
April 10, 2008
14:25
Winding down...
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I haven’t written in my blog for aaaages. As I start to wind down things are pretty hectic but not all that interesting! Developments have been both good and bad as I finish up. On the good side the library is looking great. We received a couple of good grants and we have a fine core book collection now. The library is properly furnished and it really feels like a childrens’ reading area. In addition, our training for the library staff of local schools went really well. It was a lot more practical than the previous workshop and I think that helped in getting the message across. For instance, we made 8 small booklets for each participant and it was these booklets that they accessioned, catalogued and classified. It helped folks to link the training to what they need to do back in their libraries. The second training days were even more fun – we practiced using atlases, dictionaries and encyclopedias and in the afternoon we made posters for our libraries using information from library books. So that felt like a very positive (if exhausting) week!
On the not so good side – replacing myself has become a problem. And obviously that is a big problem. The way VSO works is that each volunteer should have a counterpart, someone who they work with who will take their place when they leave. Ive never had a proper (qualified) counterpart as my organisation couldn’t afford to pay another salary. It wasn’t a huge problem in the beginning as my role is essentially different from that of the librarian who will take over from me. I was setting up a library – sourcing for funds, meeting suppliers, dealing with a budget, training etc. My replacement will be running a library – maintaining the stock and building, adding to the collection occasionally, maintaining a good atmosphere, helping students etc. So late last summer things started to come together – two students of library science came to us on work experience. Both were lovely but one was particularly hard working and enthusiastic. I discussed it with my boss and we agreed that she should take my place when she graduates this summer. However, several months later I was informed that she wouldn’t be able to take up the position for 18 months cos of the compulsory youth service year students complete after graduation. My old communication problems came back to haunt me – I cant believe no one thought to mention it in our many discussions. So with 4 months before I went home I was back to the drawing board. I approached another school librarian – again someone whom I had worked with on staff training. He was enthusiastic and hardworking and had good support from the library community. He had some issues with the placement and we worked on solving them over the following couple of months (infact I would swear I did solve them) but just a fortnight ago he rejected the job offer… disaster. So Im currently hoping that third times a charm. This time we are going through the recruitment process in the Nigerian manner – I have made a suggestion for the only other person I think can do the position justice and I have asked the centre to request her to be transferred. That is how things work in the Nigerian civil service – you report to whichever school you are assigned to and you can be transferred at the drop of a hat. (I know I sound harsh – but infact if she doesn’t want to move we wont follow through. But this is a promotion so Im hoping she will..)
So there are my recent successes and failures. I really hope I will have better news soon. Please send your prayers, karma, happy thoughts and all that good stuff my way :-)

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adventures in minna (exp)