My Stormy day

Ok.  So here we are again.  Me trying to share my thoughts and opinions with you.  I got locked out of my previous blog- makarenablogs, so I started a new one!  Hopefully I'll be more consistent this time.
Well its a wet day in Lagos.  One of my returnee friends actually referred to what happened this morning as a 'tropical storm' on FB.  It WAS quite blustery, and I even thought I heard hailstones, but I couldn't help laughing out loud at one of the comments she got- someone asking her what she was feeling like decribing Lagos rain as a 'tropical storm', Mungo Park?  Indeed it was a tropical storm, it's just nobody expects a Nigerian living in Nigeria to describe good old rain and hail as a 'tropical storm'.  Well it was certainly stormy enough to send my cable dish out of whack.  I am now waiting for the 'installer' to come and tilt it back into position to receive the satellite signal. 
They say God works in mysterious ways- once again, right on the money, because I probably would not have done this first post on my new blog if my signal was fine.  I'd like to believe I would have had the descipline to follow through, but I'm just not so sure (sigh).
I was at one of the Visa Application Centres this morning to submit an application for a UK visa.  I must say I'm impressed with the speed and efficiency with with the process was dealt with, once we actually got to go into the centre- which happened 30 minutes behind schedule because- you guessed it- the 'Tropical Storm' kept the workers from getting to work on time!  Quite a few of them had to push past us clients on the queue to get into their office!  Interesting that the apllicants somehow still managed to get there (sort of ) on time despite the storm, and the workers didn't.
Pardon me if I'm too quick with my praise.  It may be because I've been living in South Africa for the past six years, and therefore have not applied for a visa in Nigeria for quite a few years now.  My memories are of sliding on your bottom across a dingy bench outside of a visa office until it came time to go in; going into a poorly lit room smelling of stale, unwashed, or spiritually perfumed bodies, and sliding along on your bottom some more until it came time to sit across the glass pane from some poorly paid civil servant on a mission to 'catch' Nigerians trying to sneak into their countries the enjoy the 'good life' while they were sweating here in Lagos.  To be fair, I never had a personal encounter with one of those, but I did witness one or two such encounters.
Of course the experience this morning would not be complete without the story of the guards asking for 'something for the boys' or 'anything for minerals' on my way out, despite the large signs all over the centre advising clients to desist from tipping their staff, but to rather fill an 'appreciation log'. Interesting.  Maybe I should have asked to fill it, just to see what it looks like?  Would I mention the specific staff member I'm so appreciative of?  Would this translate into some benefit for such staff- monetary reward or award, a public mention?  Would the staff find this as gratifying as the would-be 'something for minerals'?