Corruption

so i've been thinking a lot about what i wanted to write next... and am leaning towards less of a "this is what i've done in the past week" and more towards a "this is what i think about the situation here"... and what i think is that this place is incredibly corrupt.  i know that things back home are corrupt, too, but i guess i'm just less used to / more aware of the corruption i see here.

i've read and been told by others about how nigerian politicians who are high up just find ways to launder ridiculous amounts of money - one guy was found to have four billion us dollars, but there's still a highway named after him here and the people are still outrageously poor.  also the first lady is currently under investigation for embezzling some fairly large amount of money when she was a governess.  what i see in abuja is not even the worst of the worst in nigeria, but there are just people all over the place scraping for everything/anything and it's sometimes depressing.  we've seen a lot of shanty towns when driving outside the city, but we've also seen our security guards and women right outside our apartment complex dumping out bags of garbage (sometimes ours) to look for who knows what - anything really, i guess.  the concept of official recycling does not exist here, but people have told us it's ok because anything you throw out will get recycled by people who go through your trash.

money also plays a huge role in how the police system functions which is a big issue here.  they make about $7/day and compensate for this by pulling over anyone they want.  they can often bully people into giving them money so the drivers don't have to go into the station or end up with a ticket.  they are also known to reach into your car through open windows, unlock/open the doors, jump in your car, and order you to drive places while figuring out what you have that they can take.  matt and leif both have cars here which has been the main mode of transportation for the five of us, and we have yet to be pulled over, but are making bets on to who/when it will happen first.  many people have advised making rolls of small bills to just throw out your window as far as possible so that they scramble for that while you drive away.  a bit intimidating, and it's come to the point of almost being an entertaining, but still nervous, guessing game for us.

i'm not really sure where i'm going with this, and i'm sure there are many other countries who faces similar, if not worse things... but it's just so seemingly blatant and out of control.  having people come up to us at markets on scooters because they are supposedly crippled (we've heard stories of them later getting up and walking around), or people with missing limbs banging on our windows while driving... i guess it just opens my eyes to how sheltered a life i've led.  it clearly makes me grateful for how and where i've been brought up... but now i am so ready to see more and other parts of the world and how they function.

i have a lot of other thoughts in my head about this, but am not necessarily sure how to articulate them so that will be that for now... but a few answers to questions that were asked from last time...

water: not supposed to drink.  have friends who went swimming in a lake and got parasites (eek!)  sara brought a filter to attach to the sink and we also boil our water.  lots of stores also sell bottled water.

weather: it's been surprisingly cool here - like.. jeans and a t-shirt is completely bearable.  it rains like crazy EVERY DAY and our power also goes out daily, but the heat is not bad at all.  there are air conditioners at the school/apts.  sometimes on weekends when we go out to markets and things it gets a little rough, but we are pretty spoiled in comparison to REAL nigerian life where they are too poor to have air conditions and generators.

bugs: not bad so far, but it's the wet season.  when the dry season comes around it will probably get a lot worse.  i've gotten a handful of mosquito bites, and there are lots of flies, ants.. to the point of being annoying, but not unbearable.

goodies: i could definitely use some goodies from the U.S., but everybody says you can't send care packages here without it costing an arm and a leg to actually get it once it arrives in nigeria, IF it arrives.  they put ridiculous duties on things and when you question it, they lower it.. so it's obviously not legit - just more people who don't make enough and trying to get by.  so thank you for the offer, but better not to waste the goodies/money.  just fill me up when i come home! :o)

faux pas: don't try and bargain or even converse with people before asking about their family and asking, "how was your night?"  to us it may seem intrusive and nosy, especially if speaking with a stranger, but it's considered rude to NOT ask (and even multiple times if you pass someone several times.. like in the 'halls' at school, which by the way are not hallways at all - everything is out in the open!)  even though things seem really run and down and dangerous here sometimes, people are actually very friendly and basically anybody will smile and greet you if you are smiling and greet them.  if you walk down a 'hall' at school and don't greet whoever else is walking past, it is considered rude.. which has been something to get used to while i'm still in my early morning sleepy mood/mode.

OK i feel like i've been typing forever.  comments, please :)  BYE!