A Pub in the Night

I enjoy a dark pub.  In fact I love a dark pub with a couple of friends and good conversation even more.  Now add some greasy pub food to the dark pub with a couple of friends and good conversation, and it is a recipe for an almost perfect Saturday evening.  (While I am on the topic of pubs and food, let me say that the hamburger at Cheers Bar is pretty good.  Now, I am not a regular burger eater, but as a red-blooded American AND a boy from the South, a good hamburger is comfort food.  Sometimes a good burger can give me a needed warm-fuzzy inside.  After the week I had, a warm-fuzzy was what I needed.  The Cheers burger came on a homemade bun, and the green salad, while not the greenest, was a fresh alternative to what I’ve been eating. The beef patty was not amazing, but definitely edible and contributed to my stress relief last night.)

Unlike many expatriates who are brought to work in Port Harcourt, I have not been given safety restrictions to my movements.  I know people who only move around with armed escorts, and I have talked with people whose companies do not allow them to go out in the evenings at all.  They can host at their homes, but they are not allowed to go out to the local dark pub.  When preparing to move here, I was made aware of certain safety concerns related to the area, and I did my own research regarding the matter.  If you do a bit of research about Port Harcourt, you cannot avoid finding stories about the kidnappings that plague the area. 

Today’s Port Harcourt is not the Port Harcourt of 2006, but unfortunately, kidnapping is still a reality.  I have talked to many people (nationals and expats) regarding the security situation, and almost everyone I have spoken to assures me that the situation is much better than it was, that I live in a relatively secure neighbourhood and do not work with the petroleum industry so I should be fine moving about.  Well, I want to believe them, then I read articles like this and this.  But then again, did reading an article like this one stop me from going to the cinema when I was in the US in August?  I must admit that this incident did make me question going to big public gatherings in Uganda.  However, I did not stop because the proud streak that runs through my spine made me refuse to be prisoner in a city I considered my home.  The day I feel comfortable and confident in my surroundings in Port Harcourt cannot come too soon.  While I am possibly erring on the side of caution and staying at home more than I really need to, I cannot be a prisoner of my own insecurities.  I must get out on a regular basis.  Wisely (I think) I never go out alone, and I have been fortunate enough to have already made a few friends in the city who can help me discover my new surroundings and with whom I can comfortably enjoy an evening drink and/or meal.