The Journey: August 2012

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Preparations

There are some things that Jason is remembering I need to start taking care of now to get ready for the trip.
First, I went to an agency to get a consultation about traveling to Africa. She went over all the vaccinations, prescriptions, and first aid to prevent against all kinds of diseases that are prevalent. Since I am not scared of shots (luckily), I decided to go ahead and get all 6 that I needed at once:
Hepatitis, Tetanus/Diphtheria, Typhoid Fever, Yellow Fever, Meningitis, and Polio
Then I got a prescription for Malaria, which I am supposed to take daily when I am over there. The lady also put the Typhoid and Yellow Fever in my left arm, since I am right handed and those cause the most soreness. Needless to say, my arm was so freakin sore on Wednesday night and Thursday! But now I have my extremely important yellow immunization card, which is an absolute must to enter into Nigeria as well as most other African countries (as I am hoping to go to South Africa, or more specifically Capetown, asap!)

Then today I went to the international airport to do my interview for Global Entry. Really this is just so Jason doesn't have to wait on me when we travel back to the US together. But they do the screening and interview process now, so that you can skip the immigration lines coming back into the US and just scan your passport at the kiosks. It should make it a lot easier to travel, especially when traveling internationally multiple times a year!

Moving

So, Jason is officially living in Nigeria now :( We packed up the rest of his stuff and sent him on his way on Wednesday. He will not be back until October, when he comes to spend a week in Kentucky then takes me back to Africa with him!
Before he left, we were able to buy some stuff here for the new apartment. When he first got back on August 4th, we went to Rooms-to-Go and picked out some very comfy couches and chair that all have recliners :) He had tried to shop for couches while in Nigeria, but they were very uncomfortable and like $7,000! so it made more sense to buy them here and they would still be cheaper with shipping.

Pretty couches (ignore the pillows and rug)

Then we went to Academy to pick out patio furniture (the apartment has a huge wrap around patio) and a grill. We got a really cool infrared one that is supposed to cook more evenly. Since we have not owned a grill before, we had to buy all the tools, cover, etc to go with it (of course!)
So we had this all scattered around our apartment until the movers came to get the stuff on Wednesday.

J's 3 check bags, the grill in the box with the metal briefcase of tools on top, and the patio chairs by the window.

We also went around the house and put flags on everything so we could tell the movers what would be shipped (green flag) versus stored (blue flag).

Patio tables to be shipped and Bose system to be stored

Also, Jason decided last minute that it was necessary to run to Gallery Furniture (because they deliver same day) to buy a mattress so it would be included in the sea freight.

king with memory foam pillow top

It's fun shopping for everything when it is not your own money! Now, all of the fun purchases are officially on a big cargo ship on the way over to Africa. It will take about 2 months to get there, but just in time for my arrival :)
Jason will buy all of our other furniture (bed, dressers, living room tables, dining table and chairs) in Nigeria. They have carpenters that will build that stuff for us. With the dark wood doors in the apartment already, I hope that we can get the furniture to match that. Then we will decorate with all the fun African carvings and artwork :) This week, Jason will also be busy shopping for all the electronics over there (they have U.K. plugs so we can't really buy any of that stuff here).

TVs at the Mall in Lagos

Jason also got the Slingbox working today. We bought this box to set up at his mom's house so that we can DVR whatever shows we want and then watch them online. Then we have a cord that connects the ipad or laptop to the TV to project the show on the TV. The main reason we got this is so Jason can watch all the American football games, as the local channels over there are mainly from the UK or South Africa. Now we can watch all the Texans games this winter :)

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Lucky 13

Welcome to my first official blog!!! I have read many friend's blogs and decided it was time to share my journey with all of my friends and family. This is due to the craziness that is about to come in the next year.

First of all, I am not a Taylor Swift fan (definitely not)! The title of this post comes from the fact that I just recently realized the significance of the number 13 in Jason and I's journey. We met on a rainy (very rainy, in fact hurricane winds and rain) day on September 13th,

The day we met during Hurricane Ike

We recently got engaged on Friday the 13th! and will marry in 2013,

My beautiful ring that J designed himself!

We currently live on the 13th floor in Houston,

View of downtown from our apt

Now, we are moving to 13 Cooper Rd in Nigeria.

Short route from Hercules office to our apartment

Yes, Nigeria. As in that ponzi-scheme infiltrated country in Africa. Jason got a promotion to become the Business Development Manager for the West Africa office and it was an opportunity we could not pass up. The plan is to live there for 2 years. I am really looking forward to it, as Jason will have a more normal schedule and not have to travel all the time. Also we plan to take many European and African vacations to take full advantage of the relatively closeness of these destinations. Early next year, we will be coming back home to get married. Then we plan to come back to the states to visit about twice a year for 2-4 weeks each time. All in all, big changes are in the works as I become a wife and an expat all in the upcoming months!

I wanted to first educate everyone on the actual area of Nigeria were we will be living
Lagos (pronounces lay-gos) is a port city and the most populous city in Nigeria. Officially, the population of Lagos was last recorded at 7.9 million. Lagos is the second fastest growing city in Africa and the seventh fastest in the world. Similarly to the rest of southern Nigeria, Lagos has a tropical savanna climate. Lagos experiences two rainy seasons, with the heaviest rains falling from April to July and a weaker rainy season in October and November. There is a brief relatively dry spell in August and September and a longer dry season from December to March. The average temperature ranges from 73 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit all year long.
Lagos has one of the largest and most extensive road networks in West Africa. It also has suburban trains and some ferry services. Highways are usually congested in peak hours, due in part to the geography of the city, as well as to its explosive population growth

City centre and skyline of Lagos shown from above

Ikoyi has a number of hotels, night clubs, a recreational park and one of Africa's largest golf courses. Originally a middle class neighbourhood, in recent years, it has become a fashionable residential enclave for the upper middle class to the upper class. There are also commercial activities in Ikoyi which is spotted in increasing number of offices, banks and shopping complexes. One of the main attractions in Ikoyi is Awolowo Road, which is a high street lined with upscale shops and boutiques. Due to its proximity to Victoria Island and Lagos Island, much of Lagos's business tourism is centred on Ikoyi, which has a mix of excellent 4-star hotels. Due to unrest in the Niger Delta, several oil companies have moved their expatriate staff to Ikoyi. The area is now home to several large luxury apartments, estates, and upscale office developments. Ikoyi has some of the most opulent residential facilities in Nigeria and is thought to have the most expensive real estate on the entire African continent, with the average new apartment selling for N120 million (around US$1 million). However, due to the limited available land, many of these are vertical apartment buildings. The rent for a luxury three-bedroom apartment in Ikoyi is between $45,000 and $80,000 (N5.2m and N9.3m) annually.