2010,
Doesn't that year sound like something from a science-fiction movie? Anyway, we're doing excellently. We're back in Ife for good. No more going back and forth between places. We have all of our things. Please read most of my recent posts and "Stuff has Shipped" for more info on our stuff. Well, now we have our HP Pavillion desktop back so we can post pictures. We have all of our comfortable mattreses and toys and games and books etc. It's pretty chilly for me right now. Since we're acclimated to the tropical climate, 75 degrees is chilly. Even though we didn't watch the Rose Parade and sort of missed the countdown, we had a blast. I wa actually just playing Spore a few minutes ago. Oh yeah, you guys in America and porbably Britain are still in 2009. I have one thing to say. Nigeria is a year ahead of America!
Signing off,
The Traveler
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Entertainment
Hello,
We've all been waiting for the container, so while we are waiting, we are trying to entertain ourselves. My realtive has a treasure trove of episodes from different series and a whole bunch of movies. We've been watching those. I've caught up on some things that I hadn't watched, like Speed Racer, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Up. I actually watched the whole series of Avatar. My friends are probably happy. They were trying to make me watch it for such a long time. It was really funny; I liked it. I've also been going on the internet on my relative's modem. It's much faster than ours. We're really just waiting at the moment.
Signing off,
The Traveler
We've all been waiting for the container, so while we are waiting, we are trying to entertain ourselves. My realtive has a treasure trove of episodes from different series and a whole bunch of movies. We've been watching those. I've caught up on some things that I hadn't watched, like Speed Racer, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Up. I actually watched the whole series of Avatar. My friends are probably happy. They were trying to make me watch it for such a long time. It was really funny; I liked it. I've also been going on the internet on my relative's modem. It's much faster than ours. We're really just waiting at the moment.
Signing off,
The Traveler
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Hoping to get everything
Good news,
We're hoping to get back to Ife on Saturday-Monday. While we're waiting, we've been looking at all of the ridiculously put together newspapers they have here. Nigerian papers need a lesson in grammar. It's almost like the newspaper companies don't have any editors. Almost all of the articles have mispelling, and/or punctuation mistakes, and/or misusage of words. I, an 11 yrs. old, could do a better job at editing than they did.
The comics are weird, too. Usually, if somebody makes a comic in parts, they make about six or seven panes in the funnies and continue next week. In Nigeria, there is this comic called Tunde Smatt. It's about a detective thatis trying to stop all of these crooks all over the place. This time the story was called "Just for the Money". They will put two very small panes with two tiny pictures and a few little sentences every week. You just can't follow the storyline. Come on Nigeria, you can do better than that!
Signing off,
The Traveler
We're hoping to get back to Ife on Saturday-Monday. While we're waiting, we've been looking at all of the ridiculously put together newspapers they have here. Nigerian papers need a lesson in grammar. It's almost like the newspaper companies don't have any editors. Almost all of the articles have mispelling, and/or punctuation mistakes, and/or misusage of words. I, an 11 yrs. old, could do a better job at editing than they did.
The comics are weird, too. Usually, if somebody makes a comic in parts, they make about six or seven panes in the funnies and continue next week. In Nigeria, there is this comic called Tunde Smatt. It's about a detective thatis trying to stop all of these crooks all over the place. This time the story was called "Just for the Money". They will put two very small panes with two tiny pictures and a few little sentences every week. You just can't follow the storyline. Come on Nigeria, you can do better than that!
Signing off,
The Traveler
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Have a cold
I have a cold,
I'm trying to recover so I haven't been outside or doing anything. We're still trying to get the container.
Signing off,
The Traveler
I'm trying to recover so I haven't been outside or doing anything. We're still trying to get the container.
Signing off,
The Traveler
Friday, December 11, 2009
Running
We've been going everywhere,
We are still staying in our relatives house. There wasn't any water, sowe went out to go to the marketplace. Do you remember "Crazy Roads" post? Well, it's worse walking than driving.
