Misconceptions About Temitayo's Life

Temitayo’s shared a difficult time in her life to be the death of her mother. Temitayo stated that her mother passed away very young. In Nigeria, Temitayo reported that if you die before your 70th birthday you have been considered to have died young. Temitayo describes Nigerian funerals to be a celebration of a person’s life. The funeral lasts two days. On the first day, there is a wake keeping. At a wake keeping “family members and others carry pictures of the dead person and dance to gospel tunes by their favorite DJ’s in a party like atmosphere.” (Akunia, 2005) On the second day, friends and family members attend church and the burial and celebrate with another party with food, family members, friends, and neighbors. Family is very
These misconceptions include: 1. Nigerians are the only con artists around, so watch out for them. 2. Nothing good comes out of Nigeria besides the oil. 3. You can’t visit Nigeria because it is totally unsafe. 4. Nigerians cannon speak English, are uneducated and live in huts or in the jungle. 5. Nigerians, like all Africans, are as black as a chalkboard. When asking Temitayo this question she stated that the biggest misconception she knows about her culture is Nigerians being involved in scams, and the misconception in the U.S. that no one has an
Temitayo and her husband have four children, twin girls who are 15, and two sons ages 14 and 12. All of Temitayo’s children were born in the United States. Temitayo discussed how hard it was to raise her children without the help and support of your family. In a new country where you already are having a difficult time adjusting to a new language, different customs and norms for social interactions, are unfamiliar to rules and laws could lead to increase acculturation stress (“Depression and Nigerian-born immigrant women in the United States: A phenomenological study,” 2008) it was even harder to raise your children without your extended family. Temitayo stated that it is very difficult to trust others, and that she and her husband shared the responsibility of raising their children without help. Temitayo stated that she was very connected to her church and when her children were young some older ladies from her church came to her home to help out. Although Temitayo had some supports through her church, it was still not equivalent to the support she would have received in