Development Education

The Power of Naija (2)

Jack Hamilton, from co.Down, volunteered in Nigeria during the summer 2010, on return he shares his experience with us.

I found that it was immediately impossible to put the experience into a concise article as ‘Nigeria’ itself refuses to be categorised.  The people identify themselves primarily through their tribe rather than nationality, the international press fails to account for the complexity of the country and therefore any stereotype of Nigeria is doomed to be extremely limited if not entirely false.

The Power of Naija (1)

Jack Hamilton, from co.Down, volunteered in Nigeria during the summer 2010, on return he shares his experience with us.

The fact of the matter is that Nigeria is an incredibly vast and complex nation, most of which is not represented by newsworthy stories that seep from the problematic Oil Delta Region and in more recent times, the Middle Belt. 

The majority of this article was written while on my way to the airport to leave Nigeria.  The bus bounced and cajoled its way from Osogbo to Lagos as I sat with my head out the window, as far as common sense would permit.  Dust battered my face as the sun set over the forests of palms trees and the reckless driver veered between potholes and oncoming tankers as if the two were equal obstacles.  This, for me, was Nigeria.  A complete barrage on the senses but in an utterly addictive way.

The Betrayal of Tea

Submitted by Gill Carter on 23 August 2010 - 9:55am

Gil Carter, Global Awareness Volunteer 2010 in South Africa: Gil Carter, Global Awareness Volunteer 2010 in South AfricaPeople at home have stopped asking if I would like a cup of tea, simply because they know my reply will be yes! All my family, friends and even most acquintances know how much I love my tea! Before I left for South Africa my mom asked if I was going to bring tea bags with me and when I replied no, she was shocked.

Cape Town and The Cape: Orientation Overdrive

Submitted by Paul Q on 23 August 2010 - 9:37am

Paul Quinn, Global Awareness Volunteer 2010 in South Africa: Paul Quinn, Global Awareness Volunteer 2010 in South AfricaMy first week here in South Africa was hectic. It started as it meant to go on as well! After being in Cape Town for a few hours, and just meeting my orientation group, we all decided to hike to the top of Table Mountain for our first day.

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In Good Hands at the HIV centre in Kayamandi

Submitted by Gill Carter on 13 August 2010 - 12:13pm

I’m into week three at this stage, which means I'm starting to get used to the place. By no means would I say that I know the ins and out of Kayamandi, the shacks are like mazes with only tiny routes going through them all. My mental GPS is quite confused still when it comes to navigating around the shacks, shack E157 could be right in front of you and then, shack D89 beside it. So it's safe to say I'm still getting the hang of things.

Count down

Submitted by emily_pemily7 on 12 August 2010 - 9:55am

Hi everyone!  Hope you are all well! Nigeria is still a delightful muddle to me:) I feel like a count down has begun today as I was reminded of the date by one of the students in my computer class. Up until now I have been concentrating on the days of the week to forget the return to Ireland. Work is still so interesting!

Emily Price, Global Awareness Volunteer 2010 in Nigeria: Emily Price, Global Awareness Volunteer 2010 in Nigeria

South Africa : Chicken feet for dinner?! Kayamandi so far..!

Submitted by Gill Carter on 27 July 2010 - 2:39pm

Once I had got to the volunteer hostel in Cape Town I met lots of other volunteers,and ofcourse the generic volunteer conversation was had, this little almost interview like chat is generally to break the ice and to find out the core details. It goes along the lines of your name, where your from, how long you are here from and then; what project you are working on. Generally, I managed to get by the first 3 parts with no problems, I can say that most of the time, I succesfully managed to tell people my name, nationality and length of stay with absolutely no problems!

Having the time of my life in Nigeria.

Submitted by maevegalvin on 26 July 2010 - 12:32pm

I'm in the third week on the global awareness programme in Nigeria,Where to start? The area we are in and the country as a whole is like a cultural oasis. So many things like the food (incredibly spicy and eaten without cutlery), the customs (using your left hand for many things is rude), the transport (the main way of getting around is by motorcycle taxi and helmets are non-existent) and the conditions (electricity goes several times a day) are unlike anything we are used to.