In some ways it feels like I’ve been here longer than a
week! The first few days were a little terrifying and overwhelming – I think
the combination of many things including no sleep and the heat made it
difficult at first to adjust. But since arriving in Calabar things have begun
to improve everyday. The staff at GPI have been very welcoming, small things
like John walking me to/from work so I could get used to the route have made
such a difference. And having a lovely housemate who has helped orientate me
and has been great company in the evenings when we’ve been chatting by
candlelight!
I’m getting used to the cries of “white person” in their
languages and everyone stopping to chat to me or want my mobile phone number!
I’ve made two children cry because they were frightened of me! But mostly I’m
greeted with smiles or amazement, and I’m sure both Leanne and I give the
locals a lot of entertainment! People really do help and look out for you here,
they want the reputation of their country to be a good one, and I’ve made some
new friends already.
I’m now unpacked and more settled in the house – it’s a
large house and pretty comfortable except for the lack of electricity and the
fact that I’ve now woken up on two consecutive mornings to find dead
cockroaches on the floor of my bedroom!
Food is a tricky issue for me too – much of the food here
contains shrimp and ground nut oil is used regularly – so eating out or eating
local food is becoming a real problem for me. I have to ask so many questions
and be so careful before I can eat anything! I have a feeling I will be making
a lot of my own food, although very limited depending on what imported goods I
can get from the supermarkets! I have a feeling I will end up dreaming about
food…..
Right now I feel happy that I am here and am glad I made the
decision to come here! There will be some challenging times ahead and I miss my
family and friends a lot, but I’m also learning a lot about life and the
culture here as well as having fun!
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