tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58062064926959053122012-02-14T13:34:10.748-08:00Due to such a high demand, I have created a blog to document my journey in Lagos, Nigeria. This adventure is during the time that I am working as the Seconday Art Teacher for the American International School of Lagos for the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 school years.Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.comBlogger301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-62292477154990159972009-01-29T15:38:00.000-08:002009-01-29T15:39:25.147-08:00

Shoot!!! Emily Vogel, you had better just write me another note with your email address on it!!!! For those not in on the 411, amazing Emily was one of my students eons ago in Mesquite Nevada.

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-11890511818681125522009-01-08T20:18:00.000-08:002009-01-08T20:26:54.513-08:00

Yes, yes, it has been eons since I last blogged. An amazing amount of things have happened since my last remark. Not least of which is moving back to the States. However, looking into your past is for old folks so I am gonna plunge on ahead and tell you about how my day went. I am a fine arts teacher at Lakewood High School next to Arlington. I grew up just south of it....and never knew it

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-55919786843191883012008-05-30T00:31:00.000-07:002008-05-30T08:16:27.878-07:00

A friend came to me and asked me to prepare a cake for her husband's birthday. I said sure, though I am far from experienced with baking cakes, and said that I only needed the supplies. She brought me oil, water, six eggs, and two boxes of cake mix. She also brought me two deep round cake pans 8 inches in diameter. I began making the cake and budgeted just enough time to make it, bake it, let it

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-30081320571319972502008-05-22T02:09:00.000-07:002008-05-22T05:09:46.914-07:00

Last night was the second and final Advanced Art Gallery Show for the year!! I am so proud of my kids and we had a wonderful representation of students, high school teachers and parents. The show had a total of 21 participating students, some of which I have included here. I have to give a huge thanks to Shelly (not pictured here) who took all the pictures for me. The concept of the show was to

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-62528347921758335512008-05-03T15:18:00.000-07:002008-05-03T16:23:10.602-07:00

So Mom always asks me to document how my life in Lagos really is. Well, tonight was a perfect opportunity. While this may not be specific to Lagos, it is definitely among my most hectic and awful moments. Africa is also one of the only places I have ever dealt with todays topic: Cockroaches. Yes, I was just confronted with a giant mutant cockroach with an attitude problem. No, no, I dont

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-33171366425670624152008-04-09T07:02:00.000-07:002008-04-09T07:25:12.374-07:00

The resident history teacher, Mr Reese, asked me to speak about the Mormon religion in his class as part of the early pilgrimage section of his curriculum. I was eager to agree and have been looking forward to this for some weeks. Today, however, was the first time I got to look at the text book that the students have based all knowledge of Mormons off of. I was FURIOUS!!!! I have included the

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-11516395505810250892008-03-31T05:57:00.000-07:002008-04-02T02:52:40.248-07:00

Wow! What an amazing and beautiful vacation! I loved it and feel incredibly blessed to have been able to see so much in such a tight little package. Honestly, though....I probably would have gotten bored if I had gone any slower. I have included a ton of pictures of most of each of the places I went to. No worries, this is about 1/1000 of how many pictures we actually took but it is a little

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-68487212171406677772008-03-13T05:33:00.000-07:002008-03-13T05:45:23.759-07:00

I am tired and ready for a break. I have had a constant run of school days since January 7th and am sick of these kids. My work load has gotten longer and tougher and the extra curricular activities are draining. All this, however, is ok as long as I get my vacation. At first I had planned to go to a safari in Kenya but the recent civil unrest makes that trip unwise. I then decided I wanted to go

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-73392204511732564672008-02-07T11:29:00.000-08:002008-02-14T03:03:39.435-08:00

We had a fabulous storm a few weeks back and I couldn't resist getting some quality shots of it. The storm started unexpectedly at 8 AM and proceeded to downpour for two hours. The thunder was so loud and close that the windows in my room shook and all of the elementary kids downstairs were screaming. Incredible!This is a picture I took early on in the storm to show how dark it was. You have to

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-46473968242203362982008-01-17T04:09:00.001-08:002008-01-17T12:37:44.856-08:00

