Life Goes On

I went home to Scotland for Christmas this year.  I was looking forward to seeing my Dad, brother, family and friends but this year I was also slightly upset that I would miss all of my new friends and ‘family’ in Nigeria.  I was going to miss some amazing nights out, a 30^th and many opportunities to develop friendships while people are out of work for the festivities. 

This is a stark contrast to how I felt about going home last year in December. Last year I was so desperate to get home I was bursting with anticipation.  I had had mixed feelings towards Lagos in my first four months and had to get some perspective.  I had imagined a welcome party, evenings on the town, my friends and family bombarding the house just to see me and find out about my travels.  The reality was that although people were excited to see me, they had other things to do!  I was bitterly disappointed throughout my stay because I realised that life goes on for even your closest peeps while you’re out of the picture.  People still grow and change and move on with their lives.  No one waits around to find out what you are doing. 

Lesson learnt – you’ve got to LIVE where you live.