How A Trip to Nigeria Changed My Life
Words cannot describe the amount of fun, drama, and adventure I experienced during my two week visit to Lagos, Nigeria. This trip was the first time I traveled outside of the country; and out of all the places to choose I chose Nigeria. Well I really didn't have a choice; my friend was traveling to Lagos to visit family and I had the opportunity to tag along. When you have an opportunity to travel over seas never pass it up.
Visiting Nigeria was literally a trip of a lifetime and also a blessing. I spent two weeks in Nigeria, one week I lived in a fancy hotel and the last week I was literally bathing out of a bucket. But all and all I learned so much from the people and the culture. Everyday in Nigeria was an adventure, from the food to the sites, to just driving around town, for me there was never a dull moment.
However; it was very unfortunate that for my first time traveling overseas many people close to me had negative mindsets towards my decision. What many people here in America fail to realize is that Nigeria is not a country where lions roam the streets and smells. All the negative, and ignorant responses I was receiving only made me anticipate my trip. Unless you actually physically travel to Nigeria yourself you may be unwillingly forced to believe these ridiculous claims that we create from what we see in the media. When I got off the plane all I saw was green, the land looked alive with so many trees. There were no lions roaming around freely and there were no harsh odors in the air. The gated estates along the roads were beautiful, and honestly the only time I had remembered I was even in Nigeria was when I need to use my cell phone.
Lagos is a city just like any other city that you would visit in America. Majority of the roads need to be paved but even then that wouldn't stop the immense amount of people from walking in the middle of it selling goods, but at the end of the day it is nothing like what I was used to seeing on tv and I wouldn't hesitate to travel there again in the future.
Because of this one trip I started spreading cultural awareness within my community. I developed a passion for experiencing different cultures for myself and sharing my experiencing with others in the hope that through my experiences I can break down negative stereotypes, and bias. Because of Nigeria I moved to China, I created a travel blog that developed into a business. And because of Nigeria the best is still yet to come...
