Approximately three quarters of the staff at the Lagos office were Nigerians, ranging from drivers to doctors. The rest, including myself, were working in Nigeria as expatriates and represented a broad spectrum of the globe- Ethiopia, Holland, France, Sierra Leone, and the United States. It would seem that communication would be a problem between so many different nationalities, but any cultural gaps were usually bridged by our common purpose in working for MSF.

I was surprised that senior management and medical staff never strolled around with an ego trip. Compared to my previous work experiences, it was refreshing to work with people who were used to dealing with high stress situations and who didn't blow their top easily or approach others in a condescending manner.

One of the highpoints of each day was getting together for our staff lunch, which usually contained both Western and Nigerian dishes. For a foreigner, Nigerian food takes a little getting used to. It typically consists of manioc (called "fufu" or "semovita") or yam pounded into a blobby paste (imagine mashed potatoes but more solid) and accompanied by a scorching hot stew with beef or stockfish. Anyone who tackled a full ball of "fufu" could be ensured of spending the rest of the afternoon in a food coma with a bloated stomach.