Humans of Portsmouth - Dan's Story

I was born and raised in Nigeria. That is where I studied Economics for my undergrad. Then I went to Canada for a year with my sister, and I worked as a data analyst. That’s what got me into digital marketing because after doing it for a while, I really loved the business side of things. I tried a few business ideas but they didn't go the best because I wasn’t taking it seriously. Once I got into the business management side of things, I started looking for a masters. That’s when my sister, who is an alumni, told me about the University of Portsmouth which influenced my decision to come here. 

[Tell me something about you that would surprise me] I have 10 piercings. That is one that really surprises people. 8 in my ear and I’m getting more. If you are thinking about getting a piercing then you should go for it, you can always take it out. 

The seafront is a place that means a lot to me. I really like the seafront waves. I love waves crashing, very calming. Love it a lot - that’s it. I don’t really associate it with anything, I just really like the water, the cold and everything. I go to the beach a lot. If I’m not at work, home or the gym, I’m definitely at the beach for a walk by the seafront. That’s the best thing for me. 

[What is your greatest achievement?] As of right now, I don’t know. I guess just being here - going from my undergrad to working, to my masters and obviously working again. I am able to sustain myself without the help of others. I have two older sisters and one little sister. She is in the fourth year but it is just me here. 

Usually we’re all spread out in our family but we are very connected and we were very close when growing up. As everyone grew older and went our separate ways, we’re still very much communicating digitally - always on FaceTime, always texting each other and always calling each other. It wasn’t as difficult in the sense of missing my family. But obviously it’s a new place but I am used to being on my own and having family in separate places growing up. 

In Canada, I did have my sister. Even if we weren’t in the sample place, we were still in the same country. Canada is gigantic compared to the UK, gigantic. But any new place takes a while to get adjusted to how things work and finding activities to enjoy. With effort you eventually get to a place that you’re comfortable with. Nothing will come to you, so you have to put effort in. 

My favourite moment in Portsmouth was when me and my friends decided to take one of the rental bikes and bike around the seafront. I really enjoyed that. It was a lovely memory and moment and it is something that we still try to do. I still try to do that on my own as well.

Portsmouth does have a lot of opportunities to make friends. For example, there are the girls that walk in Portsmouth and several community centers. There are clubs and a lot of pubs. Obviously going to the club alone is different from an arts and crafts session. But if you are a student, it is easier to make friends if you don’t run away after classes. Try and stick around and talk to the people around you. They are people just like you going through the same experience so just try to talk with them. If they have friends, and you talk to them, they can possibly introduce you to their friends, and then you get more friends. So that's just it.

[Tell me about a difficult time you've been through, and what helped you get through it] When I initially got here, I wasn't able to open up a bank account immediately, so I could only use cash, just for a lot of people to say: oh sorry, we don’t accept cash. So I was like - okay, what am I supposed to do? I had to look for very specific places that would accept cash. It took me a week to open up a bank account and it was really difficult especially because it was during my first time in the UK. 

[What are you most afraid of right now?] Not anything serious but from a job perspective, a professional perspective, like what I am currently doing right now. I’m afraid of time because the things that I do are not getting as much impact as I would like before my term as an Elected Officer is over. 

My former manager motivated me to run for an Elected Officer position because I was working with the Union and she thought I should apply because I’d be really good at it. Once I started digging into it and talking to my predecessor, he explained to me what he did and what I could possibly do. I was able to put together a manifesto that I genuinely liked. It felt like it was something I wanted to achieve and that I wanted to campaign for. 

[Happiest childhood memory? I keep thinking about my cats. My first cat was named Lola, but honestly, I don’t really remember what happened to her. I just remember having her, and then after that, we got two more cats. One of my favorite memories is simply taking videos of them - those little moments were really special to me. And beyond the cats, it’s the memories of my family - my parents, my sisters - that stand out. It's a mix of different moments that come to mind, but those are the faces that keep coming back. It’s hard to pinpoint one specific memory, but they’re all part of the same feeling.

Growing up in Nigeria was fun. My dad and my mum were from different parts of Nigeria. My dad was from the south and my mum was from the south east but grew up in the north. Then we ended up in the east. We definitely moved around a lot, so I was able to experience different parts of the culture of Nigeria. That was something that I genuinely liked. We have 36 states, and I’ve been to at least 20. I spent most of my time in the north side - Kaduna. That is where I worked and I also had some family there as well.

I definitely want to go back to Nigeria, that is where I am from. But I still want to travel to other parts of the world as well. Planning on doing a backpacking trip around Europe next summer. 

When traveling, I enjoy experiencing different cultures the most. I love experiencing new things, getting involved and doing new activities. There are so many different ranges of activities in different parts of the world. 

[How would you rate your experience in the UK so far?] I’d say about 6.5-7. It’s more of a me thing and I haven’t necessarily had a bad experience in the UK. But honestly speaking, for the most part of my stay in the UK, I studied and it is only now that I am actually able to go outside and experience other aspects of the UK. 

[Advice to the next officer] Outside of a handover note and letting them know the important information, enjoy it. It’s a really good experience but don’t get too comfortable because when you do go back into the working class, you are not going to be part of these kinds of CEO level meetings. You’re going to be, let’s say mid senior level. But it feels nice that I actually got this experience because it really helps with your work experience.