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Postdoctoral Fellow

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Magodo Estate in Nigeria (Nigeria Houses)

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Let me warn you right now, this here is me showing you too many pictures of and gushing about Nigerian Houses. Yeah, I know, of all things to gush about. By the way, if I ever retire and choose to go back to Nigeria, I hope to reside in one of these lovely buildings in Magodo. I have been out of Nigeria for so long that one of the things that caught my interest when I went back were the houses, especially Magodo Estate, a prestigious estate in Lagos state, Nigeria. Aren't these just lovely houses? I tell you, Nigerians don't build houses, they build mini mansions (when they can afford it). As long as you have the money to buy a plot of land (or a few acres), you are at liberty to build on it as you want. In the shape, size, and color that you want.  An Art Shop in Magodo In Nigeria, for the most part, people typically buy lands, rather than houses, and so, when thy build houses, it tends to reflect the taste of the owner. So no two houses ...
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Porto Novo, Republic of Benin

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There are no two places more divergent in architecture and economy than the cities of Porto Novo and Cotonou of the Republic of Benin. While I was in Nigeria in May, I went to the Republic of Benin. Why? Because it is so close geographically. It is bordered by Nigeria to the east and a trip from the heart of Lagos into the Seme Border will take you just about two hours by car. Also, my dad wanted to visit a few of his friends so I tagged along for the free ride, free food and ...well, free everything. When we got to the border, I wanted to take pictures but as is typical of many African states, there were fierce looking border patrol people in khaki-like uniforms, that I dared not act the tourist. Truth be told, the best bet in a place like that was to act as inconspicuous as possible and in a grey and black dress with cream-colored cropped cardigan, I blended quite well into the dusty air and grey clouds. Although the border is notoriously known for "unofficial transports...
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The Golden Gate Bridge

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Note: I wrote this blog post over a year ago (I know!), but never got around to posting it. So, here it is. "Pull yourself together, man." Who said this? Anyone? Anyone? No? Well, it was what Argus Filch told Hagrid before Hagrid led the kids into the forbidden forest (in Harry Potter). And it was what I told myself as I hesitated walking the Golden Gate Bridge. Ha ha, I see my "nerdiness" showing. After walking miles on the Shoreline Park in Mountain View the day before, I readied myself for another test of endurance (or lack thereof) the next day. I wanted to walk the Golden Gate Bridge. If you don't know, the bridge is close to 2 miles in length. You could walk all the length from the Presidio side to the Marina side and then choose to take a boat back (for a nominal fee, I suppose), or walk back if you are up to it, making a total of almost 4 miles forth and back the bridge. I chose to walk forth and back the bridge. There were people hanging...
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