Arrival in Nigeria

Arriving in Lagos was significantly easier than I had expected. The plane ride was easy, and we had no problems in customs or immigration. We waited in the restaurant for Gail and Lisa from One Sky to meet us, spending about four hours over a couple of beverages. When they arrived, we found a taxi driver who seemed trustworthy to take us to exchange money and then to our hotel. So far the money exchange process has been the most bizarre experience I've had here.

We stuffed all of our luggage into his taxi, and we sped off into the night, down the dirt roads with no street lights or traffic signs. The traffic somehow manages to work in some form of organized chaos, as does the money exchange. We pulled off the dirt road into a parking lot, filled with crowds of people standing about, where people exchange money. It went smoothly, and even more surprisingly, the man gave us the first 15000 Naira without taking any of our money, then went off to get more, leaving us with his cash. We left unscathed with a fair exchange, peeling out of the parking lot. The taxi driver suddenly stepped on the accelerator, precariously passing a car with oncoming traffic not far ahead. He asked us if we knew why he did that, and said “for security.” I felt oddly calm through all this. We arrived at a nice hotel that had free wireless internet, and a restaurant for us to eat dinner in. Our first fish meal of many.

The following morning we went back to the regional airport for our flight to Calabar. We arrived at the new One Sky office in the early afternoon on Friday, and were greeted with a warm welcome from our team. Gail and Lisa already knew most of the people here, so they caught up with one another and introduced James and I. We were toured around the new space and given freshly cut watermelon and bananas. We are all very pleasantly surprised by our new home for the month. The office is a two story house, with the retreat space downstairs and our living quarters upstairs. Each of us has our own room, with a full size bed, windows in two directions, and plenty of space on the checkered floor for yoga. We also have a common space with a table, and a screened off balcony looking onto the yard and street.

It's continues to surprise me how noisy it is, considering the location. From the looks of it it seems like a residential street, yet across the street is an outdoor barbeque restaurant that plays loud beats all day, late into the night. Motorcycles are constantly driving by, creating one after another reverberating sound, and the cars are quite noisy as well. Dogs are barking, and I hear an occasional child crying, as well as birds and crickets chirping. It's a good thing I brought so many earplugs.

I am very happy that we arrived here in Calabar with a couple of days to acclimate and get into the swing of things before beginning with the leadership retreat on Monday. We have had some errands to do and some work to set up the office and prepare for the upcoming week, and we've also been able to go out and about and check out the city a bit.


Today's errands included the market, which was quite a successful adventure. The market is a huge maze of stalls set up under a tin roof, filled with household items, colorful fabrics, shoes, fruits, fishes, and everything we needed to find. We had a shopping list including pots and pans, candles for when electricity goes out, and a wash basin for when the water goes out. We had quite a successful shopping trip, bargaining with various vendors, and being called oibos (like gringos) by Nigerians as we walked by. People were friendly and seem to have a warm sense of respect for one another as well as for us. Though I wanted to take pictures of all of the beautiful colors and the gorgeous children carrying trays of fruits and other goods on their heads, I felt quite awkward doing so. Not as if I can hide the fact that I'm a tourist, yet didn't want to call additional attention to myself. So I snapped a few quick photos, asking permission from this child.

I actually feel quite comfortable here, and though we obviously stick out as the only white people, it doesn't feel like a big deal at all. It's much easier because there is not a language barrier, since everyone here speaks English quite well.

In fact being here feels quite normal. I am not sure if the fact that I am in Africa just hasn't caught up with me, or if it's just impossible to really comprehend the distance we traveled, or if it just really isn't as big of a difference as I thought it would be. When we got off the plane James pointed out the very different energetic in the people here, that it feels much lower in the body, much more grounded and rooted than in North America or other countries. The first two days I was very tired, so my senses were not as aware to pick up on this until today.

This morning after a full night's sleep I practiced yoga in my room. The air is thick and muggy, yet I don't feel it slows me down in the way other types of heat can. After becoming more grounded and open in my own body, I could quickly feel into what James was speaking about. I would describe it as a low, deep hum. Within the cacophony of sounds and the intense heat, I feel a sense of groundedness. I, like many westerners, tend to be more engaged in the top half of my body, and I can feel that being here is immediately bringing me down into more of my body in a very easy way.

This morning I was reminded that it is very important for me that I continue to practice yoga so that I can be physically open and flexible, which translates to me being able to take in and feel more and be more flexible in my ability to respond to all of the new things. I love the fact that all four of us here with One Sky – Lisa, Gail, James, and I, are practicing yoga and meditation each morning. It feels very supportive to be in a group where everyone is practicing, and it is also exciting to be part of a team that is so deeply engaged in this way, in their own growth and development as leaders. This will be very helpful for keeping our immune systems working well, and keeping our bodies healthy in general. Also, since this is something I do regularly at home as well, it feels very grounding and comforting to take this part of my routine into a new place. Even if nothing else in my whole day is like what I'm used to, my yoga practice will be there. I was able to find a relatively cheap travel yoga mat that folds up small in my backpack, which I am happy to have plenty of room for in my bedroom.

It feels good to have all these things in place so that tomorrow we can dive into our work. We'll be preparing for the coaching and the retreat tomorrow, and then begin on Monday.