Name: Janet Crossley
Location: Nigeria
Report Title: Suya to Sushi
Report Date: 14/11/2009
So, I am now back in the UK. After handing over my CSACEFA Kwara responsibilities to a new volunteer in Ilorin, I spent my last 2 months in Abuja working in the CSACEFA National Office. It was sad to leave Kwara but it was also good to get to know another part of the country, and have new challenges at work. Towards the end of my placement I was considering extending in Nigeria in another VSO placement, but then I was offered a job with Christian Aid in London which I couldn’t pass up, so I came home a little early. The change of plans happened very quickly and so it has taken a little while for things to settle down and for me to readjust to life back in the UK and take stock of it all.. Before I left a year seemed like it would last forever, but now I am home it feels like it passed in no time at all, and that I was only just feeling at home in Nigeria and getting the hang of everything when I left.. Just over a month ago I was in Nigeria, working for CSACEFA, squashing into shared taxis and eating suya; now I am in London with a new job, squashing into the tube underground and eating sushi. Nigeria is an amazing country, but being away form the UK has also given me a better appreciation of the good things about home. This is also a beautiful and friendly country. What did I achieve? I like to think that I contributed in a small way to creating a strengthened coalition better able to campaign on education issues in Nigeria and improve the opportunities for children across the country. What did I gain? More than I can really go into without running over pages and pages… But in short: increased confidence and independence; a massively developed store of patience; a better understanding of my strengths and weaknesses; an understanding of the education sector in Nigeria and more generally; more appreciation of the complexity of development programmes; a massive love for Nigeria and (almost all of) its people; a new appreciation for the good things about the UK; many great friends in and out of work; new Nigerian cooking skills and an unexpected appreciation for palm oil and Maltina; great work experience that has helped me to get a paid job in the development sector; and a better understanding of my priorities in life and more of a sense of direction about what I want to do in my future career. Any regrets? Because I left a little earlier than expected I didn’t manage to travel around the country and region as much as I had planned. While I was there to work, Nigeria is such an amazing, huge and varied country and I wish I had experienced more of it while I had the opportunity. I also was a bit disconnected from the schools and children, as I was often stuck in an office in front of a computer - however, working with the great people from the CSACEFA member organisations more than made up for that. The low-points of the year: The highlights of my year: Again, I want to say a massive thank you again to Hazel’s Footprints for making it easier for me to take this opportunity. It wasn’t always easy or fun, but it was a wonderful and incredible experience. I made some amazing friends, saw some amazing sights and was able to get involved in some great work that Nigerian NGOs are doing to improve education in the country. It won’t be an experience I will forget in a while.
