DAY 17 - Bye bye Enugu if we can!

After the second day of consumer visits, it was time to get back home and for me, to real home - Istanbul! The plan was to come back to Lagos with 3.40pm flight and then I'd stay around the airport until 1am flight to Istanbul. Perfect!!!!

Unlike Lagos, Enugu Airport was silent and not that crowded, which made me relaxed at the beginning (no photo unfortunately as I was told not to take photos again :)). There was no online check-in with the local airlines so when we got to check-in desk, a surprise was waiting for us: NO ELECTRICITY! OMG, there is no electricity (which I can perfectly understand) but there is NO generator at the AIRPORT!!!!???? I was first worried about the check-in but after a few minutes of waiting, the lady at the counter decided to provide the check-in tickets manually (without the computer). I was just happy about the check-in but then when I looked true the window, my happiness went away quickly. There was no plane and there would not be any soon as there was no electricity and no radar working to guide the planes to the airport. The woman at the counter was so relaxed and said it happened all the time & sometimes the flight got cancelled or delayed to the next day. WHATT?? DELAYY??? I had a flight in 10 hours so I needed to find a way to Lagos in this 10 hours. 

We passed the security control and found a sit at the waiting lounge. To be honest, I was really nervous but we began to joke about it rather than getting frustrated. Moki (brand manager) and Dipo (research manager) started explaining their horrible flight stories how it was cancelled, how they were left without cash, how the flight ended in somewhere else, so on. I was laughing but also was checking the planes to see if there was any landing. 

After stressful 1 hour, the lady announced that our plane has just arrived and would be leaving with 1 hour delay!!!! yaaaaaayyyyyy

Everything was perfectly fine and we arrived Lagos with 1 hour delay.

My driver welcomed us at the gate and we went to nearest Sheraton for natural break and food until my flight.

While I was waiting for the flight at the lounge, a guy rushed into it to charge his laptop. He did not have the right plug for Nigeria and I was so generous and kind (with the positive feelings that I was going home :)) to lend the plug to him. Then we started chatted about what I was doing and the key question: where I was living. :) When I answer this question, the immediate reply has been "why" so far. And the trend did not change with this guy as well. I told him I was moving to Nigeria and he was shocked with my answer. We talked a few more words and then turned back to computer screens. After a few minutes, he asked the same question as he could not figure out why a girl like me (alone) would like to live in this country - which he described as the worst among African countries he had seen. I think I am developing an immunity to these type of questions / reactions as I found myself talking about the beauties of Nigeria (warm weather, easy life with driver & house keeper, good company & people, Africa experience, himm what else what else?? :))) and how I embraced it. Even I could not believe in myself how much I had digested everything in just three months. He was also surprised to see me so cool about the change and opened myself to the adventure. :)) Did I really embrace it faster than I thought? Now I cannot believe how fast a human-being can adapt to changing situations even in the negative direction.

Africa, here I come! what else can explain my feelings :)))