Nigeria is known as the Giant of Africa and that’s where I’m currently based. I was looking for a change in my life, so promptly accepted the position when it was offered. Most of you must be wondering why I’m here, and that’s one question I don’t have a clear answer to. Perhaps it’s the adventure and the challenge that comes along with moving into a territory. The nature of the job is different from the regular office administration job that I was used to so that was new as well.

So I packed my bags along with words of advice from family and friends – “don’t mingle too much”; “don’t be over friendly”; “do your work and go directly home”; “don’t get into any unnecessary relationships” etc. etc. It’s not surprising that a woman about to embark on this type of adventure should receive advice like this, so I thanked everyone and was on my way. The journey had it’s challenges, none of which were surprising. I was carrying heavy luggage and changing planes in Mumbai was the toughest. I promised myself that I’ll be taking a different route when I visit India next – not just a different route, I intend to fly Business class!

My first look at Lagos, the capital of Nigeria, was mind blowing! The early morning sunrays rising above the clouds and an ocean of yellow seen from inside the plane was breathtaking, to say the least. On second glance, Lagos seemed very familiar, like a combination of Delhi and Dubai. As I drove through the city with the company representative the streets reminded me of Delhi. But the few skyscrapers I saw reminded me of Dubai. But it wasn’t just the type of streets and buildings that seemed familiar. There were people selling items in between traffic signals, which I must say is quite a daring thing to do! The traffic was horrendous and these people were literally squeezing themselves between moving cars! I doubt they do much business as people are too busy to roll down their windows, but despite that the street vendors were everywhere, like in India where they are famously called ‘Dhabas’.

I was pleasantly surprised by the weather. It was neither hot nor cold and I was told that, unlike a monsoon build up that you can see coming, rain can suddenly appear and disappear just as quickly! It was love at first sight when I saw the house where I’ll be living. As is my habit, I already started imagining how I’ll arrangement everything. An added attraction was the fact that the temple was quite close by. I also fell in love with my temporary living quarters until the apartment is ready. It’s a cozy guesthouse run by an Indian lady and I almost at once felt at home. Maybe because the country has lots of Indian expatriates, most of the African women knew Indian cooking, and like in India, it’s common for families to have live-in maids and a driver. So here in Nigeria, I will be enjoying the ‘Pardesi’, ‘Foreigner’, ‘Expat’ treatment from the locals, the same kind of treatment the English get when they visit India.

Despite the similarities with India, there are many things to get used to, such as the phone system, people’s accents and the general adjustments required to new places, people and everything else pertaining to the country and its culture. Nigerians are certainly different from Indians, but I look forward to the challenge of the new experience!

More from the ‘giant’ land later. For now it’s adios!