Extraordinary Cool
Greetings from Nigeria—the land of the green and white, the Super
Eagles, Nollywood, and now the sOccket! Arriving just over a week ago, my summer journey with our “magic ball”
actually began while I was en route to Nigeria, with a brief
“encounter” with Frankfurt Airport security in Germany. Though the
bewildered expressions of the security personnel as they viewed the
x-ray images of the ball were a hilarious sight to be remembered, the
best part was how easy it was to explain what the sOccket is to this
group of stern safety professionals. With one quick insertion of the
lamp into the sOccket, requests for my passport were replaced with
exclamations of the ball’s “awesomeness.” I was even able to get one
of the security guards to take a picture with the sOccket! Leaving Frankfurt, I landed in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria and one
of the newest cities in the country in terms of design and
development. While there, I introduced the sOccket to the Senior
Advisor of the Governor of Adamawa, a state in the northern region of
Nigeria. Having already learned of the ball from our recent CNN
publicity, he was excited for the opportunity to play with the actual
product and perhaps introduce the sOccket to the young children of
Adamawa’s public schools. After a short stay in Abuja, I headed off to Lagos--the former capital
of Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa—for my uncle’s
wedding festivities and more opportunities to introduce the sOccket. A
vibrant and bustling metropolis, Lagos is filled with people of
various socioeconomic levels, but no one is immune to the daily
troubles of unreliable power access. For some, this means living with
the constant buzz of power generators and blinking dim lights. But for
most, this means living by a schedule of daylight and candlelight with
few alternatives. Fortunately, in both cases the sOccket has thus far
proved a useful tool. While inside my aunt’s home preparing for the
traditional wedding ceremony, we could use the sOccket for light as we
put on our ceremonial beads. In the small shops down Liasu Street,
where 1 or 2 light bulbs are meant to illuminate a whole store, light
from the sOccket could keep business going when the power was out. Still, there is nothing like feedback from the youngsters to put
things in perspective. My 2-year-old cousin, Richard, for example, was
so excited to have a proper football, the whole kinetic energy/light
factor didn’t matter. And for 8-year-old Eyo who I met in the dress
shop, only one simple phrase could describe the football/energy
combination that is the sOccket: “extraordinary cool.” Signing off 'til next time,
Jessica M. PICTURES
1. Thanks to the German security guard who agreed to take this pic!
2. My sister and brother in Frankfurt Airport
3. Captain Mohammed Dandiyya, Senior Advisor to the Governor of Adamawa
4. My uncle in his native garb before the wedding
5-6. Pictures of Lagos at night; examples of 1 light bulb/candle light
7. A child struggling to read while with his mom in a shop on Liasu street.
8. My cousin Richard does NOT like to be messed with when he has his sOcckets.
9-10. Eyo and his sister playing with the sOccket
Eagles, Nollywood, and now the sOccket! Arriving just over a week ago, my summer journey with our “magic ball”
actually began while I was en route to Nigeria, with a brief
“encounter” with Frankfurt Airport security in Germany. Though the
bewildered expressions of the security personnel as they viewed the
x-ray images of the ball were a hilarious sight to be remembered, the
best part was how easy it was to explain what the sOccket is to this
group of stern safety professionals. With one quick insertion of the
lamp into the sOccket, requests for my passport were replaced with
exclamations of the ball’s “awesomeness.” I was even able to get one
of the security guards to take a picture with the sOccket! Leaving Frankfurt, I landed in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria and one
of the newest cities in the country in terms of design and
development. While there, I introduced the sOccket to the Senior
Advisor of the Governor of Adamawa, a state in the northern region of
Nigeria. Having already learned of the ball from our recent CNN
publicity, he was excited for the opportunity to play with the actual
product and perhaps introduce the sOccket to the young children of
Adamawa’s public schools. After a short stay in Abuja, I headed off to Lagos--the former capital
of Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa—for my uncle’s
wedding festivities and more opportunities to introduce the sOccket. A
vibrant and bustling metropolis, Lagos is filled with people of
various socioeconomic levels, but no one is immune to the daily
troubles of unreliable power access. For some, this means living with
the constant buzz of power generators and blinking dim lights. But for
most, this means living by a schedule of daylight and candlelight with
few alternatives. Fortunately, in both cases the sOccket has thus far
proved a useful tool. While inside my aunt’s home preparing for the
traditional wedding ceremony, we could use the sOccket for light as we
put on our ceremonial beads. In the small shops down Liasu Street,
where 1 or 2 light bulbs are meant to illuminate a whole store, light
from the sOccket could keep business going when the power was out. Still, there is nothing like feedback from the youngsters to put
things in perspective. My 2-year-old cousin, Richard, for example, was
so excited to have a proper football, the whole kinetic energy/light
factor didn’t matter. And for 8-year-old Eyo who I met in the dress
shop, only one simple phrase could describe the football/energy
combination that is the sOccket: “extraordinary cool.” Signing off 'til next time,
Jessica M. PICTURES
1. Thanks to the German security guard who agreed to take this pic!
2. My sister and brother in Frankfurt Airport
3. Captain Mohammed Dandiyya, Senior Advisor to the Governor of Adamawa
4. My uncle in his native garb before the wedding
5-6. Pictures of Lagos at night; examples of 1 light bulb/candle light
7. A child struggling to read while with his mom in a shop on Liasu street.
8. My cousin Richard does NOT like to be messed with when he has his sOcckets.
9-10. Eyo and his sister playing with the sOccket
