Title: Emily Bullock (Nigeria)

Status: Active

URL: http://emily-in-nigeria.blogspot.com/

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Petrol at£4 a litre? - 11/Jan/2012 15:33 - 4712 days ago
I left Nigeria less than two months ago and am still very aware of contrasts between Britain and Nigeria, so I know that in...
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Electricity, water and plastic money - 26/Nov/2011 11:22 - 4758 days ago
Last Tuesday morning I got a phone call, which led me to jump on a plane in a hurry, and arrive in the UK.  VSO of course d...
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Happy Birthday Nigeria 51 today! - 01/Oct/2011 19:53 - 4814 days ago
Today Nigeria is 51, this time last year I was in a crowd of Nigerians in Eagle Square in Abuja, who were proud of their country...
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Climate Change - North and South - 03/Sep/2011 20:55 - 4842 days ago
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change defines an extreme weather event asan event that is rare at a particular place and...
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Jesus wept - 28/Aug/2011 08:48 - 4848 days ago
Last week as I sat in car on a journey to the Sunshine State, I was driven at speeds of up to 140kmph by a Nigerian, who maybe t...
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OD - Happy Day! - 23/Aug/2011 08:26 - 4853 days ago
Having promised to tell you more about my work, today I found a message in my inbox from the Chair of the Board congratulating m...
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Lagos - Perceptions and Reality - 22/Aug/2011 01:03 - 4854 days ago
Before I came to Nigeria, I was scared of it, and even more scared of Lagos. If you are wondering why I am surprised, Niger...
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And then the doors closed... - 20/Aug/2011 18:57 - 4856 days ago
Last Saturday I got in a lift, and pressed number 6, as the doors closed I panicked a little and questioned my sanity. I ca...
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My Work - 19/Aug/2011 20:59 - 4857 days ago
I realise I haven’t written much about my work, maybe because it feels like it is taking me such a long time to achieve anythi...
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NEST Organisational Development Plan - almost there - 16/Aug/2011 13:26 - 4860 days ago
About a month agoI wroteabout the challenges of getting from an OD assessment to an OD plan, and how I had just had a week of us...
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Being a professional - 01/Aug/2011 18:22 - 4875 days ago
Earlier today I wrote a blog post, about feeling very small against the big hierarchy that is Nigeria, about how an incident had...
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Feeling very small - 01/Aug/2011 09:05 - 4875 days ago
My boss is a "big man" a Professor no less, and as he is busy meeting "big people" to do big things, like getting Nigeria's Clim...
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Where are all the children? - 22/Jul/2011 22:10 - 4885 days ago
Today was a good day, in this case because I chose to speak honestly, this is what happened.As I was walking to meet one of my c...
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More rain - 21/Jul/2011 16:13 - 4886 days ago
In yesterday's post, I mentioned that the road near my office often floods when it rained, so today, much to my surprise, it onl...
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Don’t go out there, it’s raining! - 20/Jul/2011 21:09 - 4887 days ago
When I was first in Ibadan and still staying at the luxury Davies Hotel, one evening Abdul, a member of VSO staff was also stayi...
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The Educated Elite of Ibadan - 14/Jul/2011 18:25 - 4893 days ago
Three times in the last couple of months I have flown between Ibadan and Abuja. Ibadan, is famous for its university, the U...
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Change catalyst??? - 08/Jul/2011 22:14 - 4899 days ago
One of the hardest things about being a VSO volunteer is that your aim is to facilitate change, and change is hard! However...
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Give me something - 25/Jun/2011 15:11 - 4912 days ago
There is a perception that because I am white I must be rich, and therefore I ought to share my riches, this means I frequently ...
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Take me to your country - 23/Jun/2011 14:43 - 4914 days ago
Take me to your country, is a phrase I hear too often for my liking, sometimes I make a joke of it, but often I ask them why, wh...
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My first Nigerian wedding - 09/Jun/2011 08:47 - 4928 days ago
My friend and former colleague Hamzy, invited me to a wedding; in true African style I had never met the Bride or the Groom b...
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Election fever - free, fair and fatal - 06/Jun/2011 08:06 - 4931 days ago
When VSO asked us to stay inside during all three voting days, and on the days that results were announced, I thought they were ...
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The long silence - 01/Jun/2011 07:26 - 4936 days ago
I try to update my blog at least weekly, after my Mum telling me she gave up looking because it never changes, this has not been...
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How many Nigeirans does it take to change a lightbulb? - 08/May/2011 19:30 - 4960 days ago
This morning I went to buy a lightbulb and some akara, a delicious Sunday morning breakfast treat, basically deep fried beans, s...
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Election Fever - POSTPONED! - 04/Apr/2011 20:39 - 4994 days ago
Havinghad strict advice from VSO not to leave the house for all voting days; on Friday, I made sure I had plenty of things to ea...
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To plan or not to plan, that is the question... - 04/Apr/2011 20:22 - 4994 days ago
Nigerians and I have a different attitude towards planning, and towards making plans public. I find this strange, but as my Dad ...
