mosi nets, power cuts, loose grasp on the local language - anyone else live off the beaten track??

[liger]

...but with access to Mumsnet obviously, so maybe not that unbeaten a track but...
what do you enjoy, what do you find difficult?

I am a SAHM living in Indonesia, there are good things and bad things about being here with a 2 year old and it would be great to share them, anyone else?

I think this is a long-shot, but I think a while back I saw a Mumsnetter in Nigeria, and one who had lived in Cameroon would love to hear from you?

I hope all is going well for you in Nairobi, CM. I was a bit worried to read that protest rallies are to be starting up again. Stay safe!

We've been granted visas but still haven't got our passports back. Dh thinks we might go on Weds but I can't see it myself.... JLP are now in my bad books. The doorbell went on Fri and it was the postie with half the stuff we've ordered which should have gone straight to the shippers! So now we are falling over all these boxes and bags in the hall. Some of the stuff wasn't even wrapped, it was in bags with a bit of sellotape over the handles. JLP are coming to take it away again tomorrow, lord only knows if it will ever reach Nigeria, sigh.

Do any of you find it tough to relate to westerners? Do you find that there is a lack of understanding toward third world countries? Sometimes, especially with tourists or on forums like this, I see things and almost laugh because they seem so ridiculous.

I especially don't get it when tourists stay in 5 star hotels in these countries and say how much they'd love to live in them......

I've had a few people tell me that they have an idea of what 3rd world countries are like...... then they ask me why I don't have xxxx or xxxxx? People have no idea do they???

We're still marooned in Scotland. The earliest day we've been given is next Monday, now. It feels like we're camping here, virtually no food in the house and so on. We're living hand to mouth, really, and dd is missing so much school.

Sue I hope you're back in Lagos by now. Poor you.

Everyone else on the planet seems to be here. For those of you who don't know, the Cup of African Nations is happening in Ghana. There's no water, so the water tankers are fighting it out for space on the overcrowded roads with busloads full of football fans. When anyone even remotely VIP needs to go anywhere, the military police clear the whole f*ing area, stop traffic up and down the main streets.

Still, go Ghana! At least for all the disruption, they won the opener.

Oh, deep joy for you, CM. In Lagos the new(ish) governor has stopped that VIP nonsense. I've been told that he feels that if there are traffic jams in Lagos, then he should share our pain. It's had a good effect in that the number of wailing sirens has decreased dramatically but apparently, their drivers are most displeased that they are no longer allowed to drive like maniacs.

BTW, am back in Lagos as of last night. We have no food, or transport to get any, or to take dd to school and are generally in chaos as dh moves to a new employer. Also, part of our shipment is still with John Lewis as they've failed to send it to the shippers. We've also learnt that we have only 3mths left in this apartment so will be moving again soon.

Dd has been very miserable about coming back. I think school is at the root of it. Dd told me one of her teachers goes to sleep during class, telling the children to keep the noise down. I don't know what to do as we're so limited for choice.

Sue what a mess. How are you coping after a few days back?

Sleeping during class. That's impressive, even for West Africa. Any other schools at all worth considering?

The VIP car thing is bad, but about a month ago the president was nearly killed when a drunk driver plowed into his motorcade as it was speeding through an intersection, and flipped the prez's car (he's fine, btw). So where they used to just come down the roads with outriders blazing, shunting all other traffic to the side, they now shut down the entire avenue for a good 15 minutes while prez gets into the car and sets out for work!

and that the Pres has the road closed in order for him to travel! Would that I had such power in Lagos.

We acquired a loan car and driver yesterday so dd has gone to school today, at last. Dh & I have been to school to speak to someone about our concerns and I think I may have found someone we can talk to and who isn't dismissive. She looked taken aback, to say the least, when told about sleeping teachers and also the one who chats on his mobile in class. I think dd is quite bored, in lots of ways, even though she's in the top class, so I hope they do something about that as well.

We are getting sorted out ok at home now we have transport (even if we do have to be home by 6pm!!!!). I went food shopping yesterday so we can stave off starvation for a while. I'm off shopping again in a mo - for rat poison. There's been something scrabbling above dd's bathroom ceiling at night and the maintenance people said that that'll be the rats. But the ratman won't be here until next week so I'm taking unilateral action!

How's your weather? It's a bit chilly here due to harmattan, at around 28deg. The locals are all wrapped up in jackets, gloves and blankets. It's hard to imagine thinking 28deg is cold, though I'll admit it feels a bit chilly first thing in the morning, hehe.

