I should probably start by telling you a little bit about myself so that you have some background context on my blogging. I will be going into my third year of law school in the fall. I moved to New York for law school, before that I completed my undergrad and worked for a couple years in California. Five years ago I would not have discussed traveling to Africa – I probably would not have been against it, it was just not a thought that crossed my mind. But then again, six years ago, I would have told you I was not going to attend any type of graduate school. My life, however, has had its numerous ironic twists. I grew up in a large family, yet my brothers liked to make fun of me for being shy. Somewhere during high school and college, I learned to be more extroverted, but some of my underlying shyness has stuck and sometimes surfaces as timidity or even passivity.
I give you this bit of background just to say that being in Africa for a summer, for my first experience abroad, is likely not the first place you would have guessed to find me. But then again, if you knew more of my background, it is not surprising in my series of life choices – I’m known to have a independent, even stubborn, streak in me, so this has partially helped me push past characteristics that might have held me back from the wider world otherwise.
My train of thought has just been interrupted by the sounds of a drum and trumpets, accompanied by the regular honking sounds of the day. It seems there was some little parade, though I unfortunately couldn’t reach my camera in time to snap a picture and the viewpoint from our office blocks most of the street. The honking wasn’t even in irritation of the parade – as I learned my first day here, you honk to notify anyone (car, motorbike or person) you are behind them. Most road rules do not apply in Nigeria and even lanes are more of a hypothetical idea. I haven’t seen an accident yet, so perhaps there is some method in the craziness of the driving.
I am working for the Women’s Consortium of Nigeria (WOCON) this summer. The organization was founded and is run by a woman who has been a lawyer here for several years now. WOCON is focused on women’s empowerment and did a lot of political work during the past elections. I, however, am focusing on the work they do against human trafficking. The office has been a bit slow since I got here, and the complications in getting Internet access slow productivity, but I have finally started some research and it seems things will pick up next week.
I am slowly learning about the politics and daily life of Nigeria. It seems that even in the past 10 years a lot of change has come about. Elections just passed before I arrived and though the nation was in a bit of turmoil, I am told it is improvement on other years. Poverty is still apparent, and I hate to think of the families flooded out of their “houses” because of all the rain there has been (and the more that is expected to come). There seems to be no middle class here – there is the wealthy and the poor. I am sure some of the “wealthy” would say they are middle class, but the gap even between them and the poorer classes seems so large as to make any classification of middle class nearly unbelievable. Good pay is 30,000 Naira a month, which is around $200. This is not reflective of the cost of living – Lagos Island is likened to Manhattan. Food may be a bit cheaper, but not by much. Some things are even more expensive here, perhaps because they would be considered more of a luxury (for instance, I paid $80 a night to stay in a “guesthouse” – their version of a motel). You can live on the mainland, which may be slightly cheaper, but supposedly also less safe. Nigeria just passed a minimum wage law for 18,000 Naira/month which should give you an idea of how little most families have to live off of… they are having some trouble getting some of the state governors to even implement this rate.
Electricity is one of the biggest worries for the city – everything runs off generators and diesel fuel is going up in cost. Daily life still goes about, but it is amazing how much you cannot get done without electricity – it is too dark to work sometimes if it is raining, and even if there is enough natural light, your computer battery may run out before you can finish anything substantial. I realize that in other parts of the world, or even in most parts of Africa, having running water at anytime would be an unheard of luxury. But for a city with millions of people, the lack of such things can stunt economic growth and progress. Most things are imported – even clothing factories could not last in the city because they were competing against exporters who have regular, and cheaper, access to electricity.
I think the biggest thing I am learning so far, however, is the change in timing and pacing of life. People keep busy here, and seem to go to bed late and rise early. Businesses usually open around 8, or even 7am and close around 5pm. Maybe the late nights/early mornings are not so far off from New York life. However, I think the days seem a little longer because people are not so rushed as in New York, though any place would be hard pressed to beat the NY speed of life. But you have to be okay here with waiting and not knowing the timing of things. Times and plans change on a regular basis, sometimes without notification. Of course the question of whether there will be electricity or whether you can connect to the Internet also plays into the need for flexibility. Timing also comes in to play to make sure you charge your electronics while the generators are running or get in a shower before the water runs out. I don’t mean this as a complaint though – while it has been an adjustment, it makes me thankful I have these things as I realize most of the rest of the country lives without reliable generators (even one of his co-workers said his apartment has had no light for over a week now) and running water is never expected.
1 comment:
Hey Erin! It's great to read about what you're up to! Hope to read more about the anti-trafficking work you are doing in later posts. Have an amazing time!
-Laura (Berger)
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