Nigeria- Part 1

Sanuku! (Hello Everyone- in hausa) I have so much to share!!
I am back from Nigeria- and what a trip! There are hardly words to describe the experience.

We arrived in Kano on August 6. Customs was an experience unlike no other. When you deboard the plane, you enter a large, very basic, concrete block room. There are no computer monitors chronicling the incoming/outgoing flights. There were two lines for customs- one for Nigerians and one for foreigners. Andrew, from IITA, was there to pick us up- thankfully. He collected all our passports and pushed his way to the front of the group and there was yelling and shoving and asserting of power. After filling out some forms, waiting, and more animated discussions (none of which were in english), we were allowed through to get our bags, where there was more chaos. From there we loaded onto the IITA bus and headed for the hotel. The traffic was fairly light, by Kano standards, but what I noticed right away was the fact that stop signs were apparently optional. This continued to be the case throughout the trip.

We got settled at the hotel, and although I was tired, the adrenaline from customs and the drive over kept me awake much longer than I would have liked.

The next day we had the opportunity to take a driving tour of Kano with several people with IITA. (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture- our hosts for the trip). We traveled to the Old City of Kano. The wall around the old city was build back in the 1400's and there are still many people that live in the old city. Kano is home to 20 million people. Yes...20 million. When we entered through the gate of the old city, the streets were not very wide and with the oncoming traffic, pedestrians, livestock (mostly goats, sheep and chickens), motorbikes, bicycles, etc, it made for an interesting ride. There are street vendors all through the city- and anything and everything is for sale. At every intersection, people (mostly young adults) would come to the car to sell phone cards, water, snacks, etc. We stopped at the Kano museum to take a tour and learn more about the history of Kano. In one exhibit, they showed some of the farm implements used to work the fields. Later that afternoon, we saw several of the same tools strapped to motorbikes - and they are very much still in use. Almost all farm work is done by hand or with oxen.

To Be Continued (and pictures will be added!)