Sept 18, 2005. A sunny fall afternoon in Calgary. A beautiful outdoor patio. Surrounded by our closest friends and family. Desiree and Ryan were married in a simple ceremony followed by a pretty fun party if I do say so myself!
Thank to everyone who was there and to those who couldn't make it - we appreciate your thoughts and messages of congratulations.
I wanted to share the photos - because no one cares about my rambling, they just want to see the beautiful bride (and she was!) so here she is... oops, I just realized that I'm not smarter than the computer, damn.
Here is the link to the photos and I will come back and put the actuals in here once I figure out how to do that! If you click below, it will take you to Kodak's web page and they have all 250 photos that our photgrapher, Brad Heniger took. You will have to create an account, but then you can order prints if you would like them.
KodakShare
enjoy - RQ
Monday, September 26, 2005
Friday, September 09, 2005
Rig Pig?
More great questions from Mrs. Richie:
Have you been out to the oil rigs yet? Not yet (I am actually in Frankfurt at the moment
- on my way back to Canada) The issue that I am having with going to the rigs is two fold,
the second will get answered below... but firstly, you require a full blown work permit to
travel offshore and I only just received mine - it is a 1 month process usually.
How do you get there? by helicopter? Yes, but it is even more complicated than that. We
have to fly from Lagos to Port Harcourt where we have an Oil Terminal called QIT. From
QIT, you fly by helicopter to the rig. It takes 1 day, minimum, to get from Lagos to QIT
to the rig, so that is the other reason that I haven´t gone out yet... not enough time.
Have you ever been on an ocean oil rig before? No - and they are huge... I think it will be
neat for the first time.
How far from shore is it? Are there many of them? There are 2 differentcategoriess of rigs
- Jack ups and Floaters. The jack ups work in less than 300´ of water while the floaters do
every thing else. Currently we have 3 Floaters working and 4 jack ups. I work on the jack
up rigs. They are a couple miles offshore... give or take.
How big are they? How many people work on them? They are huge - think of a football field on
top and several stories deep. There will be about 100 ppl between cooks and cleaners to
maintainance staff and engineers working on each rig. More for the floaters.
Will you work on just one or travel around to many of them? I am currently responsible for 1
rig... and typically I would try to visit that rig every couple months for a week or more.
Day to day, I am working in the office in Lagos.
Well - I gotta run and catch my plane to Canada! See you all soon!
RQ
Saturday, September 03, 2005
1 Week to Go!
Just 1 week to go before I get to fly back to Calgary! And only 2 weeks until we get married!!
Not much new to report in Lagos... I now have a computer at work, a phone, a car and a driver! The driver's name is Rotimi and he is a nice, quiet guy... too bad he doesn't know where anything is!
For about 30,000 Naira ($200USD) per month, he will drive Desiree and I where ever we want to go - how decadent! It really is a requirement here - the traffic is so bad and there is a risk of someone stealing the mirrors and door handles off your car if there isn't someone watching it! It rained on Thursday and there was 1 foot of water on most of the roads - so all the pot holes that had been fixed are now huge again, bummer.
On the phone issue - there is a phone number in Dallas - (713) 431-8500 ext 1293 - which connects to my desk in Lagos, so you don't have to call Africa. Once we get moved into our flat, we'll have an extension at the house also... so make sure you have unlimited (or cheap) long distance to the USA
I added some photos from the Yacht Club into that post... and unfortunately, I really haven't taken any other good photos - so I'll start now! But, here is an interesting photo taken from the airplane as I was flying over the Sahara Desert...
Not much new to report in Lagos... I now have a computer at work, a phone, a car and a driver! The driver's name is Rotimi and he is a nice, quiet guy... too bad he doesn't know where anything is!
For about 30,000 Naira ($200USD) per month, he will drive Desiree and I where ever we want to go - how decadent! It really is a requirement here - the traffic is so bad and there is a risk of someone stealing the mirrors and door handles off your car if there isn't someone watching it! It rained on Thursday and there was 1 foot of water on most of the roads - so all the pot holes that had been fixed are now huge again, bummer.
On the phone issue - there is a phone number in Dallas - (713) 431-8500 ext 1293 - which connects to my desk in Lagos, so you don't have to call Africa. Once we get moved into our flat, we'll have an extension at the house also... so make sure you have unlimited (or cheap) long distance to the USA
I added some photos from the Yacht Club into that post... and unfortunately, I really haven't taken any other good photos - so I'll start now! But, here is an interesting photo taken from the airplane as I was flying over the Sahara Desert...
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Sorry, can you say that again - in English?
Nigeria has an interesting history; a British colony where the locals were traded into slavery for gin - Sounds a bit like Canada, but the natives in North America preferred whiskey. One other thing the British left was their language.
Now, by no means do Nigerian's speak "the Queen's English" (unless they were fortunate to study abroad - which many do.) After several weeks of being here, I can understand, for the most part, what someone is trying to say unless they break in to Yoruba. Yoruba is the local language around Lagos and is incredibly difficult to master due to the excessive use of tones. For instance the simple 4 letter word 'igba' can mean a period of time, two hundred, half a calabash or a locust tree!
