“I have been away from Ibadan since 2015, but thinking about it, the slightly over two years feels like two decades. Although I was born in the city, University education first took me to Ile-Ife for some years, but I somehow found my way back to the city for my mandatory National Youth Service Program, and subsequently worked for some years before moving out of the country completely.
Growing up and living in Ibadan was fun. Life was peaceful and not complicated, and as diverse as the people living in the city are, the communal life was very much evident in all the neighborhoods I stayed while in the city. It literally took a village to raise many of us, and we wouldn’t get halfway to where we are today without the support of neighbors who turned family. The ambience of peace in Ibadan was also non-comparable to what was obtainable in other cities that were as large or populated as Ibadan when I lived there. Add that to the affordable cost of living, and one would not be surprised to see why many of us remain so attached to the city many years after we left.
The contrast of the communal life is what I have experienced in Canada. The country is largely, an individual society, where you are very much on your own. I have lived in my current house for over one year and I don’t even know those living in the house beside me, not to talk of knowing their names. At first, it was strange to me, but I’ve come to accept that as a normal way of life, and I seem to be coping very well with that now.
Other than this, Canadians are very friendly people when you eventually get to meet them or work with them. They are always willing to help and are always interested in knowing more about your country of origin. I would say they are just good at minding their business, and wouldn’t interfere with your life unless something brings you their way.
Canada is also a very multicultural country, and that has made life more educative for me. I have worked, studied and lived with people from many countries I may not even be able to visit. And I have learned a lot from all these people than I could have ever imagined. I have also had the opportunity of living through the different weather Canada has to offer, especially the very dreadful winter. Canada is far colder than many of the countries I have visited, and the winter in my province can even be more unfriendly.
I remember my first Christmas, which was also during my first winter here. I woke up that day to find my lonely self in the house, so I thought of what I could do to at least make the day a bit memorable. If I was in Ibadan, a neighbor six houses away would at least bring Christmas rice for the new person in the neighborhood, but I knew that wouldn’t be the case here, so I set out to buy some things for myself at the store.
It was a bit sunny outside, so I was deceived by that, and would later find out the sun here is only for ‘decoration’ during winter. The weather was -38°c this day, but I really didn’t think much of it. I threw on a light jacket and hurried to the bus-stop close to my house to get a bus to the store. I, unfortunately, got to the store and found out they were all closed for the day, which meant I had to wait outside the store for a bus back home, and this wouldn’t be in another one hour or thereabout.
Unlike Ibadan where I would have been able to buy something from Bodija market on Christmas day, there was nowhere to buy what I needed this day, and then I had to wait for a bus in a -38°c weather. I barely stayed ten minutes at the bus-stop before I knew I was in serious trouble and must find another way home. The frostbite was serious, and my hands and ears were already freezing. I ended up waving down a taxi when the weather became unbearable and spent more money getting home, but at least got home safely. From that day, I never judge the weather by how sunny it looks outside, and that experience pushed me to buy a car earlier than I thought I would.
You can take the boy out of Ibadan, but you can’t take Ibadan out of the boy. My love for Ibadan and Nigeria has remained the same. I try my best to keep up with news from home every day. I still love and wear my traditional attires whenever I’m able to. The other part is that my love for local (Nigerian) dishes is still the same and I eat them a lot. They are very expensive to come by at the only Nigerian store in my city, but man shall not live by pizza and hamburger alone.
I really miss a lot of things about Ibadan and Nigeria in general. I miss the everyday Ibadan life, the sight of Micra cabs and Okada riders. I miss the Owanbes and the gbedu wey dey burst brain. I miss hustling for taxi or Okada at Iwo-Road when I’m out late on rainy days, I miss Iya Bolanle’s ponmo alata lori oke Mokola, I miss everything about Ibadan. And now that writing this is making me feel nostalgic about home, perhaps, the time to plan a visit is finally here.”
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