Happy Holidays From Nigeria!

Originally Posted January 1, 2021

Remember: All views and opinions expressed here are my own personal views and do not express the official views or opinions of the U.S. government. This is not an official resource. This is just a personal perspective and not everyone may agree.

We made it to Abuja, Nigeria right before Christmas. We’ve been in quarantine for several days, which means we can’t see friends, but we can explore our compound and enjoy the pools and gym with masks on if nobody else is using them. After reading the post reviews, we weren’t expecting much from the compound, but I can say we’ve both been pleasantly surprised! The compound has a hotel feel with lots of kids running around with siblings and friends while the adults enjoy porch hangouts and the pool restaurant and bar. The apartments, while known to be smaller than the houses reserved for larger families, seem very spacious. Keep in mind we've only been here for a few days so we’ll reserve full judgment for after we’ve spent more time here.

We have a lovely sponsor family who has taken such great care of us. They hooked up our WIFI ahead of time, put food in our apartment, and brought us Christmas dinner. On New Years Eve, they worked from 2:30 am-5:30 pm to give the compound a pig they roasted in the ground. Since we found out we were COVID-19-free from the international travel, we brought in the New Year with new friends!

We couldn't be more excited to start our new adventure in a fresh new year. While 2020 brought real challenges and loss, it also brought us a great opportunity to leave our comfort zones and live and work in Africa—a goal we've been working towards for years.

"And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been!"