The Journey: 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.