{"id":1589,"date":"2025-11-17T11:31:52","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T11:31:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/?p=1589"},"modified":"2025-11-17T11:31:52","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T11:31:52","slug":"5-migrants-share-what-shocked-them-first-abroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/5-migrants-share-what-shocked-them-first-abroad\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a05 Migrants Share What Shocked Them First Abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Culture shocks and the small surprises you will notice once you move abroad.<\/em><\/strong>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving abroad often comes as a shock to many immigrants. There are changes you don\u2019t always expect; you\u2019ll find new opportunities, better systems, or a fresh start you dream of. But nothing prepares you for what to expect, whether you\u2019re moving to the UK <\/a>or not. No matter how well you\u2019ve planned, there\u2019s always one thing that catches you off guard. For some, it\u2019s the weather. For others, it\u2019s the culture, the people, or even etiquette. We spoke with five Nigerians living abroad about what shocked them when they moved to their new countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. \u201cHow kids who come of age were asked to pay rent.\u201d \u2014 Seyi, moved from Abuja to Toronto, Canada <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cI thought I\u2019d done enough research about moving to Canada so nothing would surprise me,\u201d Seyi laughs. \u201cBut I was still shocked. What really got me was seeing 16  and 17-year-olds being asked to pay rent or help with bills. In Nigeria, you can live with your parents as an adult without being asked to pay for anything, at least until you graduate and get a job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The real shock of moving to Canada as a Nigerian <\/a>came when Seyi\u2019s neighbor warned his teenage son that if he didn\u2019t get a job to contribute to rent, he\u2019d have to move out. \u201cThat\u2019s when I realised people here value responsibility, everyone is expected to pull their own weight,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It took a few months, but Seyi learned to appreciate it. \u201cNow I get it. The bills are a lot from taxes, groceries, and everything costs something. Here, nothing is free, and handouts don\u2019t come easily. Of course, I was shocked about it at first, but now, it\u2019s one of the things I admire most. You earn, you spend wisely, and you learn accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. \u201cThey are extremely polite, I almost feel like it\u2019s a pretense\u201d \u2014 Ada, moved from Lagos to Texas, US<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cThe first thing that shocked me was how polite everyone was,\u201d Ada laughs. \u201cPeople can literally apologise when you<\/em> step on them<\/em>. That\u2019s how polite they are. I come from a place where people can be rude for no reason, so it was surprising.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from Lagos, where being impolite is almost part of daily life, Ada was shocked by how kind random strangers are. \u201cHere, everyone wants to help you, even without being asked. People really look out for one another. Back home, if someone has an emergency, most people just mind their business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a few months, Ada adapted. \u201cNow I greet strangers with a \u2018Hi\u2019 or \u2018Good morning,\u2019 I say \u2018Please\u2019 a lot more, and I actually queue,\u201d she says, smiling. \u201cAt first, standing in line felt strange when I knew I could easily skip ahead, but now I do it proudly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also noticed how relaxed the work culture is. \u201cPeople dress comfortably here. Back home, workwear depends on where you work and is usually more formal. Here, comfort comes first.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. \u201cThe weather humbled me.\u201d \u2014 Emmanuel, moved from Lagos to London, UK<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cI thought I knew what cold meant,\u201d Emmanuel says, shaking his head. \u201cI did not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When he landed on a January morning, the biting chill hit him before he even left the terminal. \u201cIt was like the air itself rejected me,\u201d he jokes. \u201cMy hands went numb before I got my luggage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first few weeks were an adjustment. Emmanuel layered up, but the cold still found its way in. \u201cI wore everything I owned at once, but I was still cold. I even bought a scarf just because everyone else had one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But beyond the temperature, the weather affected his daily rhythm. \u201cIn Nigeria, the sun tells you what time it is. You wake up with light, and you wind down when it\u2019s dark. In the UK, the sun disappears at 4 p.m. in winter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With time, he learned to adapt. \u201cNow, I have a whole system. I check my weather app before I leave. I also invest in a good jacket. And I can handle anything after surviving my first British winter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. \u201cHow independent everyone is.\u201d \u2014 Ruth, moved from Portharcourt to Berlin<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cIn Nigeria, community is everything,\u201d Ruth says. \u201cIf your light goes off, a neighbor checks in. If you\u2019re sick, someone brings food.  You could live in the same building for a year and not know your neighbor\u2019s name.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first, Ruth found how independent people in Germany were isolating. \u201cI thought people were cold. But then I realised that they just respect personal space in a way I wasn\u2019t used to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She realised how that independence extended to all areas of life, from paying bills to fixing small problems at home. \u201cBack home, I\u2019d just call someone to come help me set up my WiFi. Here, you\u2019re expected to figure it out yourself or pay someone to do it for you. I became my own electrician, plumber, because there\u2019s a price to everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ruth says she\u2019s come to appreciate it now. \u201cIt forced me to grow up. But I also learned the value of checking in on people. Sometimes, a simple \u2018Hi, how are you?\u2019 means a lot, especially in a country where everyone\u2019s busy minding their own business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. \u201cImplications of rental contracts\u201d \u2014 Chijioke, moved from Enugu to the UK<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cWhen I first arrived in the UK, one of the biggest cultural shocks I faced was related to renting accommodation and signing contracts. Coming from a place where rental agreements are often more flexible or based on mutual understanding, I didn\u2019t initially realise how binding and legally detailed rental contracts are in the UK.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Chijoke arrived, he was excited until he rented his first apartment. He had signed a one-year contract without knowing the implications. Later, he realised he should have chosen a shorter, more flexible option like a six-month tenancy or an open-ended agreement that would allow him to move out more easily.

\u201cUnfortunately, I decided to leave the apartment after just a month, but because of the contract I had signed, I was still legally responsible for paying rent for the rest of the term, even though the room was empty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, even though it was a stressful and expensive lesson, Chijoke has learned an important lesson. In the UK, contracts are taken very seriously, and it\u2019s in your best interest to read every detail carefully before signing anything. If something isn\u2019t clear, it\u2019s advisable to seek legal advice or ask for clarification from a professional. Thankfully, he managed to find another tenant to take over the lease, which relieved him of the financial burden. But before he was able to do that, he had to work multiple jobs to keep up with paying for the term and his new apartment, and he felt like he didn\u2019t even have to work like that in Nigeria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What these stories tell us<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What might shock you in your first time abroad would be a different version from another person\u2019s version. It could be how polite they are, the weather, or even rental contracts. But what these stories have in common is finding a way to grow in discomfort.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And somewhere along the way, you find a middle ground between where you came from and where you are now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Seyi learned to love why kids are asked to pay bills.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Ada discovered how politeness wasn\u2019t a bad thing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Emmanuel found strength in cold mornings. Ruth embraced independence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • And Chijioke learned to look before he leaps. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Sometimes, culture shock isn\u2019t a bad thing, but proof that you\u2019re growing, learning, and opening up. Those first surprises become stories you tell later. And that\u2019s what makes migration so powerful, not just about finding better opportunities but becoming a new version of yourself, one surprise at a time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Culture shocks and the small surprises you will notice once you move abroad. Moving abroad often comes as…","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1592,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Nigerians Abroad Share Their Biggest Culture Shocks","_seopress_titles_desc":"Five Nigerians reveal the biggest culture shocks they faced abroad\u2014from cold winters to polite strangers\u2014and how each adapted to a new way of life overseas.","_seopress_robots_index":"","csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,21,20],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1589","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all","8":"category-life-abroad","9":"category-pop-culture","10":"cs-entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1589"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1589\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1619,"href":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1589\/revisions\/1619"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}