Saadoun Street

In August 2021 I spent 3 weeks in Lagos coaching the Nigerian top squash players and delivering a coach education programme.  This was the result of 4 years of discussion and planning, with Covid-19 getting in the way...but not stopping us! 

The visit was colourful, vibrant and super enjoyable, I love spending time with such a wonderful group of people and I am around to now say friends!  

This podcast shares  my time and experience in Nigeria with you....enjoy.

Music credits: WizKid - Essence. 

Having arrived in Lagos, I eventually get through the airport and start the amazing adventure with the vibrant and passionate group of people driving squash in Nigeria forward. 

Earlier this year I was involved in a real life emergency CPR incident.

This is my account of what happened.

The day after the incident, the whole thing was swimming in and around my head and in an attempt to clear my mind I wrote it all down, and they really helped.  

The account I wrote has been sitting on my laptop since then I recently looked at it and felt it could be helpful to others who are undertaking CPR / Defibrillator training to give them both an insight into a real situation and also to hopefully boost their confidence that giving it a go is the best thing we can do.  

Nobody wants to be the casualty or the person faced with dealing with an emergency situation but we don't get choice, if it happens, it happens quickly.  If it happens to you and you've listened to this podcast account, maybe it'll help you.  

The names of all involved have been changed except my own.

The account is how I personally  remember it and where others may recall the situation differently or there are any factual errors, please contact me. 

Music Credit: Urgent by Crimson Son.  Provided under a CC BY-NC-ND Licence.

Thanks for listening.

In 1992 and 18 months after returning from being a Guest of Saddam, Matt McFahn finds himself heading off to Nigeria to work with the Nigerian National Squash team.  This podcast charts the fun and enjoyment of travel and business....and all the entertaining little escapades along the way. 

Why Nigerian Conundrum?  The people of Nigeria and the country is a wonderful mix of people working hard to enjoy life that can be challenging but from experience, they don't let challenges get in the way but instead get back up, brush themselves off and what ever they do, it's always done with an infectious smile....and, the talent in Nigeria, certainly with their squash players is amazing, the conundrum is the ongoing difficulty for them is to be able to develop and grow to full potential with the funding limitations and often the difficulty in getting visas to travel.  

Here's your armchair trip to Mongolia via China and the Great Wall.  Sit back and listen to Matt McFahn share his travel stories, this time to Beijing and Ulaanbaatar, gets to pose with The Beatles (the pop band), enjoys a drink with the locals and wonders at the amazing place the Steppe is! 

Adventures should come to a satisfactory conclusion, in the final episode of The Baghdad Diaries, Matt discusses how, more than 30 years later, the time in Baghdad has impacted on his and his families lives, and how the question "Do you want to go to Iraq?" was a defining moment. 

Look out for more adventures on Saadoun Street Podcast! 

Life in Baghdad goes on, as the early part of the Gulf Crisis continues to unfold.  Matt enjoys a day at the races and also receives a stark reminder of the power of the Iraqi Regime.  Western hostages are beginning to leave when foreign dignitaries arrive to meet Saddam to request their release but little sign of this for British and US citizens. 

The Baghdad Diaries are the true story of Matt and Elly's trip to Iraq in 1990, narrated by Matt in a lighthearted and poignant style, he shares the highs and lows of their time in Baghdad. 

Their time in Baghdad as Guests of Saddam has now exceeded 6 weeks, and Matt and Elly's situations now being different, the Iraqi experience is becoming more challenging by the day.

The experiences in Baghdad are nothing like normal but Matt tries to integrate into local life while Elly tries to find some normality.

The Baghdad Diaries is the true story of Matt and Ely in Baghdad during the first Gulf Crisis in 1990.  Narrated by Matt, he shares his experiences, including the fun stuff, the tears and the efforts to get out of Iraq by any means possible.

There's nothing normal about being in Iraq in 1990, Matt and Elly have found themselves in the middle of a growing world crisis and having to deal with everything from challenging to entertaining situations everyday. This is the true story of Matt and Elly when they were in Baghdad for what was expected to be a 3 week squash coaching contract, it is narrated by Matt from the diary he kept of the experience. 

With airports closed, life initially goes on as normal until the magnitude of the situation in Iraq slowly becomes clearer.  This is the true story of Matt and Elly's time in Iraq in 1990 during the first Gulf Crisis, narrated by Matt.