Actually, what I remember the best from AP Comparative Government and Politics are the pidgin English sayings taught by my teacher, Mr. Hauck, to all his students regardless of what class they were in. And that is what has been the most useful! No Wahala, How you dey o?, On what level now? Etc... People appreciate it when you try and connect with them in their own language, even if it's extremely limited. I know I appreciate when people try to speak English!
We crossed the border into Nigeria about 5 days ago. We bush camped for 3 nights in Nigeria after bush camping a long time through Benin. So we were running rather low on water in our Jerry Cans. The roads we were taking were less travelled so there were no police checks (the road the truck in front of us took went through 60 checks in 1 day!) but it was also in much worse condition. No other trucks hauling goods would have been able to take this road. Only local cars and motor bikes.
This is one of the better roads. The really bad ones are too bumpy to take pictures.
After driving without seeing anything for a long time, we stopped at a small village. It was the only one for miles and miles and miles. When the big yellow truck stopped people were very curious. Then Nancy and Steve got out to see if we could fill a few Jerry cans from their well. They got permission and then the rest of us on the truck got out. The people in the village were surprised to see 19 white people pile out of a truck in their village!
By then, we had quite a crowd. People in the village (I wish I knew the name, there were no signs) were so welcoming. Only a couple of the men spoke a bit of English but that didn't stop everyone from greeting us and smiling. The children were thrilled when I brought out a camera to take a picture of the well and insisted that we took their photos so that they could see their own picture. They would stare down the camera even though I tried to get them to smile as the picture was taken. As soon as they saw themselves and each other in my camera's frame, they broke out in giggles, pointing and smiling. Then they wanted another and another. A picture alone, with a friend, with two friends, with a dozen friends.
They were so cute. And I think we caught them celebrating something because the girls were so dressed up with painted faces and jewels glued on their face and arms and hands.
Here are a few of the photos:
As I first bring out the camera
This guy brought out his musical instrument and was plucking away, singing and dancing
"How close to the lens can we get..." How about that expression on the left?
All these girls were so beautiful!
Still not quite sure how this camera thing works...
The little guy on the very left was little cheeky but super happy and adorable. He tried to pop into every photo he could!
My little friend again and the well pump to his right.
It took hardly any time to fill up the jerry cans but we stayed for about half an hour. When it became clear we had to leave it was sad, I wanted to stay a bit longer! People, kids and adults, had been stroking my hair and skin before but it now that we were leaving I was being petted like nothing else. I had trouble making to the truck! I shook hands with the few men and women who were watching a bit distrustfully from the sidelines and got smiles in return. After boarding Nala, I waved out the window back to the men, women, and children waving at me.
Waving before putting up the truck stairs. Good bye!
Good bye!
- Sent from Africa using my iPad
