Strike Excitement

If you’ve been keeping up with international news at all this week, you’ve probably heard of the excitement in Nigeria.  Well, in case you’re wondering, they’re not just making it up. There has indeed been a national strike due to the government’s removal of the gas subsidy, which has doubled to cost of Petrol at the pump. Sufficed to say, people are a bit upset.  Though there is excitement in the country at large (protests, riots, etc.), I can assure you that I am privy to none of that. Instead, I sit cooped up in our compound, waiting for the strike to end. School has been canceled this week so far, and will continue to be until the strike is over. Last night there was a curfew outside to prevent violence/robbery, though we’re advised not to leave the secure walls of the compound anyway during the day. So, here we sit—playing many games, watching many episodes of Psych, playing many matches of Tennis, reading, writing, and waiting. Sounds exciting, eh? I mean, a couple days off of school was nice, but now we’re just ready to get back in the swing of things.

We did have three days of school last week, before the strike. It was great to see teachers and students again, everyone wishing each other “compliments” for the New Year. It looks like we’ve had a couple new two-year-olds added to our number this term, which means more crying and soiled underwear for a bit. One of the little boys is from Egypt and doesn’t understand a word of English, which makes things quite difficult. Hopefully it won’t take too long for him to settle down and begin learning and enjoying class.

The weather is quite a bit warmer than when I left, I think. Supposedly it’s supposed to get much hotter in a few weeks. Increased mosquitoes have forced me to put a mosquito net over my bed now. Ugly lookin’ thing, but it does the trick.

Many things are in the works for this term. We’ll begin visiting the orphanage  regularly once the strike ends. We’re doing to re-paint and decorate the main room in the American House so as to allow better hospitality.   Yesterday we briefly visited the Christian Mission for the Deaf, which is a residential school for kids with deafness and other physical disabilities, AND which is just across the street. We MAY be inviting those folks to our next Luke 14 Feast. I’m also going to begin doing more in the school with Speech and/or debate. We haven’t determined exactly what that’s going to look like yet either. As I say, many things are in the works which should make for an exciting term!

Thanks for your prayers.