The “real” African experience

I definitely got spoiled by being in the well-planned Abuja with its nice roads with little traffic, nice restaurants, and relatively low population density for my first week in Nigeria. My second week was definitely more “African” than the first. The agenda for the week was to visit several state offices of the project that we are evaluating and meet with the data entry teams. Unlike the Kaduna office last week, that was air-conditioned and well-furnished, the offices that we have gone to on Monday and Tuesday were without A/C (and it is 90F outside), with little furniture, and one didn’t even have an available electrical outlet. The drive to Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa state, our Tuesday destination, was long and typically African: two-lane road, with lots of bumps, potholes, and broken-down trucks, passing through numerous crowded market centers with people coming up to your car trying to sell stuff, creating traffic jams…and the office driver driving like a maniac. Lafia is basically an upgraded village with a million of street vendors lining the main road and trash everywhere (even our driver, who is from Nasarawa, lamented the surroundings). People were speaking only Hausa (local language) so I was lucky that the driver could get us to the right place.
Our trip to Lagos, the former capital, was also adventurous. The domestic terminal in Abuja is quite a zoo: lots of people; one gate for all departures; no ID shown at any point; water and other liquids can be brought in; you walk to the airplane and on the way identify your luggage, then get patted down before entering the plane; and the best part…the seating is not assigned! It’s like taking a bus in Bolivia---you just pick a seat. The flight was over an hour late, but they did give us a snack, a drink, and a mint (take that, US-based airlines). Lagos is so unlike the Abuja---some of the worst roads I’ve ever seen, tons of traffic (think Bangalore), and generally dilapidated surroundings. The work, as always, keeps it exciting and energizing. Oh, and I got to try panded yam with goat stew, some of the spiciest stuff ever---I ate about a third of it though not to offend the hosts, while my tongue was going numb:)

More impressions from Nigeria

I am back in Abuja after a 2-day trip to the northern state and city of Kaduna. Again, I'm continuing to be pleasantly surprised at how much I have been enjoying myself here. Kaduna is a big city, but much quieter than Abuja. The northern area is predominantly Muslim, so you see men in traditional dress, and today we even had to take a "Mosque-break" for some team members to go to the Mosque to pray. The dry deserty climate was perfect for me as the heat felt so good against my skin. Overall, I have been very well received everywhere I have been so far and have enjoyed the lively discussions of work and non-work related things. A few specific observations:

1) Nigerians are very lively, fun-loving, and optimistic people. The fun-loving quality and animated manner of conversation remind me of people in Russia, but unlike the Russians, who are by nature on the pessimistic side, Nigerians are quite happy and have a positive outlook, even though, similar to my countrymen, they complain about the government, prices, traffic, lawlessness, etc, but they do it in a funner and more optimistic way.

2) From what I can tell so far, the roads are quite good, and the traffic is not very heavy---nice change from the rest of Africa and Asia.

3) I am still amazed at how peacefully Christianity and Islam coexist in this country. In the meetings we have had people from both religions, and I have yet to witness any tensions. Christians and Muslims live in same areas, go to same schools, and work on same projects quite well. The collaborators today told me that in the very North of Nigeria, in very Muslim areas, there are more tensions, and there are religion-based politics everywhere in the country. However, both religions are respected and accepted in all areas of life. Interestingly, between the Arabs coming from the North and the British Christian colonists coming from the South, the traditional religions have been almost eradicated, unlike most other parts of Africa where these religions are still commonplace.

4) Nigeria is rich in oil---our driver spent 3 hours looking for gas in Kaduna. Corruption is definitely omnipresent.

Nigerian experience: first impressions

Even though I was sort of dreading coming to Nigeria because of all the bad publicity that country gets and the somewhat scary stories of working with local collaborators I have heard from colleagues, so far it has been quite a pleasant experience. Yes, it is definitely a unique country, where many things don’t go the way you expect (I even felt that I was being solicited for a bribe at the immigration and customs). However, despite the poor infrastructure, inefficient services, and other things that initially get on your nerves, I have been enjoying time time here, especially considering that it is 90F here and probably around 30F in DC. Abuja has pleasantly surprised me---it is a well-planned city with nice roads and not a lot of traffic (nice break from traffic jams in India, Uganda, and Kenya). The best part of all has been the work. I don’t want to get into all the nerdy details of what I’m doing here, but I have been in very intense animated meetings with all men (professors) for the past two days, and feel very rejuvenated and excited about the work, even though the discussions revealed plenty of challenges. I realized that even though I like the polite discussions of colleagues from East Africa, I also quite enjoy the animated and heated (almost to the point of yelling at each other) debates here in West Africa---they actually remind me of debates between Russians. One cultural thing I learned today---silence means “yes.” At various points during the meetings, everyone around the table would be silent after something I said, and I would start getting nervous---they just laughed at me and reminded me of their cultural rule:) Tomorrow I’m traveling to the Northern part of the country for more meetings.

