Jordan and Jess

Friday, September 17, 2010

Gurara Fallls

Last Sunday, we traveled an hour and half north of Abuja to visit Gurara Falls.

Zuma Rock

Can you spot the upside down face?

Gurara Falls from above

Lily and I

Making our way down the hill and planning our next move.

During the wet season, trudging through the bush can be a difficult task.

Back up we go...

The perfect picnic place...out of the midday sun.

left to right: Sara, Leah, Matt, Jordan Lee and Laura

Laura and Brian

Can't forget to BYOW... =)

Oops..Jess led them the wrong way.

Good thing we had Brian to keep us in check.

Wherever we go, people ask to be snapped with us (have their picture taken).

We had numerous people stop us and take our pictures

on their camera phones...I guess they are as interested in us as we are of them.

A wonderful end to the day...

Thursday, September 16, 2010

This past weekend was a four day weekend, so we took full advantage of the opportunity to get out of Abuja and explore.On Saturday, we joined an entourage of friends and drove 3 hours southeast of Abuja to the Benue River. According to the map, there is a road that goes all the way to the town of Loko, which is right on the river. When we got an hour away from Loko, we suddenly reazled the road had been washed out by the rains. The locals made a pedestrian bridge, but there was no way for a car to cross. So, we parked the cars, crossed the washed out road, and jumped on an okada (a dirtbike/motorcylcle) to our final destination, Loko. We were told the ride would be 30 minutes one way, but we soon found out it was much longer than that. After an hour and ten minutes of riding through the African bush, we arrived in the town/village of Loko. The purpose of our visit was for Bryan to research possible boating excursions. We hung out around the river for a while and then we were given a tour of the village. There had to have been at least two hundred people following us through the village. We must have been quite the scene. During our tour, we were introduced to the chief of the village who was not at all happy with us. It is expected when visiting a village to find and greet the chief before doing any other business. We unfortunetly did not know that and ended up meeting him about 15 minutes after our arrival. After apologizing and conversing for a few mintues, we were shown to his compound and invited to stay whenever we were back in the area.

Lana, Lulu (the dog) and I at a rest stop

Need I say more...

waiting for our ride

crossing the washed out road

The Benue River

The village tour guides

Almost made it...

This was the furthest from Abuja we had been since arriving last year. We had a wonderful trip full of 'firsts' and new adventures. We look forward to visiting Loko again.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Our Home

This year we moved into a new flat. This flat is an upgrade from last years place, but because it is new, we are finding problems that haven't been fixed yet. Another plus this year is that our flat is within 5 minutes of the school.

We do miss the area we lived in last year. It was much quieter and closer to the city center. But overall, we are much more happy with our situation this year.

Our Apartment building.

There are three other buildings on the compound where fifteen other AISA staff live.

Our flat is on the top right in this picture.

A view of our apartment.

The kitchen.

The kitchen comes with a gas and electric stove and plenty of counter and cupboard space.

Our dining room.

The "quiet" room.

This also houses all our artwork until they get hung up.

The master bedroom.

The master bedroom includes a huge built in closet and bathroom with two shower heads.

Our living room

Our view from the dining room balcony.

View from our front balcony.

Aso rock in the background (just to the right of the cell tower).

This is another view off the front balcony.

Do you notice the congested highway in the distance?

We live close to a big church and this is the traffic jam on Sunday.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Settling In...

Coming back to Abuja is easier this time around; we know our surroundings, what to expect, and how to get around. Although I say that, we still find ourselves overwhelmed with things to do. We arrived in Abuja late on the 9th and started work at 8am on the 10th. We haven't stopped since. We've had teacher orientations, school gatherings, and first week preperations. We are now halfway through the first week of school and find ourselves READY for our weekend.

As many of you know, we moved into a new apartment this year. Our new place is brand new and much nicer than our previous residence...it has 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a big kitchen with plenty of cupboard space, 2 balconies, and a pool. We have been working hard to get things situated and setup so that we can feel at home. We have a few more things to do before we have completed this task. Once we are done making our home a home, I will post pictures.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Hard to Say Goodbye

As summer comes to an end, so does our time with friends and family. We enjoy living abroad and love all the experiences and adventures, but leaving loved ones behind is very difficult. This summer was AMAZING! We enjoyed spending time with our family, traveling around the Pacific Northwest, and enjoying yummy food. As we head back to our life in Abuja, we want all of you to know that we LOVED spending time with you this summer and look forward to the time when we meet again.