Nigeria vs England - The cultural differences I experienced - part two

Yesterday, I started to share what I thought were the cultural differences between people from Nigeria and people from England. I addressed the topic of language, greetings and the concept of a friendly nod or smile. I also gave examples of the few culture shock moments I experienced while living in England. You can read more of yesterday's post here.

Image source

Just like I said yesterday, these are just my opinions and I do not speak for all Nigerians rather do I speak for all English people.

So, in continuation, here is difference number four:

Number Four - Hangouts

England

On my first week in England, my roommates came to me and said that they would like to take me out to dinner as a way of welcoming me to England. I was very happy to hear that, so, that evening I got all dolled up and went with them to a restaurant. When the menu came, I ordered something that looked as close to the food I was used to eating and I made sure it was cheap too (to be polite).

Image source

We had a lovely dinner and shared lots of stories. When it came time to leave, I saw that the waiter had slid a white piece of paper beside each of our drinks. I saw everyone else opening theirs and getting out their wallets so I went ahead to open mine. Lo and behold, there was the bill 😱😱😱 What? You mean, I have to pay my own bill? 😱😱.

Image source

Nigeria

In Nigeria, if someone tells you that they would like to “take you out” the assumption is that they are paying. I mean, why would they say they wanted to take you out and then expect you to pay? If they hadn’t asked you to go out, you would have been at home, minding your business and not spending any money! It was one of the biggest culture shock moments for me. Luckily for me, at that time Nigeria was still a cash based economy so I was used to carrying around a lot of cash. I opened my wallet and sent a thankful prayer to God that I had ordered something cheap. If not, the restaurant would have had a brand new floor cleaner and dish washer.

Anyone who is Nigerian or knows Nigerians would tell you that we like to have a good time. We love to party and we like to do it with our friends. When we “take you out”, leave your wallet at home and expect to be pampered.

Image source

Number Five - Use of titles

England

While studying and working in England, I found that they had a relatively relaxed attitude towards the use of titles. I remember how uncomfortable I felt when my lecturers asked me to call them by their first name. It felt so wrong to refer to them as Shamim, Mark or Sven.

Nigeria

In Nigeria, right from birth, you are taught to NEVER refer to someone older than you by their first names. You are to prefix their names with either an “Uncle” or an “Auntie”, even if they weren’t related to you. This is reinforced when you go to school. Teacher are referred to as Uncle/Auntie so and so. In work situations, you find either the word Sir and Ma/Madam used a lot or some folks who are trying to kiss the bosses you-know-what, might use the term Mummy or Daddy. To be honest I struggled with the “Mummy” thing. I just couldn’t bring myself to call anyone other than my own mother by that name.

In formal occasions, you could offend a special guest if you do not include all their titles while introducing them or addressing them.

Image source
Anyway, imagine growing up in this environment and all of sudden being told that you should refer to your boss as John or Jill. That required some adjustment on my part.

Number Six - Teaching as a conversation vs teaching as a lecture

England

In England, I observed that teacher genuinely wanted their students to partake in the teaching sessions. They encouraged students to challenge their positions and offer opposing opinions. In situations where the student has made a valid point, this is acknowledged by the teacher even if that opinion differed from his or hers.

When a teacher poses a question to the class and a student answers the question incorrectly, the teachers does not directly shut the person down. Rather, he or she highlights the positives of the person's answer and gently seeks further contribution. Teaching was a conversation rather than a lecture.

Image source

Nigeria

In Nigeria, when you raise your hand to answer a teacher’s question, you’d better get the question right. If not, you stand the chance of being ridiculed or shut down. Although some teachers encourage you to ask questions, you stand the chance of being made a fool of, if you asked what they consider to be a “stupid question”. In some cases, your question may be valid, but instead of saying something like “I don’t know” or “let me do some research and get back to you”, you find that the teacher preferred to insist that they are correct or make you feel like your question was stupid. As a result of this, a lot of students did not feel comfortable asking questions. Teaching was something that was done to you rather than something you participated in.
Nigeria, being a high power distance culture meant that teachers were not challenged very often and students just did as they were told.

Image source

Again, these are my opinions and are based on my experiences. Someone else might have a totally different experience. In fact, I encourage you to drop a comments if you agree or disagree with the views I have expressed.

Thanks for stopping by. Chat tomorrow!