November 10

First of all, apologies for the terrible lag in updating the blog. All is well in Kaduna, and the research is really speeding up now. My survey is actually progressing more quickly than I'd expected. We've been accepting respondents at our office since Monday Nov. 5, and we've already gotten 91! So, we're well on our way to meeting our target of 200 for Kaduna before Nov. 24.

Bernd's visit came and went (he left on Thursday morning), and it was *so* nice to have him here! In addition to providing his usual insightful research advice and jumping right in to help me with project logistics, he brought the world's largest box of chocolates (courtesy of Margot Beber). It was such a morale boost! Though my RAs have basically eaten through most of them by now.... I introduced them to these amazing chocolate-covered gingerbread heart-cookies and they blew through them like there was no tomorrow. I'm saving a stash of marzipan for myself, though, which is off-limits to everyone else.

The weather has changed pretty dramatically in the past few days, as the Harmattan season has started. The temperature has dropped quite a bit and the sky is extremely hazy now, as dusty winds from the Sahara have started to blow in. Apparently, the Harmattan lasts for the next two months or so, so this is only the beginning. It's already a bit strange walking around in the haze, and the sky looks eerily grey. I was thinking about wearing sunglasses because of the dust, but my RAs unanimously agreed that this would look ridiculous. So, we'll see how it goes. :)

I really don't have much planned except for work until I leave for Jos on Nov. 24. I'm looking forward to the trip. It's a gorgeous drive (in spite of the potholes on the road and the occassional car break-down, which happened to me last time I made the journey). Jos is set against a lovely set of green hills and the weather is generally cooler than here. (British colonial administrators were actually required to take a few days vacation here a year to "recuperate" from the harsh northern Nigerian climate, and the city was a big hit with missionaries starting the turn of the 20th century.) The Jos region is also the breadbasket of Nigeria. They grow many more types of vegetables there (you see bright green spinach at the market, which is fantastic), so my yellow-cabbage-and-tomato diet is about to get a kick.

The only other news is that the girls working with me on my project have convinced me to get a traditional Nigerian dress made for myself. They're going to take me to the market on Wednesday after work to help me pick out the material. "Nothing too yellow or with too much of a pattern, though, since it will look on you," I was warned this morning. One of my RAs actually works in fashion normally (she has a degree in textile design and is trying to raise the start-up capital to open her own shop), and she suggested I go for something in a dark-blue color. It should be fun seeing how the tailoring works. Apparently, most of the dress-makers in Kaduna are Senegalese immigrants (ethnicized economies again...), and if the dresses that my RAs wear are any indication, their work is incredible.

OK, thanks to everyone for all of your emails. They've been a pleasure to read. I promise a more energetic update in a few days.