I wonder how Cameroonmama is getting on? The news from Kenya doesn't seem to be improving; I hope CM is well away from all the trouble.

I'm here Good to see you made it back to Lagos Sue in one piece. Was a bit at the sleeping teacher!

Just online 2 days ago and its a bit slow, plus I now how a rather unsightly antenna sticking up from the roof, still I musn't complain..

Everything here is very tense and depressing. The news just keeps on getting worse. Sadly Coco there wasn't much your President could do to help, better let him stick to football instead

We are settling in well, lovely big old house, huge garden (you need to forget about the massive electric fence with razor wire around the bottom of it ) The dcs are happy at school and the baby adores Margaret, our housegirl, in fact he only ever cries when he sees me! The things to do in Nairobi are amazing, malls like you find in SA, supermarkets with plenty of Cheddar, cinemas and bowling, its just a shame noone feels like enjoying them at the moment. Its a bit of a siege mentality.

This is how I knew I had arrived back in Africa..We wake up to glorious sunshine (thats the good bit) only to find an opposition MP has been shot dead. Cue rioting across town. i am supposed to meet a friend across town from me to go and see some furniture but I am slightly worried so we cancel and agree to meet in a mall halfway for coffee instead. I arrive at mall, which is distinctly quiet and there is a sense of unease, the reasons for which fall into place when she calls and says 'don't go, there are riots on Ngong road'. This is the road of the mall... I drop the shopping, run out of the supermarket to the car, uh oh, the security guards have locked the gates, keeping us in the carpark for our own safety. Panic, panic, the kids are on the other side of town, possible marauding masses are working their way down towards the mall I can't get out... in the distance I hear gunshots. So I grab a nearby girl Josephine, who has no car and offer her a lift (and some company for me!) and we make a dash for it. As is often the case, 200 yards away in the other direction life is carrying on as normal. So we drive out of there and I dash home, stopping to fill up with some essentials. Phew. A slight panic surrounds everyone as many pick up their kids from school early, but in our corner of the city all is calm so we move on to our playdate and life resumes... Welcome to Africa

Possibly this is everday life for some in Lagos heh Sue? And people complained about Cameroon

Oh, it's so good to hear from you, CM!! Thank goodness you're ok, though the situation sounds dreadful. Everyone must be very edgy and tense, which I can imagine in itself could set off more trouble. This afternoon dd and I were in a massive 'go slow' (traffic jam) on the way home from school when I heard what I thought were gunshots. I was scared stiff as armed robbers sometimes take the opportunity of robbing cars stuck in jams. Thankfully, nothing more happened and it was all v minor compared to your experience but it shook me up.

It's good to hear your dc are happy at school and I laughed at your ds crying when he sees you! Are you able to go about your normal work/business etc? What about avalability of foods (Cheddar esp!) and so on? Stay safe!

Things seem calmer this morning...

Sue a friend of mine was also caught in a gun battle in the middle of a go slow in Lagos a couple of months ago. She said she lay on the floor of the car and prayed. She says the main problem is that everyone's drivers do a runner and no one then moves as you are all stuck. Very scary for you I can imagine.

So far availability of goods is fine, imported goods arriving from Mombasa should be fine, it might start to get difficult to get good veg soon as the Rift Valley is the bread basket of the country and this is where most of the trouble is. Also I feel for those in Uganda who are suffering from a lack of supplies, fuel in particular as the main highway between the two countries is experiencing blockades.

At least the sun is shining A cool 24 deg here, probably too chilly for you.

Liger, if you are reading this, I hope the move went smoothly and am hoping you came out with some positive news after your scans.

How is everyone else?

Sabaidii, I don't think you really start to understand a country until you live there properly, tourists only scratch the surface. Many people in the UK admitted they knew nothing about Kenya and apologised for asking what they thought were ridiculous questions, but at least they asked. Its so difficult for them to understand what a 'third world' (actually I prefer 'developing') country really means when all they see in their media is certain images of a country, ie starving children in Africa, don't you think?

I'm glad it's calmer today, CM. Re yesterday, I don't even know if it was gunshots I heard, it just sounded similar. Last week lots of people were robbed in a go-slow on the road to the airport but apparently no one reported it to the police! Scarpering drivers doesn't surprise me. I now have a Nigerian driving licence and want to do the defensive driving course dh's new company offers. It could come in useful. Do you drive yourself in Nairobi or have a driver?

