Yola Yammering

Well the countdown is ending and with the decline in days comes an increase in anxiety and stress. In the past two or three days we have managed to rent our house, replace a dishwasher, fix a fridge, fix two garage doors, have a yard sale plus much much more. Wednesday morning all is done and we head south to Jersey and Pennsy for some time with family before flying out. Will still have alot of work between now and then, but just like everything...it gets done. I can't sleep right now because I have a thousand things running through my mind and dripping sinuses from trying to dive to the bottom of Highland Lake (I always love creating adolescent challenges). Anywho, I thought writing may help ease my mind and help me sleep...so I will chose a topic, Yola related, and try to pull as much together from what I know and can steal from the world-wide web to share.

Before that though, we have great news...yesterday our visas arrived. Always a worry in any bureaucracy. We each have the following stamp:

We also received a nice booklet concerning Yola, which is linked below.

Yola Handbook

I still get questions concerning where exactly we will be, so perhaps I shall talk about it a little more.

The Skinny:

Continent: Africa (you all knew that!)

Country: Nigeria

State: Adamawa

Town: Yola

Below is west Africa with Nigeria in green.

If you look on the map below, Adamawa state is on the far east (right of the map) and is beige in color with Borno state to the north and Taraba to the south.

You can locate Yola on the map below of Adamawa state. It would be better if it had the Benue river for reference.

And the gates to Yola.

As for climate the following should give a good indication

So perhaps this gives a better indication.

It is interesting why I post this, especially after the first post this seem redundant. I guess I am trying to make others feel at ease, but perhaps maps and climate data are inappropriate. Nothing is going to make anyone feel at ease due to the simple fact that we will be strangers in a strange land far away from those that we know and love. I harp on this because I know that many of our friends and family don't know why we are doing this and can not fathom the idea, and to be honest I have trouble formulating a concise answer for them. So here goes an effort.

Q: Why are you doing this?

There are many reasons, on the top of my list is:

-This is a wonderful opportunity to live and work abroad and raise our children with a better sense of the world and for them to learn and develop in ways that just are not possible in the US. When I say this I do not mean in any way to denigrate what we have here, rather to highlight the point that there is an entire world out there and experiencing it makes us and our children more insightful citizens of the US and the world. As both Jess and I have lived in parts of Africa in the past, we understand what a rich experience this is and what it brings to our lives on every level.

-Another reason is the opportunity to be part of something that may effect some real change. I mean this not only through the opportunity to teach young minds that will bring about real change and development for the region, but also the opportunity to work with a community and apply our skills so that it may improve by their standards. Many of my skills are much more suited for this environment as well as Jess's.

Q: What about safety?

-This is a probably the isssue that Jess and I worry about most, and have investigated to the nth degree. Safety includes our health and access to healthcare, but also safety from violence that has been known to occur in the country.

-In terms of healthcare, we will be covered by the universites healthcare plan and by some supplemental insurance that will include medivac and coverage when we travel to other countries including the US. We all have our vaccinations up-to-date and have a stockpile of meds we are taking with us. There are several hospitals in Yola/Jimeta and the university has its own clinic as well. We have been in touch with some expats who have been in Yola for some time now and they speak well of the availability of healthcare.

-In terms of protection from violence, we have been in contact with those on the ground who consistently avow to the safety of Yola. We will live in university housing (see attached pamphlet above), which will have 24 hour security. I will also refer you to our first post, which should give you an idea of our proximity in relationship to some to the more volatile areas of Nigeria.

Well there is probably nothing we could research or say that would convince some of our friends and family that we are going to a safe and quite lovely corner of the world. It is our hope that over the next several months that we all keep an open mind and explore together.

Cheers

-Harvey