My trip to Nigeria

When I was a little girl, I used to exclaim:
Wow! If I swim straight ahead
I'll cross the Atlantic and arrive in Africa.

Getting out of Victoria Island!
The Government neglect starts...

The Nigeria unknown by its major population!

Victoria Island's Ocean Drive!

Victoria Island, a well cared place.
Funny, I don't like going there. It sounds so fake to me!

Why can't all Nigeria be like that!?
Just "VI", Victoria Island, deserves?

On left, National Open University Of Nigeria.

Cute kids! I had a great time playing with them!
Yep, they got scared!
It's rare an oyibo in this part of Nigeria.

Kay Jah-Ba and Silvester! Great guys!

I love the way kids wear on their school uniforms.
It's so much proudness!

I love the way kids wear their school uniforms.
They look so proud of it!

Cool fancy outfits!
In Nigeria wearing the same outfit is not a problem,
in fact it's a tradition well kept!

A cold rainy day to wash out the hotness of Africa for few hours!

Yorubá kids! So cute and so funny!
We laughed good!

I love how women carry their babies.
They look so comfortable!

Excuse-me lady, wanna buy a nice underwear?

Boxers by the wind!

Twin girls helping their mother, getting some clean water.

Very rainy day.
I didn't know that water could fall like this in Africa!
Yet, stereotypes falling down once again!

Rice and Beans, perfect match.
Plus fried plantain to sweet it.

Beautiful and strong Nigerian women!

This boy never smiles.
I took a lot of pics and he just didn't care to see them!
Very cool serious boy!

Great smiles, great friendships!

Okra or lady fingers.
Those don't look like lady fingers to me.

Sunny Sunday afternoon at the beach!
With clothes on!
Very uncommon scene for a Brazilian girl!

You always have fun when you have the Atlantic for you.

Always!

If I swim straight ahead,
I'll cross the Atlantic
and arrive in Brasil.

Sunday Morning, a very elegant Nigerian lady is
probably going to church.

Traveling, Staying, Missing

I started writing this post in Brasil and I didn't finish it. It's very hard for me to finish things when I'm there. I try to take control of my time, but in a way or another I end up with my To-Do list just the way I left it.

Every single time I go to Brasil, I make the commitment to do every single thing I wanna do and guess what? I don't do it! I don't visit the friends I wanna visit, I don't eat the food I wanna eat, I don't go to manicure/pedicure as often as I wanna go and so on. I neglected even some doctors. I feel as my time doesn't belong to me over there. I never get it!

So, since I'm home now, I'll finish the post below that I've started long ago.

Wow, I don't remember being this long without posting anything.
Well, let me see...

My nephew was born on 21st, one day after my birthday and just like my oldest nephew and my niece, he was born on 21st, but in different month. What is amazing about it, is that my father passed away on 21st and this day, of all months, was a very sad day for me, but now, those beautiful human beings came to cheer this day up. Thanks guys!

My nephew is so so cute! I really mean it! He seduced and seduces everybody around him for real. Everybody says that Márcio, my nephew, was born "already raised" because he seems that he is 3 months old already!

Just to keep things on normal level, I'm sick. I got a flu, but not the swine one, just a normal flu that is letting me lazy and I just want to be in bed in a dark room and in silence. The fever is high, but I'm already medicated. It will be over soon. The annoying about it, it's that here in my hometown, people are going nuts because of the swine flu and nobody can sneeze or cough around anymore. I mean, polite sneezing or coughing with your hand blocking the virus to get out of your mouth. If you initiate a sneeze, people immediately give you a weird look.

I'm staying at my mother's because I don't want my newborn nephew and my sister-in-law to get any sick. You know she is nursing.

Anyway, here in Minas Gerais, my state, there is no winter whatsoever. It's hotter now than Nigeria was and I do mean it. Winter now just means one thing: dry season! Days seem even hotter than 15 years ago when I was living in this town. All that my dilemma about what to pack was a really a waste of time. If I could anticipate such a weather I'd pack much lighter . In this 25 days I'm here, I didn't wear any long sleeve yet, just summer dresses and I'm so very sure I will not wear any.

Well, things are pretty ok over here. I have spent a lot of time with my sweet niece Maria Luíza. In fact we are together as rice and beans. We get along very very well and she is definitely my pal. I love the way she talks and conduce herself. It's a little lady and not just a 6 years old girl. Oh boy, I have a lot to learn from her.

Besides my cold, I'm not spending much time at my brother's simply because I have no practice or skills whatsoever with babies. So, if I can't help I think is better not to disturb. I became the delivery lady though. Everything the ladies in charge of taking care of the babe and Marly, my mother and my sister-in-law Márcia, need they ask me and I'm ready to go... or to come.

My fever is a little higher now. Better take a rest.

My fever lasted about a week. It was a hard time for me because I couldn't even read, but also I had a wonderful nurse who took a good care of me. Thanks Maria Luíza! Yes, my niece was there by my side all the time. One afternoon, she was sweeter than ever and I spent all afternoon long resting my head on her lap. We watched Barbie's movies, cartoons. She made me juice, fed me and overcame me with her caress and love! What a doll!

