Tell anyone back home (The U.K.) that you’re heading for
Nigeria and the response will be predictable. Open mouths, fearful eyes and
lots of questions about why you would want to abandon your home comforts and do
such a thing. “It’s the most corrupt country in the World!” and “It’s extremely
dangerous – you’re putting your life at risk” were common perceptions amongst
my (fairly liberal) family, friends and colleagues.
It’s true that like any developing country Nigeria has
its fair share of problems and unsurprisingly these are the issues which
receive the most attention from the media at home and cloud the many good sides
to this country. After living and working here for 6 weeks I’m glad to have
found there are many positives here and to be in a position to challenge those
perceptions from home.
That’s not to say that adapting to Nigeria hasn’t been a
challenge. Nothing that anyone back home could have told me would have prepared
me for being dropped head-first in to this alien, but fascinating culture. It
is so different to home here that the first few weeks knocked me sideways and
stirred up a cocktail of emotions ranging from excitement and awe to fear and
homesickness.
If I had to pick a few words to describe Nigeria I would
choose colourful, chaotic and crazy. Our placement is in a bustling town called
Lafia; everywhere you look you will find busyness, whether due to the crazy
amount of motorbikes and cars fighting for space on the overcrowded roads, the
people selling their wares on the ubiquitous market stalls, or the general
chit-chat of friends conversing.
Nigerians are incredibly friendly and welcoming. 7 host
homes have welcomed us into their lives with open arms not as strangers but as new
members of the family. My host dad and mum, Mr and Mrs Abimiku, are lovely and
have made me feel extremely welcome in their home. Everywhere we go here we are
greeted with love and warmheartedness by Nigerians, they are so eager to hear
about where we’re from and what we are doing here. Nigerian hospitality is also
like nothing I’ve ever seen before. You simply pop into someone’s house unsuspecting
and 5 minutes later are presented with a huge plate of (usually spicy) food!
The sense of community here in Nigeria is also something
that has stood out to me. Back home, our neighbours are simply people that live
next door to us, whom you might stop with for an occasional chinwag in passing,
and nothing more. In Nigeria, neighbours, and in fact the whole community is a
massive source of support. My host home is never short of visitors, whether it
be neighbours, friends, uncles or aunties, who descend on the house in droves
and cause it to explode in chit-chat and laughter!
Nigerians also give so much trust. The parents in the
community I work in, Kurmi-Gogo, are more than happy to pass over their
children for us to play with, despite us being strangers. It is not something
you would see back home and is a nice attitude to have which will ensure that
the child receives lots of love and input from a variety of different people!
Lafia could also be described as a rainbow of beautiful
colours. The native dress here is vibrant, bright and intricately patterned. If
you visit the market you will find shops lining the streets selling the most
beautiful materials in a variety of eye-catching colours. Material is purchased
and taken to one of the ever-present tailors in town who will fashion it in to
whatever garment takes your fancy, be it a dress, a jumpsuit or a skirt. The
ladies here look like beautiful African queens with their native dress and
headscarves, sometimes with the addition of a cute baby wrapped around their
back with material.
Nigerians also love to dance and sing at every
opportunity. A hilarious, but also slightly sad moment for me was when I
realised the 4 year-old in my host home had better dance moves than me!
I am eagerly immersing myself into life in Lafia and am
looking forward to what will come next!
Sian Frost
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