1. Consider something in your life you think goes unnoticed and write about why it's important to you.
Being a Nigerian born in England and raised in the Netherlands, I have always felt like an outcast as I never really fitted in any of the countries. I have even had family members refer to me as an "Oyinbo" which is use to refer to a foreigner in Yoruba, this caused me to see my differences as a curse and not know how fortunate I was to grow up in this manner.
I left my home country, Nigeria when I was three and came to the Netherlands as my father had received a job offer from shell to work there as a geophysicist. I attended a Dutch nursery school, blending in was a difficult task as I was one of the only people who spoke English. I eventually transferred to the British school in the Netherlands and then to the International school of The Hague, at this point I was in secondary school and my Dutch had dramatically improved as I was able to understand it and have small conversations. During this time I would use English at school, what little Dutch I knew in public and at home I was spoken to in Yoruba while I was learning French at school, this was quite frustrating at first but it eventually became normal to me as it was a part of everyday life.
Growing up, I never realized how lucky I was to be exposed to a diversity of cultures from a young age experience different points of views that people from certain countries might have and to have friends that come from all over the world from Italy to Sri Lanka.
Since I was young I have experienced identity crises as I never felt Nigerian, Dutch or British. After spending eleven years in the Netherlands my mother, brother and I moved to Nigeria. My father moved back to Nigeria when I was five and we stayed in the Netherlands as he believed that the country would offer me and my brother a better education. Going into a Nigerian school I did not know what to expect as it would be the first school that I would go to where I was not a minority however, my time in a Nigerian school further highlighted my differences. Despite being a Nigerian I felt like an outcast as I found it hard to blend into Nigerian society as I did not understand the jokes and couldn't make any friends. It wasn't until a year after returning to Nigeria that I decided to embrace my heritage and learn more about the culture which led me to appreciate who I was and where I came from and helped me to improve my understanding of Yoruba and make friends that will last a life time.
Now I realize there are many people who like me have struggled with their identities due to the fact that they grew up around several different cultures. Rather than put a label myself a nationality I like to see myself as a citizen of the world as growing up the way I did was an eye-opening experience for me as I have had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world, which has changed the way I view certain issues today. Though at first glance I may not appear to be very different from any other Nigerian, this unnoticed part of my life is very important to me and has shaped me into the person that I am today.
Any help is appreciated, thank you in advance.
Being a Nigerian born in England and raised in the Netherlands, I have always felt like an outcast as I never really fitted in any of the countries. I have even had family members refer to me as an "Oyinbo" which is use to refer to a foreigner in Yoruba, this caused me to see my differences as a curse and not know how fortunate I was to grow up in this manner.
I left my home country, Nigeria when I was three and came to the Netherlands as my father had received a job offer from shell to work there as a geophysicist. I attended a Dutch nursery school, blending in was a difficult task as I was one of the only people who spoke English. I eventually transferred to the British school in the Netherlands and then to the International school of The Hague, at this point I was in secondary school and my Dutch had dramatically improved as I was able to understand it and have small conversations. During this time I would use English at school, what little Dutch I knew in public and at home I was spoken to in Yoruba while I was learning French at school, this was quite frustrating at first but it eventually became normal to me as it was a part of everyday life.
Growing up, I never realized how lucky I was to be exposed to a diversity of cultures from a young age experience different points of views that people from certain countries might have and to have friends that come from all over the world from Italy to Sri Lanka.
Since I was young I have experienced identity crises as I never felt Nigerian, Dutch or British. After spending eleven years in the Netherlands my mother, brother and I moved to Nigeria. My father moved back to Nigeria when I was five and we stayed in the Netherlands as he believed that the country would offer me and my brother a better education. Going into a Nigerian school I did not know what to expect as it would be the first school that I would go to where I was not a minority however, my time in a Nigerian school further highlighted my differences. Despite being a Nigerian I felt like an outcast as I found it hard to blend into Nigerian society as I did not understand the jokes and couldn't make any friends. It wasn't until a year after returning to Nigeria that I decided to embrace my heritage and learn more about the culture which led me to appreciate who I was and where I came from and helped me to improve my understanding of Yoruba and make friends that will last a life time.
Now I realize there are many people who like me have struggled with their identities due to the fact that they grew up around several different cultures. Rather than put a label myself a nationality I like to see myself as a citizen of the world as growing up the way I did was an eye-opening experience for me as I have had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world, which has changed the way I view certain issues today. Though at first glance I may not appear to be very different from any other Nigerian, this unnoticed part of my life is very important to me and has shaped me into the person that I am today.
Any help is appreciated, thank you in advance.