Ok, imagine a street with open gutters on either side. Now imagine the edges of the street to be crammed with four story buildings and tiny shack-like shops. Now imagine motorcycles driving to and fro, almost knocking you over. Oh I forgot; imagine no sidewalks at all. Now you can understand what we were walking through.
So we walked through the chaos. What I liked about walking that was better than driving was that you were emmersed more in the city than when you are riding. We got some water, came back home, and made some soaking gari (remember?) with moi moi, and which is like a bean pudding, and accra, which is a bean batter deep fried. We ate that, and started our homeschooling. We've been homeschooling our whole life. After we finished some of that, we ate for lunch more smoking gari and moi moi.
After we did that and just really goofed off, we went out again and looked in vain for some suya fish. Suya is beef and other meats grilled with a spicy seasoning. It's really good. There's suya, suya fish, and suya chicken. We were trying to find suya fish because my father said it was the best with smoking gari.
We couldn't find any, but we did find suya chicken. My father said it wasn't the best with smoking gari, but it would do. But the suya chicken was super good anyway. Smoking gari is very filling, plus chicken made my stomach feel like it was going to burst. And we went and got some more. You can tell how stuffed I am!
Signing off,
The Traveler
We are still staying in our relatives house. There wasn't any water, sowe went out to go to the marketplace. Do you remember "Crazy Roads" post? Well, it's worse walking than driving.
Ok, imagine a street with open gutters on either side. Now imagine the edges of the street to be crammed with four story buildings and tiny shack-like shops. Now imagine motorcycles driving to and fro, almost knocking you over. Oh I forgot; imagine no sidewalks at all. Now you can understand what we were walking through.
So we walked through the chaos. What I liked about walking that was better than driving was that you were emmersed more in the city than when you are riding. We got some water, came back home, and made some soaking gari (remember?) with moi moi, and which is like a bean pudding, and accra, which is a bean batter deep fried. We ate that, and started our homeschooling. We've been homeschooling our whole life. After we finished some of that, we ate for lunch more smoking gari and moi moi.
After we did that and just really goofed off, we went out again and looked in vain for some suya fish. Suya is beef and other meats grilled with a spicy seasoning. It's really good. There's suya, suya fish, and suya chicken. We were trying to find suya fish because my father said it was the best with smoking gari.
We couldn't find any, but we did find suya chicken. My father said it wasn't the best with smoking gari, but it would do. But the suya chicken was super good anyway. Smoking gari is very filling, plus chicken made my stomach feel like it was going to burst. And we went and got some more. You can tell how stuffed I am!
Signing off,
The Traveler
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Endless roads
Hello,
Today was a very hectic day. We were trying to find a company called Apex and we got a taxi. It was absolutely crazy. The taxi driver didn't know the address of where we were going. So we kept asking people all over Lagos (it felt like), and they kept telling us to go one way and then the other.
Then police pulled us over and asked us for a fine that was a perposterous amount: 50,000 Naira. To put things in perspective, I have 5,000 Naira to myself, which is about $31.00 USD. Now multiply that times 10. See what I'm saying? Fortunatley, I think they settled for 1,000 Naira.
When we finally found Apex, the stairs were blocked by a whole bunch of people trying to haul a huge printer up the stairs to who-knows-where. We couldn't get to the level of the building the company was based. Besides, it wouldn't have mattered anyway, because we found out that the building was closed. But luckily, a person trying to figure out what the people were doing on the stairs gave us the phone num. for Apex.
So we went back home, and got some roasted peanuts. They are extremely good here; they taste much more different than the ones in the U.S.A. We also bought some sugar. We bought some sugar so we could make some smoking gari. Smoking gari is a simple dish that consists of a grain (I think) called gari, water, sugar, lemon (optional), and anything else that you think tastes good. All you have to do is get a bowl, and a fork. Here are the steps:
Step 1: Pour the gari into a bowl.
Step 2: Pour the water into the bowl with the gari.
Step 3: If your using cube sugar, put one cube into the mixture and crush it and dissolve it. If you're using regular sugar, put a little bit of sugar in the gari and mix it.
