Culture Shock

Let's be honest. The first whole day in Lagos was a shock, resulting from a combination of many things. The morning began quite okay, but not without surprises. 

Myself, I am used to eating quite much and regularly. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper, at least. As I figured out during the first day, all of these were quite unfamiliar concepts in Nigeria. So, as I asked about breakfast, the surprise was both-sided. I was explained, that the locals eat when they feel hungry (which, I soon realized, is about once every day). I still found some food from the kitchen, so no problem.

We spent almost the whole day in a car. The concept of the day was this: we picked up 7 of the projects volunteers, crammed into the car and drove around Lagos from one place to another. The language was the next surprise. In Nigeria, people widely speak English as their common language, but it was something quite different from what I had heard elsewhere. This is why during the first day, I didn't have much idea about what was going on around me. Now, a few weeks later, the language barrier doesn't bother me anymore, but during that first day, it did.

By afternoon, I got really hungry and thirsty. Due to my demand, around five o'clock we finally stopped at a fast food restaurant to pick up some fried rice. It helped. Next thing on our todo-list was a slum visit. We went there to do some routine work related to the project. It was something that I had looked forward to, but I have to admit that the first time was tough. The slums earn a blog post of their own, so more on that later.

When we got home late in the evening, I insisted that we buy some food home. So we did. I bought some cold foods, like ham and yogurt. Of course, I should have remembered, that we don't have a fridge, and even if we had, it's wouldn't be on most of the time. Woops. And still no water to drink. I also made the mistake of closing the door of my room, soon realizing that it actually locks, so that it cannot be opened from inside the room. Luckily, my host woke up to my knocking and let me out. Soon after going to sleep, I woke up to a giant cockroach running on my back. Uh.

So, there it was, the first day. 100% culture shock. The right way to start every proper adventure.