Okay, I’m fickle. I didn’t like my last blog template, so I redid it again. Didn’t have to change much code, just a bunch of CSS. There’s really something to this idea of separating content from style. Gotta love it.
How do you loose 90 million doses of a vaccine? Yahoo! News – Report: Forgotten Doses of Smallpox Vaccine Found
Well, it was time for an update. My trip to Africa is over and my next one is being planned. I’m off to Azerbaijan and Georgia next, so I’ll try to redesign things here around that trip. Until then, I’m going keep things neutral and readable.
I’ve been told I need to blog more often. So here ya go. I blogged today.
Changes are afoot with the network in my office. One of the changes will make it impossible for me to connect to the network system from home. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem, but the reality is that I need to be able get at email and the occational file on the server.
The solution that would allow me this access is to run Windows 2000 or even XP, but my old machine would just choke on that. So, I built a new computer all by myself! Well, it is more accurate to say that I bought the pieces and plugged them together, but either way, I’ve got a brand new screamer on my hands.
I’m back. It was a long flight, but I made it. I eneded up leaving for the airport from my hotel at 7:45pm Friday evening (1:45pm on the east coast), and made it home shortly after 3:00pm east coast time on Saturday. That included a 7 hour layover in London during which I had to change airports.
Anyway, I’m back, the whole thing’s almost done — just have to finish the report — and life moves on.
This is the start of my last day here. I fly out shortly after midnight tonight. The staff of the Mission here are all wonderful people and I look forward to working with them again at any time. Still, I’d never vacation in Nigeria.
People have asked if I took a lot of pictures. Well, no. There’s nothing to take pictures of. Honestly. Aside from the obligatory thached roof hut and cattle, most of the country is dirt poor. That’s the thing about this place — it is all extremes. The poor are very poor and the rich are very rich. There’s no middle ground. I saw both and neither are things I really want to memorialize on film. I’ll always be able to close my eyes and see the poor.
I’m back in Abjua after a couple days in Lagos. It wasn’t as bad as it was made out to be. At least not the parts I saw. Still, it is a HUGE city.
The training part of my trip is done now. I lost count of the number of people I trained, but it is approaching 35-40 over the course of the 5 days I was actually in front of groups. Some were good groups, some were very very stoic and hard to coax life out of. I’m glad this part’s done. I enjoy it, but it sure is hard work every day.
Two more days then I’m on the plane and headed home. Can’t wait!!
Got to have a little fun last night. There was a 50th birthday party for one of the US staff and all of us temporary folks got invited along with the regular staff. What a blast it was! The event was held at someone’s home, and we spent the evening outside eating, drinking, laughing, dancing and so on. The weather was probably in the low 80s, no humidity and a slight breeze. Couldn’t have been better if it was planned.
Last week I also had a chance to attend a BBQ at the home of the Mission director. That was also quite good. He BBQ’d the chicken himself with his special sauce. There were only about 8 of us there, so I was in pretty good company for that evening too.
Every place I’ve been, the US direct hires have been very good about extending invitations to us temporary folks when there is the possibility of fun to be had.
I’m off to Lagos in an hour or so for 3 days. Folks said that it compares to Calcutta. That sounds pretty uninviting, but I’ll try to go in with no expectations and be pleasantly surprised when I discover that its only as bad as Bombay…
I’m back in Abuja after a couple nights away. On Thursday we drove for 6 hours to get to Kano, a major city in the north. I spent the rest of the afternoon on Thursday and the morning on Friday training the staff of 6 offices up there. The Regional Security Officer (RSO) said that we had to be out of Kano by 1:00pm, the start of afternoon prayers. The city is mostly moslem and had been the site of some trouble in the past, so he was being safe.
Leaving at 1:00 didn’t give us time to make it back to Abuja on Friday night because the drivers are not allowed to have us on the road after 6:00pm. Things get a little more dangerous after that time, though it is better than before. Bandits aren’t blocking the roads any more and there are increased military patrols, but again being safe is good. We stopped for the night in the city of Kaduna, about 3 hours out of Abuja and stayed in a little hotel that was quite like some of the pensions Anne & I used on our Spain vacation. No frills at all, in other words. I did get a couple mosquito bites but have been taking my malaria pills every day.
Tonight I’ve a birthday party to go to (celebrating the 2nd anniversary of a 25th birthday) and then tomorrow afternoon I’m off to Lagos. That’s when it get real exciting I’m told. Apparently Lagos puts New York City to shame. Can’t wait to find out.