Weather here is about 25deg at 6.30am when I take dd to school. It gets up to 32deg at lunchtime but all the locals are well wrapped against the chill. The harmattan is v heavy, it's like a thick fog by evening.

I'm glad supplies are holding out so far. It will be a worry if the fresh stuff starts to run low...the mind doesn't want to think about what could happen.

Re what you mentioned to Sabadii, an old-hand expat once told me she thought that expats who live in a developing country belong to a special sort of club, one that can't be explained to anyone who hasn't done it. I think she's right.

Oh yes, I've been meaning to post this for aaaages! Has anyone else read Diplomatic Baggage by Brigit Keenan. It doesn't get 100% rave reviews but I enjoyed it and recognised many an incident.

Sue the book looks interesting, I think I shall have to root it out. I agree that you do feel part of a 'club' as an expat, sometimes I enjoy it, other times I feel awkward and uncomfortable. More so here than in Douala..

Yeuk, Harmattan - I really don't miss the harmattan, all that sand everywhere. What we got in Douala was only a patch on yours so 'pole sana' as they say over here.

We have a sort of part-time driver which we are using when going into town because parking is a nightmare, otherwise I crash drive through the potholes myself. Man people drive fast here, its scary And the weather is almost as hot as yours, 28 deg today but no humidity hurrah!

However, another opposition MP was shot today, apparently a crime of passion Will it never end? It's hard not to feel guilty when carrying on with everyday life and being able to get things at the shops and take the kids to school, knowing that there are people suffering really needlessly so nearby and throughout the country.

What happens if Kofi Annan can't pull the hat out of the bag?

Pull the hat out of the bag? Is that really a saying or did I just make that up?

CM good to know you're there at last, although the situation does sound awful. Sorry all the Ghanaians doing you no good thus far. It's hard to put the tribal hatred cat back in the bag once it's out. Don't feel guilty, just stay safe and help out where you can.

Harmattan bad here too Suedonim. Worst I've seen it. Yesterday DS came home from school and I had to make him strip off at the door and then hose him down before I'd let him near the soft furnishings! He looked like that kid out of the Peanuts comic strip, Pigpen, with a cloud of dust trailing behind him. He also has a nasty 'harmattan hack' and a snotty nose that won't shift.

And it's so "cold" (maybe as low as 25C) that our security guard is wearing a puffa jacket. Or was, until I laughed at him. Now I'M feeling guilty, CM.

I don't think you need feel guilty, CM. By carrying on with your life you enable others to continue theirs at a time when normality must be v important.

LOl at driving yourself through the potholes! I've been sulking all week because we've been allocated a Toyota Corolla car whereas I want a 4x4 because it deals with the potholes and sand so much better.

I haven't had to hose anyone down with the harmattan yet, CB. but it wouldn't surprise me if the day came. Bless your ds, like Pigpen. I'm wrapping up in a pashmina to take dd to school in the morning, it's so chilly. Puffa jackets much in evidence here - where do they get them from?? Our driver has harmattan cough too. He's allergic to harmattan, he claims.

Hello all,

just a quick one from me to say I'm back! Lovely to read and catch up on all your news, and relieved to know that CM is well in Nairobi. Relieved also that your description of life continuing amongst the chaos is as I expected Nairobi to be.

The good news is that we had a 20 week scan on Thursday and all is well, we went to a private clinic and it was all very thorough and reassuring. There were tears of relief. I was preparing myself for the nightmare rollercoaster to start again, and I am only just starting to relax.

For a while recently I had been getting used to the idea of a move to either Jo'burg or Nairobi with a new babe in arms, but things have changed over the last few weeks and dh's new job will be based in London for the time-being. Probably sensible for now, but we'll see if we can't get them to review the decision in a year or so.

London cold, but there has been more sunshine than I had imagined. We are still doing the rounds of friends and family and will be catching up for some time to come, so i won't be a regular on here for a bit.

Thinking of you all

Liger

Hello Liger! Fabulous news about the baby, I hope the rest of your pg is calm and uneventful.

London sounds heavenly to me at the moment, the closest I get to it nowadays is Heathrow, lol!! We'll be home at Easter so I'm wondering if we can fit a London trip in. Mind you, my mum is having a hip op next week so I may be tied up with her.

