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June 4, 2017 was the date of our first wedding anniversary. It is hard to believe that it’s been a year. It feels like just yesterday we were arriving in Abuja settling into our new life as husband and wife. But 365 days later and ten countries visited during our first year of marriage, we are moving into year two of #Shentell. We wanted to share our wedding video to celebrate our… Read More
There is an episode of the Cosby show where Vanessa Huxtable blames her parents for being rich after being harassed at school for being a rich girl. It’s a funny episode because Clare and Cliff tell Vanessa that if anyone is rich, it’s them and not her. This episode recently flashed through my mind as I was in a government building in Nigeria looking for a toilet. “Oh to be an American living… Read More
I’m sure you know the rest. But I’m not sure how taking off all my clothes will make the situation better in Nigeria. It will probably provide some relief from the heat but make me more susceptible to Malaria and other mosquito borne diseases. These are difficult times in Nigeria!…The President of Nigeria was recently out of the country recuperating from illness in London (he returned to Nigeria over the weekend but… Read More
As usual, I have another story of traveling in Nigeria. It started with a delayed flight from Abuja (from 12:10pm to 1:40pm), a race between the domestic terminal and the international terminal in Lagos to catch our next flight and a small “tip” (that’s what I’m calling it) to ensure we caught our Emirates flight on time. All in all, it was probably one of the most stressful departures I have experienced… Read More
Well hello friends! It’s me! I’m once again stuck in a Nigerian airport. I actually thought that I would have a smooth flight to Lagos to attend a program in Ibadan, Nigeria. But if you have ever read any of my blog posts, then you know that flights in Nigeria are notorious for being late, delayed and often times canceled. The state of the largest carrier was (is) in such a bad… Read More
The other day, I was talking with an associate in London and he asked what I was doing for Christmas. I responded, “I’ll be spending Christmas with the in-laws in Kigali, Rwanda.” He chuckled and said, “boy, you really have become a global citizen!” It is true, my life has taken on a very international flare. While I always joke with my wife that I grew up in a small “village” in… Read More
1. Our Wedding…what else do I need to say! I married the love of my life and have been enjoying the past seven months of marital bliss…and we were touched by all the friends that traveled from the US, Europe, Thailand, Kenya, South Sudan and Nigeria to celebrate with us! 2. Vartan and Lauren’s Wedding…Vartan has been a great friend for the past thirteen years…he slept on my couch for three months… Read More
Leaving Nigeria is never easy…honestly traveling through or out of Nigeria has been the bane of my existence since I arrived in Africa’s most populous country. My blog is littered with stressful and chaotic stories of navigating the Abuja and Lagos airport. You can check out my Christmas 2014 story about the chaos I experienced on my vacation to Germany The Abuja Airport Strikes Again…. This year was no different…and as Sheila can… Read More
It is hard to believe that I haven’t posted a blog in a month and a half. The last blog was about election night in America and boy, how have things changed since that time. I must admit, I am not surprised by the outcome but didn’t expect it to happen. The American election process is peculiar and unlike any other process in the world. And the electorate, that is a blog… Read More
Over and over, previously married friends kept telling me not to become so obsessed with wedding details but try and appreciate the process of planning a wedding with your spouse. But what previously married friends didn’t say was that we would be pulled in a thousand different directions – at times, by those same friends. Weddings are a stressful affair but I wish I spent more time taking in my wedding day… Read More
A FREDAY in AFRICA! 