The nature of the blog, and Elaine's birthday, Nigerian style

 

July 17, 2021

I like to keep a photo journal of our experiences here.  This blog is great for that.  Pictures vividly bring back memories.  I do not want my postings to be nothing more than a travelogue of West Africa, however.  I want to remember as much about this place and the “feelings” and “learnings”, as I can.  So, my motives in writing this blog are in large part selfish.  A full-time mission is a unique adventure that can provide serious insights into gospel truths if one wants them and looks for them.  I have enjoyed many such insights so far and am very grateful for them.  It feels good to have some knowledge as to who God is and that He is mindful of me. I have felt very close to Him and look forward to more of those impressions. As latter-day saints, we know a lot about God’s plan for His children.  We know a lot, but there is so, so much to know our knowledge is really very small.  However, in relation to other religions, we have a wealth of knowledge.  I treasure it.  We keep learning.  I want to make a record of all these things so this mission experience will bless the future as much as it blesses the present.  I want my future “present” to be better because of what I am doing now.  So, with all that said, I will occasionally include thoughts and events that are spiritual in nature, something that may be hard to follow for those whose faith is still small, or if faith-based things are of no real interest to them.  I am grateful for all my friends.  Some friends are “strong in the latter-day faith” and some know little, if anything of the restored gospel.  I want everyone to enjoy the postings.  Those with faith in the gospel will learn more than those who only enjoy the travelogue.  That is not a bad thing because the pictures tell a great story about the people, places, geography, etc.  West Africa is nothing like life in the states.  Nothing.  But those with faith in Christ will get much more out of this than pictures.

Faith is a gift.  And it can be developed.  It should be developed.  It is intended to grow. For some it comes naturally, and for others it takes serious trust in something they do not understand, and so they hang on, learning from others’ experiences more than their own.  I admire those people.  If you are one that “trusts in those with faith” more than exercising your own faith, please hang in there and it will get better if you really want it to.  For those who enjoy the pictures and do not have a clue as to what I am talking about, good for you, I include those pictures for you too!

Okay, now for some fun.

We were in Uyo, Nigeria the last night, a Sunday night. It was Elaine’s birthday and we wanted to have a nice dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.  The breakfast buffets have been pretty good, so we thought dinner would be good also. 

See, they had French toast and other tasty things for breakfast, three days in a row.

We are the only patrons in the small restaurant.  How is this going to work out?  The following is an abridged version of what really transpired.  The language barrier was thick that night.  English is the national language, but it is African-English.  Those who have experienced it know what I mean, and those who have not can only wonder.

A young man arrives with menus.  Menus are always in English; sections for local cuisine and for “continental”, that’s western food.

Us:        Is everything on the menu available tonight?

Male server:      Yes please.  (they always add “please” to “yes”.  Always)

Us:        We would like these soups and these salads please.  (We were playing it safe because Nigerian food can be deadly spicy for those who did not grow up with it).

Male server:      Okay.  (He leaves)

Quite a few minutes later.

Female server:   (I think we scared the young man away.  He didn’t understand anything we said and wasn’t willing to endure it anymore).  Excuse please, the only food available tonight is the African food.

Us:        ?!

Us:        Okay, how about cutting up some cucumbers, tomatoes, avocados and some carrots on a plate so we can share them, and some French-fried potatoes for Elaine (the fries are always good here in West Africa) and sweet potato fries for Ross.

Female server:   ? (She was stupefied with the sweet potato fries order) Really?

Us:        Indeed.

Female server:   Then what sauce do you want?

Ross:     ???        The sweet potato fries come with a sauce?  How about just ketchup?

Female server:   It comes with a sauce.  What kind do you want?

Ross:     What kinds are there?

Female server:   Chicken, fish or beef leg.

Ross:     Hmmm. (The fish is always a little scary and not usually cleaned out before cooking.  I am not kidding.  We eat chicken all the time here.  Beef leg?  Not sure what that will really be and not sure I want to find out) I will have the chicken, please.

Us:        And please bring us ketchup for the fries.

Female server:   ?  (No words to express her looks)

Us:        It’s okay, we do it all the time in the states.  Ketchup and fries go great together.

Quite a while later.

The female server appears.

The requested food comes.  The French-fried potatoes and the sweet potato fries look great.  Elaine has ketchup too.  The salad turned out to be cabbage, carrots and a few tomato pieces in a light mayo sauce.  It tasted good.  My sauce turned out to be two hard-to-recognize pieces of chicken in a tomato-based sauce with onions and tomato chunks and lightly spiced with something good.  Nice.  Reminds me of chutney. 

We also went the rounds on what to drink.  We ended up with a pineapple coconut blend that was really good.  She had to go to the bar next door to get it.

The menu also listed a chocolate cream cake and some ice cream.  Guess what?  It was not available tonight.  Ouch!! 

Well, that was Elaine’s birthday dinner.  The comic relief was the best part of the meal.

What would that "beef leg" had looked like?

We made up for it the next night in Lagos, Nigeria where the buffet was the best we have had in Africa.  The hotel was good at catering to westerners as well as locals.

 

Breakfast on July 12^th, the day after Elaine’s birthday.

The breakfast buffet is not there!  It had French toast, pancakes, sausage, oatmeal, omelets, and a host of Nigerian good like stews, noodles, plantain, among other things.

We timidly ask for a menu.

Us:        Is everything on the menu available?

Them:   Yes.

The menu has sections for “English” and for “Continental” which includes bacon, pancakes, French toast, breads, omelets, etc.  

 A little while later.

Us:        We will have the English breakfast please.  Everything listed.

Them:   It is not all available.

Us:        ?!  (Here we go again).  Okay, French toast and an omelet with tomatoes and mushrooms please. 

Them:   Okay.

Quite a while later.

Them:   The French toast will take over an hour to prepare.

Us:        ???  Over an hour?  How long do pancakes take?

Them:   Just a few minutes.

Us:        Good.  We will go with pancakes and an omelet.

A while later.

The order comes.  Pancakes, two folded over in half, with an omelet.  It all tasted good.

The end.

(Happy birthday Mike and Makenna!!!  We are sure your meals were better than Elaine's birthday.)