Archive for the ‘John’s Blog’ Category

The Bougie Village

As I was trekking from Lagos to Iloko-Ijesa the town which would be my new home for a year, the changing landscapes informed me that a physical exiting from city live was happening.Through my rear view I saw pass huge structural buildings, heavy traffic, and millions of people navigating the urban sprawl as they started their day to a barren unpaved roads, stretches of nothing but vegetation, and the periodic herds of animal and their human acquaintance.  I was headed to the “village.”
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The transition from Washington D.C. , where I stayed, to Lagos felt like a shift in a car from first gear to second. A light subtle deceleration felt initially but the momentum/push of the ride remains the same. Except for a view sharp noticeable differences upon my arrival, I saw all the semblances of life back in the U.S.  But now feeling the occasional bumps on the dirt roads and glancing periodically at hawkers dangling fresh killed meat for purchase, I realized that this journey would be like nothing that I had experienced. It was like going from 2nd gear to shifting to reverse while fully accelerating. Exciting but startling. This is how I was feeling during the seven hour travel.
Once I arrived at the gates of Olashore International School, I honestly did not know what to expect. What I encountered was an impressive self-contained and well maintained campus.  It boasted a library, computer labs, hostels for 750 students, multiple cafeterias, a 24 hour clinic, and housing accommodations for most of its staff. Now to be honest what I was most concerned at the time was my living quarters. I’m a city slicker. My first thoughts were how much “roughing it” would be required on my part. A year is a long time.  The best way I can describe my living arrangement is bougie village life. I’ve got all the basic amenities shower with hot and cold water, gas stove, microwave, air condition, refrigerator, and electricity plus satellite television.  At home, I’m good! Now looking for some things to do outside is a bit challenging. I will save that for another conversation.

 

John-Ubong Silas

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The arrival in Nigeria

Arrival

The transition from working to the United States to Nigeria was quick. After going through the “experience” that is Lagos airport, I settled into my hotel accommodations. The place was very comfortable and had a lot of the amenities that I would expect from a quality hotel in the US – including high speed internet service. In the morning, I was greeted by Ayo – my Olashore International School liaison. It turns out that Ayo had spent most of his time in the UK and had recently returned to Nigeria. We chatted about his experiences returning to Nigeria and adjusting to the transition both professionally and personally. I got some good insights from his perspective.

A key point he mentioned was him balancing the need to incorporate certain best practices to his work environment without incurring negative feedback from colleagues. A reason for this could be that the proposed best practice did not work in Nigeria. Something that he experienced early on in his return. Another thing I gained from watching his interactions, was the noteworthy role age played in his professional exchanges. I knew that respect for your elders was an important culture value demonstrated socially in Nigeria. However, I had not thought of prior to my arrival how this would play out in the professional sphere. As me and Ayo were in the same age group, I recognized that this would be something that I would definitely needed to be mindful of during my tenure.

My second day in Lagos was spent going to a press conference on secondary and post-secondary marketing for schools in Nigeria. Then followed by attending an Association of International School Educators of Nigeria (AISEN) meeting. You can say I hit the ground running. Both events were informative and provided some needed context to the space in which I would be inhabiting for the next year. My next destination would be to the rural location of Olashore International School.

 

John-Ubong Silas

 

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