Harvard University

“Nigeria?” exclaimed the man sitting next to me, failing to mask his confusion. “Yes, Nigeria” I said, confirming that I had enjoyed my years spent in Nigeria the most. My fellow traveller remained stupefied, and to some degree, offended: how could I prefer the squalor of Lagos to the elegance of Melbourne, Aberdeen, or Houston? Had I answered him, I might have explained that there was a beauty that arose from the apparent chaos – an observation that taught me the importance of learning through experience rather than relying on what others have said. To my mind, this sentiment is best…