Nigeria: Always unique
Whoever survives in Nigeria can survive anywhere in the world! My trip to Nigeria started very well, but later on allowed me to live the most difficult experience of my life. My hands where still shaking when I wrote this notes down in my personal agenda. I arrived to Abidjan international airport on October 22 to have the pleasure to see I was traveling first class (thanks you Simone, you are the best travel agent of the world:). I checked -in quickly enough to enjoy the comfort of the VIP lounge.
The Bellview plane took off at 7:10 for a supposed 2 hours flight. At that point of time, I was not informed the company was celebrating the sad anniversary of its last crash. I started a smooth flight thanks to a fairly good service, a smiling crew for the 9 people in the first class area, among which four Europeans, the only on the plane.
The first part of the trip when on smoothly until our unique stop over, Accra; we then headed for Lagos. Comfortably seated, I was relaxing, setting goals for my visit and visualizing the key moments of a visit that received a particular attention during my preparation. Partly because I always loved the country, even before joining AIESEC, but also because I knew the country was having problems as big as its potential.
I was half asleep when I was awaken by a sudden and loud shout, and realized the plane was shaking dangerously, bending from one side to the other, all distress lights on! In normal planes, perturbations last for three to five minutes, and passengers remain quite quiet, but it was totally different because Nigerians apparently live with the phobia of a plane crash. In a country having about four major plane crashes each year, it’s understandable. Last year after a crash the President publicly criticized the administration for systematically embezzling the funds allocated to air safety. One air France pilot had the trauma of his life when landing on Lagos International airport pist he found his plane face to face with cows!
In the plane that night, all passengers, except me and the four Europeans, were frantically shouting, praying all their Gods, in all possible languages. For the next 20 minutes, the plane went on loosing altitude, and each time it moved abruptly, people shouted louder, some begging “Jesus to control of the plane”. No crew member available, no communication with the passengers. I said to myself, amidst the chaos, that’s it. The moment of truth has come, Habib, get ready. Good joke. I then realized shit there is no way to get ready to Die!
I’ve had so many reflective moments in and outside AIESEC conferences, when I’ve figured myself on the verge of Death to better draft my legacy. On that plane, at that minute, I realized at that all the exercises I had done were all ridiculous! This was real life and reaaaaaaaal Death as well! Only two pictures were present in my mind: the picture of the past, and the picture of the near future. On the first picture, I could see my childhood, my AI team I cherished, the other people I’ve met within AIESEC, some I possibly wronged unwillingly, and others I loved without expressing my affection. It’s strange, how all the things I valued lost their importance in that moment: I was not thinking about my professional achievements, my degrees, my successes in AIESEC, all these were worthless. I was naked before the face of Death.
On the picture of the future, I had only one thought, the fear of suffering physically in the crash.
As sudden as it all started, things went down for about ten minutes. During that break, I said to myself Habib, you such a freak! After all the flights you have done, you shouldn’t be this scared! But compared to the other passengers, I was quite stoic.
When the plane started its mortal dance again, the passengers lost all control, men frantically hitting the floor with the legs, women bursting into tears. I caught myself thinking if I ever escape this, I would spend the rest of my life selling groundnuts in a scrappy Nigerian city out of nowhere, just to make sure I’m not leaving the beloved ground anymore, until the day I peacefully go 6 feet under!
For 25 minutes, the plane kept loosing altitude and bending from one side to another, but miraculously regaining its previous position. The confusion was at its peak in the plane; I looked at my watch. We were supposed to be in Lagos 35 minutes ago but there was no Lagos in view. During that second period, I had only one thought, the things I didn’t do as I was saying to myself: Not Now: I was concerned about the 12 countries I still had to visit, the issues AI would have to replace me.
When the tires of the plane touched the ground, the passengers, ignoring the warnings of the crew, sprang out of their seats and joined their hands in a group prayer. I went out of the arrival corridor to realize no one was waiting for me at the airport, despite the fact I sent my arrival details to the MC about one month before. But I that very moment, I didn’t care having people to pick me up; I was happy to be there, alive, and ready to get back to the fulfilling job of mine.
During the 12 days of my visit, I’ve been through everything: I’ve traveled 28 hours by road to chair the national conference, I have been a first hand witness of a crisis that resulted on the firing of the whole MC team by the LCs, have been packed at the back of an ancient bike in the heart of Lagos, going to a meeting with a CEO of a company making 1, 2 billion dollars turnover, ate Eba and Egusi soup, I have had stomach aches for 48 hours, etc.
On November 29th a Boeing 737 took off against the instructions of the tour diagnosing dangerous weather conditions; God is taking care of my plane, the pilot objected before taking off. The plane crashed after flying only 4 km, killing 96 innocents. I was then advised by some multinational companies I meet while in Lagos to fly only Virgin or Aero contractors.
Nigeria is the country I know better among the ones I’m visiting; still I was not expecting such an emotive visit. The encounter with Nigeria will definitely remain one of the moments I'll cherish all my life; such talented and bright minds getting along with crap and mediocrity was thrilling.
I've seen delegates showing up to the morning plenary with more than two hour late, but working eight hours in a row without eating or even drinking a glass of water! I've seen people attending sessions until 11 pm without complaining! Waking up to realize there's no water for a bath, no breakfast ready but still go for the morning plenary with a broad smile.
On personal level, I certainly learn a lot on how to build a supportive environment and help others feel comfortable and energized.
As I leave Nigeria, I can’t help thinking about the key lesson I learnt here: Love is all that matters, the rest is vain. If you read these lines, you are lucky. Cherish this moment and make something of every minute of your life. Identify your way to give and receive love. Mine is a total dedication to each and every AIESEC country I visit.
