IITA

To celebrate my friend Queen Lizzy turning 24 we drove up to another state around 3 hours north of Lagos. Queeny drove us and even though we got lost on some detours and misguided directions we found the resort and resting place called IITA (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture) You can book a room and enjoy the peace of the campus. "Africa's leading research partner in finding solutions for hunger and poverty" (www.iita.org) 100 acres of per bliss.

After or crazed drive through Nigeria we arrived and were all ready to relax. We had such a great time exploring the trees and seeds that make this place a little haven. Each day we walked around the research fields, looped the lake at sunset and cooled off in the pool.

The best part was the cheap and delicious food. Where else in Nigeria can you get a vanilla soft serve for only 120 naira! This is less than 50 cents. Needless to say sometimes we would have two in a row.

Actually, there was something that topped the food and it was the chance to stroll through nature and behold the beauty of freshly opened water lilies, twittering yellow weavers building their upside down nests, and the drunken jig of butterflies. I felt myself returning to the peace and serenity that is so absent in my daily Lagos grind.