Waiting

I am not good at waiting, when I have decided to do something, I want to just get to it. But somethings can not be rushed, one of them is the Nigerian government. My application for a Visa has been submitted and we are waiting for them to respond. I have to have the Visa before any final preparations can be made, purchasing tickets and such. Perhaps patience is one of the lessons I will learn from this, though I doubt it.

Some Definitions

Local slang is sure to slip into my vocabulary, if for no other reason than I enjoy word play. I found a dictionary of Nigerian slang at the very informative OyibosOnline. Along with what I know will be incredibly useful terms for work like "Wahalla", you can also find definitions that will help make sense of the title of this blog.

A beginning...

So the good news is that after being out of work for five months I have finally found a job. The interesting news, I won't say bad because it isn't, is that it is in Nigeria. Now one of the first things several people have said is "Where is Nigeria?" That question lead me to the idea of starting a blog about the experience. I am hoping that it will be interesting, though not exciting, for as an experienced Journeymen pile driver pointed out one day, on a heavy civil construction site "We don't want no ******* excitement."

So what will I be up too? My position is as Chief Land Surveyor for the PRODECO arm of this company Orlean Invest. The job is a major expansion of this site: Onne Oil and Gas Tax Free Zone. Now one of the many things I like about PRODECO is their emphasis on Local Content. Of their 3300 employees, 3000 are Nigerian, distributed through all levels of the firm. Where possible they use local subcontractors and suppliers.

The decision to go overseas was not easy. I know I hide it well, but I am very fond of my family and the idea of being away from them for large chunks of time is a bit of a bitter pill. The reality of the situation though is that even with the stimulus package it is going to be a good long while before the US economy is moving again. There is just too much inertia, makes moving an aircraft carrier look easy. So it was time for Plan B. I will use this blog to let you all know how it is going.