I was born in Lagos, Nigeria and when I was one year old, my parents moved to Port Harcourt City, Nigeria. I grew up there with my cousin in a beautiful estate where we rode our bikes, played around and basically lived carefree. Then, in 2014, my parents told me we were leaving for France on expatriation. I was very worried about leaving everything I knew behind and starting all over (at my tender age 12).
We moved to a city called Pau, the capital of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the southwestern part of France. I had never heard of the town before, but I knew and read about Paris in my classes in Nigeria, so I was wondering what kind of village we were going to. When we got to Pau, I was struck by the beauty and calmness of the town. I loved our new house with a garden but I was worried about the language barrier – I didn’t speak a word of French!
My parents enrolled me at the only English International School in town and I started feeling better about the whole transition (even though I was sent to a lower class due to my age). I made friends quickly with other Nigerian and expat kids from all over the world and we basically settled into our lives. I had a nanny, Sandy, that was absolutely marvelous to me and my family and she helped with integration into the French life. I saw snow the first time in my life that year and it was just as exciting as cold. Surprisingly, that was the first snow in the last four years in Pau!
After one year at the English school, my parents dropped another bombshell that went like this:
Mom and Dad – “You are moving to a French school this session”.
Me – “Why? I am just settling down here. I can’t even speak the language!”
Mom and Dad – ‘Yes, we know. That is why we want you to go to a French school so you can speak the language. How can you be in France and be speaking English?”
Me – Starts crying at this point…”How am I going to cope? What about all my friends?
Mom and Dad – “Don’t worry; you will be fine. We’ll assist you in every way possible”.
Well, if you know Nigerian parents, after the last response, the matter is ‘closed’.
So, I started at the French school and it was the most beautiful school I had ever seen. I struggled with the language but the teachers were really wonderful and helpful. The school enrolled me in a separate French class and supported me as much as possible. I made a friend – Sylvie who’s British and was in the same situation as I was. We became very good friends and supported each other. I was surprised that I could make French conversations in about 4 months and within a year, I was almost fluent. That was when I really appreciated my parents’ decision as I could participate in more activities, go to many places and also acted as an ‘interpreter’ for them! My parents enrolled me in so many activities and camps – polo, swimming, dancing, ballet, frisbee, skiing, guitar, piano etc. and they or Sandy drove me to and from these activities. Life was exciting.
Then my parents came up with another plan. We got the Canadian Permanent Residency, we were going to ‘land’ there in July 2017 and move permanently in Summer 2018. I was just devastated because I didn’t want to leave my friends and the life I had settled into, for the unknown. Well, I figured I had another year to enjoy France and Europe before leaving for Canada and saying goodbye to Sylvie and Sandy. We travelled to many European cities and visited places that I still miss till today.
In September 2018, we moved (hopefully) permanently to Dieppe in New Brunswick. My parents insisted on a French school to build on what I already learnt in the last 4 years. I started school and my dad (as usual) took so many pictures of my first day at school. I noticed that the accent was different from what I knew and I found it somewhat difficult to understand but the people were very nice to me. I settled in, made friends and then it was winter. The cold was unbearable; it was so much colder than I thought it was going to be and the snow was just persistent. I gradually got used to it and it didn’t become a blocking point for me.
Fast forward to 31/2 years later and now in 10th grade, I feel at home. I have made friends, participated in groups/activities and doing great at school. I realise now why my parents wanted me to learn French. I am grateful to God for the opportunity to experience different cultures, places, food, sports, and people. I was always sad while leaving a known place for another, but those experiences have formed me as an individual. I do miss my friends in Nigeria and in France but technology has helped with keeping in touch. I like where I am now and I wouldn’t change a thing.I think I can hear my parents saying something like Université de Montréal…
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