Off to Nigeria we go!

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I am a native of Nigeria and I came to the United States in the fall of 2004. I have not been back to my home country....until recently. 





My dad called me in the beginning of the year and asked if I would like to go home (to Nigeria) later in spring. I took a moment to think of all the things I should be doing that spring. Topmost on my mind was my Qualifying exam, finishing off my classes prerequisites as a PhD student, becoming a Teaching Assistant and of course lab work. All these went through my mind in a spilt second and I replied -yes- to my dad. 

Wait! Despite all I had to do academically, I told my dad I would like to go to Nigeria in spring? Yes. 

I realized that the opportunity might not present itself anytime soon if I missed going. And secondly, I am what I now refer to as a professional student, which means at any point in time that I have something to do or somewhere to go, I can always think of a few academic reasons why it's not the right time or next semester might be better. 


Murtala Mohammed Airport in the distance



I realized if I wanted to go to Nigeria, all I had to do was rearrange my academic programmed brain and just go.

And that's exactly what I did.

So, come the month of May, few days after my Buffalo trip, I packed up a months worth of belongings and hauled my bags, my family doing likewise, to the airport to begin a three and a half weeks stay in Nigeria. 




Leaving the airport into the bustling world of Lagos

The trip was amazing and I will go into details in the next few blogs (or not so few ^..^). I went to many various places within Lagos and outside of lagos. There were many more places I wanted to go to but alas, my graduate student stipend won't let me. I do have plans to go back (now that I've experience the Motherland) in time. For now, I hope to relive my trip by reading and re-reading my posts whenever I feel for home. :)






Despite (almost) exhausting my dollars, umm naira, I had a great time in Nigeria and I am very glad I convinced myself to go.

Comments

  1. Molara BrownJune 29, 2012 at 5:16 PM

    I have not been home since 2010 and I miss home like crazy...looking forward to August.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. artiscenceJune 30, 2012 at 6:05 PM

      It too me a while to go back as while, but I really enjoyed it. Good luck in August and hope you enjoy your trip.

      Delete

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