What I’m Going To Miss About Oke-ode And ICS – Oyibo Girl Opens Up

…I’ll be leaving Oke-Ode in 4 days time and I wanted to reflect on what I think I’m going to miss. I’m really upset about leaving and I want to try and hold onto this forever. I’m going to miss the people I’ve met more than anything. I’ve done two cycles and seen a total of 28 volunteers come to Oke-Ode to volunteer. They’ve all been amazing and unique in their own ways and I’ve loved seeing them go through this journey. I’ll never forget any of them and I’ve learnt so much from them. I’ll also miss my counterpart, my Project Officer and the support staff from our partner organisation.

Pelumi deserves a very special mention (the partner staff) as she’s made my time in Oke-Ode so much more special – providing laughs and companionship even if she does text most of the night! (If you’re reading this – you know it’s true!! Hahaha). I’ll miss my reliable motorbike man and friend, Tunde, but I’ll at least be able to keep up with his life on Facebook! I’ll miss the children in the spaces and in the summer school for their innocent boundless energy, love and enthusiasm for everything they do! Last but not least, I’ll miss my host family for welcoming me not just into their house but into their family too.

I’ve been treated like a daughter and sister and I can’t put into words how much it hurts to think about leaving them. The people are what have made this journey so special and I’m heartbroken before I’ve even left.
I’m going to miss rural life. I’ve never lived somewhere so rural and I enjoy the peace that it can bring (however it’s often extremely unpeaceful). I’ll miss walking down the sand road to get to the office and occasionally picking up a baby goat along the way.

 
I’ll miss the high fives. To make our lives easier, we have started a trend of high fives so that we don’t have to stop and shake every child’s hand where ever we walk – it makes getting around much more efficient and quicker! But I will miss just walking to the shop and getting 10 high fives along the way from children in the neighbourhood.
I’ll miss the food.

There’s plenty of food that I never really loved (such as cow skin and dried fish) by there’s also plenty that I’ve grown to enjoy and look forward to. For now, I’m looking forward to a lasagne and a slice of chocolate cake more than anything other food on the planet, but I’m sure that after a few good meals I’ll be craving the food that I’ve become accustomed to. Some of those are semovita and okra soup with fried wara (a kind of Nigerian cheese), spicy bean stew, Kuli Kuli (peanuts and chilli ground together and fried to make nutty, spicy biscuits) and moi-moi (a kind of creamy, spicy ball of ground beans).

 
I’ll miss the motorbike riding! I ride motorbikes (as a passenger) quite a lot as it’s the only alternative to walking that we have. But I’ve really come to enjoy the feeling of the wind in my hair on a warm day!
I’ll miss the endless learning that you experience on ICS – “every day is a learning day”!
I’ll miss the heat. There were times during the dry season when the heat was unbearable but I already miss it now that it’s rainy season and much cooler. I can’t imagine how much I’m going to miss it when I’m back in the UKs Autumn weather.
That’s all I’ve got for now. I hope this makes you want to visit Nigeria too!…

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