Learning perspectives through travelling

The greatest lessons I have learned in my life haven’t come from the four-wall institution called school. They have come from life lessons I learned along my travels. These lessons have come from strangers, some of whom I now call family when there’s an emergency.

While living in Abuja, Nigeria, I would describe myself as a “spoiled brat’ simply because my perspective on life was quite narrow. I had a great job at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and resided in a posh apartment courtesy of a family friend. I occasionally showed up for work. All that changed when I left for Uppsala in the early 2000s. For the first time, I was alone without any family or financial support. I learned to take off my coat of pride in favour of humility when I ran out of money.

I took on odd jobs, such as cleaning toilets in hotel rooms, due to my limited knowledge of Swedish. I met strangers who opened my world and perspective on life in various ways—challenging my values and beliefs, which has made me more tolerant and a better person today. I learned to choose my friends wisely and associate with people who saw my worth and didn’t feel threatened. In the wise words of Alice Walker, ‘The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.’