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Snappy Dressers - 28/Mar/2011 14:57 - 5001 days ago
One of the things I love about Nigeria is the variety of clothing that people can wear, men and women.  These images from J...
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Election Fever - a bike instead of a car - 28/Mar/2011 14:49 - 5001 days ago
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My new home - 20/Mar/2011 20:53 - 5009 days ago
 More photosI am now living in an area of Ibadan known as Bodija, and specifically JK Junction.The street I live on is ...
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"My sister lives in Arsenal State" - 19/Mar/2011 18:57 - 5010 days ago
Nigerians are mad about football, and most of them, well most of the men, follow a British Premiership team, so when the securit...
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Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story - 17/Mar/2011 20:05 - 5012 days ago
If you have a fast enough internet connection, have a look at this, a Nigerian speakshttp://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie...
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Anticipating mangoes - 12/Mar/2011 18:20 - 5017 days ago
On Thursday evening, I was very excited to see a man carrying mangoes on his head, yes my first mango of the year, 150 Naira, (A...
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Making a difference in Nigeria? - 09/Mar/2011 21:06 - 5020 days ago
This isn't really a fresh post, but an article I wrote for the Friends of Nigeria newsletter,see page 4...
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I am soft and squiggy - 07/Mar/2011 20:24 - 5022 days ago
Yesterday my soft squiggy body spent 9 hours inside a hard metal box on wheels, in close proximity to many other hard metal boxe...
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Abandoned in Nigeria - 05/Mar/2011 17:51 - 5024 days ago
Twelve months ago last Sunday, I arrived in Abuja at 4 45am with Heather and Richard.  We were the three Brits arriving wit...
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My Grand Tour of Northern Nigeria– rat survey - 24/Feb/2011 18:55 - 5033 days ago
 Kaduna– rat no 1Since my previous employer granted me an extra two weeks leave, I took the opportunity to see a bit more...
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Finally the Christmas holiday blog post - 18/Feb/2011 20:42 - 5039 days ago
For those of you who have forgotten, Christmas occurred about two months ago, and while for you it was cold and snowy, for me it...
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Start of Part 2– NEST - 13/Feb/2011 15:55 - 5044 days ago
 Last Sunday I travelled to Ibadan to start my new placement at NEST.  My job is called“Climate Change Technical Wri...
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End of Part One - Farewell to ICEED - 11/Feb/2011 18:02 - 5046 days ago
Farewell drinks at IbizaMy placement at ICEED was originally supposed to be for two years, however this was shortened by my empl...
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Whoops we lost a wheel - 01/Feb/2011 13:21 - 5056 days ago
Yesterday as I was travelling back from Panyam to Abuja, I heard a loud bang, panicked as the driver tried to control the vehicl...
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Shaking hands with Hafsat Abiola - 18/Jan/2011 16:53 - 5070 days ago
I recently attended a production ofSeven,the story of Seven inspirational women, from Afghanistan, Guatemala, Pakistan, Northern...
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Back to Bida! - 17/Jan/2011 17:11 - 5071 days ago
If you read my blog back in the“summer” if you’re in the Northern hemisphere, you will have read about Bida. We had a proj...
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My name is in Hansard - 14/Dec/2010 21:06 - 5105 days ago
If you read my blog back inSeptemberyou will remember that I helped to host Jo Swinson MP, who came to Nigeria for a week as a V...
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A bus and a plane– order and chaos! - 12/Dec/2010 17:59 - 5107 days ago
Last week I went to Ibadan, reputedly one of the biggest cities in West Africa, I travelled there to have a look at an organisat...
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CONFLICT AND HOFSTEDE! - 24/Nov/2010 08:19 - 5125 days ago
There was a conflict, and shortly afterwards I found myself reading about Hofstede. Some of you will know that Hofstede came up ...
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Go Slow - 19/Nov/2010 14:20 - 5130 days ago
Last Saturday, I got stuck in a big Go Slow. Go Slow is pidgin for a traffic jam, and I think this was the worst traffic jam in ...
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At Church with the President, God and Goodluck! - 21/Oct/2010 19:35 - 5159 days ago
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Nigeria at 50 - 04/Oct/2010 16:16 - 5176 days ago
Last Friday, 1st October was Independence Day, 50 years of independence from the British, celebrations were to be held at the Ea...
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Entertaining the Honourable Member for East Dumbartonshire– Jo Swinson MP - 29/Sep/2010 16:51 - 5181 days ago
For the last six days I have been on a temporary“holiday” in a different part of town withJo Swinson MP. Jo was taking part ...
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Barka da Salah - 21/Sep/2010 13:39 - 5189 days ago
The week before last was the end of Ramadam, and Thursday and Friday were public holidays, so I went with some of my fellow volu...
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Emily Bullock speaking live from Aso Radio the "Station on the Rock" - 06/Sep/2010 23:19 - 5204 days ago
One day when I was with my boss on the way back from a meeting, he said, that's where Ugo works, and pointed to a rock...
