Day One

I posted a batch of pictures from today at my Flickr page and a video from today should also be working shortly in a post to follow...well, shortly.

There was a huge event today honoring the late brother of our candidate at the center in his name, which is also our office building. There were hundreds of people, and the editor of a local paper who was at our office at the time had his watch stolen -- off of his wrist -- making his way up the stairs to our suite. The front of the building showed the wear and tear of the event this evening when we left post-rally:


A torn poster for our candidate:


The office is not un-organized, differently organized from a US political campaign but not badly organized. People know where to go and whom to call to get things done; the trick for our guys will be trying to implement a more consistent structure and protocol for things. There are many 'first and last' meetings which are the first and last time a "regular" meeting -- 9 am each day, for example -- is held, which is amusing in concept but very frustrating in reality.

The exchange rate is about 125:1, at least at our hotel, and so our office expense fund is contained in a "Ghana Must Go" bag -- what the three women of our office jokingly call "Ghana Gucci" -- and looks suspiciously opulent:


Naturally, we are careful not to drink unboiled water, unfiltered coffee, or, for example, place Naira in our mouths. (The boys are a hit with the office staff for just such antics. I don't think I'll go to such extremes, however.)


Later, on the way to lunch, we encountered a fiery obstacle. No one was stopping to help, although the car was the driver's livelihood.


Construction in Nigeria is very interesting. Abuja is a very new city, and many buildings are still under construction and new buildings are popping up all the time. The scaffolding is made of bowed 2 x 4s: