Work

Another intern and I had to build a model for the water demand and supply of the Lower Niger River Basin. A huge task which would need the whole duration of the internship. We were working autonomously as the other colleagues had never worked with the software before. We ourselves had only learned the software with the help of a couple of tutorials a few days ago. It was interesting to build up a model from scratch with scarce data available and write the report on this task at the end of the internship.

Experience

There were electricity and water issues. It would mean adapting to simple living conditions and appreciating the electricity and running water we had. I spent most of my free time with the other interns, the IAESTE volunteers and a few friends from University. We cooked together, played cards, went out for dinner and grabbed some beers occasionally. We also went playing football at the Sports Complex sometimes and went on a hike to some communities behind the university. We also spend some time with our exchange coordinator who planned a few trips, like one to Lagos for a couple of days, one day trip to the mountains and one to a nice river. We also went to town sometimes for a change of environment.

Discover

Not living under the easiest living conditions, I started appreciating small things very much during my stay. I guess I could say that I became a more humble person and don't take things for granted anymore. Coming back to Europe I was shocked by all the abundance. It was not easy to return and feel guilty for what we have and what others don't have in spite of living on the same planet.