Back to Lagos!

I’ve been back in Lagos now for over a month! Being back a 2nd year makes me feel like I’m in a completely different place.




I can’t fully explain it. I think part of it is now that elections are over it really is calmer here.




More so then that, it’s that I’m used to things and comfortable. It’s so weird.




I feel like the grocery stores carry more items, that the traffic is not as bad (an hour sitting in the car to go 5 miles doesn’t really phase me anymore) and the everyone seems so much nicer.




Last year I really tried to deal with things and accept them.




This year, accepting has become a natural process and everything just feels happier.



Now, this is not to say it’s still busy. I’ve helped put on orientation the week before school started and already finished a month of school.




I moved apartments (long story) and also somehow seem to work all the time.




Here are some random “learning to love Lagos” (title of a book that I need to buy) pictures from a Sunday beach trip on a rainy, flooded day (check out the roads)!



It’s been a ‘hit the ground running’ welcome back to Lagos. Especially after a wonderful summer I’ve been missing home quite a bit, but it’s a much easier feeling then it was at this time last year.



I could spend hours writing attempting to describe it here and I think it would still be impossible...

Summer!!!

Too fast!!!




As expected, my goal for sitting on my parents deck and and relaxing this summer didn’t happen quite as often as I had originally planned.



But, summer ended up being an incredible combination of friends and family and even a tiny bit of relaxation.



Summer started out with Gina’s wedding and then the next weekend I flew down to California to see relatives.



From there I fit in a trip to Portland to see college friends, 3 more fun weddings and time with Lucy, family and friends.



You can see flower pictures from my parent’s yard, a kayaking trip with the family, Lucy and Koty, and other random shots.

Greece

Definitely one of my favorite places in the world!!!



Look at the peaceful beauty of the buildings, sunsets and beaches.



My friend Casey has always wanted to travel somewhere, so we met in Greece on my way home for the summer.



I was really worried that I’d be wanting to be home so badly that I wouldn’t enjoy the trip.




Of course I still wanted to get home, but it was the perfect trip to do right after school got out.



It ended up being the ideal combination of history, sightseeing and relaxation.



We started in Athens and then took the ferry to Santorini. You can see in the pictures the village on the cliff.



From there we took a ferry to Miconos. It was the craziest thing. We got off of the ferry and there were tuns of people with brochures trying to get us to stay in their hotel. So, we picked one of the ladies, or she picked us and we got into her van. She took us to some nice hotel/condo near the beach and we got a great deal.



The weather was perfect every day. We ate gyros and baklava from the street vendors everyday.