Russian New Year's

Before I post my Nigeria impressions, here are a few more tidbits about my time at home. Beside the fact that it was REALLY cold (around -5F for a few days before I left), I had a great time, and the reason for it is that I really love celebrating New Year's in Russia. It is the biggest holiday there, and there are certain common tradition in addition to family-specific ones. My family usually cooks and cleans during the day, then takes it easy in the late afternoon, and then sits down to eat around 10, watching various holiday programs on TV. The celebration culminates at 11:55 when everyone watches the President's Speech, and the Kremlin clock chimes midnight--at this point, you raise a Champagne toast and then continue eating and watching TV until you fall asleep sometime between 2-5am. The meal includes very typical dishes, which I truly miss, so it is always fun. This year, it was just my parents and myself (since my brother was vacationing in the Philippines), so we followed the usual routine, except that we ate so much that I was feeling unwell, so my Mom and I decided to talk a walk around the neighborhood. Even though it was relatively cold, the streets were jampacked with people. We went to bed around 5am. The only negative part about New Year's celebration in recent years is the ridiculous amount of fireworks that people shoot all through the evening---it really sounds like a war zone. The "battle" intensifies around midnight and then dies down slowly.

Snowy Russia

Despite the numerous times I have visited home, this is only the second time I'm visiting in the winter. Unlike the last time in 2006, when there was no snow and it was quite warm for December, this time the typical Russian winter has taken its course with a ton of snow and cold temperatures that feel just right for this time of the year. I have been having a very relaxing time here: sleeping a lot (even though I definitely had a mean case of jetlag), eating delicious homecooked meals, catching up with family and friends, enjoying the New Year's lights and decorations around the city, and watching all my favorite Russian movies. Tonight is perhaps the biggest holiday in Russia, New Year's Celebration. Everyone stays up at least until midnight, eats good food, watches the traditional Russian movies all evening and then the president's speech at 11:55pm, and then goes for a walk after midnight to speed up the digestion process a little and socialize. My brother is welcoming 2010 in the Philippines, so it will be just my Mom, Dad, and myself tonight to celebrate. We are definitely eating all my favorite traditional foods and have already begun the movie marathon, but Im not sure if we'll make it outside after midnight. Happy New Year!

Last morning in Amsterdam

I had a few hours left before having to track back to Schiphol, so I decided to make the most of it and visit the famous Rijks Museum, which is also in the Museum District not far from my hotel. Continuing in the good tradition of being a crazy tourist, I was the first one to actually enter the museum exhibit, as mentioned to me by the museum guard (I wasn't the first one in line to enter the building, but the couple in front of me took their time in the cloak room, so I beat them to the punch:). The Museum is under construction, so only a few halls were open to the public. It had a very nice exhibit on the Dutch colonial history, the role of the Catholic Church in sponsoring and inspiring artists, a display of the traditional Dutch blue-and-white ceramics, and the world-famous "Night Watch" by Rembrandt.

I decided to have a leisurely breakfast before rushing off to the airport and enjoyed the typical Dutch pancakes that tasted like regular pancakes but looked like Donut holes. After breakfast, I walked around a bit more until I realized that I had to run back to the hotel to make sure I wouldn't miss my flight. Of course, when it rains, it pours, so I not only missed my tram the first time, but when I got on the next one, I couldn't quite figure out how to make it stop at my stop, so I ended up going to the next one and running to the hotel, then running back out with my suitcase, catching a tram to Centraal, then a train to Schiphol...of course, I made the flight for the easy trip home.

Beyond the fact that it had always been my dream to visit Amsterdam, I am a crazy tourist (at least I admit it:)---I always have a detailed list and schedule of attractions to see in a place I'm visiting. In this case, of course, it was much worse since Amsterdam has so much to offer to its visitors and I only had about 30 hours to see as much as I could; I was barely able to sleep the night before my "Amsterdam day" and got up at the crack of dawn to catch the bus from Volendam to the Amsterdam Central Station. The day greeted me with cold rain, but I was determined nonetheless. So, after getting to the city and purchasing a tourist pass for the day, I embarked on my tour.

