Lagos - Post Report Question and Answers
What do you wish you had known about this particular city/country before moving there?
How expensive it is to travel. Even travel within Africa can be over $1,000. With such a small green zone for diplomats you start to feel trapped. - Mar 2024
It is not nearly as bad as it's reputation; almost everyone I know here does fine and many extend their stay. - Aug 2020
Lagos' reputation is a lot worse than it actually is. I was very apprehensive about coming here, but once you build a routine, life is fine here. - Jul 2020
That you need to carve out three hours to do errands, that it's so hard to get out in nature, that traffic is so unpredictable that it might take you 15 minutes to get somewhere one day, and 3 hours to get there another day, and that traveling out of the country would be so difficult (expensive to get most places and very few direct flights within the continent). I also wish I knew how extreme the disparity is between the "haves" and the "have-nots," because it is truly mind-blowing. On a lighter note, the country has more than its fair share of problems, but the people are resilient, funny, and resourceful. - Mar 2018
How aggressive a typical Nigerian is. Even when just talking, they sound like they're fighting. Small issues can quickly escalate into a full-fledged riot. Road rage is common, which includes a mob breaking the car window and pulling you out to beat you. - May 2016
How aggressive the culture is here. Kindness is perceived as weakness. - Nov 2015
