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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
I mentioned in a blog a year ago that when I was preparing to come to Nigeria, my colleague “googled” me to learn more about me (https://fredayinafrica.com/2015/01/29/i-googled-you-when-i-heard-that-you-were-coming-to-nigeria/). And, as I admitted in that blog, I often “google” myself just to see what the world-wide-web is saying about me. Say what you want to say, but I would like to keep the information that the world-wide-web is putting out about me positive and… Read More
Two years ago I arrived in South Sudan – sight unseen. I was taking a step on faith that I would be able to handle a new environment and a new job. It was my first time living outside the United States and on top of that, I was starting a new position. I had never even met any of my “future” colleagues in South Sudan. Navigating the Juba airport was a highly… Read More
Its hard to believe that two years ago I was making the rounds in the United States saying good by to friends and loved ones as I was about to embark on a new adventure in my life. It was a difficult time because I was essentially giving up my community of friends and proximity to my family for unknown challenges and opportunities on the African continent. And while the transition was… Read More
My vacation ended when my Lufthansa flight landed in Abuja. It was a bitter sweet moment. While I was sad to leave the confines of the United States, I was looking forward to getting back to my normal routine. Although quick and very busy, my time in the US was very enjoyable. I was able to celebrate the marriage of great friends – Shami and Emily and Ian and Emily – spend… Read More
After 15 weeks of displaced status in the United States, I have finally returned to Africa. I arrived in the United States thinking I would only be in my native land for two weeks but nearly three months later, I have returned to the field. Sadly, the situation in South Sudan is very complex and constantly changing. For that reason, I am being reassigned to Abuja, Nigeria where I will be working… Read More
My post on the IRI Blog – Democracy Speaks – http://www.democracyspeaks.org/2014/05/laying-ground-work-in-south-sudan.html Buried deep within the news cycle this weekend was the surprising news that the leaders of South Sudan had agreed to end the five-month conflict that began on the night of December 15. In the first face to face meeting between South Sudan President Saliva Kiir and former vice president and rebel opposition leader Riek Machar, on May 9 the two… Read More
“I have been called a lost boy but I am not lost from God, I’m lost from my parents.” Abraham Yel Nhial Wilfreid and I in Portland, Maine in April 2014 Long before I knew that I would one day live in South Sudan, I became familiar with the plight of the “Lost Boys of Sudan.” In 2003, a documentary was release that told the story of Sudanese boys from the southern… Read More
A FREDAY in AFRICA! 