Today’s subject on Abroad Life moved to Benin Republic in 2012. He talks about how the exchange rates and money problems with his family back at home affected his four-year stay there.

When did you move to Benin republic?
I had to go to Benin Republic in 2012. It was the only option for my family financially. My JAMB scores weren’t good enough for Nigerian public school cut off marks, and we didn’t have enough money for a private school. I’d heard a lot about Houdegbe North American University and how it was a good school so I decided to go there. I had cousins in Benin Republic, so it was an opportunity to bond with them, learn a new language and experience a different culture. I like to see things from a cup-half-full perspective; that helped me quickly move past mental barriers.

How was settling in?
Communication was difficult at first. I had to learn French on my feet, especially for quick everyday conversations with bike men, market women and people who provided essential services. The number of Nigerians you’ll find in Benin Republic will blow your mind. In my time there, I encountered more Nigerians than Beninese, and if someone told me that the Nigerian population is higher than the local population, I’d believe without thinking twice. At some point, my landlord was Nigerian and even my lecturers were Nigerians.

So apart from communicating with providers of essential services, I was mainly communicating with Nigerians, and that made things easier for me.

I stayed with my cousins for a year and a half, and then we split. We didn’t have any problems or anything, we just found new people we wanted to move in with.

Did that turn out well?
At first, it did. It was super exciting. I had adult responsibilities for the first time: getting an apartment with my friends, getting some furniture, speaking with landlords. I felt powerful. I knew If I’d stayed in Nigeria and gone somewhere like UNILAG, I’d probably stay in a hostel or come from home. Co-owning an apartment in Benin Republic made me feel powerful.

Nice. Why did you say “at first”?
Finances started waning. The exchange rates were super bleeped. I was getting an allowance of ₦10,000 a month and that was about 30,000 CFA. Things are much more expensive in Benin Republic than in Nigeria, so it got difficult to live from day to day. When I look at the exchange rates now and see that one naira is just 1.38 CFA, my heart breaks for Nigeria.

Did the finances get better?
Rent started getting expensive too. Most landlords were cashing in on the fact that school hostels were more expensive than apartments, so they increased prices so that apartments would still be cheaper than school hostels but only slightly.

My rent expired just as I was about to begin my final year. I called friends and tried to organise a system where we would all live together and pay rent, but nobody was interested. I didn’t have enough money to rent on my own and I couldn’t talk to my mum about it because she was struggling with my fees– I was even owing school fees.

I had to talk to some classmates to let me keep my stuff in their apartment. In the mornings, I would go to their houses, freshen up and get out of their hair. Whenever they asked where I was sleeping, I’d just laugh and brush it off. The truth is that I was sleeping in the classrooms. I’d wait for everyone to go home — sometimes I’d leave with them — before coming back to settle in one of the classrooms. It was very lowkey.

Were there any dangers of living in the classrooms?
Apart from the mosquitoes and the fact that it was uncomfortable as hell, I had to stay alert every night so that the patrolling security men wouldn’t find me. My body clock knew that by 2 a.m., they would do their regular checks and I would get in trouble if they caught me so I had to hide, and sometimes move around while they were doing their searches. Terrible stuff.

Continue: https://www.zikoko.com/citizen/i-was-homeless-in-benin-republic-abroad-life/

A Nigeria can survive anywhere


we're in Buharis camp

A Nigeria can survive anywhere


we're in Buharis camp

criuze:
A Nigeria can survive anywhere



we're in Buharis camp

Am teling u.
Buharis camp is the toughest of all, if you survive it, u can survive anywhere in the world.