Step 4: Squeeze some lemon into the smoking gari and mix.
Step 5: Put onto table with fork and eat. If you think it is not sweet enough or it isn't sour enough, add some more sugar and/or lemon.
How to eat: Take fork and tkae some gari. Let some of the water drain out, and eat.
How to eat with food: Take a piece of your food and put some in and keep it in your mouth. Take some gari and put some in too.
Enjoy!
Anyway, we also got some okra soup and some ice cream and ate dinner. We didn't make any smoking gari tonight. Maybe we'll do it tomorrow. And know, I'm writing on a blog called The Xplorer telling my readers what I'm doing. =D
Signing off,
The traveler
Today was a very hectic day. We were trying to find a company called Apex and we got a taxi. It was absolutely crazy. The taxi driver didn't know the address of where we were going. So we kept asking people all over Lagos (it felt like), and they kept telling us to go one way and then the other.
Then police pulled us over and asked us for a fine that was a perposterous amount: 50,000 Naira. To put things in perspective, I have 5,000 Naira to myself, which is about $31.00 USD. Now multiply that times 10. See what I'm saying? Fortunatley, I think they settled for 1,000 Naira.
When we finally found Apex, the stairs were blocked by a whole bunch of people trying to haul a huge printer up the stairs to who-knows-where. We couldn't get to the level of the building the company was based. Besides, it wouldn't have mattered anyway, because we found out that the building was closed. But luckily, a person trying to figure out what the people were doing on the stairs gave us the phone num. for Apex.
So we went back home, and got some roasted peanuts. They are extremely good here; they taste much more different than the ones in the U.S.A. We also bought some sugar. We bought some sugar so we could make some smoking gari. Smoking gari is a simple dish that consists of a grain (I think) called gari, water, sugar, lemon (optional), and anything else that you think tastes good. All you have to do is get a bowl, and a fork. Here are the steps:
Step 1: Pour the gari into a bowl.
Step 2: Pour the water into the bowl with the gari.
Step 3: If your using cube sugar, put one cube into the mixture and crush it and dissolve it. If you're using regular sugar, put a little bit of sugar in the gari and mix it.
Step 4: Squeeze some lemon into the smoking gari and mix.
Step 5: Put onto table with fork and eat. If you think it is not sweet enough or it isn't sour enough, add some more sugar and/or lemon.
How to eat: Take fork and tkae some gari. Let some of the water drain out, and eat.
How to eat with food: Take a piece of your food and put some in and keep it in your mouth. Take some gari and put some in too.
Enjoy!
Anyway, we also got some okra soup and some ice cream and ate dinner. We didn't make any smoking gari tonight. Maybe we'll do it tomorrow. And know, I'm writing on a blog called The Xplorer telling my readers what I'm doing. =D
Signing off,
The traveler
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Going to get the container! =-)
Finally!
We're back in Lagos to get the container that we've been waiting for. Finally, I'll have all my books, I'll have my Spore video game and others, we'll have steady electricity (courtesy of the forklift battery that my parents bought), extra silverware, my guitar all of my younger sister's Barbies, dolls, and the like, and all of my toys, too. This is absolutley great. The only thing I really have to play with at home right now is my DS, our ThinkPad, my golden compass book, my two journals, and my notepad. So this is going to be excellent! We're back for the third time at my relative's house in Lagos. This time we're coming back with the container!
Signing off,
The Traveler
We're back in Lagos to get the container that we've been waiting for. Finally, I'll have all my books, I'll have my Spore video game and others, we'll have steady electricity (courtesy of the forklift battery that my parents bought), extra silverware, my guitar all of my younger sister's Barbies, dolls, and the like, and all of my toys, too. This is absolutley great. The only thing I really have to play with at home right now is my DS, our ThinkPad, my golden compass book, my two journals, and my notepad. So this is going to be excellent! We're back for the third time at my relative's house in Lagos. This time we're coming back with the container!
