Hi All!
I am now nearing the end of my time at the school in Nice and I have had such a wonderful eight weeks! I’ve enjoyed my time here so much that I have decided that I am going to move back here at the end of summer in a couple of months…that should give me enough time to visit everyone back in England and get all the stuff I need to bring back here. My French has gotten to a pretty good level and I have some decent job prospects here which I am looking to explore…Maybe for now I’ll say I’ll be back in a year if it doesn’t work out for me in that respect!!!
Ok, psych! Don’t be worried, I am definitely not relocating to France (not anytime soon anyway). I just felt like being a bit naughty. My time here though definitely has come to an end and I will be back in London on Saturday! I am really excited to be coming back because I’ve missed England much more than I thought I would when I started this journey almost exactly six months ago now. I would not swap my experiences in Spain and France for anything though. I feel like I have learnt so much about life after this mini-gap year so forgive me if I sound over-philosophical in the coming weeks. It’s not been a six month holiday you know, I’ve had my ups and downs like each and every one of you but all in all God has seen me through in one piece, seen me through with a hope of a brighter tomorrow. I was very mono-lingual when I left British shores in February and now I am conversational in both Spanish and French. I thank God for helping me to achieve the goals I set out to achieve when I started. Growing up in Nigeria and learning that crooked French that we all learnt back in school made me think that I was just not meant to be a linguist, but now I’ve realized that anybody who is exposed to the right conditions is capable of learning a new language and quickly too. A couple of people have suggested to me to go and live in a village in Nigeria for a few months to go and finally learn Yoruba and I can tell you that it is not totally out of the question (watch this space, if the village get internet I go dey send you my diary from dia!)
I just want to say a big thanks to everyone who kept in touch with me during this time, it meant a whole lot to me in a time when I was more or less on my own, and also many thanks to those who visited (better late than never!) – I think you’ll now agree with me that the French Riviera is the zone! Where have I not been over here? Antibes, Villefranche, Eze Village, Beaulieu-sur-mer, Cannes a couple of times and Monaco three times and counting! If you know where to go and how to get around, Nice is the perfect holiday/honeymoon spot! I didn’t manage to make it to the famous Saint Tropez but I’ll think I’ll save that for another trip. The only thing I hate about Nice is “La crotte de chiens dans la rue!” What I mean to say is that absolutely nobody here cleans up after their dogs on the streets, and there are many dogs here! It’s absolutely disgusting! I have developed the habit of always looking down when I walk. Other students have not been so lucky and there has been many a tale of slips, falls and returning home to change one’s clothing….
So what have I learnt about life? That it’s not a box of chocolates…ok more seriously, I think I have a greater understanding of the European way of life which is very different from London. Life isn’t just about the hustle and bustle of your 12-hour city job, it isn’t about how much money you can make in as little time as possible nor is it about who drives the flashiest car. I guess I am stating the obvious but just take a moment to think about the finer things of life, the togetherness of family, happiness, love, friendship, Food (lol) and most importantly GOD. These are all things I’ve rediscovered in different ways while being abroad. My family here is a great example. While Sylvie is about 13yrs older than Daniel and has two kids from a previous marriage, you would never guess that he wasn’t the father of her kids. They have been together more than 12 years and they are truly happy together. Daniel’s claim to fame is having played youth football with the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Emmanuel Petit. He could have chosen that life of possible riches and fame but he didn’t and he is truly happy and has absolutely no regrets simply working in a department store almost 20 years on (Ok, he did mention feeling a slight tinge seeing them lifting the World Cup in 1998, but that was only for a second!).
I have met such a wide variety of people that has forced me to reflect on my outlook on life in general. Like this Argentinian guy I met in Barcelona who though never having finished school, was blessed with many skills such as jewelry crafting, deep-sea diving, paragliding and under-water video shooting. Oh, and fluent in English, Spanish, Italian and Japanese. At 33, I found this to be an impressive “CV” and even though he lived from one youth hostel to the next, and sometimes on the street, as he sold his hand made jewels to make a living, he was truly content with life. I used to be impressed by people who spoke two or three languages fluently, but not anymore! In Nice, I’ve consistently met people who speak four or five languages and just last week, I met a Polish girl at my school who can speak seven languages! (not all fluently, but when she can converse with me in Spanish, which is her weakest language, then that is more than impressive, especially at the tender age of 20!).
The church here (International Baptist Church) has really been great for me. I have met some really special people here who I’ll be keeping in touch with for a long time to come. Camille, Cornell, Katie, Rogelio, Anne. If you guys are reading this, it was a blessing meeting you guys and I hope are paths cross again in the future. Ricardo, even though you were in Nice for just a week, you touched my life in an amazing way! This guy is a Spanish and French teacher from the US who God-willing might be relocating to Paris for missionary work. Ricardo keep in touch cos I’ll definitely be in Paris next year and you know that London is only hours away! This guy plays the keyboard and sings like John Stoddart, simply inspired! Speaking of which, Inem, thanks for lending me those Stoddart CDs! I think without Stoddart, Deittrick Haddon and John Legend on constant repeat on my MP3 I think I may have gone mad here!
So there you have it folks, it’s finally over and I’m coming back home, where I belong. I feel like my real life has been on hold for six months and I hate to say it but I am almost excited to be returning to the hustle and bustle of the 9 to 5, or the 7 to 6, as the case may be. I guess I have reason to be optimistic about the future. Take care all, God bless and I look forward to re-integrating myself as a useful member of society. I’ve had enough emails asking me when I am going to start doing some work!
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