About this blog
About this Blog
Hi there and welcome to Snippets of Reality! This Blog aims to capture various aspects of life in Nigeria. As the name suggests, you will find short stories of daily life here that offer glimpses into daily life here, presenting one piece of reality. I don’t claim to present a holistic picture of this country, but my goal is to reflect its complexity.
Africa as a whole, and most of its countries are often portrayed oversimplified. When we think of Africa, common images that come to mind for many non-Africans are often limited to starving children, wildlife, and warlords with large weapons in the jungle, or, on the other hand, scantily dressed herdsmen dancing in traditional attire in a small village in the Sahel. While all this certainly is part of the continent, there is so much more. During my time in Nigeria, the Giant of Africa, I’d like to share some alternative realities to broaden this perspective.
While I believe that some factual information can’t hurt, I am a sucker for life realities. I believe that there is nothing more “real” than exploring how people live day to day. While as a European Woman in Abuja, I certainly have a different lifestyle than most Nigerians, I see myself as a curious observer. The stories on this Blog will reflect my life and experiences here and will try to reflect on them in the context of Nigeria. As the stories will take you along an experience, they will give some context of the country, its history, economy, and culture. And of course, the most important aspect: its people.
Thank you for being interested and the open mind. I hope you enjoy the read!
About the author
Hey there, it’s the author of this blog! As you probably can imagine, I love sharing – whether it’s my food or my experiences. Let’s just say I have a tendency to overshare. And instead of bothering family and friends with too long voice messages, I decided that a blog might be the adequate platform to share my thoughts. Plus, I like the idea that my personal experience might enrich others, even just a little.
While I prefer to remain anonymous, I’d like to give some background on how I ended up here. I’m in my mid-twenties and usually try to make sense of live in Sweden, where I’m pursuing a Master’s degree in Peace and Conflict studies. Although I grew up in Europe, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel and live in different parts of the word, which have impacted my personal and professional life. After a long Swedish winter filled with academic studies, I caught myself feeling a strong urge to complement my theoretical knowledge of peace with practical experiences in the field. The opportunity to pursue an internship as part of my studies turned out to be the perfect way to realize this idea. A few months later, I found myself on a plane headed to Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, to support an NGO in their project focused on preventing violent extremism in the north of the country for one semester.
Contact
I am happy about any feedback, so do not hesitate to contact me