and the adventure is on...

following several requests for more detailed information on my new life, I have decided to open a blog to keep anyone interested updated on a more or less regular basis.

I don't even know where to start. I have spent 13 days in this country, and each day has been exciting and new and full of discoveries. I am doing a 3-months internship with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Abuja, Nigeria and it's my first time outside Europe. So much for the basics.

First thing I noticed: it's damn hot here, like really hot. And moist. I felt like running against a wall when I stepped out of the airport. Abuja International Airport, probably the tiniest and most basic "international" airport I have ever seen. On our way to the apartment, I made my first encounter with the speed bumps - a very annoying and useless tool to slow down the traffic. Oh Lord, the traffic.. I m not exactly sure how to describe it. There seems to be one rule: honking helps. No matter what's happening. Other rules include: drive as fast as you can whereever you can (meaning: when there are no speedbumps, roadblocks, or random police controls), overtake from anywhere as much as possible, ignore any traffic or warning signs, and turn in the middle of the street whenever necessary. Me and my friends, who came to pick me up, got pulled over by the police - actually for no reason apart from the fact that the officer wanted to have a look at me, an Oyinbo, in a car with four black people. So much for the abuse of police power. They let us go though, and we didn't even need to dash them. So much for a warm welcome.

So far, the most exciting activities I have engaged in was 1. Church, 2. Football, live at the Stadium. Nigeria vs. Tunisia (actually, the most exciting part was getting into the Stadium itself) and 3. Going to Wuse Market on a Saturday morning.

1. I wish I could describe what Church is like here, but there's just no way of explaining when you have never experienced it yourself. It is crazy, and loud (very loud), and overwhelming. It's a lot of shouting, a lot of extremely loud music, and a lot of frenzy. It can't be adequately described, but one thing is for sure: it's nothing like service in Europe. At all. People like going to church, and they give money to their church, even if they don't have any. The church we went to is called "House on the Rock" - it's actually still under construction, because it has just been renovated recently, but yet there's daily service. The church is celebrating it's 10 year-anniversary, thus there are special events taking place every day.

2. Football is a big deal in Nigeria. A huge deal. And the game Nigeria vs. Tunisia was an important one, determining Nigeria's chances of qualifying for the World Cup 2010. Even though Nigeria is not totally out yet, the draw against Tunisia (2:2) put them in a difficult position. As far as the game itself is concerned, not much can be said. It wasn't a great game. A lot more can be said about what that day taught me about Nigeria: firstly, we did not have tickets for the game, but one phone call later, we were all set and ready to go. (Lesson 1: you can get in anywhere or get anything if you just know the right people). Secondly, there did not seem to be a coherent plan of how to get people to and into the stadium. Only one gate was open, but there was no way of knowing where it was or how you could get to it. Thus, people decided to climb fences and bridges, trying to get in. We actually just dashed the police a few times to be allowed in, which resulted in a crowd of mad Nigerians following us, which then in turn resulted in the police deciding to beat people up to hold them back (Lesson 2: If you have money, you have all the possibilities in the world; Lesson 3: the police is always right, even if they decide to first stop people with electric poles, clubs, and warning shots, just to let everyone pass in the end). The stadium supposedly fits 80.000 people. For some reason, twice as many tickets had been sold. There was an incredible amount of people in the stadium - just try to imagine the soundscape when Nigeria scored (Lesson 4: there are rules and regulations for everything, but no one ever cares). I think, the game and everything that came with it was my first really authentic Nigerian experience (and I really do hope my mum never gets to read this, but just in case: I m sorry mummy, I was really trying to be careful and everything, but there was just no other way. I survived it, I m fine - I only got shocked but not hurt).

3. Wuse Market. Well, a market is a market in Europe, it's definitely something else in Nigeria. You can buy everything at the market, literally everything, you can also get your toenails painted or your hair done. It's an amazingly busy and intimidating place, but at the same time it is amazingly impressive and stunning. My German colleague and I went to Wuse market on a Saturday morning, having a couple of things in mind we wanted to buy. While I was waiting for her for about 20 minutes, I was not only offered to buy bread, recharge cards, plastic bags, tissues, a blender, a clock, plastic chairs, flipflops, and motor oil, I was also asked to marry someone right away. Our tour over the market was exhausting but succesful. If you keep on saying "no, thank you." "Just looking", "no, I m not interested", you might make it through. As a white person you will hear "Oyinbo pepe" like a billion times. Also, sellers will give you ridiculous prices, approximately five times the actual price. You need to stay tough and bargain hard.

So far, I love it here. The people are amazing, I have found really cool friends, and I m happy I had the chance to come here. Even though I sometimes miss taking a hot shower (especially Monday mornings) I have gotten used to so many things so quickly: the most important question you ask yourself when coming home: "will there be lights in the house?" (and usually there aren't). When you're an oyinbo people assume you're daft. They try to rip you off whereever you go, so you better know the prices. Apart from that, my biggest problem is that I am genuinely too nice. People don't take a "no" for a no (especially guys), if you fail to be very serious and categorical.