So...I have just completed 3months on my Nigeria assignment with Reckitt Benckiser.Pretty intriguing experience I must say....when you land in Nigeria......first billboard you see says "WELCOME TO NIGERIA....LAND OF THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD"....and I wondered why?Now I know...

For starters......the contrast with my Country Kenya is stark.Hot humid coastal weather vs the usual 25D in Nairobi.Dreadful traffic snarl ups which they call "hold ups"......and a people who are very loud in their manner of speak.Kenyans are known to be docile?...aaahh?

In my first month..I figured that to survive Nigeria "Naija"......one has to have a great sense of humour.Everything that happens is totally what you would normally not find in many countries.....Househelps and Drivers call you "Mah" meaning madam......when an accident occurs on the road...people come out to fight instead of calling the insurance.."apparently insurance does not work very well)..people eat food for breakfast e.g. jollof rice and krokah fish!People piss or crap anywhere they feel like so long as the call of nature..yes is beckoning....and most interestingly....Pidgin English which I kinda like..it is literal translation of the English language with Naija accent...

So what words ring a bell for me?......"before before"..means way back then......."shine your eyes" means open your eyes wider.....|belly touch backbone is.....one is hungry.....they greet you with salutations such as "how now" "how was your night?".."wellddone"

I moved into my house in February and was very happy to start a new home in Ikoyi...Island side.Tk God I do not have to deal with the daily morning traffic!....my experiences with the house drew my attention to what poor service culture one comes across in Naija (well vs home)....I have spent most of my weekends having people repairing this or the other..simply because of the many imperfections of house finishing.Then you have to adjust to sleeping with generators on as Power cuts are the order of the day!And Naija is...hey comp died and I was on my way home for Easter break!Yeah a reflective one..spent time with I really really love!