Signing off,
The Traveler
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Back Home
We're back,
We came back to Ife to wait for the container to get lifted off the boat. The ride back to Ife was horrible. Our taxi broke down three times, and the driver got some people to help, but they barely did anything to help. We were so tired when we got to the house.
Our backyard is gigantic. We even have antelopes in it. We have clusters of bamboo stalks and a fresh spring water river. There's a hotel that's next door, and they hired some workers to clear the land. So my Dad went over and told them to clear some of our land so we could make a farm for fun. He also told them not to touch the bamboo or the river. They messed up both. They bulldozed most of the bamboo, and clogged the river. My parents are going to tell them to clear river as soon as they can.
Other than that, everything is okay. I have a Ninendo DS charger now that uses the Nigerian voltages. Now I can play my games. We also now get to see the bright moon at night. That's really what's going on.
Signing off,
The Traveler
We came back to Ife to wait for the container to get lifted off the boat. The ride back to Ife was horrible. Our taxi broke down three times, and the driver got some people to help, but they barely did anything to help. We were so tired when we got to the house.
Our backyard is gigantic. We even have antelopes in it. We have clusters of bamboo stalks and a fresh spring water river. There's a hotel that's next door, and they hired some workers to clear the land. So my Dad went over and told them to clear some of our land so we could make a farm for fun. He also told them not to touch the bamboo or the river. They messed up both. They bulldozed most of the bamboo, and clogged the river. My parents are going to tell them to clear river as soon as they can.
Other than that, everything is okay. I have a Ninendo DS charger now that uses the Nigerian voltages. Now I can play my games. We also now get to see the bright moon at night. That's really what's going on.
Signing off,
The Traveler
Back in Ife
Back home!
We came back to Ife to stay for a few days before the container gets off the boat. The taxi drive here was horrible; the car broke down three times, and we had to get some people to "fix" it, even though they really didn't. Everyone was tired when we got out of the car. Then our driver asked for extra money after he had added about 2 hours from his torn up car.
We came back to Ife to stay for a few days before the container gets off the boat. The taxi drive here was horrible; the car broke down three times, and we had to get some people to "fix" it, even though they really didn't. Everyone was tired when we got out of the car. Then our driver asked for extra money after he had added about 2 hours from his torn up car.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Lagos to Ibadan and back again!
Well,
From what I've heard from my parents, we're going to Ibadan again tommorow around 9:00 Nigerian time, which will be about 3:00 in the morning in Eastern U.S.A time. After we do some errands there, our taxi will drive us back to Lagos. Ibadan from Lagos is about an hour and a half drive. I don't really understand why we're going there, but I'm hoping it'll be fun.
We're still trying to get our stuff; the people who are holding it I think are making it difficult. But we're definitley getting our things. In our container, we have our desktop computer, which is the only way I can play my video games (Spore, The Golden Compass, etc.), all of our books (including The Subtle Knife, the second book in one of my favorite series of all time: His Dark Materials), our toys, our other clothes, and other things. It's not like there's a chance of us not getting our things, it's just that I'm impatient and I want everything to move faster. We're comfortable at the moment, because our relative's generator is running the house right now. Everything is going smoothly.
Signing off,
The Traveler
From what I've heard from my parents, we're going to Ibadan again tommorow around 9:00 Nigerian time, which will be about 3:00 in the morning in Eastern U.S.A time. After we do some errands there, our taxi will drive us back to Lagos. Ibadan from Lagos is about an hour and a half drive. I don't really understand why we're going there, but I'm hoping it'll be fun.
We're still trying to get our stuff; the people who are holding it I think are making it difficult. But we're definitley getting our things. In our container, we have our desktop computer, which is the only way I can play my video games (Spore, The Golden Compass, etc.), all of our books (including The Subtle Knife, the second book in one of my favorite series of all time: His Dark Materials), our toys, our other clothes, and other things. It's not like there's a chance of us not getting our things, it's just that I'm impatient and I want everything to move faster. We're comfortable at the moment, because our relative's generator is running the house right now. Everything is going smoothly.
Signing off,
The Traveler
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)