The Bellview plane took off at 7:10 for a supposed 2 hours flight. At that point of time, I was not informed the company was celebrating the sad anniversary of its last crash. I started a smooth flight thanks to a fairly good service, a smiling crew for the 9 people in the first class area, among which four Europeans, the only on the plane.
The first part of the trip when on smoothly until our unique stop over, Accra; we then headed for Lagos. Comfortably seated, I was relaxing, setting goals for my visit and visualizing the key moments of a visit that received a particular attention during my preparation. Partly because I always loved the country, even before joining AIESEC, but also because I knew the country was having problems as big as its potential.
I was half asleep when I was awaken by a sudden and loud shout, and realized the plane was shaking dangerously, bending from one side to the other, all distress lights on! In normal planes, perturbations last for three to five minutes, and passengers remain quite quiet, but it was totally different because Nigerians apparently live with the phobia of a plane crash. In a country having about four major plane crashes each year, it’s understandable. Last year after a crash the President publicly criticized the administration for systematically embezzling the funds allocated to air safety. One air France pilot had the trauma of his life when landing on Lagos International airport pist he found his plane face to face with cows!
In the plane that night, all passengers, except me and the four Europeans, were frantically shouting, praying all their Gods, in all possible languages. For the next 20 minutes, the plane went on loosing altitude, and each time it moved abruptly, people shouted louder, some begging “Jesus to control of the plane”. No crew member available, no communication with the passengers. I said to myself, amidst the chaos, that’s it. The moment of truth has come, Habib, get ready. Good joke. I then realized shit there is no way to get ready to Die!
I’ve had so many reflective moments in and outside AIESEC conferences, when I’ve figured myself on the verge of Death to better draft my legacy. On that plane, at that minute, I realized at that all the exercises I had done were all ridiculous! This was real life and reaaaaaaaal Death as well! Only two pictures were present in my mind: the picture of the past, and the picture of the near future. On the first picture, I could see my childhood, my AI team I cherished, the other people I’ve met within AIESEC, some I possibly wronged unwillingly, and others I loved without expressing my affection. It’s strange, how all the things I valued lost their importance in that moment: I was not thinking about my professional achievements, my degrees, my successes in AIESEC, all these were worthless. I was naked before the face of Death.
On the picture of the future, I had only one thought, the fear of suffering physically in the crash.
As sudden as it all started, things went down for about ten minutes. During that break, I said to myself Habib, you such a freak! After all the flights you have done, you shouldn’t be this scared! But compared to the other passengers, I was quite stoic.
When the plane started its mortal dance again, the passengers lost all control, men frantically hitting the floor with the legs, women bursting into tears. I caught myself thinking if I ever escape this, I would spend the rest of my life selling groundnuts in a scrappy Nigerian city out of nowhere, just to make sure I’m not leaving the beloved ground anymore, until the day I peacefully go 6 feet under!
For 25 minutes, the plane kept loosing altitude and bending from one side to another, but miraculously regaining its previous position. The confusion was at its peak in the plane; I looked at my watch. We were supposed to be in Lagos 35 minutes ago but there was no Lagos in view. During that second period, I had only one thought, the things I didn’t do as I was saying to myself: Not Now: I was concerned about the 12 countries I still had to visit, the issues AI would have to replace me.
When the tires of the plane touched the ground, the passengers, ignoring the warnings of the crew, sprang out of their seats and joined their hands in a group prayer. I went out of the arrival corridor to realize no one was waiting for me at the airport, despite the fact I sent my arrival details to the MC about one month before. But I that very moment, I didn’t care having people to pick me up; I was happy to be there, alive, and ready to get back to the fulfilling job of mine.
During the 12 days of my visit, I’ve been through everything: I’ve traveled 28 hours by road to chair the national conference, I have been a first hand witness of a crisis that resulted on the firing of the whole MC team by the LCs, have been packed at the back of an ancient bike in the heart of Lagos, going to a meeting with a CEO of a company making 1, 2 billion dollars turnover, ate Eba and Egusi soup, I have had stomach aches for 48 hours, etc.
On November 29th a Boeing 737 took off against the instructions of the tour diagnosing dangerous weather conditions; God is taking care of my plane, the pilot objected before taking off. The plane crashed after flying only 4 km, killing 96 innocents. I was then advised by some multinational companies I meet while in Lagos to fly only Virgin or Aero contractors.
Nigeria is the country I know better among the ones I’m visiting; still I was not expecting such an emotive visit. The encounter with Nigeria will definitely remain one of the moments I'll cherish all my life; such talented and bright minds getting along with crap and mediocrity was thrilling.
I've seen delegates showing up to the morning plenary with more than two hour late, but working eight hours in a row without eating or even drinking a glass of water! I've seen people attending sessions until 11 pm without complaining! Waking up to realize there's no water for a bath, no breakfast ready but still go for the morning plenary with a broad smile.
On personal level, I certainly learn a lot on how to build a supportive environment and help others feel comfortable and energized.
As I leave Nigeria, I can’t help thinking about the key lesson I learnt here: Love is all that matters, the rest is vain. If you read these lines, you are lucky. Cherish this moment and make something of every minute of your life. Identify your way to give and receive love. Mine is a total dedication to each and every AIESEC country I visit.
1 Comments:
After this experience, you cherish the value of life. But above all, above all the prayers, above the speed showreel of life, there's smile. Smile and Laugh!!!
At the same time you are best place to imagine how those passengers of Kenya Airways flight felt in the face of death on May 4th in Cameroon.
May their souls rest in peace!!!
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