Never felt so Alone

I arrive in Nigeria, and my phone won’t pick up any service, even though I specifically bought this phone because they told me that it would work here. So I get off the plane, go through customs, get my bags and start looking for my transport from the airport to my apartment. As this was my first trip here I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was looking for someone with a sign with my name on it or my company logo, but none was to be found.

Side bar: For the past couple of months all I’ve heard was “be careful in Nigeria, especially in the airport.” “Watch out, don’t look like you don’t know exactly what’s going on.” “Stay out of harms way, always appear to know exactly where you need to go.” Etc…

So here I am in Africa, with 3 big bags and my laptop computer and nobody to pick me up, and no phone to call anybody with. I decided I’d better find the phone number of my security pickup and find a way to give them a call. I had a piece of paper that had all of the contact numbers that I would need to know once I got here, so I start digging through all of my stuff right in the middle of the airport trying to find this one piece of paper, but no luck. Somehow this was the one piece of paper that didn’t make it on the plane with me.

At this point I’m starting to get a little worried, I’m in the middle of a strange airport, with no phone and no phone numbers, and I’m obviously very different then everyone else here at this airport. However with a little quick thinking I remembered that I had an old email with all the numbers on it so I pulled out my computer and searched for my email. I found the number that I needed, barrowed a phone from one of the locals and was able to reach my escort. As it turned out they were there I simply needed to go outside the airport.

We make the drive from the airport to my apartment, and I’m given a local phone for any security issues that may come up. As we get to the apartment I’m also informed that there is internet access in the room. My escort drops me off and here I am my first day in Nigeria. I call my wife from my newly acquired cell phone to let her know everything is ok, and as I’m talking to her the battery dies on my local phone. So I plug the charger in and it doesn’t work. I plug my computer in because I have voice over the internet phone as well, and the connection doesn’t work.

So here I am in the middle of Africa, alone in my apartment, with one cell phone with a battery but no service, one cell phone with service but no battery, and a computer with no internet connection. Talk about a feeling of total Isolation, and total aloneness.