I was actually surprised when I went home for Christmas, to hear of how many of you actually read this thing. Its daunting....I had no idea people were paying attention, other than my parents. I wanted to start out the new year by showing all of the toys I had gotten from Lekki market. Unfortunately, I dont actually own any of these anymore...they were all Christmas presents. Yes, they are all

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-90209140599966486082007-11-28T12:27:00.000-08:002007-11-28T12:46:02.954-08:00

I had the funniest thing happen during second period today. First, I must describe second period. There are about ten kids, all ninth and tenth graders. They are currently working on abstract expressionist paintings. They each grab their painting and pallets and set up on their own little section of table around the room. Because of the nature of abstract expressionism, much of the painting is

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-39690863186464493842007-11-21T11:12:00.000-08:002007-11-21T11:16:12.594-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!I am thankful for my loving family, my education, faith and friends. You all are wonderful!-Julia

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-44904290169731043002007-11-21T04:29:00.000-08:002007-11-21T04:35:50.448-08:00

With the falling value of the US dollar and the massive inflation of food prices, I have been resorting to old university tricks to stay fed. Needless to say, these newest cartoons by Get Fuzzy have held a special spot in my heart.

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-68813472590486669542007-11-18T04:30:00.000-08:002007-11-18T05:45:08.202-08:00

The blog has been severely neglected. I blame the insane amount of work that I have to do. Who knew that 11 hour days could be so unproductive. On top of all that, my school is trying to transition to IB standards. Without a huge amount of detail, the basics of IB is an intensive 11-12 grade program that is supposed to challenge all students. Its like AP on steroids and all students are required

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-37474372730482368212007-11-06T02:28:00.000-08:002007-11-06T04:11:29.164-08:00

I was fortunate enough to attend the annual Lagos Marine's Birthday Ball last Saturday night. After getting all hookered up, two co-workers and I took a drive down four blocks to the Civic Center and entered that amazingly out-of-place building. The building itself is a rectangle with a huge spiked curve on the top which is always lighted. Its a very different look from the traditional square

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-42393523248586062162007-10-16T07:48:00.000-07:002007-10-16T08:21:19.100-07:00

Well, there isn't much gossip. Because of my recent kidney, bladder, skin and sinus infection debacle...I have been keeping a pretty low profile. Those of you privy to my intense discomfort and often embarassing symptoms will be pleased to hear that i am well on my way to recovery and the medical supplies here are adequate for my needs.I spent only 2 of the last ten days at work. Most of it was

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-2170881760279663662007-09-28T09:13:00.000-07:002007-10-09T11:53:26.417-07:00

The school celebrated Nigerian Culture Day in celebration of the 47th Independence Day for Nigeria. Every teacher, student, parent and worker has to dress in traditional Nigerian dress and the entire school day is dedicated to learning about and participating in different cultural activities. These are a few of my students posing for the camera in their traditional dress. Notice that it’s mostly

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-67390150318835882262007-09-18T06:21:00.000-07:002007-09-19T02:18:00.630-07:00

After a full month in Africa, my life has begun to settle down. I am in my own flat, and though I dont yet have a steward, I keep getting asked out to do things. So my food situation is just fine. Classes are all fabulous! I have yet to find a project that these kids wont do and be excited about. Sixth grade is making cartoon strips, 7-8 grade are creating monsters and I am planning a bead making

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-40328334260699819882007-09-11T06:34:00.000-07:002007-09-13T13:35:21.486-07:00

After being homeless for a month, living through a high school's worth of drama and flighty emotions, and enduring massive confusion, I have been offered my very own flat. Yes, this barren wasteland is mine. It took me two days to clean it and, sadly enough, only about an hour to unpack all I own. I am priding myself on having no bugs anywhere. Seriously have an aversion thing going with bugs. So

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-17787917082039589702007-09-11T06:27:00.000-07:002007-09-15T15:07:39.407-07:00

While my personal life may have been a bit rocky these past weeks, my job is fantastic. I get to work with 70-odd students who are interesting and for the most part, respectful. I get to mess with them, joke with them, use sarcasm and be strict all in five minutes. Its always an amazing roller coaster and I look forward to coming to work each day. I decided to take some pictures of some of my

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-31644608100148253122007-09-03T23:21:00.000-07:002007-09-04T13:31:24.490-07:00

