1/ WITH 700 EUROS, I MADE MY WAY TO FINLAND

I secured admission into Savonia Polytechnic, Kuopio Finland for a second Bachelor of Science (Information Technology/Embedded Systems). This was a tuition-free program (not scholarship).

Pic - 1st day of school.

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2/ For the BSc program, I am supposed to be responsible for my accommodation, feeding and general up-keep for the duration of the degree (4 years).

I had just graduated from OSU and didn’t get a job yet. So, I was fine with leaving Nigeria.

3/ Before leaving, I went to Kotangora market, purchased a few second-hand winter clothes and shoes, booked my cheap Turkish airline flight ticket, and packed my bags! With 700 Euros, I travelled to Helsinki Finland on the 5th of Sept. 2008.

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4/ Fast forward to my arrival at Helsinki-Vantaa airport, everyone was white (except for us the JJCs), everything was written in Finnish, it was slightly cold, and I was legit afraid. It seemed as though I had taken the “riskiest risk” of my life .

5/ I got on the bus from the airport to the Helsinki train station to get a train ticket that will take me to Kuopio (where I was meant to resume school). While at the terminal, I saw 2 black people (who didn’t just arrive and seem to live in the city).

6/ I walked up to them, and introduced myself. Alas, they are Nigerians! I explained my predicament and that no accommodation was waiting for me in Kuopio. Interestingly, Dapo (one of the two men) had just returned from Kuopio and said he did his summer school there.

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7/ My eye lit up and I started begging him to connect me with anyone he has there who can allow me stay with them. I was legit going to be stranded if I had travelled to Kuopio. I started crying and these men reassured me that help will be waiting at train station in Kuopio.

8/ As I highlighted from the train in Kuopio, a Nigerian (Sheriff) welcomed me with a smile and helped me with my bags. He took me to Edith’s apartment where I had my first bowl of fried rice and chicken. Edith would accommodate me for 3 weeks and show me around the school.

9/ Since I was already “broke” on my arrival, Dapo persuaded Lola (another of his friends in Kuopio) to help me secure a cleaning job with the same company she worked for. Well, I didn’t know nor speak Finnish and no one get cleaning jobs with zero Finnish language skills.

10/ Lola persuaded her boss to hire me. 3 weeks later as my stay at Edith’s house was ending and I had 150 Euros left, I started working at a supermarket in Petonen as a cleaner. I got my own room and started upkeeping myself. Ha! God, I didn’t become homeless, ha God! Thank you!

11/ After 3 months of juggling between school and work (school from 8am - 3:3pm and cleaning job from 5pm – 10pm), I was given a second assignment to clean offices in the morning at 5am. Buses don’t work that early so, Ayo and Seye taught how to ride a bicycle.

12/ I learned bike riding after a couple of falls and the routine became from 4 am until 11 pm and continued for a whole year.

I was very smart and quickly realized that my Physics / Electronics BSc from OSU prepared me well. I didn’t need a second BSc! I started plotting.