Work

I worked at CCT, which stands for Complete Computers and Technologies, a company that focusses on teaching IT skills for around two months, during which I taught Python and LaTeX to students. I was warmly welcomed on my first day at work by my coworkers. My accommodation at the University of Benin was a bit far (~45 minutes drive) from my work placement, and the company organized a cab to take me to and from work every day. Sometimes we also used public transport (small and cramped busses, which you stop randomly on the street) for the commute, which was definitely an amazing experience and made me appreciate the luxury of having a driver. The teaching experience was good and the students were quite eager to learn. Time definitely had a different meaning than in Switzerland. I was mostly on my own when creating the teaching content for my classes, however one gets used to it. The work environment was very understanding and laid-back. At the end of my stay, the company organized a little farewell party for me, where everyone from cleaning ladies to front office colleagues participated, which was quite touching. I will keep them all in good memory.

Experience

I stayed in the postgraduate hostel on the Campus of the University of Benin. The hostel is great, there are several rooms (up to 2 people each) dedicated for IAESTE students in addition to a washroom, kitchen, showers and toilet. Of course, sometimes there were water and electricity problems, however this is what makes you appreciate the luxury you have and the people in the hostel are always willing to help you.

Overall, the standard of the accommodation is great and even more so are the people you share it with. Before I came, I was worried about being the only foreign student during the time of my stay, however I connected well with the other students and made some good friends. We played table tennis and chess, went out to the market and film house (where we watched both Hollywood and the unique Nigerian Nollywood) and had dinners together.

I really had a good time there, and will miss the place with its people. Among the highlights of my time in Nigeria were the road trips (Abraka – McCarthy Beach, Akure – Idanre hills, Okomu National Park) as well as the stays in Abuja and Lagos after I finished my internship – all of which I visited together with the IAESTE coordinator. The tapping of fresh palm wine at the Oil-Parm Research Institute was also very cool experience (as was the consequent consumption). It was not possible to visit all the places I planned, and I was strongly discouraged to travel on my own (both for security reasons), however, the local committee really did an outstanding job in accommodating my desire to explore different parts of the country and I am very grateful to them.

Discover

My stay in Nigeria was all about the unique experiences and lessons, which you just can’t learn and live at home (at least as spoiled student in Switzerland) and the new discoveries these experiences offered. These were things like the arrival at the airport, where for the first time I had to “tip” (you could also call it bribe) an officer who apparently couldn’t find my health QR code in the database, the crazy traffic, the infrastructure, maintenance and trash problems, the hospitality, the laid-back attitude, food, sleep, COVID-19 and life in general. Here also belong the fascinating discussions and insights into the political and cultural situation in Nigeria. During many - but not all - of these experiences, I had a really good time, and I felt like I grew as a person during my stay in Nigeria.