The journey to church is hazardous and slightly entertaining. It is no small feat to traverse the scarred and beaten lands on a holy mission....wait....forget that. It’s just a weird trip, ok? I decided to walk you all through it, and have added multiple pictures to appease my mother and her bragging tendencies. Church starts at 9am, which means we leave at 7am. Why? Because traffic is

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-22768816783892602542007-09-01T03:10:00.000-07:002007-09-01T04:12:35.862-07:00

This week has been really hard....my roof falling in, no flat yet, all sorts of new and really time-consuming work. It’s just overwhelming. But let me start from the beginning. Buckle up, little campers, its time for 'Julia's venting session.'When I was hired, I was promised the spectacular advantages of a new high school. My own room, designed and supplied by myself was one of the main perks to

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-18103452813099662392007-08-28T06:35:00.000-07:002007-08-29T11:28:38.351-07:00

So my classroom is a ghetto pile. In fact, I even refer to it as The Tower (as in the Tower of London). In fact, all day today had an overwhelming stench of bug spray because I complained of the 3.5 inch cockroaches....while the kids complained at first....strangely after about fifteen minutes they were all giggles. But back to the room itself. It has nasty blue carpet that is pieced together but

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-29347450971149543552007-08-26T10:40:00.000-07:002007-08-26T11:24:33.107-07:00

So this weekend I had a much-needed escape from the compound. I spent the entire weekend chilling with Josie and Roy. Who are they, you might ask? Well, they are the fabulous expats that I have adopted as my own. Expats, in case you are unfamiliar with the term, are expatriates; people who live in a foreign country for work purposes and tend to be very mobile. Yes, dear friends, I am an expat.

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-12814950789246358262007-08-23T23:17:00.000-07:002007-08-24T00:00:58.225-07:00

The pool at AISLSo I finally got to see the rain. Yes....I realize I am from Seattle but Seattle rain/mist has nothing on the monsoon action in Nigeria. I even paused class to stop and stare at the wall of water pounding the school.Ok, side note. I am in my classroom right now, writing my blog and minding my own business when something tickles my foot. This happens alot and when my bug paranoia

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-66155595104553359822007-08-19T06:08:00.000-07:002007-08-19T06:36:28.912-07:00

I had my first day of church today! So I had called church headquarters in SLC to get the ward details, Bishop and number of my new ward and was prepared to track down whomever I needed to and get a ride to church. I called Bishop Ekpo on Wednesday but he was heading out to travel to the Nigerian Temple and wouldn’t be back until Saturday night. He actually came and picked me up at 6:30 AM on

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-64278040452432852542007-08-18T11:18:00.000-07:002007-08-18T11:19:46.661-07:00

I ran into the Elders at Lekki market today. Woo hoo! The Church is true!!!!

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-25431495631266206812007-08-17T08:33:00.000-07:002007-08-17T10:18:04.197-07:00

Ah, yes, the terrifying aspects of Africa. Having been here a week has afforded me the opportunities to experience the fantastic and creepy happenings of Nigeria. This, for example is a common scene of electronic wizardry. Is it any wonder that we loose power at least 3 times a day?I have been to the GQ twice and it’s nice to have a place to go where everyone is from the US. The GQ is a

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-36110025135213478092007-08-12T14:46:00.000-07:002007-08-13T08:40:57.297-07:00

As I am staying in someone else’s flat, I also inherit the odd things about the couple's life. For example, the current residents of my flat have an African Grey parrot. These birds are known for their intelligence and vocabulary. At first, I was really enamored of good ol' Swampy. That is until I discovered his tendency to wake up at exactly the same time every morning. Yes, that’s right, I know

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806206492695905312.post-81003815533442322332007-08-12T07:55:00.000-07:002007-08-12T09:10:32.276-07:00

Finally, after two weeks of packing, endless hours shopping, $1200 of inoculations and more paper work than it takes to make a small country, I am in Nigeria. But I am getting ahead of myself. Mom and Pop dropped me off at the SEATAC airport at around 10:45 am on August 10. While Mom seemed more nervous than I was to be making the journey, Dad was excited for me and alot of their enthusiasm kept

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664277855260405807noreply@blogger.com5