Grad School in Jos

I traveled to Jos to visit my friend Laitu. Since she is currently taking classes for her Master’s Degree in Entomology and Parasitology, I had the opportunity to attend some of the lectures and get to know her course mates. I LOVED it! The pursuit of knowledge, debate of understanding combined with scholarly (and less than scholarly) camaraderie brought me right back to my grad school experience at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, TX! Despite somewhat compromised facilities there at University of Jos: limited electricity, old, crumbling buildings and no running water, the atmosphere on campus was comparable to that of any other campus I’ve ever experienced: alive, invigorating, enlightening.

African time strongly applies to Nigerian Universities. Laitu simply goes to school every day from 9-5 Monday through Friday and isn’t even sure what the schedule for her classes was initially scheduled to be. Professors show up and deliver lectures when the spirit moves them. As far as I can tell (and I’ve asked many of my Nigerian friends for insight) there is no rhyme or reason as to when they will have class. It’s no problem for me during these three days, but I’m certainly far from genetically African with respect to having a schedule!

I was lucky to be privy to a 2-hour class discussion teasing out the details of the parasite malairae that causes malaria. It was fascinating to hear the epidemiology (how it enters the body and physiological damage it causes while it is there), treatment and prevention techniques to control this disease that is haunting the inhabitants of Africa. My friend is doing her thesis project on Long-Lasting Insecticide Nets and their effectiveness in knock-down of mosquitoes within a variety of local regions. The level of passion, desire and dedication regarding the eradication of malaria was palpable within this class but it was mixed with a certain level of frustration regarding the mobilization of their citizenry to buy in to the multi-faceted control techniques presently available.

I firmly believe that the people of Nigeria are intelligent and becoming more and more educated each year. Increased education will further enlightenment and development. At most points, while I was in class listening and participating in the informal conversation regarding class topics and other random ones I wasn’t experiencing an exciting cross-cultural experience, I was engaging in stimulating and engaging conversation that could have just as easily been taking place at OLLU. It made me realize how much I miss the university environment. I love it and must return. Maybe I can take classes in San Salvador…hmmm…ideas! :)