In Which the Author Enjoys (for the most part) a Day at the Beach

We went to the beach with all the staff this weekend. And it was amazing! We had some training (which was actually fun because it was all very interactive/easy) and some fun times as well. We had a campfire next to the ocean and watched the stars come out while eating s'mores (a first for all of the Nigerian staff. They had mixed reviews.) We watched The Blind Side which was better than I was expecting and we had a generally good time. That was all on Friday.

Today (Saturday) was even better. Well, mostly. I woke up early to take a dip in the Atlantic and had a blast while the waves had one, too. Several sand burns later, I came out of the water feeling extremely invigorated. We had some more training, some great meals, and then we did a "community service" activity which was basically go and "help" the Nigerian fishermen to pull in their loads from their boats. Except they were done and sorting things out by the time we got there. Still great to see where the fish I eat comes from, though. Also, we got to enjoy playing with some non-stinging jellyfish that were huge!

I rode a horse on the beach (cliche, I know, but it's really fun!). I don't really have anything more to say about it, but writing "I rode a horse on the beach" as the only sentence in this paragraph seemed lame and boasty.

Then we went swimming again (by "we" I mean the American staff. The Nigerians are afraid of water), and this time wasn't so smooth. As I was reveling in the power of the ocean, a tiny but long strand of jellyfish tentacle curled itself around my neck. And it burned. It burned bad. I tore the tentacle off my neck and then tore out of the water to find someone to pee on me. Luckily, one of the male teachers was able to oblige.

Here's something everyone should know. We've all heard that if you get stung by a jellyfish, pee on it and it will make it better. That is a lie. At least for African jellyfish. After a hot stream of liquid human waste falling on my neck, the mark of the jellyfish still burned. And burned. And continues to burn. (I did have a sweet mark around my neck, though).

We came home and I found out that our fifth computer charger has fried in this country. Four hickory-smoked Apple chargers and one Dell charger brulee later, and we have no computers. Thus, there will be no more Facebook pictures until June or July, whenever I can get them up.

To sum up, this weekend was awesome, but also not so awesome, but at least I have several new life experiences (some of which I could do without experiencing again).