The Nigerian experience is physical, emotional, and sometimes international. No one knows it better than our features on #TheAbroadLife, a series where we detail and explore Nigerian experiences while living abroad.
After travelling through 35 countries, Stephanie (31) shares how slow, intentional travel reshaped her outlook, opened global doors, and led her to build a new life in Canada.
Where do you currently live, and when did you leave Nigeria?
I currently live in Canada. I left Nigeria permanently two years ago, but my first trip out of Nigeria was in 2017. Something in me changed after the COVID-19 pandemic. I suddenly had this urge to be outside, explore and do more. So I started actively travelling after that.
Were these holidays or work trips?
I’ll call them workations. I took these long trips, settled in a new city while working full time simultaneously. Weekends and evenings were spent like a tourist, while weekdays were focused on work.
How many countries have you been to?
I’ve been to 35 countries, and I’ve visited a lot of them multiple times. I’m more focused on the experience they give me than the number.
That’s a lot of countries! When did you realise you love travelling?
It was during a trip to Spain. I was in Malaga, and I was just completely awestruck by the beauty of it. The coastline, the water—it was so beautiful.
I took a road trip from Malaga to Valencia, going from city to city. And I loved the feeling. I love meeting new people and experiencing new cultures, so that was the deciding moment for me. I knew that I needed to continue seeking that feeling.
Interesting. What’s your favourite country you’ve visited?
I have two: Thailand and Mexico.
Mexico because, to me, Mexicans feel just like Nigerians. I felt like I was at home. The cultures just feel very similar.
Then Thailand because they are some of the happiest people I’ve ever met. They are so kind, so caring, generous, sweet, and very warm.
It’s quite common to hear Nigerians complain about the difficulty getting around with a Nigerian passport. How has that been like for you?
Yeah, it was difficult in the beginning but I went about it the right way. I think most people go for a UK or US visa for their first application, having no travel history.
What I did was to travel to African countries first. The first place I visited was Ghana. Then I went to Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. It was after visiting those African countries and building that travel history that I started applying for visas outside the continent.
The first country outside Africa I visited was Spain. It was a short visa, of merely two weeks, but that’s how you start building that travel history. Now I have multi-year visas for the US, UK, Schengen, Thailand, and of course my visa and work permit in Canada. It didn’t just happen at once. I built my travel record very carefully.
I think it’s also important to do your research and then do your applications yourself. If you have questions, ask people with experience. People need to know that a lot of the things that we fear would get us rejected are within our control. We just have to do the right things.
When you visit any new city, is there anything you look for to decide if you like it or not?
Before I even go there, I try to do some research about it. I’ll read about it, and watch some videos to understand other people’s experiences. Then when I’m in the city, I usually take one of those group walking tours where you just walk around the city together with someone who has lived there for a long time.
A good way to fall in love with a city is seeing it through the eyes of someone who loves it. So I try to see the city through the eyes of people who really know it.
Also, those tours allow you to connect with other people who are also new in the city. It has been a good way for me to make friends.
What has been your favourite travel experience?
It was in Cappadocia in Turkey. I took a hot air balloon ride. The other passengers were all coupled up and taking pictures, and I was by myself just looking and watching the sun rise.
It was so beautiful. That moment reconnected me with God spiritually. It was so beautiful to witness, being about a thousand metres above the ground watching the sun rise up. I thought to myself, “There has to be a God who made something this beautiful?”
So you were basically touring the world on these “workations.” But what inspired you to leave Nigeria permanently?
After my first solo trip, I realised that I couldn’t live in Nigeria anymore. I think even while growing up, I sometimes felt different in the things that brought me joy. I love experiences, simple things like taking a walk and deep human connections. Those simple pleasures were harder to build into my everyday life in Lagos because of how fast-paced the city is.
I did not leave Nigeria because I was searching for a better life. Nigeria gave me a very full life, deep friendships, and strong roots. I left because my idea of fulfillment was evolving. That is what first led me to Kenya, where I lived for about a year and a half, and eventually to Canada.
So Kenya had what you were looking for?
It was perfect. The nature, and travelling around Kenya, is amazing. It’s so easy to move around. They have a great rail system that can take you from Nairobi down to Mombasa in less than five hours. And generally, it feels like a country that was built for tourism.
Even Kenyans love travelling within Kenya. They’re always going on little weekend trips to different parts of the country. So for someone who likes to explore like me, it’s the perfect place to live.
What was it like actually living in a new country?
Initially, I was super excited. I had come to Kenya so many times as a visitor, but the reality of actually moving there was different. I thought it would be the same feeling as when I was visiting, but at the beginning, I had difficulty adjusting.
First of all, Nairobi can get very cold. Also, the food is much less spicy than we prefer in Nigeria. But the biggest thing was trying to build a community.
In Nigeria, I had all my friends, and I had a very active social life. I was always hosting people, throwing parties, and going for events. And then I got to Kenya and I had no friends. I basically had to start from scratch.