Amsterdam Centraal (central station)

Since the museums had not opened yet, my first stop was the Beguine Convent---a collection of houses around a pretty courtyard that still houses women who dedicate themselves to helping the poor and doing other good deeds (but these women are not nuns---some of them had been married and had lost their husbands). Next up was Neiuwe Kerk (New Church)---a Cathedral which used to be a Catholic church, but was converted into a Protestant church (and thus stripped of all the figurines and crucifixes) when the Netherlands became Protestant after the Reformation. The church is now a place of coronation for Dutch royalty and also the site of various exhibitions. The current one was on the Kingdom of Oman, so I got to learn a bit more about this interesting middle-eastern country.

Unfortunately, the Royal Palace was undergoing reconstruction so I couldn't see it, so I decided to leave Dam Square (city center) and walk a bit around the beautiful canals that cross the city similarly to those in St. Petersburg, Russia. Amsterdam is a relatively small city, even smaller than DC, so I was able to cover a lot of ground on foot, even though the nice Dutch people who kindly gave me directions always suggested that I took the tram.


Next on the agenda was Rembrandt House, where the great painter lived and worked. I learned that at the time, it was a very extravagant purchase, and Rembrandt ended up going bankrupt so the house was repossessed---it's a miracle that the things that belonged to him, such as his collections of paintings and objects from around the world, had been preserved. I also learned that he was a very talented and prolific etcher (?), or maker of etchings, and actually had all the equipment to make those in his house. He also had a number of students who worked in his house and whose paintings Rembrandt sold in addition to his---he was a successful art dealer as well.

On my way to the Rembrandt House I had spotted a perfect place for lunch overlooking a canal, but after the house tour, wasn't quite ready to eat and decided to walk around and admire some more views as the weather had improved from the morning downpour. However, I got terribly lost and wandered around for a while before locating my lunch spot:)

Next was the boat cruise along the canals. I couldn't remember the names and the history of all the canals we passed, but it was fascinating to see the similar, but different houses lining the canal streets. Since the city is built practically on water, the houses are leaning either forward or to the side---I tried to capture it, but of course, you have to see it to believe. The gables of the houses are also unique and are made in several distinct styles.


On our cruise, we also saw the Southern Church, first protestant church built in Amsterdam after the conversion, the numerous "water houses" (homes floating in the canals), and the buildings that used to belong to the Dutch West Indies Company. It was this company that sailed upon an island in North America and build a city there naming it New Amsterdam, which is now known as New York.
The Southern Church

Former building of the Dutch West Indies Company (see initials on the building)

After the cruise, I decided to transfer my suitcase from the locker room at the Central Station to my hotel, which was located in the Museum District in another part of Amsterdam. I took a tram to get there, which in itself was a cultural experience. The Dutch are so organized that you can only enter the tram through 2 doors and then exit through the other 2 doors. It took me a while to figure it out, but once you get it, it surprisingly makes sense. My hotel was in a quite residential area near Volden Park, and, as it turned out, was managed by a Russian guy with a Ukranian receptionist who gave me all sorts of helpful tips about the city and the quirks of the Dutch people:).

My last stop of the day was also by far the best---the Van Gogh Museum. I have seen his works here at a visiting exhibit in Washington, but to have a whole museum dedicated to my favorite Post-Impressionist painter...it was beyond words. In addition to the paintings, the museum displayed Van Gogh's numerous letters to his brother Theo and his friends, other artists in France and Holland. It gave a glimpse into the painter's sensitive and somewhat conflicted nature, and revealed his long struggle with mental illness---he did cut off the ear of his friend and fellow painter, Paul Gauguin. Van Gogh worked in both France and the Netherlands and drew his inspiration both from people, mostly peasants, and nature. Even though the subjects of his paintings are quite simple, the choice of color and the art of the painter evoke an emotional reaction that touches the heart and leaves a big impression on the mind. Unfortunately, Van Gogh ended his life at the age of 37---I can't even imagine how much more he could have created had he lived longer.

After this amazing visit, I simply crashed back at the hotel reflecting on all the things that I had seen during the day. There was still so much to do, and only a few hours of the morning left before my flight back to DC.