Jill Rees: Welcome Press

But which way is this reversal? Protection or bad luck? Well my Buddhist practise has been very strong and I’ve been able to turn poison into medicine this week, the week of our first Soka Educators International Forum. How strange it has been to be staying with Stephanie, who started the SEIN forums as a response to Sensei’s declaration of the first ten years of this century being dedicated to a new educators model and the Earth Charter, reading the blog and then turning to discuss things with her in person!

Finally, as they weren’t taking the steps I judged had to be done in order to establish this as a British Curriculum School, I resigned, thinking they would turn down my resignation and agree to my proposal. Instead, they accepted my resignation.

A Nigerian person is now in charge. The teachers phoned me in tears, thanking me for their jobs and for all I had done for them, which was basically giving them confidence by introducing them to the value creating method and to trust their and the childrens’ capacity.

I got a bit fed up with everyone giving me Buddhist guidance to be proactive, as I had already arranged a meeting with the editor of the newspaper Leadership, who wanted an article from me as an expat. I gave them ‘Martin Guerre’ and they commissioned me for a column every Sunday. While at the school I felt unable to do this, as a headteacher is a public role and I felt there would be conflict. However this was just what I have been chanting for, to publish my articles.

Stephanie and I then decided to collaborate on a methodology triumvate for the establishment of the Earth Charter principles here in Nigeria Delta region, where they are trying to found child centred education. We are starting that now. She has already produced an Earth Charter Handbook, and is working on a Dialog skills book, so my part will be the education one. Strangely this has all come up on the SEIN blog this week too, including a very pertinent entry from a member in the SW who took a leading role in our Earth Charter exhibition.

Princess Omo then called with an appointment to meet her Senator friend who is on the committee of an NGO to establish child centred schools in the Delta Region, I’ll see him tomorrow. At any rate my plan is to return to write my thingy and apply for jobs here in January. It is much better to apply out of the country as you then get the benefits of being an expat, which should include housing, health insurance, air tickets etc. This is a hellish place, a muddy swamp, but apparently I understand Nigeria better than any other white person, according to the US Embassy. I’m just starting to find my way around too, and Africa is like malaria, it stays in your system.

Today we had the Buddhist meeting, and I had done my swashbuckling trust in the Gohonzon thing and promised to give a fantastic experience of victory this week. In yet another strange coincidence, Bob was on that very flight to Amsterdam, on his way to Washington to receive an award for economic development. Because I had promised the experience, and also was due to give the study lecture for the November exam, I felt bad about going. I changed my flight at the Sheraton.

The young man on the computer of KLM muttered and fumbled for an hour then declared that he’d accidentally voided my ticket. I nearly collapsed, but managed to smile confidently so he gathered himself and called for help. After another forty minutes of chaos, during which Stephanie called in - they had been at a UNESCO conference at the hotel on ……child centred education in the Delta region, see how it’s all coming together? - they managed to book my flight for later this week.

It is because I had the courage to stay on this week for the sake of the Lotus Sutra that I have been able to receive the benefits of the Senator and UNESCO, arranging my column with the newspaper, and working with Stephanie this week. Also I’m trying to get a bit of a tan. You avoid the sun here as much as you can, and there is no possibility of having a finer complexion than the locals to motivate you, so you stay the colour you arrive here with. I’ve also got Stephanie into swimming, which is good.

The Buddhist meeting was fine, with another guest and some members absent due to receiving benefits and awards and having to go collect them. I managed to do the study and incorporate my experience, and support local members. Then we had a meeting on developing the district, for which my experiences in Somerset were invaluable, as they are where we were three years ago I would say. After, we went to Southern Chicken where we had horrible food and coca cola. Finally, after more conversation on the Earth Charter, we went off with Jane next door in the diplomatic car to Salamanders cafe, which is showing art films now every Sunday. The film was a seventies film from Senegal, which I loved of course and enjoyed French Africa, oh civilisation, just hanging with Amboise made me realise how different the former French colonies are.

So the questions I would ask anyone who reads this post and would like to reply are, why is Nigeria so very horrible and corrupt? Is it the fault of the British rule? And why in the Delta region, where they are swimming in oil, are they among the poorest, least well-educated people in the world? That is the area where there are the kidnappings.

Finally, Kelly’s assessment, ‘Believe me, Jill, it’s only about money. Every decision in Nigeria is financial.’

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