One of the important things in my line of work is knowing the weather in a Country, it can slow work down rapidly, men can’t work on the ground or in the air in bad conditions. When your building telecom sites you have deadlines to reach, so the pressure can be on, one of the biggest mistakes people make when going to a new Country is not taking the weather into consideration.
It’s my second day back in Abidjan, I’ve been here now for 11 months, you get to know the people and the area, if you read the MOD posting for the Ivory Coast you would not come here, but then again it was the same when I went to Pristina, Haiti, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, I could go on but I think I’ve made my point.
I have to admit that being here in Abidjan has been one of the best experiences of Africa I’ve had, the people are friendly and helpful, the worst thing I can say about it is the police, when your driving you get stopped, you can try not to pay if you have the time on your hands, but if your in a hurry you may as well pay the 1000CFA (around 80 English pence) and be on your way. I got stopped one night 7 times, it gets frustrating but it’s something you have to live with, I have friends here who work for the UN, they don’t have this problem, those white vehicles of the UN are a huge advantage.
The politicians, I suppose if you’ve worked in Africa most of you will know, corruption, it’s rife in Africa, a shame, the potential these people have is not utilised due to the money from the top not filtering down, yet when you go out and see the people who have what we’d class as nothing, you see the African strength, this is what I’ve come to love about the place. Kids playing with home made toys, smiling and having fun, wearing hand me downs if they’re lucky, Africa has changed me, I look around when I go home to England and hear the complaining, I think if everyone went out to see how some of these people live, maybe you’d not be so quick to grumble because your Pizza is ten minuets late.
I'll post later
Nice post, make you think. I look forward to more
ReplyDeleteBack in the day, remembering that I was lucky to get a coke three or four times a year. This is why we complain so much about everything forgetting that some people never tasted coke.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a small but detailed snapshot of a place that fascinates me. Much of what you describe reminds me of what my sister experienced when she went to Liberia a few years back. And yes, when I think of all that I have available to me, it makes me less likely to grumble about small inconviences...
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your post. So true about what is real in this life and should be appreciated. otoh the frustrations you mention would be trying and i suspect your background and experience make you more tolerant than a newcomer would be.What you are saying is that those frustrations are outweighed by the beauty there. Please continue to share with us!! I'll be listening! oh and pics would be cool too!
ReplyDeleteKeep writing, it's great to learn about a totally different culture first hand. I'll be reading too.:)
ReplyDeleteMcRobster's sister...otherwise known as McDroll!!
ReplyDeleteHey man I ran across you on twitter. Abidjan is one of my favorite places in the world. Been there twice and will always come back for the food. When I want to remember the rainy season I just pop in my videos from 1996. It wouldn't be so bad with the police if you were traveling on payday, but those guys seem like they never get paid so it makes no difference what time of the month day or week your traveling they will have their hand out. I did find them much more pleasant than the soldiers and police in Senegal. Mark
ReplyDeleteI also travel a lot in Africa, wish i started a blog 10 years ago. What an awesome place despite all the negative things. Check out my site on some "Africa" topics.
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