There is also a ton of local slang which takes time to understand, but when used by an Expat, brings a big smile to the locals face. Here is a list of slang put together and published on another blog by a guy named Rhycnus.
Go-slow - Slow moving mass of traffic. Average speed 2kmph. Length can stretch from 100meterss due to an illegally parked danfoe to 10km due to basic traffic management issues
Hold-up - Slower version of go-slow.
Nigeria factor - Local rendition of Murphy's Law (anything can and will go wrong)
Attaall - Emphatic denial. Usually delivered with violent shakes of head, short for 'not at all'
Oga-Boss, 'Mastah'
Now now - As close as possible to the Nigerian concept of 'immediately'. Can be appended with any number of now's depending on urgency
Dash - Tip/Bribe. Usage - Dash me something
Anytinforaas - Request for a dash, by more than one person
Anytinfowmi - Request for a dash, by one person
Settul - To amicably conclude contentious issue, involves commercial transactions and negotiation
Ijebu maan - Native of Ijebu Ode, small town north of Lagos, rumoured to be inhabited by extremely stingy people
Do Weekend - Give a small tip so as to allow person to celebrate weekend. Celebration will happen from cumulative tips collected, hence to be restricted to 20-50 naira
Last last - Absolute lowest price one can go down to, used when you want to wrap up negotiations
Get bellay - Become pregnant
Done finish - Have finished. This is especially confusing to newbies as 'done' sounds remarkably like 'don't'
No go come - (He's) not coming
Danfoe - Yellow minibus plying on Lagos roads as public transport, associated with vicious driving and to whom normal traffic rules don't apply. You've arrived as a driver if you can stand your own against one
Okada - Motorcycle/moped taxi. Usually plies within localities. Can take upto two passengers. Scant respect of traffic rules makes them dangerous for other denizens of roads. Are the best guides to the nooks and crannies of Lagos
Oyibbo - Yoruba for 'white man'. Most locals do not distinguish between Caucasians, Mongoloids, Indians or Arabs. The word is not derogatory, but is used to hail you in crowded places or simply to acknowledge that you are coloured lighter than them
By the Grace of God - Any commitment that ends with these words is to be looked upon with suspicion. This is not a simple invocation. It is the speaker's way of saying, I do not think carrying out this commitment is in my hands. It might as well be left to divine intervention. The only consolation here is that if the work actually gets done (don't get your hopes up, this is extremely rare), the person will give thanks to the same God they invoked
Am/is on the way - Usually prefixed by a first or third person pronoun, this means that the person is approximately ten minutes away from setting out to meet you. Depending on any number of external factors (a detour to buy provisions, attending another meeting en route), the person should be with you in the next 2-3 hours.
Go-slow (alternative definition) - The most common Lagosian excuse for arriving late. This is a foolproof excuse in that it can never be disproved, unless if you were sitting with the person in the same vehicle. This is usually delivered with an exasperated shake of the head.
419 - Used to denote anything corrupt, fake or counterfeit. The origin of the term is that article 419 of the Nigerian Penal Code deals with offences associated with fraud and deceit. Of course, 419 is today an international term due to the Nigerian currency laundering scam e-mails received by most of us one time or the other
Blow grammar - To obfuscate, to confuse, to lie outright, to window-dress achievements. Usually used as an accusation to deter excessively flowery sweet-talk, delivered with a snort 'O ya, na too much grammar you dey blow.'
Now, by no means do Nigerian's speak "the Queen's English" (unless they were fortunate to study abroad - which many do.) After several weeks of being here, I can understand, for the most part, what someone is trying to say unless they break in to Yoruba. Yoruba is the local language around Lagos and is incredibly difficult to master due to the excessive use of tones. For instance the simple 4 letter word 'igba' can mean a period of time, two hundred, half a calabash or a locust tree!
There is also a ton of local slang which takes time to understand, but when used by an Expat, brings a big smile to the locals face. Here is a list of slang put together and published on another blog by a guy named Rhycnus.
Go-slow - Slow moving mass of traffic. Average speed 2kmph. Length can stretch from 100meterss due to an illegally parked danfoe to 10km due to basic traffic management issues
Hold-up - Slower version of go-slow.
