Joey and I volun- teered at an orphan- age in Abuja yester- day.  I'm not sure if it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be because my standards have dropped considerably since moving here or because I've been so desensitized over the last three months or what; regardless, I definitely have to say it was my most rewarding experience since moving here.  Joey and I definitely plan on visiting on a more regular basis and my ultimate goal is to improve those kids' lives, if only a little.  It was the first time since moving here that I actually felt like I could contribute something; like there was a good reason for me to live here for the next two years. 

The playground

The first thing I noticed was an adorable little boy with a huge cut on his ankle.  Luckily, I carry a first-aid kit in the car, so we were able to get some Neosporin and a band-aid on it.  Simple first-aid supplies would make a world of difference for those kids.  Their playground, which consists of rusty and beat-up, if not completely broken, old equipment donated by the British School several years ago, also happens to be covered in feces from the goats and cows that are raised on the property, and I can't even imagine the infections that must ensue from open wounds mixed with fecal bacteria. 

Also on the playground

The kids' arms and legs were coated with mosquito bites, scabs from scratching those mosquito bites and scars from the repeated scabbing and reopening of said mosquito bites.  I got a quick peak into their bedroom, which looked like some cribs with mosquito nets, but considering how bad the mosquitoes can get in our air-conditioned, well-built house, I can only imagine what it gets like around dusk in their hot little building.  Pre-treated mosquito nets and even some fans, preferably battery-operated because the electricity is so unreliable, to help with some circulation would help tremendously. 

Once I got past the basic health concerns, I noticed the kids' shoes.  It's not like the kids don't have shoes; they do.  But none of their shoes seemed appropriate and certainly only few of them actually fit.  The same little boy with the cut on his ankle went to put on shoes (note I did not say "his shoes" - they don't have their own shoes, just a cabinet of shoes from which to choose), and couldn't find a matching pair.  He ended up with a blue flip-flop that was slightly too small on his left foot and a green flip-flop that was at least three sizes too big on his right foot.  He was happy as a clam as he waddled out to the playground, but I was more than disconcerted.  Especially because I'd been told that large donations of clothing had been made in the past, only to have disappeared by the next visit.  How do you even begin to address that problem? 
 

This little girl slept on the floor the whole time we were there. 

 So then, last in importance when you have health concerns and shoes that don't fit, but still incredibly sad when you consider these are just children, is the lack of toys and books.  All I saw was a small stack of dusty plastic tricycles in the back of the room.  No crayons, no books, no balls, no games.  So I am going to build them a library.  There's a space in the administrative building and even if the kids can't read right now, without access to books they certainly aren't going to learn.  And I believe that not only is there far less incentive to resell donations of books, but the power of reading and learning gives these kids the best chance to improve their lives.  I haven't figured out any of the logistics yet and I have no idea where to begin, but by the end of our time here in Abuja, I'm bound and determined those kids will have a library.

Click on the photo to see the rest of my pictures.  I didn't publish any recognizable pictures of the kids to my blog just in case of safety/legal concerns.

day trippin

A few weeks ago I tagged along with a friend of mine on a day trip to a little village in Kaduna State. She coordinated a donation to benefit this village's medical clinic.  Before the donation, the medical clinic consisted of a tiny hut with two beds; babies were born right next to where AIDS patients were treated.  Thanks to this donation, they were able to expand the medical clinic to its own building with three separate treatment rooms.  The improvement really was astonishing.  I felt very lucky to get to watch the ribbon-cutting, and I was also pretty proud of our government's donation because I could actually see how it will make a difference. 

The hut in the foreground is the original medical clinic.  The new clinic is in the background.  And yes, I accidentally walked into that ribbon.  (The side was still taped on after the front was cut!  And the attendees thought it was hilarious.)

 

I feel like I should also mention it was my first exper- ience without running water.  They had to teach me how to use the bucket to flush the toilet - which I'm still not sure if I did right.  Crazy the things you take for granted.

Here's the link to the rest of my pictures from that trip:
https://picasaweb.google.com/100586084762366858227/20110218?authkey=Gv1sRgCNKo1ZT5up_nVw&feat=directlink

more stuff

 

We've gotten lots more stuff lately.  Our first round of HHE came.  Hello grocery store in my pantry, gelato maker and tight pants.  The framer finished with our new paintings too.  Its really starting to feel more like home around here.  Even the dogs seem to be settling in.

Yum #1.

Delicious #2.

 

And Fat #3.

Acrylic scratching by Ada Godspeed

Not sure of the artist's name on this one.

Yes, Moe is laying entirely on top of George.  Who didn't seem to mind.

lemon meringue

I took a quiz about desserts.  It asked me to pick my favorite from a list.  Any of you who have ever been to a buffet with me can attest I do not pick favorites.  I taste them all.  My dad calls this "turkey-dom," when women get really excited about dessert but say they only want a little bite and then hold up their pinkie while they eat their one bite.  I would argue that I am not a turkey in that I generally eat more than just a bite of each dessert.  I finish at least two or three.  Good thing I run.

Regardless, it was really hard for me to pick this dessert, albeit hypothetical.  Finally, after much salivating and hard thought, I decided upon Lemon Meringue Pie.  Here's what that says about me:

"Smooth, sexy & articulate with your hands (um, ok, I guess I used to play the piano), you are an excellent caregiver and a good teacher.  But don't try to walk and chew gum at the same time.  A bit of a diva at times, you set your own style because you do your own thing.  You shine when it comes to helping others and have many friends."

Sunday evening, while clutching four bottles of wine at the grocery store, I dropped one on my toe.  Oh my God did it hurt.  Then while I was trying not to cry and/or pass-out, my brilliant husband told me that his little brother cut his toe off that way.  Wonderful.  Thank you for that fact.  I took a picture of my big, fat, black and blue toe but then decided I need a pedicure and am not posting the picture.

Recent example number two of my brilliance (for which I do not have a picture at all), would be the large blisters on my left pointer and middle fingers.  After it was on all evening, a light bulb in one of our lamps flickered.  I instinctively reached out to adjust the bulb.  Burn.  No pun intended.

So I sent my dessert psycho-analysis to Joey with the sentence about walking and chewing gum at the same time highlighted and exclaimed how accurate I found it to be.  He agreed but only with a change in the highlighting: ...A bit of a diva at times...

I don't know where he gets that impression.