What living in Lagos teaches you about luxury (and bus curtains)

Spring is when our expat life slows to a crawl.

The weather never changes much in Lagos, but it’s especially noticeable in Spring. While much of North America is still enjoying cool air and budding gardens, here the air hangs still, heavy with heat, humidity and the smell of rotting trash.

This Spring, the Lagos government decided it was finally time to repair the Lekki Expressway, a highway that’s so slow, street vendors weave in and out of the traffic selling things: strawberries, phone chargers, parrots, socks and art. It’s the Lagos version of Amazon. The plan for the 64-day repair is to close one side of the highway and redirect all cars to the other side. So now the road which barely functioned at full capacity has been cut in half.

Several mornings, the kids’ commute to school has exceeded two hours. You do the math. A two-hour bus ride, plus twenty children ages 3 to 10—some of whom drank apple juice with breakfast, with no safe or company-approved places to pull over…The result isn’t pretty.

There was also the time - granted this was last year - when a child puked on the bus. Planning for anything ahead of time is not a cultural value here and of course, we had no resources for such a bio-disaster. So, the child improvised. He wiped his mouth with the bus window curtain.

The window curtain.

Even the small escapes we attempt within Lagos, still carry the consequences of living in a developing country. I was vividly reminded of this last weekend. CJ and I had gone on a lovely brunch date. We do this every now and then, leave the kids at home with our stewardess and go on a search for some version of normal life.

This particular day we had gone to a local spa where I got my nails done while he got a massage. Then we went to a cute local restaurant. We ordered fresh juices and breakfast. He ate every bite of his eggs and bacon, gently pushed his plate towards the middle of the table and said, “wow, that was really good.” Then, without even a second, thought added, “I’ll probably have diarrhea later.”

This is our life here.

Funny.

But not comedian funny.

Sad-funny.

Frustrated-funny.

You could cry, but laughing is better for you.

There’s not a cocktail in the world strong enough to help.

(Trust me. We’ve checked.)

Because of all this, I’m proud we finally made it to spring break. Made it, as if we finished a marathon. Although the full marathon of our expat lives in Lagos is ongoing. It’s more like we made it to a water station.

I’ll take it.

For runners water stations are a welcome reprieve. A place to rest, rehydrate and breathe.

I’m usually seeking adventure and novelty when I start vacation planning. But we get so many non-optional adventures by simply living here, that this trip I only want to rest. So, we traded luxury for low-key and booked a half beach, half safari trip at a third of the cost of our fancy safari last year.

Sometimes you need simplicity:

• A beach chair to sit with only the sound of the ocean waves in the distance. No honking. No yelling. No phone conversations on speaker at full volume.

• A place to witness the beauty of God’s creation, instead of trash-lined streets, dotted with men urinating openly along them, as you do in Lagos.

• The company of your own people, instead of, say, the time I walked into the bathroom at my gym to find I had accidentally joined someone’s live FaceTime call which they had left live, camera on…while they were busy in the stall.

After almost three years here, it’s strange what starts to feel like enough.

I find myself craving less, not more.

Less traffic. Less interruptions. Less noise.

It’s luxury - redefined.

P.S.

If you need a great Africa beach recommendation - Kinondo Kwetu, the resort we are currently at is AMAZING, decently priced and has proven to be very family friendly. It’s upscale, while still offering good value (you can get a facial or massage for $50 USD) and has an authentic feel in every detail of the stay.

P.P.S.

Other upcoming travels for our family include Croatia, America, Morrocco, and not one, but two short trips to Amsterdam! Can you actually get enough of Amsterdam, though? I always story trips these on Instagram. If you want to join the fun, you can find me @thecaffeinatedginger_