Never Too Late
My Nigerian bro told me that he had been in Canada for five years and that he first arrived in the country when he was 53.
Two weeks ago, I met this Nigerian guy at an event in Saskatoon. He worked in the facility where the event was being hosted. I’m not sure I want to share his job title and role in the establishment, but while being attended to by this affable guy, we struck up a conversation.
Because his accent gave him away as being from South-South Nigeria just as I am, it instantly felt like a meeting of long-lost cousins. We immediately switched to pidgin English because it was the natural thing to do and also because we didn’t want the people around us picking up on our conversation.
His friendly disposition encouraged me to speak freely about my experiences since I have been in the city. For some reason, it didn’t feel intrusive asking him questions about what he did back in Nigeria, his reason for leaving his home country and what his experiences have been living and working in Canada.
He sounded really excited talking about his past and present life. Back home, he worked in one of the higher institutions in the East. He used to be the oga in his office and now he has a job in customer service with a direct supervisor and other ogas he reported to.
What struck me most about his story was his openness and excitement in sharing it. He sounded really genuine and I had no doubt in my mind he was being his authentic self. The joy he exuded wasn’t fake or contrived. This man was happy being in Canada!
My Nigerian bro told me that he had been in Canada for five years and that he first arrived in the country when he was 53. I thought it was a brave and inspiring thing to do and I told him so.
As I left the building, I couldn’t help but reflect on what I thought was the most instructive part of our gist – beginning a new life in a different country at 53, being happy about it and looking forward to the future with a lot of excitement.
I don’t imagine it being easy, but I commend the courage to dream and the will to follow through.
I’ve had conversations with people who are terrified about relocating to a new country when they are at a certain age. I’ve had conversations with friends and family about starting a new career or embarking on a new journey after a certain age. In those conversations, I hope I didn’t just listen, but that I was able to nudge them in the direction of their destiny.
Myself, there are things I had considered starting at the beginning of the year that I still haven’t got around to doing because I can be overly sensitive about time and age. I’m not sure I can say that meeting an older Nigerian here in Saskatoon has completely changed the way I see things and my position on what might or might not be the best time to be adventurous, but what I can say for sure is that I am now more willing to try.
We learn every day and the insight from that day has been more than helpful.
Thank you, bro!