Dd has settled down in school at last and seems to be doing ok. She now goes on the school bus which means I no longer have to leave the house at 6.30am or spend up to five hrs a day in the car.

Hello all. So Ghana crashed out of the Cup of Nations and everyone was rather depressed, but trouncing Ivory Coast tonight seems to have picked up the national mood a bit. I love Ghana - they lost and everyone just sighed and said, That's football. No whinging, no violence, no threats to sack/string up the manager. Just a calm dusting down and looking forward.

At least they beat Nigeria eh Sue?

Liger so very happy for you that it's good news about the baby. Have a good time in London. I'm off there myself for a week at the end of the month. Hope it's not too cold, as DD has never so much as slept with a sheet over her, and I'm expecting she'll hate the grobag.

Liger! Great to hear your news i have been thinking so much about you and am so pleased Now I just have to meet this baby, so please persuade your dh and his boss to come to Nairobi, you know how much you would love it here, we could have the first ever MN Nairobi meet-up

Go Camerooooon, go Camerooooon, go Cameroooon!

We just love Ghanaians in this country, especially one called Kofi Annan, he is a God!

Enjoy the UK, all of you, personally I am quite happy here for the moment, as long as there are no riots next week. Sue, did you get your 4 wheel drive? Good news about the school bus, we are just trying to decide where dd should go next, there are 2 prep schools, one close by and one 20-45 mins by car depending on the traffic. Both are great so how do you decide? DD wants to go to the one with the purple uniform which happens to be dh's old school.

Oops newly crawling baby is getting frustrated, better go.

Lol at the football and Nigeria. Everyone has been muttering alternative names for the Super Eagles along the lines of Sparrows etc.

No, we didn't get a 4x4, CM. We're stuck with a Corolla and shall probably be swept away in the rainy season. Harrumph. And can you believe, dh's ex-company, who made him redundant last month, have now offered him a deputy directorship out here. WTF didn't they offer it to him before? Am trying not to think of it, or more precisely, the Pajero that is company issue.

Schools...difficult one. Have you been to visit both of them? Does one feel better than the other? A purple uniform would sway it for dd, undoubtedly. She wears a blummin kilt here.

Sue at the offer of a new job with the old company. Bit late in the day methinks!

I had a fabulous old Corolla in Douala, i loved it, it never broke down and managed the potholes like a pro We too are suffering the 'no more big 4x4 company car' withdrawal symptoms. We have bought a Hilux Surf in a Japanese internet auction without even seeing it and it has arrived this week in Mombasa. We are just waiting for it to get out of bond to see what a mistake beauty we have bought.

Tartan in Africa - just doesn't cut it does it? Unless you are of course a Maasai. Still haven't decided on the school and we have only 3 days left to make up our minds...

Lol at buying a car unseen! Hope it's fun. We still don't have our Corolla. I'm hoping it doesn't have leather seats as the loan car does and they get bl%dy hot in the sunshine, owowow!!!

Oh dear re the school - toss a coin?? Dd has been on half term, which has been v nice. Not done much although we attempted to see a film on Weds. We went to the 12.30 showing, only to find it had been delayed until 4.20pm which was no good to us as we had to be elsewhere at 5pm. So we went for a drink, where I was served a cup of coffee with sugar in it - vile. I made them make me another, sans sugar, but I think they had the last laugh as I spent the next two hours in and out of the loo. I reckon they either laced it with something or had done a bit of ju-ju on me!!

On the provisions front, I haven't been able to buy baking powder lately, which is a bit annoying. I thought I'd make my own but can only get the bicarb, not the tartaric acid. And I paid N1000 for a loaf of bread today - £4!!!!!!!!!!!!! Otoh, the veg stall had pak choi, the first time I've ever seen it here so am about that.

Sue, You're going to MAKE baking powder. You are a goddess. I thought making playdough/finger paints/absolutely everything we eat from scratch was good. But that truly beats all.

CM - a Hilux Surf? Is that a real car? I'm looking it up... Our Hyundai has lovely primer patches down both sides where DH and I have rammed it into various things. And I'm not getting it resprayed until we sell it, as cars without brakes/headlights, etc are so common here that dings and fender benders happen all the time.

There's no mains water here at all at the moment. It's just tanker after tanker. I went to bathe the kids tonight and the water was brown even before DS put his grubby little feet into it. Think I can bathe them in the club pool instead?? I know one woman here who Miltons her kids' bath water, and I've always thought she was mad. Now I'm seriously considering it...