No taste like home
Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:54:00 GMT
NOW that they have their own society, the large numbers of Nigerian students at the University of Huddersfield can be sure of a taste of home. Their get-togethers – accompanied by Nigerian music and comedy – feature the dishes they grew up with.
One of the prime movers in the new Nigerian Students’ Society at the University is Oluwatodimu Samuel Dahunsi (pictured), who is studying for a PhD in food science, having already completed his BSc degree at Huddersfield.
He remembers that when he first arrived at Huddersfield, he was bemused by the food on offer. “I’m used to it now, but at the start I didn’t understand it!” Now he can help to make sure that he and his fellow Nigerians are treated to specialities such as spicy jollof rice or moimoi, a rich bean cake.
Adapting to the culture and the climate of the UK can be a problem to begin with, says another founding member of the new society, Elizabeth Iyibor (also pictured), who is in the fourth year of her BSc in Computer Science, and who has just completed a year-long work placement with a major Leeds-based software company.
But she is quick to praise the teaching and the facilities at the University – and the fascination of meeting fellow students from a huge variety of countries and cultures. “That has been a real learning experience,” says Elizabeth.
There are some 120 Nigerian students at the University of Huddersfield and many of them have been meeting informally for some time, said Oluwatodimu. It was decided to put the society on a more formal footing, and October was chosen because it would mean that newly-arrived Nigerian students could be welcomed and, also, Nigerian Independence can be celebrated, because the country’s Independence Day falls in October.
The Nigerian Students’ Society is fully up and running after it was launched at a packed opening event which featured authentic food and music. It has begun to make plans that include a trip to Blackpool and maybe Spain.
Meanwhile, the new society has already been nominated for an award as Best Nigerian Society in a scheme organised by the organisation NUBA – Nigerian UK-Based Achievers Award.
