Abuja, the arrival
on Heather Saunders (Nigeria), 28/Feb/2010 16:26, 34 days ago
I arrived at Abuja international airport at 6.30am this morning, with three other equally sleepy British volunteers. The wall of heat that hit us when we stepped off the plane was a sign of things to come, it was 30 degrees first thing, and it has only got hotter!We were greeted in the arrivals hall by three smiling VSO volunteers and staff and whisked to the Crystal Palace Hotel, in the centre of Abuja - it has aircon, free internet and hot showers - luxury! So far we've seen a few sights, including the national mosque and the national ecumenical church in the centre of the city and Aso rock, the government buildings, in the distance.I've changed my pounds into Naira, the Nigerian currency, which has given me a big stack of notes to look after and left me feeling very rich. I was nearly even richer as the teller originally gave me double the amount I was owed!More volunteers are arriving from India and the US tonight to add to those already here from Kenya, Uganda and Canada, and our training starts first thing tomorrow, til then I'm enjoying the food - it's spicy but good!