“I Love How Nigeria Makes Me Feel”: How Renee Ju, a South Korean, Found Home in Nigeria

The everyday story you hear is about Nigerians exploring every possible means to relocate abroad. As this article asks, what is the Nigerian dream beyond relocation? If you ask many Nigerians today what their ultimate dream is, “japa”, the Yoruba word for relocation, will likely come up in one form or another.

But while many Nigerians dream of building a life abroad, foreigners from different parts of the world are also finding a reason to call Nigeria home, a word or phrase that, for some Nigerians at home and abroad, has become increasingly difficult to say. Renee Ju (of victorandrenee), a South Korean, is one of those foreigners.

Renee moved to Nigeria for work in 2021. A few years later, she is married to a Nigerian, Victor Babatunde Yamusa, and together they have welcomed a child, Roi Ifeya. What began as a move to a country that initially felt unfamiliar to Renee has grown into a life of love, family and a deeper connection to Nigeria.

In this conversation, Renee tells me about what brought her to Nigeria, the cultural shocks she experienced when she arrived, how she fell in love with Nigerian culture, meeting Victor, becoming a mother, and why Nigeria has come to feel like home.

Hello Renee. How are you feeling today?

Hey, hey! Thank you so much for having me here. I feel on top of my toes to be gisting about my life with you!

Love that! Tell me, when and why did you move from South Korea to Nigeria?

I moved to Nigeria for work at Samsung Electronics in Lagos in 2021. It was my very first time on the vibrant African continent. To be honest, as soon as I arrived at the airport, I wanted to go back to my country because everything was too different from where I came from, a country of (sometimes too many) set rules. But when I began working with my Nigerian colleagues and mingling with them…