Week 3 - Oct 26

This week Georgia and I started running our deliverables by different parts of the Ministry to get their feedback and buy-in. Georgia was also leading a video recording effort where we wanted to go out to a few of the Primary Heath Care centers to talk to real people using the two programs we were helping execute (see visual above of child in one of the facilities). Again this experience was surreal. We manager to visit 3 facilities – two in Calabar, and one on the outskirts of the city. The facilities were probably some of the better ones in the state – and still very difference from the health facilities we were use to in our own countries (see visual below of clinic room). Everything is tracked manually on posters in each of these facilities and thus the need for a centralized IT network to help improve this documentation and delivery system.

After talking to a few beneficiaries in person Georgia started working with the local radio and television station to help edit the video to create a short documentary type testimonial on the Free Healthcare and Cash Transfer services that could be shared with others to motivate them to go ahead and use the service. The work Georgia did with the radio station was really an eye opener into doing business in Nigeria – for example, every step along the way it is necessary to provide a “dash” to get the next step completed. There was a small tip needed to use the studio, then the editor needed a dash, then the video guy needed a dash, and so on and so forth. In addition – everyone needed to be monitored in person for anything to get done. If Georgia created a list of request and left stating she would be back in a few hours to check on things and answer any questions – nothing would get done until she came back.

Another lesson for us in terms of language was the need to speak extremely slowly if you had any other accent besides the American accent. The US accent is readily understood despite their own local form of English – the largest reason for understanding the American accent is because they are exposed to American TV. Any other person – Georgia included (from Australia) needed to speak extremely slowly to be effectively understood.

One night this week we also went to a FIFA match. This was a large 2 week soccer match between different countries. About 15 minutes into the game is started to drizzle a little. Unknown to us (the 10 of us were seated under a semi covered part of the arena) it started to rain a little harder and as it started to get stronger people from the uncovered parts of the arena started to rush to our side – it was a little unnerving to begin with – but after a while it became apparent that nobody was going to get violent – see U tube video Georgia took: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8R03cHiiqM

This week Georgia and I were also invited out to dinner by Edak our Commissioner which was very kind of her. We went to the Chinese restaurant at the Mirage hotel – it was spectacular! The food was amazing as was the décor and the service. We ate huge tiger prawn which were some of the freshest prawns I have ever had since they are fished right out of the close waters and brought in fresh (there is a lack of reliable refrigeration so a lot of sea food is really fresh). We also had a seafood soup that was amazing as were the mixed veggie and rice dishes. This meal was a little different than the usual meal in Calabar which consists of grilled fish and plantain - see visual above. There is also generally a lot of spice in the food in Nigeria - see the visual below of sticks of street meat being covered in chilly spice.


It was also a scary week because we found out that Ryan contracted Malaria, as did Georgia potentially - on the same day we found out about these two tragedies Tim passed out and fell to the ground - there were a lot of visits to the hospital that night.