But at the same time, I wasn’t in the country long enough to really build a strong community because I would stay for two to three months, then I’ll be on my next trip. By the time I’ve come back, the people I connected with have moved on with their lives. It didn’t help that a lot of the people I was able to connect with were also travellers like me. So even though we do keep in touch, our schedules were rarely in alignment.
Did you experience any culture shocks in Kenya?
I was pleasantly surprised by the independence of Kenyan women. They are very strong, very independent, and feel very much like the pillars of their society.
I also found the work culture to be very different from Nigeria, at least comparing Nairobi to Lagos. While Lagos is very fast-paced with the usual hustle and bustle, Kenya felt more relaxed. On weekends, you’ll see people going to the park with their families for a picnic. Just simple things like that which I never saw living in Lagos.
There’s this idea that Nigerians have a bad reputation on the continent. Did you feel that in Kenya?
No, actually I would say it’s the opposite. While I was in Kenya, once I mentioned to anybody that I was Nigerian, they would get so excited. It was great.
I’m actually grateful to Kenya for reconnecting me with my Nigerian roots and making me appreciate Nigeria more, especially our music. Everywhere you go in Kenya, the clubs, the bars, the restaurants, it is Nigerian music playing.
For the longest time, my music taste leaned very Western. But being in Kenya got me listening to Nigerian music again.
What was your best experience in Kenya?
I’ll say my first safari. It was the Naivasha safari. You take a boat on the lake to an island, Crescent Island. And you can just walk amongst the animals.
Like I said, I love nature. And being in that environment made me feel so connected to nature. I felt whole.
That sounds amazing. What about your worst experience?
That would have to be when a friend came to visit me in Nairobi, and in less than twelve hours of her arrival, her phone was stolen.
Nairobi is actually notorious for crimes like phone theft. People jokingly call the city “Nairobbery.” So, I had actually warned her to be careful.
We went to a nice upscale event. You naturally wouldn’t expect that your phone would get stolen in a place like that. But it happened. It was crazy. Definitely the worst experience.
That is crazy. But apart from the crime, you said Kenya was perfect for you. So why the move to Canada?
It just felt like the right next step for me. I was lucky enough to get a work permit here, and I took it as a sign from God that this was the next place that I needed to be.
Also, I wanted something a bit more stable that would make me feel grounded. I want to really focus on my career right now, and I feel like Canada would be the best place for that.
I also have a lot of friends and family here, so that helps. I’ve only lived here for about three months, and I already feel quite at home. Settling in has been a lot less difficult than it would have been if I didn’t have that support system.
What has been your worst experience in Canada?
A friend welcomed me so well and let me stay with them as long as I needed. But even with that soft landing, Canada still showed me shege.
I had already planned a schedule in my head for all the things I would achieve before the end of the year. And getting my own apartment was a major part of the plan.
But getting an apartment as someone who has never lived here before was so difficult. I kept getting rejected everywhere I went. Once they found out I’m an immigrant who just moved here, that was it.
Rent here is typically on a monthly basis, and I was even offering twelve months rent upfront, but some landlords still wouldn’t rent to me.
I began to lose hope because I was just so tired of looking for apartments every day and getting rejected. I’m grateful for my agent because he just kept on pushing and trying, and eventually I got a place. I just moved in a few days ago.
So, yeah, the apartment search was a pretty terrible experience.
Glad you found a place in the end. What about your best experience in Canada?
That has to be my visit to Niagara Falls. Being on a boat while watching the falls crashing into the water was very beautiful.
Let’s talk about future plans. You talked about moving to Canada because you wanted more stability. What does that look like for you?
I want to eventually buy a house. At some point, I want to go back to school. I want to have a real presence in the FinTech space. And I feel like being in Toronto with New York and London just being hours away, I’m in a good spot location-wise.
I also haven’t travelled around North America yet, so being here allows me to start to explore and just take some little trips to places close by.
Do you ever see yourself returning to Nigeria permanently?
To visit, definitely. To move, not anytime soon. Maybe when I’m seventy years old.
In Nigeria, I would say I was quite comfortable. I had a driver, had a cook, and a housekeeper; I barely did any chores. All I did was focus on work. But those things don’t mean as much to me as simplicity, ease of life, and just being able to get amenities when I need them.
It is actually funny how being away from Nigeria has made me love and appreciate it even more. Distance has given me perspective.
On a scale of one to ten, how happy are you in Canada and why?
I feel the happiest I’ve been in a long time. But ten would be a bit of a stretch. So let’s say a nine.
I made this decision despite having so many things going well for me somewhere else because deep down I knew it aligned with what I want long-term. And with each passing day, I feel more confident that I made the right choice.
It’s not been the easiest start, but I feel like everything has just been falling into place little by little. I feel very happy to have my little apartment with the Toronto skyline. The peace is what makes me truly happy.
Do you want to share your Abroad Life story? Please reach out to me here. For new episodes of Abroad Life, check in every Friday at 12 PM (WAT).
Before you go, help us understand how you and other young people feel about the 2027 general elections by taking this 10-minute survey.
Click here to see what other people are saying about this article on Instagram
[ad]
