Happy Late New Year!

2014!

Wow, it's been a while! I don't really know what to say. How can explain my prolonged absence from this blog?

Well, that's a tough one. Four months ago, I had promised to myself that I would post an update about returning to America, right after we got settled in. Heck, I was even trying to finish up a post while in the airport in Dubai. But for some reason, it never got past the planning stages. I never hit "send".

And here I am, writing this at a crazy hour in the night. I don't know where all of the months went. It's like they slipped through my fingers, snaking right around me before I could even blink. That's a good thing, I guess. That means I'm busy!

That's one thing I'm sure of. I'm definitely busy.

I'm not buys doing anything specific, but I just feel like I'm doing a lot of things. I'm highly active in an online writers' forum, I'm taking a high school chemistry class...As you can imagine, I'm happy to relax over the weekend.

But why do you want to hear about the rantings of a crazy teenager? (Well, if you're reading this blog I don't really know what you'd expect...)

"This blog is supposed to be about travel!" That's probably what you're saying, shaking your fist at the screen. "How dare you plague this site with your personal issues!"

Maybe it's because I don't want to write something boring. I want to post something that's really intriguing, something that'll make you think about different world views and stuff. You see, that was an easy feat while in Nigeria; I was experiencing conflicting world views all the time. But now that I'm back in America, it's hard for me to spot the idiosyncratic habits in my life. To put it simply, I don't feel like I'm travelling anymore.

Does that mean this blog is dead? No, not by a long shot. This just means that I have to try harder to find interesting and new things to write about. I'm a creative guy, so I surely haven't used up all of my imagination juice. I keep a whole bunch in the fridge, anyway.

I'm not sure if anyone reads The Xplorer anymore, and that's okay. I'll keep posting, though. From now on, I'll figure out something, anything, to say. There's no need to worry about that.

Before I submit this post, I would like to mention that it's been more than four years since I started this blog. Four years! That's a long time. My younger sister is the same age I was when I made my first post! That just blows my mind; there's four years worth of blog here. I successfully documented my life in Nigeria, and I've gotta admit that I'm super proud.

Signing off,
The Traveler

Two Days

In two days, we'll leave Nigeria for six months.

This time, it's back to the States for real! Not for three weeks, but half a year. It's what we've all been waiting for. Now it's time for us to go back to Durham, catch up with friends, get our lives back home started again. We had a little test thing back in April, so this time it's not going to be as shocking. But it'll still leave an impact, that's for sure. This isn't just something you decide to do overnight. Just like in '09 when we left for Nigeria, returning to America is a pretty big deal.

To be honest, I'm super super excited. I really want this, very badly. I know that the people we met here are going to miss us; some have already said "Just stay here!" I understand...whenever you leave some place for a while, people want to latch onto you. Even so (I'm being honest again here), I'm not giving Durham up, not happening. Yes, Nigeria has become a second home. Yes, Ife is a pretty nice place. But would a Nigerian like to be in a foreign country for years on end without returning to their home? I know a lot of Nigerians do that a lot, but I believe that they miss Nigeria after a while. And that's just human nature, I guess.

Another reason I want to leave is NEPA. *shudders* I certainly won't miss the inconsistent power supply. Or the messed up water system. Or malaria...

I will miss the people I've met. And some of the dishes here. And the relaxed atmosphere of Ife...

It's alright though. Nigeria isn't going anywhere. I'll be back in six months. So I'll enjoy Durham as much as I can!

Signing off,
The Traveler

P.S. I'm still debating over whether I should update this blog while in the States. If I continue posting in Durham, I probably won't be doing it as frequently. I don't want to get repetitive.

Gone and Back Again

So. We're back in Ife.

I thought it would take me a little bit to get accustomed to Nigeria again. I am not exaggerating to you when I say that I barely blinked an eye. There was no huge shock. We deal with NEPA (or PHCN as it's called now) just as we've always had. I really don't feel a change. I walk my dog in the morning like I've always had. I go around, goofing off on my laptop, thinking about weird stuff like I've always had here. I wasn't expecting to be like shocked into oblivion like ERMAHGERD WHAT THE POOP IS THIS I MEAN HUHWHUH HUUUUUHH

Okay I'll stop that now.

