Popular YouTuber Tayo Aina has shared his experiences navigating life in Portugal, highlighting the difficulties of leaving behind one’s home country. Speaking about the move, he said, “It’s very hard, this japa thing… because for you to leave behind everything you know and go into a new country… mine is even worse. I went to a country that most Nigerians don’t go to. They don’t speak the same language, so there are not a lot of Nigerians in Portugal. I think in total we’re about 5,000 and they’re all spread across.”
Tayo explained that this lack of community has made the transition more challenging. “Not having a community and just trying to start to grow a new community, especially when you’re older, it’s more harder cos everybody is busy,” he said. He added that being around fellow Nigerians helps him feel connected: “I just be like I don miss Naija, let me come back and at least see people that look like me and speak the same language. It’s a very big part of the issue.”
Despite the difficulties, Tayo acknowledged some advantages of life in Portugal. “Other side of life, not having internet is no more a problem, ease of travel is much better, it’s just a more calmer society,” he noted. However, he also pointed out the limitations of opportunities in the country: “Portugal is also one of the… countries that has the least opportunity in Western Europe… When it comes to Portugal, Portugal has less opportunities and for someone like me that’s just coming into the society… it’s more like I live there, I don’t interact with the ecosystem, it’s just like my house and I travel to other places.”
Tayo Aina’s reflections offer insight into the complexities of relocating abroad, especially to countries where cultural and language differences pose significant challenges.
