In her latest column, Chibz writes about the three culture shocks she experienced after moving to Nigeria from New Jersey, US. Click to read on.
Moving to another state within the same country can be tough for anyone. Moving to another country is more challenging. Entering a new environment brings both excitement and anxiety. Surprisingly, the norms you knew before no longer apply to where you are now. During my growing years in New Jersey, USA, I’ve came across two categories of Nigerians: those that left their fatherland at an early age and remained outside for an extended period of time without a single visitation, and those that left their fatherland and made frequent trips home. I belonged to neither category. In my heart I longed to come home but physically I remained in America until the age of twenty five.
I can never forget the day I arrived Nigeria. The wave of heat hit my face as I looked ahead and saw a sea of black folk in the Lagos International Airport. “HOME!” I thought to myself. “Finally, I am home.” I was immediately received by my Uncle and Aunty at the airport and instantly, my journey began. It wasn’t too long before I noticed differences living in Nigeria verses America. Here is my list of some culture shocks I experienced, feel free to add the ones most memorable to you; I cannot capture them all. Lol.
- People urinating on the side of the road
This tops the list for me. It is unheard of and illegal for an adult or child to urinate in public in America. That is not the case in Nigeria. I can remember the shock I experienced when I witnessed someone urinating on the side on the road. Three years later, I’ve learned that if someone felt ‘pressed’ (bladder is full) the natural thing for that individual is to urinate on the side of the road. I’ve also learned that certain areas have put measures in place to correct this habit by placing signs like ‘Do not urinate here’.
- Customer Service (Or lack thereof)
For people acquainted with western culture, the idea of customer service encourages a certain expectation. – at its simplest level, for a customer…to be serviced. Their needs met, problems solved, etc.
This is still a foreign concept in Nigeria. There are a lot of businesses that are yet to embed customer service training and development in their staff. Nigerians are generally good people living in harsh conditions, and the harsh environment sometimes overtakes the good nature of Nigerians and the impact is clear. When shopping in certain shops, the rudeness of staff or indifferent nature is frustrating for the customer. “Customers are never right in Nigeria,” one friend said to me.
- Driving
A number of professionals working in Nigeria are privileged to have drivers. For those that do not, driving in Lagos requires caution. There are so many contenders on the road – buses, okada drivers, keke drivers, pedestrians walking in the middle of the road like it is an open market. Some frustrating driving habits are when commercial drivers and okada riders drive down a one-way to escape traffic or when signalling to turn is an indicator to the other driver to speed up and overtake you. A few weeks ago, Lagos State Government introduced new traffic laws to make driving safer for all. The new laws have penalties for driving against traffic on a one-way, eating while driving, talking on phone, and smoking. You are liable to pay fine if your car breaks down on the road and causes traffic as a result of the breakdown.
These are my top three culture shocks; if you’ve recently moved back or visited, what are yours? In my next piece, I’ll share some tips on how to deal with some of these shocks.
– Chibz
Photo Cred: Sustainable Lagos
