Nigerian Internet Cafe...

It's just like any other internet cafes... A room filled with desks and

computers... people using computers... playing Mario's Adventure

and Championship Manager... blogging... surfing...

And that's about as far as the similarities go. The details couldn't be

any more different.

To begin with, it's in a room with metal cages on the windows and

doors. I know we got that in Thailand too, but this is more close to a

cage than burglar deterent.

Then, the computers are similar to the ones you used to use back in

high school, except the ones in Nigeria have some keys missing from

the keyboards...

But the most unique aspect of Nigerian internet cafe was the people

in it. They were Nigerians.

I have walked in to this place, wearing a white T-shirt and a pair of

shorts. Wearing shoes on bare feet, carrying only my room key and

enough money for the internet. The most effective measure against

all that's bad in Nigeria is probably this dress code, because I felt a

lot safer dressed that way. (Thanks to kind advises of fellow

bloggers.)

As I entered the place, the owner looked at me with slightly

suprised eyes, but didn't seem very amused by my appearance. He

simply asked, how many hours I'll be using the computer and I said

two and he pointed me to an empty computer, which I took without

saying another word.

I took out 500 Naira, and waited for the 100 Naira change, for I had

previously learned that it costs 200 Naira for 1 hour. The owner

gave me the change and asked if I've been here before, and I said I

did, and he returned to his desk, attending to whatever he was

doing before he was interrupted by my appearance.

I immediately typed 'www.nationmultimedia.com' and waited for

the page, which took a good 10 minutes to load.

But it took a lot less than 10 minutes for the Nigerian internet cafe

to begin talking to me.

'Hello man. How are you this evening?'

asks a man in T-shirt and jeans, sitting a couple of computers from

my right.

'I'm fine man. How about you?'

'I'm fine. China man?'

'No. Korea man.'

And we go back to minding our own business.

'What's that white string on your wrist?'

Asks the man in T-shirt.

'Oh, you mean this?'

What he was interested in was the 'sai sin' that I was wearing on my

wrist. I had gotten a 'sai sin' during the Songkran... my wife was the

one who tied it for me, and I've been wearing it ever since.

'It's a Buddist thing. It's for good luck.'

'So you are a Buddist man?'

'Not really. But I come from Thailand where everybody's Buddists.'

'Oh, I see... Korea man comes from Thailand huh...'

'Yeah... I live there.'

And the conversation continues, as if we were talking in an internet cafe in

Bangkok... Two people meeting for the first time, taking genuine

interest in each other... about their experience... their country and

history... about money... about how much it costs to buy a house in Thailand... etc etc...

Soon, all of the internet cafe joined in our conversation, each

contributing their stories, as I took turn to tell my stories about

Thailand...

2 hours had gone by, and between those 2 hours, I had walked in a

Nigerian Internet Cafe, and walked out of simply an internet cafe.