Day 1

After $1017 in roundtrip airfare with Delta Airlines and eleven hours on the plane, I was finally in Lagos, Nigeria.  Even though the US State Department travel advisories warned US citizens of the risks of traveling here, I was still excited.  When I left the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, a crowd of taxi drivers came toward me and hesitantly asked me if I needed a ride.  I said yes to one since my hotel was about thirty minutes away.  I knew nothing about Lagos, so my conversation with the taxi driver was a very interesting one.  He was originally from here, so he knew all the ins and outs of the culture of Lagos, Nigeria.  He said the people used the languages Yoruba and Igbo for communication, but English was the is the official language.  I learned that green vegetables and stews were commonly eaten here. He said that football was the most famous sport, woodcarving was common as a craft, and many other unique things about Lagos.  After meeting this man I got the impression that people here were friendly and that the influence of religion and traditional values were strongly seen in every person.  I was ready with excitement to experience the beautiful culture of Lagos.

Even though the city was going through its second rainy season of the year, the rain had only been mild.  I was still able to grasp the wonderful tropical savannah climate.  With all the rain, I noticed that the roads seemed to flood easily.  At my hotel, I talked to many Lagosians, and most of them told me that Mr. Fashola, the governor of Lagos state, had been doing a lot to improve the flooding and traffic situations.  I actually believed them because I saw the construction myself.  A couple of people walked me to a network of road that was going to be about ten lanes linking one side of the city to the other.  It made me happy to know that it will be easier for the people to get around Lagos.