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Six months in Nigeria - 29/Aug/2010 21:39 - 5212 days ago
On Saturday, I was having a drink with my fellow British volunteer, Richard, and he said it was our six month anniversary, a lit...
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Would you notice if the power stations were shut down in your country? - 26/Aug/2010 07:58 - 5215 days ago
Pride comes before a fall, and following my recent blog posts about how wonderfully reliable our electricity has been, I got hom...
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Would you go to school, send your children to school or teach if.... - 24/Aug/2010 13:20 - 5217 days ago
Its hard to tell what Nigeria is really like when you work in an air-conditioned office in the capital city with colleagues who ...
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Defining customer service - 22/Aug/2010 08:04 - 5219 days ago
More NEPA / PHCN stories, for a reminder that stands for Nigeria Electric Power Authority / Never Expect Power Again and Power H...
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Well done Ugochi or should I say Sannu and a sad farewell to Angie - 13/Aug/2010 14:08 - 5228 days ago
Well done and Sannu are often heard phrases here, you don't seem to have to have done anything well, or done anything at al...
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Sharing Skills and Changing Lives - 05/Aug/2010 10:06 - 5236 days ago
Sharing Skills and Changing Lives - (for the uninitiated this is the VSO motto!)I sometimes wander why I am here, yes its intere...
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PHCN became PHGA - 03/Aug/2010 13:31 - 5238 days ago
So the good news is Problem Has Gone Away, ie electricity is back, this will only make sense if you read the previous post, scro...
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Paying for NEPA or not? - 29/Jul/2010 14:27 - 5243 days ago
If you read one of my earlier posts you will have heard about NEPA and PHCN.  NEPA stands for Nigerian Electric Power Autho...
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More trips to Bida - 22/Jul/2010 13:46 - 5250 days ago
Second“jolly" to Bida.The following week I returned to Bida, this time no driver so we used“public”. “Public” transpor...
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A "jolly" to Bida - 16/Jun/2010 16:09 - 5286 days ago
A jolly is a British term for a business trip which implies that you will be travelling at someone else's expense and probably s...
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A new president and a new prime minister - 13/May/2010 10:53 - 5320 days ago
Last Thursday when most of you were going to the polls, to elect who would believe it a Conservative / Lib Dem coalition, I was ...
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Two months and one day in Nigeria - 28/Apr/2010 11:44 - 5335 days ago
So I have been in Nigeria for two months, but this is an attempt at“a day in the life of me” because when I spoke to my Dad ...
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And finally arriving in Zone 4– 8, Port Said Street - 10/Apr/2010 15:23 - 5353 days ago
Last week Velice and I moved to our new home.  It is a two bedroom flat on the first floor, and is very secure, it wou...
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Abuja - 10/Apr/2010 15:19 - 5353 days ago
Abuja is hot and dusty, its is a strange place, lots of roads that sometimes make me think of America, little public transport, ...
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Starting Work at ICEED - 10/Apr/2010 15:16 - 5353 days ago
ICEED is in a building called Bassan Plaza, on the third floor, and there is air conditioning– hurrah! Well actually there is ...
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A trip to Kaduna, and a look at the real Nigeria. - 10/Apr/2010 15:13 - 5353 days ago
A few days into our in-country training, we were sent off to visit existing volunteers in their placements. I went with Anne, to...
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Arriving in Abuja - hot hot hot! - 18/Mar/2010 08:09 - 5376 days ago
So on the 28th of Feb, at 04:30am, UK time, I arrived in Abuja, with Heather and Richard, from the UK, and Elizabeth and Charlto...
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Emily is not in Jos - 08/Mar/2010 18:01 - 5386 days ago
Hi all - sorry for the lack of updates, I will rectify this as soon as I can, but meanwhile, be assured that I am not in Jos, VS...
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I made it! Arrived in Abuja at 05:30am - feeling rather hot! - 28/Feb/2010 14:20 - 5394 days ago
I am in Nigeria, got here safely, met a lovely lady on the plane, was met at the airport by cheery VSO staff, and just chilling ...
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Its about to happen - 27/Feb/2010 15:43 - 5395 days ago
Well I have checked in online, my bags are packed, I've seen most people for the last time in a while, a few more tears still to...
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7 days to go - 20/Feb/2010 23:44 - 5402 days ago
So - 7 days from now I will be in the air, hopefully calmly drinking a glass of something provided by BA, looking forward to my ...
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20 days to go - 07/Feb/2010 18:55 - 5415 days ago
Hi allWell since the last post, I have left my job and become a lady of leisure, if you can define leisure as painting my flat, ...
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Trouble in Jos - 21/Jan/2010 16:05 - 5432 days ago
Hi you may have heard that there is some trouble in Jos at the moment, this is quite a distance from where I will be based. I r...
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6 weeks to go - 19/Jan/2010 21:50 - 5434 days ago
I'm off to Nigeria in six weeks to work with VSO for an organisation called ICEED International Centre for Energy Environment an...
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