Maria Luíza and I had a great time. Even though we didn't do almost anything on your list, we did a lot. The time to say goodbye was pretty hard on both of us. I couldn't see her eyes full of tears...oh poor thing. She was trying her best to keep me there at least until her birthday now in September 21st. I wish I could!

From Brasil I went to Paris for about 5 days. It was amazing without being redundant. I guess going to Paris is always a amazing experience. I have been there a couple of times and I don't need map anymore to go where I wanna go. This time I stayed in the Quartier Latin, in front L'Université Paris-Sorbonne. From my window, almost covering it as near it was, there was the majestic dome of its chapel. The Théâtre L'Odéon was just 2 blocks away as the Panthéon and the Jardin du Luxembourg also around the corner.

I had a wonderful time there. As it's summer time almost all small museums and galleries are closed for vacation. French style! So, I spent my time going to bistrots to have a glass of champagne at sunset time, then I take time to walk by the Seine river without any rush. Also I spent a lot of time reading in those little charming cafés where you can stay for hours and nobody will disturb asking you to leave.

I didn't go to any tourist spot this time, besides la Cathédrale Notre Dame. I go there every time I'm in Paris firstly to thank God for such a wonderful life and also to feel the smell of centuries of burnt candles. I love it so much. As soon as I step into it, I close my eyes and I let that very particular smell get into my heart. It takes me back in time in seconds. The smell will always be there, impregnated on those secular walls that have been the silent witness of history. I just love it.

Besides many other places, I also went to Centre Pompidou, but it isn't a touristic stroll for me. It's pleasure and work and a must go. I spent the whole day there looking and appreciating Modern and Contemporaneous Art exhibitions.

I told you, I really had a great time there. I will post pictures soon.
I'm finishing my unpacking task, organizing my closet, my house and my academic life and I'm almost getting over of the jet-leg.

Getting rid of the jet-leg seems easy comparing to the knot I have in my heart for missing my nephews and my niece. Guys, you are so especial to me! I love you with all my life, heart and soul!

Back to Taiwan

Having lunch at my mother's!

Some quality time with toothless Maria Luiza!

National Art Museum, Nigeria, Lagos

After 1 month and 1 week out, I'm back to Taiwan. I'm exhausted but extremely happy!
This trip was very important to me, I could see who I truly am and what is my role in this world. I do hope I'm right about it. You know, sometimes our heart and our intuition fail us good! Or we don't understand correctly and clearly the message...
I'm pretty sure I found my inner world in this surprise self-discovery trip to Africa.

To be able to free myself completely, I made 2 hard decisions: I put my academic life on hold and I didn't take ANY of my 14 daily medicines. Am I in trouble? Of course I'm but so what? The biggest trouble is my academic life, I do have a lot to catch up and I do hope I can do it. I even don't know where to start reading/writing but I will find my way out for sure.
Now, the biggest surprise ever! A kind of miracle materialized just in front of my nose! I didn't have/suffer/feel absolutely anything in my stay in Nigeria! I was medicine free and absolutely nothing happened! I even forgot that I'm use to them, or almost all of them, for about 32 years. It was like those pills didn't belong to me.
What I felt was as if I had a good and strong health! I'm surprise until now...And if it wasn't enough of good surprises, the blood tests I took in Brasil came out all good, not "just" good but perfect!

I must confess that I was worried with my irresponsibility! Once, about 12 years ago, I was asked by a physician to stop taking any medicine for 3 months and it wasn't an enjoyable thing to see. I became completely unplugged. I have no will even to take a shower. So I knew how serious my decision was and even knowing it, I decided to take the risk. Thank God there is no regrets!

However being the freak that I'm, as soon as I got in Brasil I did all the ordinary blood tests I'm used to do and my thyroid hormones were perfect for the first time EVER. Unbelievable! Really, it is something to think about! How come I kept myself away from all those drugs I was supposed to believe that are the reason to keep me alive and...

Well, what I know is that I got back in Brasil and in Taiwan and guess what? Of course, I'm sick! I got a terrible cold that is pushing me back to bed every single day since I arrived. I don't get the picture!

Talking about picture, I'll blog later about my trip to Nigeria and Brasil with a quick stop in Amsterdam under a freezing day of -2C.

I do miss Nigeria very very much! Everything was just perfect, I couldn't ask for more. And in Brasil as usual, I had no time to do all I wanted to do, but I'm not complaining at all. I got used to it, to have my list of errands sabotaged!
Talking to old friends, playing with my super cute niece Maria Luiza, having lunch with all my family together, going to the beach for New Year, getting a tan in Flórianopolis, facing mic for the 1st time ever, eating akara, sleeping any time I felt sleepy... what a wonderful way to spend vacation!

I just want to thank God for this wonderful long trip. Everything went smooth with so many joy and happiness. I really felt very blessed.

I took tons of pictures and I'll post some of them as soon as I get my academic life on schedule. I also have numerous emails waiting for my reply! I didn't check or answer any email since I left Taiwan and I'm afraid even to look at my Inbox. It will take a lot of time to answer, but I gotta do what I gotta do!

I hope it isn't too late to wish everybody a great 2009!

Happy New Year!
(Solar Calendar)

Happy Chinese New Year!
(Lunar Calendar)

Mama fixing my bracelet!

On the beach in Lagos, for New Year!

Surrounded by kids! I laughed good!

Those kids are irresistible!