“I moved from Nigeria to Canada—by accident”

I came to Alberta to visit family in 2019. I never left.

Folusho Oloyede

IN 2019, I WAS LIVING IN IBADAN, NIGERIA, with my wife, Kenny, and our four-year-old son, Dotun. I worked as a high school teacher. One of my sisters, Jummy, had recently moved to Lethbridge, Alberta, with her husband, who was doing his postdoc there. They’d just had a son, so I flew to Canada that November to meet him. My trip was only supposed to last a few weeks, but Jummy liked having me around so much that she suggested I extend my stay until late March of 2020, so I could celebrate my birthday with them. I applied for extended leave from my job and rescheduled my flight home. Then came COVID. I tried to get a flight out but the borders were closed. I was stuck in Alberta.…

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Maclean's (Digital) - 1 Issue, July 2024

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