Goodbye Lagos
Today is the last day of this trip to Nigeria, and I can’t begin to encapsulate how wonderful it has been. The amount of love and sincere well wishes given to me have made me feel proud yet unworthy. Proud of what a strong connection was formed over this short time in Lagos, yet humbled because I cannot match such a bountiful level of caring. I honestly feel closer to the people here in Lagos after this month than I do with most of my coworkers in Houston that I have known for a year. It’s such a beautiful thing, the spirit of these people.
This evening, I wrote out letters of appreciation to a few of the hotel staff that have been especially kind to me, and included a modest tip. One of these letters I gave to Patience and Angela, and the response was overwhelming. I gave the letter to Angela before going to dinner, telling her to wait until I left to open it. Turns out she and Patience opened it pretty quickly. Angela insisted that I come and talk to her and Patience after dinner, and in the meantime asked if I wanted dessert. I thought I had a seen ice cream being served to the guy at the next table (which I had been told was not served in the Hotel), so I asked Angela if I could have the ice cream. She said they did not have any but pleaded with me to let her go and get some, claiming that it was really simple. This girl walked from the hotel to another restaurant and came back with a huge waffle cone filled with ice cream. It was the best meal I have had in a long time. But the real treat came after dinner. Patience and Angela were so moved by the letter that I had wrote them that they were near tears. Patience told me that in the four years that she has worked here she has had customers treat her nice and treat her bad, but never had she received such a gift. She said that letter meant so much to her, that she never ever got the feeling that non-Nigerians really appreciated her, until this letter. Angela then proceeded to bless my family and myself many times over. It was really all very surreal. Many things were said, but the gist of it was. We each found much needed acceptance through each other. This whole scene was a little awkward because we were actually standing in the middle of a bar full of coworkers. The white coworkers just watched and listened in confusion, wondering what it was I could have done to make them so happy. This whole paragraph might be sort of bragging, but I am proud of myself. The truth is that they gave me much more than I gave them. That letter, although sincere, took nothing to write, and the money was something I can easily part with. But they gave me love that was so sincere and so fulfilling that it has left me in a daze.
My last day in the office was no different. There was so much love and well-wishing thrown my way that I felt uncomfortable. All I can say is the people have a beautiful spirit.
The hardest part of my job so far has been saying goodbye to people. In Qatar, I had a less intense but similar departure from another set of wonderful people. I will really miss this place and hope that I get to return. Luckily I have a plane ticket to return on July 29.
This evening, I wrote out letters of appreciation to a few of the hotel staff that have been especially kind to me, and included a modest tip. One of these letters I gave to Patience and Angela, and the response was overwhelming. I gave the letter to Angela before going to dinner, telling her to wait until I left to open it. Turns out she and Patience opened it pretty quickly. Angela insisted that I come and talk to her and Patience after dinner, and in the meantime asked if I wanted dessert. I thought I had a seen ice cream being served to the guy at the next table (which I had been told was not served in the Hotel), so I asked Angela if I could have the ice cream. She said they did not have any but pleaded with me to let her go and get some, claiming that it was really simple. This girl walked from the hotel to another restaurant and came back with a huge waffle cone filled with ice cream. It was the best meal I have had in a long time. But the real treat came after dinner. Patience and Angela were so moved by the letter that I had wrote them that they were near tears. Patience told me that in the four years that she has worked here she has had customers treat her nice and treat her bad, but never had she received such a gift. She said that letter meant so much to her, that she never ever got the feeling that non-Nigerians really appreciated her, until this letter. Angela then proceeded to bless my family and myself many times over. It was really all very surreal. Many things were said, but the gist of it was. We each found much needed acceptance through each other. This whole scene was a little awkward because we were actually standing in the middle of a bar full of coworkers. The white coworkers just watched and listened in confusion, wondering what it was I could have done to make them so happy. This whole paragraph might be sort of bragging, but I am proud of myself. The truth is that they gave me much more than I gave them. That letter, although sincere, took nothing to write, and the money was something I can easily part with. But they gave me love that was so sincere and so fulfilling that it has left me in a daze.
My last day in the office was no different. There was so much love and well-wishing thrown my way that I felt uncomfortable. All I can say is the people have a beautiful spirit.
The hardest part of my job so far has been saying goodbye to people. In Qatar, I had a less intense but similar departure from another set of wonderful people. I will really miss this place and hope that I get to return. Luckily I have a plane ticket to return on July 29.
posted by Anthony Jackson at 6:03 PM
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