A Day in the Life

Due to popular request, here's a glimpse into my daily life. (Dad, this one's for you!)

Monday-Friday:
6:00 Alarm goes off. Snooze.
6:04 Crawl out from under the mosquito net and get ready.
6:40 Make breakfast: mix up a cup of milk (powdered is the only option here) using refrigerated, bottled, filtered water. Water straight from the filter = warm milk. Only made that mistake once. :)
7:00 Leave for school in Mrs. O's car.
7:10 Arrive at school, sign in, head to my classroom.
7:30 First class begins.
9:30 First Break: students break out the lunch food (Jollof Rice and Chicken is my students' favorite). There is no noon-hour lunch period in Nigerian schools. Students eat a meal at 9:30, go for recess at 11:50, and eat lunch after school at 3pm.
11:50 Recesssssss
2:40 School's out. Grade papers or do lesson plans. Bring lots of work home.
3:00ish Hail a taxi using the following words: "Good Afternoon. American School. 300." The American school, AISA, is well-known landmark near our compound and 300 works out to less than $2 USD. I'll be darned if that doesn't work 9 times out of 10. Jan used to do all the bargaining, but I've become quite a hardnose if I do say so myself, so I get most of the "public" these days.
3:30 After-school snack: Bottle of water and cup of tea [Lipton Yellow label] and a combination of the following: fresh fruit (custard apple!), cashews, peanuts [called ground nuts here], raisins, Luna bar.
4:00 Jan takes a nap; I get online.
6:30 Jan wakes up; we cook dinner.
8:00 Dinner & dishes finished, settle down to work (this week I'm writing tests).
10:00 Shower and get ready for bed.
11:00 Tuck myself into my mosquito net, asleep before my head hits the pillow.

(Tuesday night is Church Bible Study. Wednesday is expat night at Protea Hotels. Friday evening is Bible Study with Rachel's friends.)

Saturdays:
10:00 Wake up, have breakfast, sweep, mop, do dishes
12:00 Call Abdul, our trustworthy taxi man.
1:00 Go to the Maitama fruit market, Zartech Meats, or Park & Shop to do grocery shopping. Wuse Market, Garki Market, Artisan's Village Market (tourist trap) for everything else.
4:00 Home, rest, relax, make tea, cook, visit our neighbors in the compound.
***procrastinate on work***

Sundays:
10:00 Church across the street at AISA.
12:00 Home for lunch.
12:05 Start laundry (on-site washer and dryer, praise God!)
1:00 WORK, consisting of lesson plans and grading; stopping for snacks, laundry, and dinner.
10:00 Shower and bed.

You know, when I type it all out, it doesn't seem like my days are all that full. Maybe its just that life moves at a different pace here in Nigeria. I always feel like my days are brimming with things to do, and I'm usually exhausted but fulfilled when my days finally end.

I love my life. Have I mentioned that yet?