I have certainly travelled to few places far away from home, or so I would say, and then of course, the definition of "far" is relative to different individuals. Frankly, I don't travel if I don't have to, as a matter of fact, I detest the stress that comes along with travelling away from home. I am a more of do it close to home if it can be done close to home kind of person. So really anything that involves travelling, I very much avoid it if I can, until 2019
For the sake of this post, let go back in time to the year 2019
Image by Nikos Apelaths from Pixabay
2019 was a significant year for me travel-wise, I was an undergraduate and as part of a requirement for our training. We were supposed to leave home to gain experience in a different hospital different from the usual one we have been going to for about a year and some months now. They called it "Affiliation" a training done in affiliation with another hospital.
Our lecturers and clinicians emphatically stated and I quote " it adds to your experience as a professional in the field", "It adds to your curriculum vitae" . Well they were not wrong but I can't say they were right either, you know what I mean? Dont get me wrong, it did add more to work experience especially if you know how to slot it in with a nice ring to it in your CV then it could be catchy and serve as a much-needed boost.
So, moving on, very late in the last quarter of 2019 approaching 2020, I left home for Lagos on Affiliation as required. That was my first real travel experience on my own. I was scared, anxious, nervous and sad but I didn't show it, which was intentional, the last thing I wanted was for my parents feeling like I needed their help with travelling, moreover, I was about to clock 18 and I was starting to be seen as someone who could handle anything. I didn't want to break that confidence. I transported myself to Lagos, it was a smooth ride. I got to Berger, found my way to Ikeja after which I gave my aunt a call. I was directed on how to get to her place of work, which I did.
I settled in Lagos with my aunt which I initially hated with every fibre of my being, she is not a bad person, what more could I ask for in a person to be honest, but I cherished my privacy which was taken away due to the situation of things. On the first day, I began a countdown like a prisoner, as I was supposed to spend a month in Lagos before heading back home. Aside from my privacy which was compromised, I had the following issues with Lagos, to me as at then the problem was so bad that I asked myself with all sincerity, "How do human beings survive here without being broken ?" these were the issues:
The noise: There was a terrible supply of electric power, the area I lived in was a mini confederation of people that used generators alongside Air conditioners. I am not a noise hater frankly, but this noise was different, it felt like torture. At that point, I realized that there were levels to noise pollution and this was beyond my tolerance.
The heat: They say if you have never experienced something worse you would never know how good, good actually is. I complain of heat as a person slightly compared to others, but living in Lagos, I felt like I have been thrown in an oven, I would naturally go outside to have some air and cool breeze, but this time it felt like that option was sucked out of existence. Air-conditioners, Fan and a cold shower after work were my only saving grace.
The traffic: I won't say much here, all I know is the traffic in Lagos can affect your mental health.
Transport was expensive (if you are not careful, your whole monthly allowance was sucked dry by transport). There were more people than available vehicles to convey people wherever they wanted. It was war getting a vehicle to your destination, well at least for me as at then
In summary, it wasn't all bad, I learnt new things, got better at speaking to strangers, socialised more which most times I never do, learnt to complain less especially if I knew it doesn't change anything, I learnt to always read the environment, not everybody is your friend and above all I gained experience point in my field. I came back home a slightly different person, which was confirmed by compliments from people. It was worth it.
@sam9999