Dairy
Dear Diary, April 30, 2013
I am visiting Nigeria for my project and I'm going to write in here
what I have learned each day...
Today I went are visited homes and schools of Nigerians. When children
reach the age of about four or five, they are expected to start completing
household duties. As they get older, their responsibilities grow. Young men are
expected to help their dads in the fields, or work with the livestock. Young women
help with the cooking, going to get water, or do laundry. Doing these things help the
children learn how to be a productive member of their community. As children,
Nigerians learn that laziness is not acceptable.
Newborns in Nigeria are regarded with pride. They represent a community's
and a family's future and often are the main reason for many marriages. The bond
between a mother and child is very strong. During the first few weeks of the child's
life, the mother is never far away from him/her. Breast-feeding is very important
to Nigerian women because it creates a bond between the mother and child. Children
often don't stop breast-feeding until they are toddlers. Children who are too young
to walk are carried on their mothers backs by a cloth that is tied around the baby
and fastened at the mother's breasts. They will often carry their baby while they perform
their daily chores.
In many Nigerian ethnic groups, the education of children is a community responsibility.
All Nigerian children are supposed to have access to a local elementary school. The
number if girls in class is usually much lower than the number of boys. Nigerian
families don't send every child in a family to school because it can often put stress on
the family, they will lose the child's help around the house and have to pay for uniforms
and supplies. There are 43 universities in Nigeria. Most of them are government-run,
three are private. In 1998 only 135 thousand students were accepted into Nigerian
universities out of 400 thousand who applied. They have 125 technical schools.
Today was a journey and I learned a lot. I will have more tomorrow!
I am visiting Nigeria for my project and I'm going to write in here
what I have learned each day...
Today I went are visited homes and schools of Nigerians. When children
reach the age of about four or five, they are expected to start completing
household duties. As they get older, their responsibilities grow. Young men are
expected to help their dads in the fields, or work with the livestock. Young women
help with the cooking, going to get water, or do laundry. Doing these things help the
children learn how to be a productive member of their community. As children,
Nigerians learn that laziness is not acceptable.
Newborns in Nigeria are regarded with pride. They represent a community's
and a family's future and often are the main reason for many marriages. The bond
between a mother and child is very strong. During the first few weeks of the child's
life, the mother is never far away from him/her. Breast-feeding is very important
to Nigerian women because it creates a bond between the mother and child. Children
often don't stop breast-feeding until they are toddlers. Children who are too young
to walk are carried on their mothers backs by a cloth that is tied around the baby
and fastened at the mother's breasts. They will often carry their baby while they perform
their daily chores.
In many Nigerian ethnic groups, the education of children is a community responsibility.
All Nigerian children are supposed to have access to a local elementary school. The
number if girls in class is usually much lower than the number of boys. Nigerian
families don't send every child in a family to school because it can often put stress on
the family, they will lose the child's help around the house and have to pay for uniforms
and supplies. There are 43 universities in Nigeria. Most of them are government-run,
three are private. In 1998 only 135 thousand students were accepted into Nigerian
universities out of 400 thousand who applied. They have 125 technical schools.
Today was a journey and I learned a lot. I will have more tomorrow!