American University of Nigeria

I can only begin by saying that I love it here. In order to understand how I arrived at this conclusion, it is better to start at the beginning: my first reaction to a positive response from AUN was an obvious one—obvious, at least, to someone brought up in the relative comfort and security of the United States. I thought, “hold on, this is Nigeria we’re talking about here: a third world, West African nation that is primarily known for a bloody civil war (Biafra), poverty (the majority of people live on less than 2$ a day), civil unrest, rampant corruption, and religious tension. Headlines from Nigeria aren’t generally comforting, and it doesn’t help that, as an oil-producing country, Nigeria is likely to be at the forefront of the next global energy crisis…” As you can imagine, I had quite a few second thoughts. A curious idea then occurred to me: I did not want to dismiss an entire country filled with a unique culture, heritage, perspective, and people, on the basis of headlines that may not accurately represent the soul of the place—nor did I want to miss out on an opportunity to experience the genuine spirit of a country so far removed from what I knew and understood. I was looking for radical change, a shift in my own perspective that would give me new eyes. Continue reading →