Nigeria factor - Local rendition of Murphy's Law (anything can and will go wrong)
Attaall - Emphatic denial. Usually delivered with violent shakes of head, short for 'not at all'
Oga-Boss, 'Mastah'
Now now - As close as possible to the Nigerian concept of 'immediately'. Can be appended with any number of now's depending on urgency
Dash - Tip/Bribe. Usage - Dash me something
Anytinforaas - Request for a dash, by more than one person
Anytinfowmi - Request for a dash, by one person
Settul - To amicably conclude contentious issue, involves commercial transactions and negotiation
Ijebu maan - Native of Ijebu Ode, small town north of Lagos, rumoured to be inhabited by extremely stingy people
Do Weekend - Give a small tip so as to allow person to celebrate weekend. Celebration will happen from cumulative tips collected, hence to be restricted to 20-50 naira
Last last - Absolute lowest price one can go down to, used when you want to wrap up negotiations
Get bellay - Become pregnant
Done finish - Have finished. This is especially confusing to newbies as 'done' sounds remarkably like 'don't'
No go come - (He's) not coming
Danfoe - Yellow minibus plying on Lagos roads as public transport, associated with vicious driving and to whom normal traffic rules don't apply. You've arrived as a driver if you can stand your own against one
Okada - Motorcycle/moped taxi. Usually plies within localities. Can take upto two passengers. Scant respect of traffic rules makes them dangerous for other denizens of roads. Are the best guides to the nooks and crannies of Lagos
Oyibbo - Yoruba for 'white man'. Most locals do not distinguish between Caucasians, Mongoloids, Indians or Arabs. The word is not derogatory, but is used to hail you in crowded places or simply to acknowledge that you are coloured lighter than them
By the Grace of God - Any commitment that ends with these words is to be looked upon with suspicion. This is not a simple invocation. It is the speaker's way of saying, I do not think carrying out this commitment is in my hands. It might as well be left to divine intervention. The only consolation here is that if the work actually gets done (don't get your hopes up, this is extremely rare), the person will give thanks to the same God they invoked
Am/is on the way - Usually prefixed by a first or third person pronoun, this means that the person is approximately ten minutes away from setting out to meet you. Depending on any number of external factors (a detour to buy provisions, attending another meeting en route), the person should be with you in the next 2-3 hours.
Go-slow (alternative definition) - The most common Lagosian excuse for arriving late. This is a foolproof excuse in that it can never be disproved, unless if you were sitting with the person in the same vehicle. This is usually delivered with an exasperated shake of the head.
419 - Used to denote anything corrupt, fake or counterfeit. The origin of the term is that article 419 of the Nigerian Penal Code deals with offences associated with fraud and deceit. Of course, 419 is today an international term due to the Nigerian currency laundering scam e-mails received by most of us one time or the other
Blow grammar - To obfuscate, to confuse, to lie outright, to window-dress achievements. Usually used as an accusation to deter excessively flowery sweet-talk, delivered with a snort 'O ya, na too much grammar you dey blow.'
Friday, August 26, 2005
Life Update
Just an update for those who are worried about me living in a hotel which is probably no-one:
I got my passport back with a new visa and a residence permit! This is really good news because if I didn't get it back, I wouldn't be able to fly home for the wedding!!!
I got our little vehicle. It is a Toyota Rav4 - green with a cd player. Not quite as nice as my Tacoma - but it is the first new vehicle that I have ever had - crazy.
I hired a driver and a stewardess / cook. The driver's name is Rotimi and he seems nice enough - he gets paid about 25,000 Naira per month plus overtime if we go out in the evenings. 25,000 Naira works out to about $175 US and from that he must support his wife and 3 children. The stewardess (she cleans/shops for groceries/laundry), her name is Josephine and she seems really sweet. She will be working part time for us and part time for another lady in our building. She is going to move into the quarters available for house help with her husband. She will get paid about 10,000 Naira per month or less than $75 US! We will also end up paying for transportation/health care/school for kids/bonuses etc for them because otherwise, they could not afford it! They both seem like very nice, trustworthy and kind people so, it will be great to have them and their families around.
Last thing to sort out will be the flat - which I will be working on today. It is nice and brand new - over looks Kuramo Waters, a small lagoon. Right now, I need to figure out how to get a stove put in and have the furniture set up before I leave for Canada! Patience is required!
RQ
I got my passport back with a new visa and a residence permit! This is really good news because if I didn't get it back, I wouldn't be able to fly home for the wedding!!!
I got our little vehicle. It is a Toyota Rav4 - green with a cd player. Not quite as nice as my Tacoma - but it is the first new vehicle that I have ever had - crazy.
I hired a driver and a stewardess / cook. The driver's name is Rotimi and he seems nice enough - he gets paid about 25,000 Naira per month plus overtime if we go out in the evenings. 25,000 Naira works out to about $175 US and from that he must support his wife and 3 children. The stewardess (she cleans/shops for groceries/laundry), her name is Josephine and she seems really sweet. She will be working part time for us and part time for another lady in our building. She is going to move into the quarters available for house help with her husband. She will get paid about 10,000 Naira per month or less than $75 US! We will also end up paying for transportation/health care/school for kids/bonuses etc for them because otherwise, they could not afford it! They both seem like very nice, trustworthy and kind people so, it will be great to have them and their families around.
Last thing to sort out will be the flat - which I will be working on today. It is nice and brand new - over looks Kuramo Waters, a small lagoon. Right now, I need to figure out how to get a stove put in and have the furniture set up before I leave for Canada! Patience is required!
RQ
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