I think you get what I'm trying to say. It's actually sorta cool. When I get to the States I immediately switch into "America mode". When I'm here in Nigeria? "Nigeria mode". No culture shock, nothing. I guess the problem is that I've been listening to crap from a whole bunch of people, telling me that when I go from Nigeria to America or vice versa I'll suddenly have to learn everything all over again. I'll be a fish outta water, so out there and confused but in a sort of good, happy way. Now that last sentence really doesn't make sense. Whatever! I've got a rule: never edit posts. Just write them how they are and let 'em loose!

Hey, on an unrelated note, I've noticed that there are only like 3 photos in this whole darn blog. Well, that isn't going to do! I've got four years worth of writing on this site, so I'm going to have to explain Nigeria to you guys visually as well. I'll be working on that, but to be honest we don't have a camera at the moment. Actually, the last time we owned a (working) camera was in...2010? 2011? Something like that. Anyway, don't worry! I've got it under control.

Well, Signing off,
The Traveler

An Edit and an Update

Remember that post I wrote about Lagos undergoing renovation?

It's not only Lagos. I was wrong about that. This is happening all over the country. Even here in Ife. Ife is considered a rural sort of place by most Nigerians. A place where nothing is happening to put it simply. (To be honest, sometimes I agree with them. :P) Even here--though the progress is much slower than in Lagos--I'm starting to see differences than when we first came to Nigeria. In 2009, there was no pizza delivery. Now there is. So what if the pizza tastes like fuel? It's still pizza delivery. In 2009, there was no fiber optic cabling. Guess what? They're lying down the foundations for that right now. Do you see what I mean? It's not blazing fast progress, but it's progress nonetheless. Heck, it's more than what we had back in '09. That's gotta mean something. Besides, Ife is always getting bigger, at a freakishly fast rate. Our city in the States, Durham, has a population of 228,000 sumthin. Ife's population is 372,000. And that's a rough approximation. I think you're starting to see what I'm talking about. Ife is going to become one of the biggest cities in Nigeria in couple of decades. And with a growing middle-class in Nigeria anyway, you're going to need more amenities if you want to avert discontent from the masses. Maybe that's why the government is allowing foreign companies to fill in these spots.

Here's the update part: We're leaving in a week for Durham and my laptop is completely messed up. At first I thought it was my HDD. I was sort of right; it was part of the problem, but I also think that my graphics card could also be going bad due to overheating. Not good news, right? Well, at least I can go and see my friends again back in America! That is going to be too much fun. (Goodness, I wish that I had posted more pictures in the last 3 years! I have to get a camera...)

Signing off,
The Traveller

200th Post!

Yes, I've hit it!

Another milestone for this blog. It took me a while, but I made it! :D So now that I've gotten to this point, I'm going to take a look back at my first posts on this blog, back in 2009. Goodness. That was four years ago. It shocks me to see it so blatantly; right in front of my face. I made this blog back in 2009. Well, at least I've seen how much progress I've made! Some of my earlier posts look so...ignorant from my perspective now. Of course, you can't blame me; I was thrown into a completely different culture. New foods, new experiences. Surprisingly I haven't even written all of my adventures in this blog. There are just so many which have helped me to realize...I'm not so ignorant anymore. I know what an Okada is. I've learned a bit of the native languages. I've met new people. I definitely would not have participated in the WRO in Abu Dhabi if I had never come to Nigeria. So many things would be so different. When we first arrived in Nigeria I didn't know how to take care of a dog. Well, now I do. I can say pretty confidently that if I hadn't come here I would have never gotten Shep. Or Night. Or Harry Potter. I would have never met the friends I've made here. But you know what? I'm ready to go back home too.

So after two hundred posts, I've learned a whole world of info on this country. Not as complete as my experience in America. Actually, I don't think it will ever be as complete as my knowledge of the States. But I'm okay with that. :)

Signing off,
The Traveler

Welcome to Adventure!

Hello,

My name is The Traveler, and i'll be posting my xplorations and adventures right here in the blog called The Xplorer. I've been outside the country about four or five times. I've been to France, London, and Nigeria, and I'm only 11! Don't believe me? I'll post some pictures in my next blog. Anyway, I'm moving to Nigeria, a country in West Africa that has awesome cuisine, amazing cities and very kind people. We'll be moving on October 28, so soon i'll be talking all about Nigeria. More info about Nigeria will be told later in other posts. Until then, signing off.

The Traveler