There is something about being far from home that makes the smallest things feel bigger. A plate of jollof rice becomes more than just food. A familiar language in a crowded room feels like relief. Even a random song can take you back in seconds.
For many Africans living abroad, home does not disappear. It simply travels with them, showing up in their routines, their friendships, and the quiet ways they choose to stay connected.
This is what Home Away From Home is about.
In this series, we sit with Africans across the diaspora and let them tell their stories in their own words. No filters, no overthinking. Just honest conversations about what it means to build a life elsewhere while still holding on to where you come from.
For Victor, that journey starts in Osun State and now stretches all the way to Manchester, where work, study, and everyday life have taken on a new rhythm, but home is never too far away.
1. Tell us who you are! Your name, where you’re originally from, and what you do.
Victor, I’m from Osun State, Nigeria and I work at a Pupil Referral Unit
2. Where in the world are you right now, and what took you there? Was it school, work, love, adventure, or a mix of everything?
I am currently in Manchester, UK. I went there for a Master’s degree at Manchester Metropolitan University.
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3. What does a regular day look like for you over there? Walk us through it: morning to night, don’t skip the small details.
Depends on the day. I go to work at the school in the morning, then sometimes I go to work as a chef at the Etihad Stadium. On some days, I go to the cinema (because I have a subscription to watch as many as 120 movies in a month). I also started swimming last year, and I can do an impressive butterfly. Depends on the day. I tell myself to go to bed at 11 after praying, but I end up going down a rabbit hole on the internet
4. When you’re missing home, what’s the first thing you reach for? A meal you cook, a song you play, a show you put on, what brings Africa back to you instantly?
I think it’s the food I cook. I cook Nigerian food A LOT. In fact, I cook it for my colleagues, and they LOVE my jollof rice
5. How do you keep your culture alive in your day-to-day life? Think about food, language, fashion, traditions, what does that look like where you are?
I always eat Nigerian food. I rarely buy food, and when I do, it’s usually Nigerian food. Alos, I speak Yoruba or Pidgin with my Nigerian colleagues or friends. Occasionally, I wear Ankara to church.
6. What’s the one thing about home you just can’t replicate abroad, no matter how hard you try?
Suya! Zobo! Kunu! I’ve not gone to a wedding or “Owambe” since I left Nigeria. I have some naira notes I just decided to keep for memory’s sake.
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7. How has being away changed the way you see home and yourself?
I think I’m much more resilient than I give myself credit for. It’s been 3 years, and oh God, I was really scared being all alone in a new country. And now, I’ve met wonderful people whom I am glad to call my friends. Oh, and I learnt how to ride a bicycle.
8. What do you want people back home and the rest of the world to know about what it really feels like to be African abroad?
It’s happy, free, confusing, and lonely at the same time. (Sorry for quoting Taylor Swift.) But it’s always darkest before dawn. You will make mistakes. You will face challenges. But it gets better, one way or another.