Monday, April 13, 2009

My African adventure


Spending some time abroad is never the same; everyone’s experience is different and very personal. The way and outcome depend on the place and people around You, but mostly it depends on You. Everyone who decides to live and work abroad for some time, should be ready to abandon the old ways of looking and seeing things for some time. To get the maximum out of the experience, it’s no good to only go and show the Estonian way of living, it’s useful for everybody to also try to understand the way and reasons behind the behavior of others.

My last living abroad experience was a 7-months AIESEC internship in the capital city of Nigeria – in Abuja. I was doing my marketing internship in an IT company and in the end was basically responsible for everything that happened to our brand new product. I believe that I could never have found that kind of opportunity in Estonia. I had just graduated from university and didn’t have too big of working experience, but the next thing I was helping to manage the sales and marketing department in a totally unknown environment. I could test my academic knowledge and challenge myself daily. Suddenly living and working in a culture so different from mine, I constantly had to challenge my ability to adapt, understand and accept. It was making me see new sides of myself, my home country and the whole world around me.


First month I felt dependant of my bosses and AIESEC members, because I didn’t know too many people and I couldn’t find my way around. But after some time I had created a network of new friends, I knew exactly where to go out partying, where to do my groceries, how to decline every day marriage proposals, how to find a taxi and how to bargain over the price. Being the only Estonian I just had to be open minded, eager to learn and ready to adapt. My roommate was from Colombia, so luckily I was not alone really. It was cool to not only learn about Nigerian culture, but also about Colombian. We were helping each other to get used to the totally new situation and in a way we started a whole new life together. We were both keeping in touch with our friends and relatives from back home, but the way we were living our new lives was a lot different from the ones we both had had before.

I believe I am still the same person who I was, I have the same values and many dreams and I still love humor, but I also know that now I have in many ways more experience. Some of my dreams have come true and some of them have grown bigger. I don’t only understand what I have read about the world, but also what I have seen in the world. I have many new friends, many great memories and lots of cool stories to tell. In a way the world has become smaller and I can see more connections between people and things. I have tested myself and my limits. I have become to appreciate and accept myself and others more than I did before.

Many things that irritated me about Nigerian culture in the beginning are now the things that I like the most. The first couple of months I was often upset when people were late or seemed to be too slow. Now I like the way how some people can just take things easy, not always stressing around and nervously striving for more and bigger. I like how Nigerian people appreciate their family and are not too individualistic. The food, customs, clothes, weather.. There are many things that took some time to get used to. The pepprish food made me cry for many months, but now I enjoy spicy dishes a lot. I never fully got used to the hot weather, but I do enjoy the sun and at the same time I like the snow more than I did before. I never became as religious as people around me, but I am more spiritual than I used to be. I guess I can’t even see and evaluate all the changes or influences just yet, but I do see more opportunities in the world already now.

I warmly recommend this kind of experience to everybody who is ambitious, adventurous and willing to challenge oneself and discover the world. No matter how much working experience You have, how many self development seminars You have attended or how much You have read about different countries, living and working in a totally different environment makes You discover and use even more new abilities in Yourself; it makes You understand and develop even bigger picture; it makes You appreciate what You already have and accept some more things just the way they are. 

Sincerely yours,

Birgot




1 comment:

  1. Hi

    Even I have lived almost similar but then unique in itself experience of traineeship in Ghana (june 08-dec 08). I even got the chance to visit Nigeria for IDC 2008.

    As said by her, it doesnt matter how many experiences life may have brought your way, working and living in another country is a altogether new discovery in itself. At the end, you are so different then you were before , as perspectives change, making you see a whole new side of things. ( I know, doesnt sound so appealing, but then ask anyone who has lived the experience. The excitement with which one will tell about his/her experience , shows it all. Just even remembering walking down to the local market to purchase groceries , makes you smile as memories in which a lifetime has been lived flash back.

    Live it and you will be left hungry for more.

    P.S. It was nice to read your blog.

    ReplyDelete