We've made it to Nigeria!

Hi to all- well we have finally arrived. We a had ruff start with our change in flight due to hurricane Ike in Houston, so we re-routed 2 days later through Dallas . That though gave us a few more days to relax in Albuquerque with Steve –randy’s brother and his wife Gail. The plane flight was long with short layovers. It was strange being at the Frankfort airport and not being able to experience the city-was way too exhausted anyways so crashed on some benches. The kids have done well so far with the time changes and experiencing new sights, sounds and smells. We arrived in Abuja the capital of Nigeria and were welcomed by Mark –our MCC rep and Matthew one of the MCC workers. Our first night was great in a hotel-we all had a shower and slept well. The next morning was our 3-4 hr journey to Jos. One of the vehicles broke done so Matthew had to stay back and the rest of us and our 12 suitcases plus carry on bags piled into one vehicle. That was quite the journey. It will take me awhile to get use to the traffic on the roads. There are really no divided lines between lanes. Cars just weave in and out between and around other drivers, telling other people they’re coming close by honking horns. When we got out of the capital we were inundated with motor bikes all over the place. Apparently in the capital they are not allowed. They also weave in and out of traffic carrying move then twice their weight—many picturesque moments like motor bike riders carrying huge logs, suitcases and other building materials. At times on our journey we would slow down in small villages and the local people would come up to our windows selling fruits, nuts, cell phones, drinks, and vegetables. One time Riana was by the window and some kids were grabbing and pinching her skin on her arm and tugging on her dress. She was just laughing and the kids outside the car were laughing too. It was quite the sight. I was surprised that she handled it so well. Once in Jos we unpacked some of our stuff into the temporary house on the compound where MCC is located. The kids have found some local Nigerians to play sports with outside and the girls were so excited to see Valerie –one of the children of Mark and Brenda-MCC reps. The kids have had a chance to see their school and seemed excited about going there. Last night was a long night. Jos time is 6 hours ahead of Winnipeg. The girls did not want to sleep on their own so I slept in the room with them. Riana and I could not fall asleep- it will take some time to get used to the noises of Jos- music playing, dogs barking, car horns and then you have the early morning, about 5:30, prayers over the loud speaker. I also was having these small anxiety episodes where I could feel myself falling asleep but would feel like I was shaking on the inside. I don’t know if that was jet lag or Jos lag. Today we went out to Vom to see the house and compound where we will eventually be living-in about one month. It’s a beautiful setting with lots of guava, mango and avocado trees. Our kids seemed excited about it too. Anyways in the midst of all these new experiences I think of our life back in Winnipeg and the friends and family we missing already. So far I think I am adjusting well to the different way of life here considering that the electricity and water has been off longer than it has been on, I took a cold sponge bath this am and I am learning how to use a cell phone for the first time.
---charlotte