Taking the SAT

Yep. I am taking the SAT at twelve!

Sounds weird? Well, it isn't; you see, I've been home-schooled my whole life, and I am capable of doing college level work. Actually, on my last Iowa test for the 7th grade, I was scored in the 99th percentile. Of the whole nation. And it's also recommended to take the SAT at least once for practice before you take it for real to get enrolled in a college. I myself plan on taking it more than once before I turn 17. So anyway, I'm taking the SAT tomorrow (we have to leave at 7:30!) , and I'm taking it at the University of Lagos (also called informally UniLag). I'm in Lagos right now, and we're not staying in the Oriental Hotel. We're actually staying in the place next door called FourPoints, a hotel owned by Sheraton. And like my Dad said, it doesn't hold a candle to the Oriental Hotel. This hotel's wear and tear is a little worse than the Oriental's, but it's less than four months old! And it's less organized. And there's a party going on downstairs, and it's pretty loud. Some jazz group from America I think. My parents say they aren't so good; like just now my mom asked 'What are they playing? That sounds bad.' And then my Dad said, 'I hope they didn't come all the way from the US for this.' Then my mom laughed and said, 'They were probably paid,' and then my dad was all like, 'but their music isn't that good,' then my mom said, 'well whoever paid them thought they sounded good,' and my dad said, 'I don't.' Like a said, my parents don't like them.

Signing off,
The SAT-taking Traveler

Pup Training

Shep just got his vaccinations today, which I bet was extremely painful. Apparently, I was asleep while he got them, so I had no idea what had happened until my sister came in with a new harness and leash that the vet had given us. Talk about a rude awakening! So anyway, I put it on him so he'd get used to it, and he was surprisingly calm. I think it was the magic of the shots, cause that's just out of character for Shep to be calm. He still ate with the same gusto though (Weetabix and milk. Yummy), and licked the plate clean. The hens were fighting with him though, tentatively taking pecks from his tiny blue food plate. I made sure to chase them well whenever I saw them attempting to do this, but they just wouldn't back off. I even caught one and they still wouldn't leave the Weetabix alone! Well, he likes his new leash, and I've taken him on a few practice walks and stuff. He's doing well. Also, one of the people who works for us thought that Shep could understand English! It's not that surprising if you're in his shoes. You see, here in 9ja, people do not train their dogs. They don't even see them as pets. Dogs and cats are on the same level of recognition as goats and hens, and just like those other species do, the dogs run wild wherever they want. One time, this female mutt just strolled right into our yard, sniffed around, and trotted right back out! So when this guy saw that I could just tell the dog, "Shep Sit," and the Alsatian would put his butt on the ground, he was more than amazed. It was a little shocking for him to be surprised that Shep couldn't understand English, and I had to explain to him the training process, which most Nigerians and pet-less Americans have no experience in. Now, all I have to do is train my parents to do what I want!

Signing off,
The Traveler

We Have The New Pup!

His name's Shep, and he's really adorable. He's a pure-bred German Shepherd, and he's mostly black, with a light tan underside. He loves to chew, and is more hyper-active than a bolt of lightning. He really likes his tennis ball, and chews on the spokes of my bike (which is just a tad bit annoying.) He's really smart; I've almost finished training him to Sit and he's been learning Come by accident. We've been saying, "Come 'ere, Shep!" and clap four times, and he's taken that to mean, come to us. He also likes watermelon, and has been bonding with the goats. The goats are extremely curious as to what he is, and sniff around him a lot. My Dad says that they probably think he's a baby goat! He hates the chickens though, but I don't blame him. They get on my nerves too with their chickening out at every little thing. He tries to catch them and eat them, but it never really works. He's a little too slow since he's just a baby, and just succeeds in scaring the roosters out of their minds. Here are some pics of him:

Shep's posing here. I got him to Sit.

Him posing again on our porch.

My sister playing with Shep.

Chewing on his watermelon skin. He used to have the sweetness of the red fruit inside the skin that we gave him, but that was gone in about five minutes.

Walking off of the porch.

He really, REALLY, loves that skin.

A close up picture of our puppy.

 Examining his toy.

Signing off,
The Dog Owning Traveler