http://blog.ljwood.com Just another WordPress weblog Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:15:19 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en We filmed for nearly a month. Image after image, day after day. But of all the things we saw, it was the faces of the people that imprinted most strongly on my heart. take a look. http://blog.ljwood.com/?p=29 I began thinking about going back to Nigeria before our return flight touched down in the U.S. Although I had just had one of the most immersive experiences of my life, there was still so much I didn't know. The Niger Delta story is enormous and enormously complex. Not only ... http://blog.ljwood.com/?p=26 Nigeria was hot -- in so many ways. One of them was obvious right off the bat: the weather. I have been in America's version of really hot. I'm not talking about the clean, dry heat of the desert -- if you ask me, this is the wimp definition of ... http://blog.ljwood.com/?p=21 Lagos almost defies description. So much of our time there was spent simply getting from one place to another. And I came to believe that much of the city's spirit is embodied within those cacophonous streets. Having grown up in New York I thought I knew a thing or two about ... http://blog.ljwood.com/?p=18 A sampling of some of the places we passed and visited before going to Oporoza village. get on the road. http://blog.ljwood.com/?p=17 We took some eye-opening field trips. In the course of one long day, I experienced a wide range of feelings. Anger at the devastation -- both environmental and social -- brought by careless and greedy oil production. Wonder at the unfailing hospitality of people whose spirits remain unbroken. And profound ... http://blog.ljwood.com/?p=16 Just about everywhere we went in Nigeria, we were met with the same lovely phrase, intoned in the deep, musical Nigerian voice: "You are welcome." But nothing matched what waited for us at the end of our two-hour speedboat ride from Warri to Oporoza. see the festivities. http://blog.ljwood.com/?p=15 An extraordinary group. 19 Americans, 21 Nigerians. All passionate, talented, interesting, ready for just about anything. Deep connections, many new lifelong friends. Big group shots courtesy Pam Dore. meet the delegates. http://blog.ljwood.com/?p=7 GCJ journeys include a community service project. Ours was helping fund and build the Niger Delta Friendship Library in Oporoza. take a look. http://blog.ljwood.com/?p=14 Oporoza is a small village in the Niger Delta, accessible only by boat. This is where we lived and worked -- building the Niger Detla Friendship Library and many heartfelt friendships. experience oporoza. http://blog.ljwood.com/?p=13