One experience I will always remember is my very first time stepping out of my country Nigeria, it was to a neighboring country
which is also my maternal land Republic of Benin. As an undergraduate then in 300level, it is compulsory to go for a bilingual course in a francophone environment in my school Tai-Solarin University of Education. So the school organized our transportation and everything as our first semester courses in 300level will be taken there .
I remembered I was charging my phone at the front sit of the car while I was seated at the back, the driver dropped us at the gate of the hostel of l'université Pan- Africane there in Porto Novo. Immediately we entered the hostel premises the bus left and then I remembered my phone has not been removed from the front seat, remember it was my first time in the country and environs so I ran out to follow to bus, fortunately for me i was able to stop the driver only for him to tell me one of my colleagues picked up my phone on my behalf, I'm sure this makes it obvious the bus hasn't gone too far but guess what I couldn't find my way back to the hostel.
I started wondering about, thanks to the french I was able to at least ask questions as to how to find my way back the hostel but it was such a difficult task because most people there recognize the school as (Place de l'indepence Avakpa) while we knew it to be Pan-African university. It seemed like the more I moved the more lost I became, when I saw it was getting late I had to call a bike to start carrying me about, to see if that will help but there was no difference, that was when I realized the importance of knowing both your parternal and maternal family house, maybe If I had known it back then I would have gone straight there at least, they will direct me back to my country and I'm sure school will bring me back, it became an issue cause I was lost in a strange land and I had no phone to communicate with anyone, then I remembered the Yoruba adage that says "omo eni ku san ju omo eni nu lo" meaning a dead child is better than a missing child, I cried I prayed I met people that really wanted to help, I also met guys that wanted me to come spend the night, I was exhausted, didn't know the way forward, but finally around 8:00pm after wondering around since 12:00pm
I met a woman who gave me her phone and I was able to call my phone that was already in the hostel and my friends were already waiting for me so they finally gave directions to the bike man and I got to hostel around 11:00pm, it was indeed a tough journey. And I guess that made me tore the environment and also improve on my spoking french for better communication.thanks for sharing in my experience.
