Okadas in Minna
Door: Thessa
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11 Oktober 2006 | Nigeria, Suleja
After the atypical quietness of Abuja I have now arrived in Minna, a city only 2 hrs away. We got there in a shared taxi and I’m just very happy that I don’t bruise easily othawise I would probably have the mark of the door handle in my leg… In case you guys would think differently: 9 people easily fit into a regular car. Yes, they do.
In Minna I’m at a placement visit (so that another VSO person can show you around in every day life), visiting Irish Aine. In case you are expecting long stories about beer drinking with my new Irish friend: Minna is in an Islamic province and they don’t serve alcohol. Apart from that, it’s all very liberal and it’s perfectly accepted that I walk around in skirt and t-shirt, although I tend to wear slightly longer skirts here.
This proved quite stupid when attempting my first Okada ride. Okadas are motorbikes that serve as taxis and they go with great speed through the chaos. Luckily the drivers do realize that killing an Oyibo (white person) isn’t a good idea, so they tend to slow down. A bit at least… Anyway, I’m trying to acquire a new skill: how to get onto a bike with a skirt on without looking hopelessly unladylike…
People here are very tolerant about my attempts and don’t laugh at me –in my face at least. Apart from that you just get many smiles: people are so friendly! So are the mosquitoes: haven’t seen any of them. The only animals thus far, are very cute geckos and I totally plan on having them as pets. Shame they’re too small for leaches…
Some other general observations: it’s hot, but bearable. The landscape is green (rainy season just ended) and hilly, with some larger hills and the occasional huge rock (including a beautiful one: 400m high and at Abuja’s skyline). The people are colourful and beautiful. All in all, it’s just a very interesting place!
Saturday I should be arriving at my new home in Kubwa and I hope to upload some photos soon after that. I just hope that one day I’ll succeed in catching all the impressions on photo and in my stories…
Love, Thes
In Minna I’m at a placement visit (so that another VSO person can show you around in every day life), visiting Irish Aine. In case you are expecting long stories about beer drinking with my new Irish friend: Minna is in an Islamic province and they don’t serve alcohol. Apart from that, it’s all very liberal and it’s perfectly accepted that I walk around in skirt and t-shirt, although I tend to wear slightly longer skirts here.
This proved quite stupid when attempting my first Okada ride. Okadas are motorbikes that serve as taxis and they go with great speed through the chaos. Luckily the drivers do realize that killing an Oyibo (white person) isn’t a good idea, so they tend to slow down. A bit at least… Anyway, I’m trying to acquire a new skill: how to get onto a bike with a skirt on without looking hopelessly unladylike…
People here are very tolerant about my attempts and don’t laugh at me –in my face at least. Apart from that you just get many smiles: people are so friendly! So are the mosquitoes: haven’t seen any of them. The only animals thus far, are very cute geckos and I totally plan on having them as pets. Shame they’re too small for leaches…
Some other general observations: it’s hot, but bearable. The landscape is green (rainy season just ended) and hilly, with some larger hills and the occasional huge rock (including a beautiful one: 400m high and at Abuja’s skyline). The people are colourful and beautiful. All in all, it’s just a very interesting place!
Saturday I should be arriving at my new home in Kubwa and I hope to upload some photos soon after that. I just hope that one day I’ll succeed in catching all the impressions on photo and in my stories…
Love, Thes
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