Ferries

My perception of the ferry has changed. The precariously tilting barge tied to a canoe with people expressly told to get out of their car and sit along the highest side of the canoe so as to “level” the barge was nowhere to be seen. Rather, a large platform consisting of two levels extended before me. I was directed, not by four people all shouting different directions at the same time, but by one person, silently waving me forward up a ramp, while not having yet even seen a boat! This brought me to a ramp that was wide enough to fit four vehicles at the same time. From there I was directed to the left, and alongside a row five cars wide, hardly noticing I had already entered the ferry! I parked where indicated, and that was that. The car vibrated and shook slightly in a rhythm that I could not make out as anything but random. Perhaps the two engines were slightly out of sync as they idled while we all drove on. Amazingly, I could not even feel the slightest adjustment to our ferry as more and more cars and large trucks got on! Below me was another deck filled with more vehicles than were on mine. Above me was a large seating area for perhaps 1,500 additional passengers, besides those who chose to wait out the 1½ hour ride in their one of the 360 or so cars on board traveling at an average speed of 22 knots (25mph/40kph)! So much for the three cars sandwiched onto a dilapidated and worn out World War II section of floating bridge attached to a hollowed-out hand-crafted canoe that regularly tosses its load into the river at some point!

The passenger seating area had a gift shop, a restaurant, restrooms (toilets), and any manner of seating areas and positions. Once again, I was struck by the ingenuity and ability of mankind when they work together to accomplish something far bigger than themselves that benefits so very many people who have come to rely on and expect such services! When will we in Nigeria come to realize that the ONLY way to move forward is to set aside our differences and work together?! In Nigeria, we easily and quickly state our differences and claim that Westerners have more mutually in common than Africans. Yet, I am coming to realize that this is an inaccurate perception on the part of Africans. Rather, the cultural differences are truly diverse! Chinese, Japanese, Indians (First Nation as they are now supposed to be called), Dutch, Italian, Danish, Kenyan, Sudanese, and pretty much any nationality you can think of, all set aside their differences to accomplish great things!

The past few days have been spent visiting with friends and lost acquaintances. I was privileged to spend time with some dear friends I lost touch with over the past years. To have a common bond and to so readily feel comfortable in the presence of people I have not seen in over 25 years is just amazing! There is this common bond with people who have shared a common life and experience. Few can relate to such experiences, and so when we meet again, we have a common bond that eludes most other friendships. Somehow, that shared African experience has bonded me to even those I have not met earlier in a way that surpasses expectations.